{"id":19982,"date":"2013-12-07T18:29:43","date_gmt":"2013-12-07T18:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/07\/underground-by-james-l-wilber-in-the-underground\/"},"modified":"2018-11-25T00:44:14","modified_gmt":"2018-11-25T00:44:14","slug":"underground-by-james-l-wilber-in-the-underground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/07\/underground-by-james-l-wilber-in-the-underground\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-19982 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/07\/underground-by-james-l-wilber-in-the-underground\/attachment\/19983\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/tumblr_mxg8pjhAZZ1qm3ezso1_1280.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/tumblr_mxg8pjhAZZ1qm3ezso1_1280.jpg?resize=150%2C150 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/tumblr_mxg8pjhAZZ1qm3ezso1_1280.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/tumblr_mxg8pjhAZZ1qm3ezso1_1280.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 85vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><em><strong>Underground<\/strong><\/em> by James L. Wilber<\/p>\n<p>In the underground city of Necropolis, Hades is bound by duty, family, and his own alienation. That all changes when he meets Persephone, a true free spirit. Will their love tear apart the world above and below? From the author of\u00a0<em>My Babylon<\/em>\u00a0comes a modern retelling of the Hades &amp; Persephone myth.\u00a0<em>Underground<\/em>\u00a0is a story about the conflict between family and passion. Along with stories from Stephan Michael Loy and Shade OfRoses,\u00a0<em>Underground<\/em>\u00a0is part of a Mid-World Christmas Collection. Find more great books by indie authors at midworldarts.com.<\/p>\n<p>Get it at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Underground-Short-Mid-World-Christmas-Collection-ebook\/dp\/B00H0U5AG2\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/383275\" target=\"_blank\">Smashwords<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Excerpt:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">At breakfast I stopped playing fair. I told the chef to prepare crepes and mimosas. Over hair-of-the-dog and sticky-sweet I tested the waters, seeing how much deeper into this fantasy she would go.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cWhat else do you want to see before you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">She twirled her glass and thought about it, looking luscious wearing a white bathrobe. \u201cI don\u2019t have any clothes.\u201d She said with a smile and a dare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Relishing the pursuit, I wanted her to keep chasing. I knew the further she went the more likely she would become lost in the woods. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to remedy that. You should go shopping while you\u2019re here anyway. I\u2019m sure you don\u2019t have stores like we have here back home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cGood point,\u201d she agreed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">We spent the day goading each other. I perceived a subtext in every word she said. \u201cWhat do you think I\u2019ll need?\u201d became, \u201cWhat do you think I\u2019ll need, if I stayed here?\u201d Stayed another day, another week, another month? \u201cWhat do people wear to the theater?\u201d became, \u201cWhen are you taking me to the theater?\u201d \u201cIs it okay if I get some lingerie?\u201d became, \u201cWould you like to see me wearing this in bed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With us wrapped up in our game, the day passed in what seemed a few dozen glances, touches, heartbeats.<\/p>\n<p><!-- more --><\/p>\n<p>In the early evening she called her mom again. This time I let her have her privacy. Through the walls, I could hear her crying, shouting, and pleading with her mother. After, she came striding out of her room and slapped the phone into my outstretched palm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cWhat else do you do around here for fun?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">No need asking her how it went. \u201cYou want to see a play or a musical?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">So it went, a repeat performance almost every day. We would hang out, maybe shop, or see a museum, then nightlife. Afterwards we drove ourselves to distraction. A little further sometimes. She had that modern sensibility about how you can do everything but that one thing and still not call it \u201cfucking.\u201d No need to get into details. Suffice to say it was enough to keep me deliriously distracted. When it came down to it, Necropolis really did run itself. Unfortunately, the people topside aren\u2019t so lucky. Every time she called her mom it made her furious. So she stopped calling altogether.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I\u2019m not sure how long this went on. Time runs differently in Necropolis. Never seeing the sun has a strange effect on the brain. You don\u2019t know if it\u2019s been one day or a hundred. Without reservation I would say it was the best time of my life. I was so involved in her and her in me that it took a visit from family to snap me out of it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Zeus sent his messenger boy, my nephew Hermes, the kiss-ass. When he arrived I had the servants stash him in the boardroom, and by the time I got there he was tapping his fingers and fiddling with his phone like he had somewhere else to be. He could have just gotten up and went and it wouldn\u2019t have hurt my feelings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d I asked, settling into my seat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got problems.\u201d Straight and to the point, no-nonsense Hermes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cYeah, what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cDemeter\u2019s pissed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I sincerely wanted him to deliver a message for me&ndash;that Auntie Demeter could go suck it&ndash; but I played along. \u201cOh, what about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">He gave the, <em>really, asshole?<\/em> look. \u201cAbout Persephone. About her staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cThat\u2019s between her and her mother. Besides, if she\u2019s so concerned why doesn\u2019t she fucking come get her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know Persephone\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cYou know, you can be intimidating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Yes, I did know that. \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cNobody\u2019s willing to rat on you. Guess she hasn\u2019t told any of her friends either, except Hekate. And she\u2019d rather not get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I scratched my beard. \u201cWhy are you here? I thought Zeus didn\u2019t give a shit? This was all his idea, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">So the fucker did plan this all along.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cAnd he\u2019s happy that you\u2019re happy. But there\u2019s been unintended consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Another patented, <em>are you a fucking moron?<\/em> look. \u201cDon\u2019t you watch the news?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I scratched my beard again. I did watch the news. Or more specifically, I used to watch the news, every day, during breakfast. My breakfasts were now booked with more pleasant activities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I scowled. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cDemeter\u2019s gone off the reservation. Nothing\u2019s growing. She refuses to farm anything. Helios has been in hiding. He knows Persephone\u2019s here but he\u2019s afraid of you and afraid of Demeter. Everything\u2019s frozen. You\u2019ve cocked things up nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I put a hand to my chest, mea culpa. \u201cThis was Zeus\u2019s fucking idea. He can fix it. She\u2019s his daughter too you know.\u201d Did I mention that my family tree is more of a shrub?<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cIt may be Zeus\u2019s idea but it\u2019s about to become your problem. Can you say <em>starvation<\/em>? Can you say <em>mass immigration<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The little shit had a point. If people topside began dying off in droves it meant a whole lot more people in Necropolis. Which meant housing and traffic and all those shitty problems I thought I had delegated but would be overwhelming concerns if Hermes wasn\u2019t exaggerating. I would have to get back to work, which meant less time for Persephone. Either way, I was fucked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cOkay, I\u2019ll talk to her,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ll try to get her to go home for a visit. Or at least call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cIf I were you I\u2019d make sure she leaves before Demeter finds out where she\u2019s been.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI\u2019m not afraid of Demeter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">He looked me up and down on his way out the door. \u201cI give it even odds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Get it at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Underground-Short-Mid-World-Christmas-Collection-ebook\/dp\/B00H0U5AG2\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/383275\" target=\"_blank\">Smashwords<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Underground by James L. Wilber In the underground city of Necropolis, Hades is bound by duty, family, and his own alienation. That all changes when he meets Persephone, a true free spirit. Will their love tear apart the world above and below? From the author of\u00a0My Babylon\u00a0comes a modern retelling of the Hades &amp; Persephone &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/07\/underground-by-james-l-wilber-in-the-underground\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[277,279,172,184,234,259],"class_list":["post-19982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-christmas","tag-indie-media","tag-james-l-wilber","tag-mid-world-arts","tag-pagan","tag-underground","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19982"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19984,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19982\/revisions\/19984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tumblr.scrollofthoth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}