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places using the Shadow Express, and no, there’s no catch.” She smiled again. “But that’s not why I’m here. Hades is up to something.”
    “How does that affect me?” asked Raven.
    “Hades is extremely angry because your soul wasn’t processed.”
    Raven shrugged her shoulders. “I disappoint a lot of people. He’ll get over it.”
    “I wish you were right. You have to be careful. He wants your soul back. I think he suspects I had something to do with it.”
    “Too bad. I like it exactly where it is. He can’t have it.” Raven bit her bottom lip. “Are you in trouble?”
    “I honestly don’t know, but if I am, it’s worth it to keep you alive,” said Persephone.
    “Great, not you too.” Raven rolled her eyes. “We have to figure out how to keep you safe.”
    “Don’t worry about me. It is you we must worry about. Hades cannot get his hands on your soul.”
    “I don’t exactly plan on handing it to him.”
    “Then don’t get yourself killed again. I won’t be able to intercept your soul a second time. Hades has added extra guards to the delivery and processing areas and I’m no longer allowed anywhere near them.” Persephone turned towards the shadows.
    “Is something wrong?”
    “He’s looking for me. I don’t have much time.” She turned back to Raven. “Hades is up to something. I don’t know what his plans are, but I do know he’s angry your soul slipped out of his grasp, and he’ll do absolutely anything to get it back, even have you killed, just to get your soul so he can have Atlantis and get revenge on his brothers.”
    “Great!” Raven started pacing back and forth. “This is all I need right now.”
    “I will do what I can to help you, but be careful. Hades is cruel. He loves to torment his victims anyway he can.”
    Raven stopped pacing. “We’re having a lot of zombie attacks. I think Hades is behind them. Am I right?”
    Persephone sighed and shook her head sadly. “One of his pet projects he’s been trying to perfect on and off over the centuries. It has something to do with putting souls he can control into bodies of the recently deceased, but the bodies reject them because the souls do not belong in the bodies he’s putting them in. Be careful. Don’t underestimate him either. He will use any trick he’s got to get what he wants and he wants you.” She turned back to the shadows. “I have to go.”
    “Wait! You said I can use the shadows as doorways. How do they work?”
    “Think about where you want to go. Envision it.”
    “What if I’ve never been there?” asked Raven.
    “Envision something basic that would be found there, and then think about who inhabits the place. Wave your hand across the shadows. Once you step through, don’t forget to close the doorway. If you don’t, it will become permanent and souls can pass freely between the two worlds. Sometimes worse things can come through. Think about all the haunted places you have read about.”
    “You’re joking.”
    Persephone winked at her. “Why do you think some places seem more haunted than others?”
    “So haunted houses are real? Not what I wanted to know.”
    Persephone laughed. “There are a lot of things I wish I had never found out. Just remember to close the doorway. As you wave your hand across it, picture the doorway closed. Just don’t forget.” Persephone waved her hand across the shadow. She stepped into it and was gone.
    “Great. Now I’ve got Hades to deal with. Is it ever going to stop?” Raven asked the question even though deep down, she knew the answer. She flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Information and questions floated around her brain.
    She pulled her phone out of her pocket and skimmed through the contacts, stopping on Leslie’s name. Her finger hovered over the call button. Raven sighed and closed the contact list. “If I get them involved, there’s a really good chance they’ll get hurt. Besides this is my mess, my battle. I’m