© All rights reserved for How to be a Queen. This story is based on Greek Mythology however the plot and some characters are ORIGINAL and all MY OWN WORK. These are the products of my imagination and countless hours spent writing. Please do not copy/ reproduce in any way.

CHAPTER 11 - THE LOCKET

The Garden
Hades' Palace
The Underworld

-Aerith-

I laughed – the kind where you're not sure what to do or what to reply when someone tells you something so you just laugh.

Hades reached for my hands and grasped them tightly in his. "Two nights ago, you were in a party. You dreamt that you died. In that dream, you drowned and you came here. You saw me and I promised you I will make things right. I did," he said.

That wiped all laughter from my face. "How did you know about that?" I asked. I thought about it hard and it made me pause. "Wait up. Of course, you'll know! You're a dream of mine and you were conjured by my brain."

Yeah, that makes sense.

Hades continued speaking as though I didn't say anything. "Yesterday, you went to your friend's house. You were with three women. They were not ordinary mortals. They were the furies. Mortals attacked you and your shoulder was wounded."

"And I am totally fine now. I don't feel even a bit of pain," I retorted.

He shook his head. "That's because Apollo healed you. I asked for his aid." His lips were pursed in that usual expression boys wore when you tell them they should ask for directions and it somehow hurts their pride.

"Apollo? And your name is Hades..." I laughed again. "...Don't tell me there's a Zeus and Hera too and that greek mythology is in fact real?" I continued.

Hades nodded. "My queen... It's not a myth. It's all real. And your life is about to change."

Suddenly, I felt heat in my right palm. And then felt a weight settle on it. Hades let go of my hand and I opened my clenched fist to reveal the item within. It was my locket ­– the only item I have that could reveal who I really am.

I gasped in shock and almost dropped the locket. I stepped back and looked around this beautiful garden and the rocky terrain right outside it. I was looking at things from a different perspective this time.

What if Hades was right and this was all real? What if I really died that night and went to where souls go when their mortal lives are over? I shook my head as a barrage of what ifs suddenly filled my brain.

When I looked at Hades again, he was looking at me with expectation. I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't find the words so I closed it again. Sadness crossed those beautiful features of his before he looked away. Seeing that made me want to reach out and maybe touch him? Soothe him? I didn't really know.

"My apologies but I have to go. But I have one last surprise for you. Maybe she will explain better the things I cannot," he told me. One second I was looking at him. The next second, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and in his place was... Claudine.

"Aerith!" she shouted as she ran the short distance and hugged me tight. "Oof," I gasped. This was my friend alright... even if she looked a bit different.

Her black hair which was usually left loose was now bunched atop her head in an elegant knot. Also, she wore a crown of golden leaves in her hair. Her usual fancy dresses was replaced with a gown which was knotted on one shoulder like those Greek togas we wore on school plays. The dress was sky blue and was cinched at the waist with a gold belt.

"You look so nice in this dream," I told her.

She looked at my hand which was still clutching the locket. She frowned and shook her head. "Aerith... This is all real," she told me. "Now, I can tell you everything but for this, you might want to sit down."

She took my hand and I felt the ground vanish from beneath my feet. Then, there was the sensation of falling which was over as soon as it began. I blinked and saw that we were back in the room where I woke up.

"A little warning?" I wheezed as I tried to get my breath back to normal.

"Sorry," she mumbled. I sat on the bed and my friend sat beside me.

"Answers?" I prompted after my friend was silent for a while.

She blinked. "Right. It's just..." she waved a hand, "...I don't even know where to start."

"Prove to me this isn't a dream."

Claudine reached forward and pinched my arm really hard. "Ouch!" I cried as I nursed the spot on my arm which was now turning red.

"Is that enough?"

"I tried that earlier," I replied drily.

"So then you know this is not a dream. Why then do you insist on it being one?" she asked flippantly.

I wrung my hands. "Because there's no other answer for what this is!" I shouted, letting go of all the frustration and confusion I felt.

At once, the frown was removed from Claudine's face and it was replaced by sympathy.

"I'm so sorry, Aerith. The Fates... they had specific instructions and everyone knows we can't go against fate."

"Fate?" I repeated.

Claudine touched my hand and I opened it to reveal the locket. She turned it over and traced the loom, spool and thread which was engraved into it. "This is the symbol of the Fates," she told me. "They are three immortals tasked with maintaining the Grand Tapestry of Life. Everyone's lives is connected to everyone else's and that is seen in their tapestry. Imagine a big loom and all the threads you see there represent a mortal life. The Fates hold the Scissors of Death and when it's time, a mortal's thread is cut off from the loom and they die. The Fates can see into the future and they are the ones who try to balance things," she explained.

"What has this got to do with me?" I asked.

"Aerith... You are their daughter."

I froze in shock. "Daughter?" I squeaked. It was the only sound I could manage at this point.

"Yes. They created you from their own threads or their own souls. I really don't know the specifics of it. But that's how you came to be," she said.

I stood up and started pacing. I also pinched myself three times more. It still hurt and I still didn't wake up. With every second that passed, I was letting go of the notion that this was just a dream. Along with that, panic started to set in.

For so long, I've wanted to know who my real parents were. And now to be told that I was – what's the word for it? – created.

"What does that even mean?" I cried. "Created as in magic? They whispered a few words and poof, there's me?"

Claudine shook her head. "All of us contain energy. Energy can neither be created nor lost. It's merely transferred. The mortals got that right with their scientific theories. As for the gods, it's only their innate powers which defies that law. But as for creating life, that demands something in return. The Fates each gave you parts of their soul for you to live."

I pulled at my hair. All these is enough to drive someone insane. If someone asked me who my parents were, I can't really say that I was created from parts of the souls of three old women, right?

I laughed again. The same kind as before.

"Calm down, Aerith. I'm here to explain everything."

"How do you know about all this? Who are you?"

Claudine winced and took a deep breath. "My real name is Calliope. I come from a long line of oracles that's been serving the gods for millennia now. We are one soul reborn in different bodies throughout time. Our existence usually means that something big is coming. I was born twenty years before you were. When the Fates created you, I was assigned to look after you," she explained slowly.

When she looked up, her eyes were shining with tears. "I was supposed to be your guardian but I became your friend. And in all my lives, let me tell you... This is the greatest adventure I've ever had and I wouldn't change a damned thing. I'm only sorry I couldn't tell you the truth early on. But I'm here and I'll always be. I'll help you transition into your immortal life."

Her words made me pause and seeing her tears triggered mine. My vision blurred as I walked towards her. I grabbed her hand and held it tight. "Thank you for being with me all these years, Claudine." I paused as I thought of her previous words. "Or should I call you Calliope now?" I asked.

She laughed amidst her tears. "You can call me whatever you like. I'm still Claudine and I'm always going to be your friend. Pinky swear."

The familiar words brought my turbulent mind some relief. "All this..." I waved a hand to indicate everything, "... it's new to me. It's confusing and I don't know my place in all this. I'm glad you're here and I'm thankful for that but what the hell does this mean and where am I?"

"You're in Hades' realm. He is King of the Underworld. This is where the titans are imprisoned and where all souls go after death," she said.

She squeezed my hand. "I understand that it's a lot to take in. For now, just listen. What I am telling you is the whole truth but I do understand that it's hard for you to believe that. You'll see in time that it's the truth. For now, just listen and remember."

She opened the locket and pointed at the symbol which I always called a fork.

"This is a two-pronged trident. Hades' symbol. This is your destiny, Aerith. The Fates created you to be his queen."

I reeled as if I've been slapped. "Queen? Me?" I squeaked. I waited for the punch line but there was none.

"What do I know about being queen? I can barely hold my life together! Queen of what, exactly? Queen of souls and imprisoned titans? And his queen? I don't even know him!"

I resumed pacing and started wringing the hem of my dress between my fingers. All the while, the word 'queen' kept echoing inside my head.

"You've known him all your life, Aerith. He's been in your dreams for as long as you can remember. That's because you are destined to be together."

"Destined?" I repeated.

Claudine pointed at the left panel of the locket, directly beside the trident. It was a very small sandglass. Over the course of my life, I've tried turning that over and over to see if the sand would go back the other way. It didn't. It merely kept pouring down ever so slowly. Now, the bottom panel was almost full and the top panel was almost out.

"This counts down to the time you fulfill your destiny – you being queen of the Underworld. It's been written long ago, Aerith."

With each word, panic started to turn into hysteria. My mouth ran dry and my head started to ache from all this information it was trying to process and also the overthinking I was doing.

I held up my left hand while the right massaged my temples.

"Please, C. Let's talk about the queen thing another time. Hearing that word freaks me out!"

My friend nodded.

"If this is all real, I can't be here, C. People are going to look for me. I... I can't just disappear. What about school? My foster family? What about college and all those things? What about my future?" I knew I was blabbing but I was trying to hold on to the last threads of my sanity.

Claudine kept calm through all my ranting and pacing. She patted the space beside her and I sat once more. Trying to keep still was killing me but I did it for her.

"Your foster mother is trying to kick you out. Your mortal life has been hardship after hardship, Aerith. At one point, you suffered so much and it broke my heart that I went running back to the Fates to ask them if all of this was even necessary. The mortals hate what they don't understand and that's why we've been targets for as long as we can recall. Why would you want to go back to all that?"

"But­–"

"You've always wanted to find the place where you belong. This is where it is, Aerith. This is your destiny. You scoff at it now because like the mortals, you don't understand. But the puzzle pieces are falling faster now and one day you'll see this is what you've been searching for your entire life."

"Please, C. Don't say the word destiny or fate today along with queen." I sighed and closed my eyes. "What about choice, then? What if I wanted to do something else with my life? Does this mean I don't have a choice because it was something written by the Fates a long time ago?"

For the first time today, my friend was silent.

"Claudine... I appreciate what you're doing for me but I can't deal with all this right now. I need a moment," I told her.

Claudine bowed her head. "I understand. I'm close by for when you need to talk. The attack on my house is all real and Hades has granted me a room here in the palace so he can ensure my safety. Call me and I'll be there," she whispered. She stood up and headed towards the door.

"Wait!"

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" I asked. Claudine shook her head. "I wasn't there when the attack happened," she replied.

"Let's say I believe that all this is real and I've embraced my destiny. What happens then?"

"All I can say for now is that we'll have to take care of what you're leaving behind. We'll need to talk to your foster mother and maybe tell her that you're moving in with me. Then, there's also the matter of school. The rest of it... it's not my place to say, Aerith. It's a conversation for you and Hades alone."

I nodded. "I'm sorry, C. I just need a moment to think. I'm really trying my best not to freak out right now."

"I understand," she repeated. She sighed and lifted her head. "You'll pull through, Aerith. Like you always do. Life has been so unfair to you over the years but you've always managed to find the silver lining. Now, you have the chance to turn all that around. I know you'll pull through."

And then she opened the door and left me alone with my thoughts. I looked at my hand and I was still clutching the locket.

The answers I've sought all my life has now been given to me. I always envisioned that moment to give me a sort of peace when I finally figure out who I am. But right now a peaceful state of mind is so far from what's happening. My mind is in chaos and the question I've sought answers to only lead me to more questions which I can't even comprehend.

The main question was: what now?

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