Praise for
THE GODDESS TEST
âA fresh take on the Greek myths adds sparkle to this romantic fable.â
âCassandra Clare
âThis absorbing, contemporary take on the Greek myth of Persephone features romance, mystery, suspense, and an engaging, fully dimensional protagonist.â
âBooklist
âAbsolutely unique, fresh and fascinating.â
âBewitchedBookworms.com
âDo you accept your role as Queen of the Underworld?â said Henry.
I could do this. I had to do this. For Henryâs sakeâfor my motherâs sake. For my sake. Because in the end, without Henry, I didnât know who I was any more.
As I opened my mouth to say yes, a crash shattered the silence. I twisted around to survey the damage, but before I could get a good look, Ava appeared beside me and took my elbow. âWe have to get out of here.â As we scrambled forward, another crash echoed through the hall, and a shimmering fog seeped into the palace. The same fog from my vision.
This was the thing that had nearly killed Henry and now it was attacking all of us. Without warning, it sliced through the air faster than the members of the council could control it, but it wasnât aimed at Henry or Walter or Phillip.
It went directly for me.
Books byAimée Carter
THE GODDESS TEST
GODDESS INTERRUPTED
For Melissa Anelli, who knows how it feels to climb that
long, winding road just to see the dawn.
Acknowledgments
Iâm beyond grateful for all the help, encouragement and support from the people who were brave enough to stick around while I wrote this monster. I especially want to thank the following:
Rosemary Stimola, my magical agent, for the smiley faces.
Mary-Theresa Hussey, Natashya Wilson and the entire team at my publisherâs, for believing in these books.
The incredible community of YA book bloggers, for their enthusiasm and love of reading.
Angie, Stacey, Mandy and the rest of the crew, for being a second family.
Lauren DeStefano, for the ups and downs and late-night e-mails.
Carrie Harris, for the laughs and infectious cheer.
Sarah J. Maas, for the endless optimism.
Courtney Allison Moulton and Leah Clifford, for being Angels.
Nick Navarre, for the music.
Sarah Reck, for never holding back.
Caitlin Straw, for putting up with me.
And last but never least, Dadâfor everything.
Calliope trudged through the sunny field as she ignored the babble of the redhead trailing behind her. Ingrid was the first mortal who had tried to pass the test to become Henryâs wife, and maybe if heâd spent more than five minutes a day with her, Henry wouldâve understood why Calliope had killed her.
âYouâre in for a treat,â said Ingrid, scooping up a rabbit from the tall grass and hugging it to her chest. âEverythingâs going to bloom at noon.â
âLike it did yesterday?â said Calliope. âAnd the day before that? And the day before that?â
Ingrid beamed. âIsnât it beautiful? Did you see the butterflies?â
âYes, I saw the butterflies,â said Calliope. âAnd the deer. And every other pointless piece of your afterlife.â
A dark cloud passed over Ingridâs face. âIâm sorry you think itâs stupid, but itâs my afterlife, and I like it this way.â
It took a great deal of effort, but Calliope fought off the urge to roll her eyes. Upsetting Ingrid would only make things worse, and at the rate this was going, it would be ages before Calliope got out of here. âYouâre right,â she said tightly. âItâs only that I never spend any time in this realm, so the process is unfamiliar to me.â
Ingrid relaxed and ran her fingers through the rabbitâs fur. âOf course you donât spend time here,â she said with a giggle that set Calliopeâs teeth on edge. âYouâre a goddess. You canât die. Unlike me,â she added, skipping across a few feet of meadow. âBut it wasnât as bad as I thought itâd be.â
If that idiot of a girl knew a damn thing, sheâd have known that Calliope wasnât just any goddess. She was one of the original six members of the council, before theyâd had children and the council had expanded. Before her husband had decided fidelity was beneath him. Before theyâd started handing out immortality like it was candy. She was the daughter of Titans, and she wasnât merely a goddess. She was a queen.
And no matter what the council and that bitch Kate had decided, she didnât deserve to be here.
âGood,â said Calliope. âDeath is a stupid thing to fear.â
âHenry makes sure Iâm comfortable. He comes by every once in a while and spends the afternoon with me,â said Ingrid, and she added with a catty grin, âYou never did tell me who won.â
Calliope opened her mouth to say that it wasnât a contest, but that wasnât true. Every part of it had been a competition, and sheâd worked for the prize far more than the others. Sheâd wiped out her opponents masterfully. Even Kate would have died if Henry and Diana hadnât intervened.
Calliope shouldâve won, and the grin on Ingridâs face felt like salt in the gaping hole where her heart had once been. First sheâd lost her husband, and when she thought sheâd found someone who could understand her plight and give her the love she so badly desired, that someoneâHenryâhad never given her a chance. Because of it, sheâd lost everything. Her freedom, her dignity, every ounce of respect sheâd fought to gain through the millennia, but most of all, sheâd lost Henry.