“It’s true. People will do insane things for love and it usually comes back to haunt them. Take Orpheus, for example. When he traveled to the Underworld and stood in front of me to beg for his wife’s life, I conceded to his pain and torment. I allowed him to return to with his wife to the mortal world—something that is very unlike me. I don’t let people leave the Underworld, as you well know. But Orpheus was so haunted that I gave him a chance. His only condition was that he must walk ahead of her on the way back to the mortal world and that he should never look back. He was so distracted by the love and concern that he felt for his wife that he forgot and turned to check on her. I had to take his wife away for the second time. He lived out the rest of his life in anguish… all for love.”
“No. All because of you,” I snapped. “You didn’t have to place such a ridiculous constraint upon him. I’ve heard the stories. Orpheus loved his wife. Of course he would turn to check on her out of habit. It wasn’t so great an offense. Certainly not so great that you should condemn his wife to a second death. I’ve never understood why you did that.”
“Because he didn’t do as I asked,” Hades answered smoothly, as though it explained everything. “I asked for a small thing. He couldn’t comply. But enough about that. Let’s talk about you.”
“No,” I said quietly. “Let’s talk about Mormo.”
“Oh, we’ll get to that,” Hades said, munching on another Lotus blossom. “But first, I’m curious about you- about a few things. Do you function the best at night, in the dark?”
I shook my head in bewilderment. “What does that have to do with anything? You know that I do. I function best in the light of the moon. My mother is the goddess of the moon, after all.”
He nodded. “And you are rather altruistic at times, not evil at all, although others might not realize that?”
“I do drink mortal souls and blood,” I acknowledged. “That tends to sway opinion.”
“Do you find solace in the shadows and feel comfortable there?”
I stared at him. “What are you getting at?” I demanded. “You know these things are true. I’m a child of the night. Of course I feel comfortable in it and around everything that it contains. Why are you asking me these questions? I would rather you answer mine instead.”
He leveled a dark smoldering gaze at me. “Fine. Ask.”
I gulped. It was the moment of truth. I knew that when I asked my question, Hades would answer it. He held the answers that I had waited so long to hear. I could see it on his face as he waited expectantly, his dark features thoughtful and still.
“Why does my father hate me enough to curse me?”
I could hear the vulnerability in my voice and I hated it. I tried so very hard to be strong. But this aspect of me, this thin, sheer facet of me, was fragile. I usually protected it, hid it from everyone so that they couldn’t use it against me. And here I was exposing it to the god of the Underworld, of all people.
“Do you truly want to know?” Hades asked me. “Are you ready to hear the answer, even if you might not like it- even if it changes everything that you know to be true about yourself?”
I nodded. “Yes,” I whispered.
“So be it,” Hades said firmly. “Here is the answer that you seek. Mormo abhors your presence, the very idea of you in fact, because he is not your father at all.”
My breath caught in my throat as I stared into Hades’ dark eyes. My heart practically stopped beating with his next two words.
“I am.”
Chapter Fifteen
“What?” I stuttered.
I suddenly felt dizzy and faint and sick. The colors around me swirled together and I felt Hades’ hand on my back.
“Breathe,” he instructed me. “Breathe, Empusa. It really isn’t so bad.”
I glanced up at him. The blood had all rushed from my face and I knew I must be as pale as a ghost. My fingertips felt numb. If a goddess could experience physical shock, this must be what it felt like.
“Not so bad?” I repeated. “Isn’t it?”
He shook his head. “No. Why would it be? The man you believed to be your father condemned you to the Underworld in his own stead. I would never do that. By default, I am a better choice.”
I stared at him, my mouth agape.
“You condemned me to the Underworld, too,” I reminded him. “What kind of father does that?”
“A father who wanted you near,” he answered quietly. “I happen to live in the Underworld.”
I ignored the strange look on his face, the vulnerable expression. I didn’t want to feel emotion toward him at all right now. I just wanted answers.
“How long have you known?” I asked. “Has my mother always known or did she believe me to be Mormo’s once?”
“Your mother believed you to be Mormo’s at first. You were born with gray eyes, after all, just like his. But when you were small, still a toddler, she took you outside one night to look at the stars. While you were outside, you grew tired and cranky and began crying. You accidentally turned the moon dark with your distress. Hecate knew right then that you possessed more magic than was possible of a child of Mormo. She and I had been together only one time, but it was enough.”
“She’s known for so long and never told me,” I muttered, as the realization came crashing down around me. “Why? Why didn’t she want me to know?”
“She didn’t want Zeus to know,” Hades clarified. “She thought that Zeus might use it against her at some point. She was right about that. I agreed with her. And it didn’t truly matter to me if you knew who I was or not, to be honest. Being a father is not something that I’ve ever cared about. But now that you are here, in front of me, and I can see how much magic and power you possess, I must admit. It is fascinating to know that I sired that… I sired you.”
“That’s exactly right,” I snapped, yanking away from him and scooting backward on the bed. “You sired me. You haven’t been a father. And I know you, Hades. Your only interest in me now is my magic. You’ve seen that I possess strong abilities and you want to control it, just as Apollo wants to control Brennan.”
“First of all,” Hades began. “You don’t know me. Not truly. No one does. Second, Apollo wants Brennan so that I can’t have him. Apollo, along with a few others, have long since suspected that you were mine. Brennan has made it clear that he will go with you wherever you may go, which is admirable. But Apollo will not stand to have Brennan with me, fighting for me. Everyone has seen the magic that the two of you possess when you are together. It is stronger than we’ve seen in a long time. Does that magic fascinate me, as well? Yes, it does. I won’t lie to you.”
I suddenly felt more confused than I had ever been. Mormo, the blood-sucking psychopath that I had always believed to be my father, was not related to me at all. Hades, the god of the Underworld himself, was. I almost couldn’t believe it. But it certainly would clear up so many things. I realized now why he had been asking me so many questions about myself. He was drawing parallels.
“You feel more comfortable in the shadows, too, don’t you?” I asked. Hades nodded.
“Of course I do. And I am a creature of the moon, like you. You have that tendency from both of your parents, so you are a true child of the night. It is no wonder that you draw such strength from it. Come look.”
Hades snapped his fingers and a giant, ornate mirror suddenly appeared in the vines at the foot of the bed. The greenery wrapped around the legs of the mirror, making it seem as though it had always been there as a part of this enchanted forest.
Hades stood in front of it and gestured toward me. “Come and see our similarities,” he urged me. Grudgingly, I rose from the bed and joined him in front of the beautiful mirror next to Hades…my father.
His hair was darker than mine. His eyes were almost black, while mine were gray. But the contour of my cheek matched his. He reached out and traced it with his fingers and our eyes met in the mirror.
“Look at the shape of your br
ow,” he instructed. And I did. It was the same as his. The shape of my chin matched his, as well as the peak of my hairline.
“I’m so pale while you are so dark,” I pointed out.
“True,” he acknowledged. “But look at our hands.” We each held out a hand and I saw that we shared the same long slender fingers. “And look at the way we’re standing.”
Sure enough. We were both balanced mainly on our left foot, with our hips slightly angled to the right. Exactly the same stance. I sucked in my breath.
“Let me see your wrist,” I demanded. He smirked slightly. He knew what I would find. He was going to smell just like me. I knew it before I lowered my nose to the skin above his pulse point.
He smelled like the night, like velvety darkness and the moon, like heady night-blooming blossoms and musk. Exactly like me.
“Are you satisfied now?” Hades asked quietly. I nodded silently, my eyes dropped to the ground. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him and I didn’t know why.
“It’s not so bad,” he assured me. “It’s not as though you enjoyed having Mormo for your father. And now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, things will change.”
“Zeus knows?” My eyes shot up to meet his. He shook his head.
“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“You’re going to tell him yourself, aren’t you?” I narrowed my eyes.
Hades grinned. “It’s true that no one knows me. But you might know me better than most.”
“This is not funny and it is not a joke,” I snapped. “Why would you share this with Zeus? Nothing good can come out of it.”
“Not true,” Hades argued. “Allow me to show you a couple of things, Em.”
The mirror in front of us clouded and then cleared, forming into an intriguing scene. Brennan and I relaxed on cushioned lounges, each sipping cool drinks from sparkling crystal goblets. We were happy and carefree and Brennan threw his head back and laughed. Persephone appeared on my left and leaned down to whisper in my ear and then kissed my cheek. And then the fog overtook the mirror once again. I turned to Hades incredulously.
“We were in the Underworld? And you truly think that Persephone would just accept me like that? Not hardly.”
“You’ve just seen the future, or your future as it will be if you join with me and fight against Zeus.”
The very idea of fighting against Zeus left me stunned. “And if I don’t?”
Hades motioned toward the mirror once again. “See for yourself.”
The mirror swirled in fog once again and another scene formed. Mortals were screaming and wailing. Dust was everywhere as the world had withered into a dead and horrific place. The only moisture appeared to be blood and it was everywhere. Bodies were piled in the streets, children wept in the gutters. It was the apocalypse scene that Brennan and I had already seen. I squeezed my eyes closed.
“Open them, Empusa,” Hades directed. “You need to see this part.”
Hesitantly, I opened my eyes, afraid to look back into the enchanted mirror.
My trepidation had been justified. Brennan’s dead eyes stared back at me, wide open and sightless as he was trampled in the street by angry mortals. I watched someone stomp on his dusty hand before I squeezed my eyes closed again and turned away, my hand pressed to my mouth.
“Why?” I managed to eke out without vomiting.
“Why?” Hades seemed surprised at my question. “Because their world that they knew ended because of you and Brennan. You couldn’t control your powers and you ruined it all for them. Brennan tried to sacrifice himself to Zeus, but it was too late. Zeus killed him and left his body to the mortals and he did nothing to restore the mortal world. Do you want to know what happens to you?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. If Brennan is dead, I may as well be also.”
Hades took my hand and led me back to the bed. We sat on the edge, my hands shaking. The picture that I had just seen hung heavily in my mind and laid on my heart like a dead weight. My tongue felt like a lump of wood in my mouth and suddenly nothing seemed to matter anymore.
Hades squeezed my hand and nudged my shoulder. “It doesn’t have to be so,” he reminded me. “Remember the first vision? You are the true princess of the Underworld. You can take your rightful place and fight against Zeus by my side. You and Brennan can reside in my world without worry of harming the mortals- the Underworld will buffer your abilities. It is safe there for you.”
As I stared at our hands, my moonstone bracelet caught my eye. In all of this other craziness, I had completely forgotten its importance. My soul was tied to it. It couldn’t be destroyed or I would be destroyed as well. And Hades had once said that he wanted it destroyed because it was a danger to all creatures of the night. Whoever held it could control any child of the moon, including me.
Hades read my mind before I could even say anything.
“There is a way around that,” he said thoughtfully. “I was always correct in my assertion that your moonstone’s existence is not safe for the inhabitants of our world. However, I would relent on insisting that it be destroyed if you would entrust its care to me. It would be guarded night and day, I assure you. And if you decided to come live in the Underworld, you could keep it yourself. As long as it remains in the Underworld, I will agree to let it stay with you. It’s a solution to think on, Empusa.”
“Everything has become so convoluted,” I said weakly. “I almost can’t decide what the true issues even are anymore.”
“The issues are simple,” Hades answered solemnly. “You want to figure out a way to stop Zeus’ game, to save the son of Apollo, to learn how to harness your powers so that you can be together, to find a release from the curse that Mormo put upon you and to live a normal life. You’d like to figure out a way to do all of these things without confronting Zeus outright and without losing your life or Brennan’s.”
“I guess that about sums it up,” I replied tiredly. “And when you list them like that, our issues seem insurmountable.”
“Nothing is impossible for you anymore, Empusa,” Hades said firmly. “You’ve got to remember your new identity. You’re the daughter of the god of the Underworld. Combined with your mother’s witchery, you are unstoppable if you put your mind to it.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I said uncertainly. “I really don’t. It’s all so overwhelming.”
“You must start at the beginning,” Hades said wisely. “You must choose what side you are on. If you stand with me, your rightful father, I will help you achieve that which you want the most. And in doing so, you will help me achieve what I want the most.”
“You want to rule Olympus.”
Hades shook his head. “No. I’ve never wanted that. Think on that, Empusa. You are like me. Would you rather live on Olympus in the sun and the light or would you rather live in the peaceful shadows of the Underworld? The Underworld is my home. When I imprisoned the other Olympians, did I sit on a throne and reign in Zeus’ absence? No, I did not. I simply went on about my business at home. But I did it without the interference of my brother. He has no right to try and inflict his control over me. I simply want to be free of that.”
I believed him. With a start, I found that I truly did believe Hades. And if I believed the god of the Underworld and was willing to fight with him against Zeus, what did that say about me? I decided that I didn’t want to put too much thought into that.
Hades held out his hand. “Are you with me?”
I paused, completely still and uncertain.
“Well?” Hades prompted. “Are you with me? I am the only way to save Brennan.”
My thoughts flashed to the vision of Brennan being trampled in the streets, his sightless eyes fixated upon me. I gulped and put my hand in Hades’ cool grip.
“Your word is your bond,” he reminded me.
I nodded. “Yes.”
I shook his hand.
And that is how I made a deal
with the devil… my father.
Chapter Sixteen
Hades and I tumbled from the Neitherworld back into the Druids’ sacred clearing and I stood for a moment as I gained my bearings and my vision sharpened. It was always a little bit disconcerting. This time, if only took a minute to realize that we weren’t alone and that Brennan wasn’t the only one here.
The priestesses were all in attendance, each dressed in a dark hood and standing in a circle around the large stone altar. They were chanting incoherently and I couldn’t understand their words. But I understood the fierce tone of their voices and the absorbed expression on their faces. This couldn’t be good.
“What the hell?” I murmured quickly, turning to Hades as we emerged from the tree line. “What is going on here?”
“It’s hard to say,” he said quietly, his dark gaze frozen on the scene in front of us. “But we should probably break this little party up.”
“Agreed.”
We crept quietly into the clearing and Hades pushed two of the women apart without aplomb so that we could enter the circle. I glanced sideways at them as I passed by, but didn’t say a word. They were clearly annoyed with our interruption, but they didn’t speak aloud. I could see that they sensed who Hades was as a quiet pall fell over the circle.
“Dark lord,” Keelin bowed her head in deference. I could see, though, that she resented our presence.
“What is going on here?” I demanded, pushing through the circle. “Brennan, are you okay?”
I was finally able to see him after pushing through the women and he seemed to be fine. He was still bound since no one but Hades was able to break the restraints. At the look of surprise and then dismay on Brennan’s face, I realized that was exactly what they were trying to do.
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