As the sound of hoofbeats grows fainter, I curl up into myself on the ground and start to cry.

My friends are still shocked at my behavior, but they have enough presence of mind to try and comfort me.

When my sobs have subsided a bit, Adone asks me, “Who was that man? How do you know him, Persephone?”

I take a deep breath and tell them about the day I came back from the underworld, and the festival and fertility ritual later that night. I tell them everything, sparing no details.

When I am done, Lascia regards me with her keen black eyes. “The only purpose of the ritual is to help bring fertility back to the earth, Persephone. You as the daughter of Demeter surely realize this.”

“My brain realizes this, Lascia, but my heart refuses to follow the logic of my brain.”

“Then you must pray to Aphrodite, pray to the love goddess for her mercy. If she is bountiful, she will grant you your heart’s desire,” Adone says, her face bright with hope for me.

I wipe away a tear and think about what she said.