I pull two Palace brochures down, one for me and one for Emily. She immediately flips to the back and finds the tour times. The tours begin at eight in the morning and end at four in the afternoon.

"What time is it now?" I wonder and look around for a clock. I don't see one in amongst the wall decorations on the gleaming wood paneling.

"I think we might have to ask," Emily says, also checking around. "Come on." She follows the soft red carpet up to the main desk, where a cute young woman in big round glasses looks up from her book and smiles at us.

"Welcome! How may I help you?" she chirps.

"Can you tell us the time?" I ask, holding up my phone. "I don't know if my phone is right."

"Oh! You're among the living! We have many dead that visit, too. They don't have phones." She smiled as if her explanation made perfect sense. "Will you be here for a while? We have an app that will help you keep track of time, among other things." She pushes a piece of paper toward us, announcing a new timekeeping app. I scan the QR code and open it.

"How do we book Palace tours?" Emily asks as I play with the app. The interface is simple: I can choose between an analog or a digital clock. I pick the analog one and see that it is a quarter to six.

"You can do that here, or you can buy tickets at the palace's entrance," the young girl answers.

"What currency do you use here?" I ask.

"Oh, we take all forms of currency from the living. For the dead, everything is free. The prices you will see will be in your chosen form. Just set your preference in your app!"

"Thank you." Emily scans the QR code for the app, too, and we make our way to the tables and chairs at the indoor cafe. We choose all of the relevant settings in the app, setting up our home time zone and currency, among other things.

"We have a little while until the Palace tours start," Emily points out. "What should we do?"

My stomach rumbles. "I think we should eat breakfast and figure out how long it will take us to get there. Do we drive, or do we take the subway?"

Emily leans in and whispers, "Do we want to eat or drink anything in the Underworld?"

I echo her stance and share, "I don't think we have a choice. We don't know how long we're going to be here."

"Maybe we should ask?" Emily nods to the girl at the desk.

"Do you think she'd be honest about it?" I ask.

"I don't know, but I'm going to ask."

I follow Emily back to the desk. "Excuse me," she says to the woman. "Can you tell me if it is okay to eat and drink here? I mean, not that we don't find the Underworld fantastic and all, but we all know about Persephone and the pomegranates..."

The girl laughs, a pleasant high sound. "Well, that's a fair question. Persephone herself set it up so that it is safe to eat and drink here. Please, order whatever you like."

We return to our seats and begin to discuss plans. The biggest decision seems to be whether or not to drive to the Palace or to take public transport.

"Driving might make for a quicker getaway," Emily points out.

I pull up the directions on the app. "It's only fifteen minutes from here. I agree. Let's drive."

Emily studies the coffee shop's menu. "They've got breakfast sandwiches here. Let's get something."

My stomach rumbles again, so I quickly choose a sandwich. We order and wait for our food. As we sit and eat, we hear a bit of a commotion and turn to see a group of people making their way into the center. One person in a red shirt with STAFF in white letters across the back turns to the group and announces, "Okay! We have about an hour and a half here before we head out to the Palace. Please don't be late. Use the bathroom, get some coffee, and some breakfast. Lunch is still several hours off. We'll meet back on the bus at seven-thirty."

As the place fills up, we invite two little old ladies to join us at our four-top.

"Oh, thank you, dear," one says, appreciative of the place to sit in the now crowded space. "Are you joining our tour group?"

"No," Emily explains, "we are here on our own. Where are you from?"

"The Asphodel Meadows," the lady answers. "Been waiting for the chance to come on the tour for years! We haven't been to the city since we died."

We chat with the women and learn that they are with a group that had been forming, waiting for enough interested dead to come over and explore the city. Apparently, not many knew that it was an option; everyone they had talked to thought that once you were dead, you were stuck. It wasn't quite the case, they had learned; you can travel all over the Underworld, provided you are home on your death anniversary. The ladies are thrilled that traveling was free with the tour groups, including meals and tickets to attractions. They had always wanted to travel in life, but couldn't afford it. Now, they could, and they intended to take full advantage. This is their first time coming to the city.

The ladies are endearing and funny, and we sit with them until it is time for them to return to the tour bus. We decide to follow the bus to the Palace, knowing we will have to find our own parking once there.

Under deep cloud cover, the city remains dark and dreary as we drive. The day is gray, as if it might rain at any moment. However, the streets are dry. We maneuver through the morning traffic and find a public parking deck not far from the Palace entrance.

Walking through the front doors makes me gasp. The entryway is floor-to-ceiling marble, gleaming under soft lighting from many scones on the walls and columns. Everything is accented with beautiful wood and brass ornamentation. Our footsteps echo in the cavernous space, and I nearly stumble over Emily by looking around instead of watching where I am going. "Sorry," I whisper as she glares at me.

We join the short line to buy tickets off to the right of the main entrance. It moves quickly, and soon, we find ourselves waiting with a small group of people for the next available tour guide. It doesn't take long for one to show up.

"Hello, dear ones!" a cheery voice calls across the vaulted entrance. "Welcome to the Palace of Hades! I'll be your tour guide today." We turn toward the voice to see a little old lady in a Robin's Egg blue tracksuit straight from the mid-1990s heading in our direction. Her hair is teased within an inch of its life, and her lipstick is bright pink. Her eyeshadow matches the bright shade of her track suit made of swishing rayon material. She smiles and waves us closer. "Come on, come on, don't be shy now! Gather round." She reminds me of my grandmother, whom I've missed ever since she died, and I can't help but like her immediately.

"Now, you're standing in the Entryway of the Palace, as you can see. The grand staircase before you leads," she explains as she points to the sweeping structure, "to the second floor where we will find all manner of rooms for entertainment and meeting. To our right is the ticket area and gift shop, and to our left are the restrooms. I encourage you to use the facilities. We'll get going in about ten minutes!" she proclaims, looking at her watch dramatically. "Hurry along! Don't be late!"

The crowd titters with quiet laughter, but no one leaves the group. I guess maybe the dead don't really have to pee... but then again, did they need to have breakfast either? I am suddenly plagued with questions about the Underworld.

I lean into Emily. "Hey, if the people in the bus group are dead, how come they stopped for food? And why is there a bathroom?"

Emily looks at me as if I am crazy. "Don't you know anything about how this works?"

I give her a sheepish grin. "Well, I know this is another plane of existence and whatnot, but..." I shrug.

She rolls her eyes. "I can't believe you're a Charon and don't know that, once the dead arrive, they are given a new existence. Like, new bodies for their souls and everything. It's a new society... there are jobs and lives and such. The only thing that's different is that there aren't children. Well, I mean, children that are born in the Underworld. People adopt babies as they come into existence here if they want children again."

My brow furrows. "Wow. I guess I never really thought about it. It's just my job to get people here," I said. "But, it makes sense once you think about it." I look around the vaulted expanse and admire the architecture as I contemplate more. "Do people continue with what they did in life? Like, I'm a life coach. Will I be a life coach when I die?"

"Not unless you want to be. Jobs here are more about what makes you feel fulfilled. Plus, there are your civic duties that you are expected to maintain. Like the guy working the tollbooth. That's probably not his life's work. He's probably an artist or something, but everyone contributes to society in some way here. So, he'll work at the tollbooth, too."

"Is that why things are free for the dead?" I wondered aloud.

"I think so." She looks around and leans in to whisper, "My question is, if they don't need money, why did they kidnap a moneyer?"

Her question weighs heavy as I return her gaze. "Why indeed?"

~

Author's Discussion: What has surprised you most about the Underworld?