by S. E. Babin
I watched as all the anger and bitchiness dropped from Persephone's face. I reached over and took Hades hand. "I'm sorry," I said. I could tell true love when I saw it and these two had it. Against all odds. The road would be long and hard for them, and Persephone's ordeal was not yet over.
There was still a divine baby to deal with.
He stared at them both, his face a conflicted mask of emotions until finally it cleared and he turned to me. "It's difficult to see something end, even when you know it should have centuries ago." His eyes sparked with magic as he looked at me. "It allows for new beginnings."
I swallowed hard. I couldn't lie. I'd been thinking about Hades way more than I should have lately, but I had a lot of baggage hanging over my head and one piece of it I hadn't thought about in awhile was Typhon.
Soon he would fight for my hand in the arena. And I hadn't picked a suitable champion, nor did I know a single person who would be willing to challenge him. Boy did I know how to get myself worked up in a pretty epic mess.
I smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I'm spoken for."
A wrinkle appeared on his brow and he lifted my left hand. "No ring. No tattoos. Who speaks for you?"
"You forget the deal I made with Typhon."
His face cleared. "Ah." Hades waved a hand in dismissal. "I am not worried about the man who walks on serpent legs."
I stared at him like he'd grown another head. "You cannot possibly mean to step into the arena."
Hades shrugged. "Time will tell."
Cryptic as usual. It was a talent among us. "Right," I said, thoughts of my impending death swirling around my head like a circle of cartoon butterflies.
"Do you think those two are getting married?" I asked.
Hades shrugged. "Odds are good, I'd say.”
"Someone needs to tell him about the baby," I whispered.
"For some reason, I doubt that will remain secret for too long."
I had a feeling he was right, I just didn't think those who found out would be too happy.
After a quiet dinner and a long talk with Persephone, I walked into my bedroom excited to hit the sack and ready to sleep for the next four days. But, alas, it wasn't to be. Persephone had morphed right back into her normal, demanding self, although a slightly nicer version of it, and demanded Artemis and I meet her at the house tomorrow to finish up the wedding plans.
I'd stared at her like she'd lost her mind, but she abruptly silenced my protests by throwing down some mad logic. She had spoken in depth to Hades and cleared the air with him, and said she deserved a shot at real happiness, away from the gloomy Underworld. While I agreed with her on that part, I didn't agree with her keeping the baby secret from Hamilton.
At that, a secretive smile appeared on her face. "I will speak with Hamilton. You have my word. My mother is in possession of strong magic and will be able to assist us in hiding the child’s true nature until such time it needs to be revealed."
I wasn't sure I liked that idea so much. "Persephone -"
"Abby, please. I know you of all people know how hard it is to walk away from Olympus. Allow me these burdens."
I exhaled heavily as I studied her. On one hand, she was breaking our law. On the other, I'd broken the law so many times I'd lost count of it. And yet, I was still here. She had the right to make her own choices, or at least I thought so, but it was obvious the child would be dangerous. Both to us and to heaven kind. Allowing him to grow up without some semblance of control would affect us. I wasn't sure how or when, but I was sure it would become a problem in only a matter of years.
Finally, I nodded. "Promise me he will grow up normal." I frowned at my words. "Or as normal as it's possible to be in an immortal household. But also promise he will learn to use his powers with control and for the good of our people when they start to burgeon."
"Of course," she said, her pretty green eyes watering with hurt. "I wouldn't dream of it otherwise." She reached over and took my hand. "And...I'm sorry I was so horrible to you."
I shrugged. "It won't be the last time, I'm sure. But I can't promise not to be horrible to you, especially if you make us wear those hideous teal gowns."
She snorted. "I'll make it up to you."
"I don't know how," I said. "Those things should be burned."
Persephone's laugh trailed after her as she left my bedroom. I think I liked her better when she was mean to me.
I groaned and collapsed back against the pillows, my mind a jumble of thoughts.
But one thought kept coming back. Tomorrow was going to be interesting.
I finally got up to put my pajamas on so I could officially go to sleep, but a soft knock on the door stopped me as soon as I was leaning over to turn off the light. I grumbled under my breath and got up to answer the door.
Hades stood there in plaid pajama pants, a white t-shirt, and a sheepish look on his face.
My gaze narrowed at him, and he laughed as he held his hands up apologetically.
"I promise, I am not here like a thief in the night to steal your virtue or ravage your body. I am here merely to ask a question."
My brain stopped at the whole ravage your body statement, and I blinked a few times before the rest of it caught up to me. "What question?" I snapped as a slow grin spread across his face once he realized where my thoughts were going.
He lowered his voice and leaned in. "I merely wondered if you had taken possession of the book."
Ah. I'd forgotten about it as we were are all nearly dying. Persephone would never know the power she could have wielded with it, and I think we were all a little better off knowing that. Now, that didn't mean Morgana was off of our back completely. I hoped God had Michael under heel now, but his words about it not being over made me think we'd have to deal with him in the future.
I opened the door wider and let him in.
He shut it behind him. I leaned over and rummaged under the bed until I found what I was looking for.
He paled. "You had it under your bed the entire time?" he whispered and stared at me with shocked eyes.
"Relax. It was cloaked."
He swallowed hard. "But it's still priceless."
I was about to hand it to him but yanked my hand back. "Look, buddy, I had to put up with my new mommy and die for this book so a little more gratitude would be in order."
One brow quirked at the mention of what happened to me in Hecate's lair, but his face went contrite. "My apologies." He bowed low, looking a little ridiculous in his attire. "Your sacrifice has not gone un -" His eyes widened suddenly.
"What?" I said warily. "What now?" I looked around the room and spun around to see what was behind me.
"Is it possible you have already fulfilled the prophecy?" Hades asked.
"The prophecy?" I echoed and gasped as I realized what he was saying. Could it be? My brow furrowed. I had died. Technically. Not permanently, though.
"There's no way it could have been that easy," I whispered.
Hades laughed in surprise. "Going to Hecate's domain and dying to regain entrance to retrieve the book was easy?" He looked up at the ceiling. "Perhaps you need a new dictionary."
"How'd you know that?" I asked him. I hadn't told anyone yet about how I'd gotten back into the mansion.
"Easy guess. I'd recognize Hecate's magic anywhere, Abby. As soon as I saw you peering into my domain I knew who your mother was." He sat down in the chair beside my bed and stretched his long legs out. He looked mighty satisfied with himself.
I wanted to be mad about it. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He tilted his head. “Perhaps I should ask the same of you?”
Hades pulled his hands behind his head and stretched his neck as he let out a long sigh. "Because some things are better learned than told. My assumption is this was a long time coming. No one is aware Hecate had a child." His eyes filled with warning as he studied me. "I believe it is in your best interest to keep this secret."
I sat on the edge of the bed. "Not from Artie," I s
aid.
Hades remained silent.
"Not from Artie?" I questioned, a little louder this time.
"Everyone you love has the potential to hurt you. It is up to you. I would caution you. No urge you, actually to keep this secret." Funny. Clotho had mentioned before I shouldn’t tell Hades and now he was cautioning me not to tell anyone.
I searched his face. He wasn't kidding.
"When I use my magic, they will know," I said, defeated.
"Maybe, but probably not. Death magic is rare. And it is rarely used in Olympus. They will wonder. But isn't that part of the fun?"
I laughed halfheartedly. "I don't think I see a single thing fun about this, Hades."
"Ah, yes. My quest to get my errant wife back has resulted in overturning some stones that perhaps weren't meant to be uncovered. But, we didn't finish discussing your little problem."
"I have lots of little problems," I grumbled.
"I do not disagree," he said with amusement. "But I meant the problematic prophecy of your death."
"Well, Morgana isn't finished with us," I reminded him. "There's still plenty of time for me to die."
"Perhaps. But your newly found magic should be able to ward her off. At least until we can step in and assist."
A thought niggled at the back of my mind. Hades wasn’t supposed to be able to walk the Earth for long periods of time. "How have you been here for so long?"
He chuckled. "I wondered when you would ask. My Father appears to have thought of everything. Before Morgana got a hold of him, he sent a courier to the Underworld." He fidgeted around in his pocket and pulled out a coin. Hades flipped it in the air and it spun around catching the light and shimmering a bright golden color. "Free passage through all domains as long as I carry this." He grimaced. "Or until He takes the binding off of me."
"When did you find it?" I asked, my tone laced with suspicion.
"Relax," he said with a laugh. "I was in dire need of you to take this job for me. I came only when you purchased the cabin. It was around the same time you found me in the arcane room."
"Better have been," I muttered and gave him the gimlet eye. I stood and walked over to where he sat, book in hand. He looked relaxed and happy, better than I'd seen him look for a while. I handed over the book. "Your skin is officially saved by yours truly," I said as I bowed. "Now, I'd like to renegotiate the terms of my contract."
"Mmmm," he said as he took the book from my hands. "I'm not sure I'm in a negotiating mood right now."
"Hades," I said in a low warning tone.
"We will look at your contract once the threat of Morgana has passed. Yes?"
I snorted in disgust. "You're just waiting for me to die."
His eyes flashed silver as he yanked my arm. I floundered and he caught me, only to settle me onto his lap.
"Hades," I hissed. "This is inappropriate."
"Why?" he murmured as he locked an arm around my waist and nuzzled my neck with his nose. "You're single. I'm apparently single and have been for thousands of years. My ex-wife has happily moved on and is knocked up by my brother. I've never seen a more appropriate time to do something inappropriate."
I laughed in spite of myself and pushed him away, even though my skin broke out in gooseflesh at the feel of him.
"Perhaps we can renegotiate the terms of this arrangement once the threat of Morgana has passed. Yes?"
His mouth quirked to the side. "You little wench. Twisting my words against me." He sighed dramatically and put a hand to his heart. "Very well. Even though you wound me, I shall oblige your request."
"Good." I pointed to the door. "Now get out."
"Cranky, cranky," he said lightly, but stood. I held the door open and with a flourish bowed and swept my hand out. At the edge of the door, he stopped.
"You can avoid me now, but you won't be able to forever."
I blew out a breath. With one hand I shoved him out and closed the door. His startled laugh made me snort.
"But I can now!"
He chuckled all the way down the hallway and into his room.
Chapter 19
The next morning I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a train. My thoughts were scattered and all over the place, and the sunlight was nowhere to be found. I rolled over and blinked blearily as I tried to find the alarm clock to see the time.
Five a.m. I made an inarticulate sound and shut my eyes to see if I could try to go back to sleep.
But the damage had been done. All I could think about was coffee.
I shut my eyes tighter and tried to clear my thoughts.
Nada.
With a grumbled curse, I untangled the sheets from my legs and stood on wobbly legs. I liked to sleep, but it hadn't liked me much lately. I cracked open the door and saw that it was dark so I tiptoed out to the hall trying not to wake anyone up. Once in the kitchen, I shoved a mug under the machine to get my magic golden ticket, and when it finished brewing, I dumped the appropriately large amount of sugar and cream in it. After a stir and the first magical sip, I sighed, bone deep and weary, and made my way over to the couch to sit down. But as I looked out the large windows, I saw a peek of red coming from the horizon so I took my mug and opened the back doors so I could sit outside.
I picked my massive sweater off the hook by the door, shrugged it on and stepped with bare feet onto the cold wood of the deck.
The air was amazing. I inhaled a deep clean breath of it and sighed. It really was beautiful here, and our cabin choice couldn't have been better. I would be sad to leave it, so I hoped Hermes would be amenable to occasionally letting me come back and hang out here.
Although when I thought about it, this was more Artie's place than any if the shrine devoted to her in the woods was any sign. And I believed in signs. There were way too many these days for me to just ignore them. I took a seat in an old rickety rocking chair and shifted back and forth, comforted in the rhythmic slide of the old chair.
My hair blew gently away from my face and I shut my eyes as my serenity had just been ruined.
I glanced at the Fate side-eyed. "Atropos," I greeted.
"Aphrodite," she said and sat in the chair next to mine.
"Would you like some coffee?" I asked her.
She surprised me by nodding. "I would."
Five minutes later, I was tucked back in my chair watching Atropos enjoy the cup of coffee I gave her like a kid enjoyed walking through the gates of Disney World.
"And what is this machine?" she asked me for the third time. "A Kay Rig?"
I chewed on my lip to keep from grinning. "A Cur-Rig," I said trying to get her to say the right thing.
"And you can buy these on the 'Zon?"
I snorted. "Yes."
"Ah. Free shipping with Prime," she sighed.
My snort led right into a deep belly laugh.
"I'm glad I amuse you."
I wiped my eyes. "It's been awhile since I've really laughed."
"Your days have been somber, have they not?"
I nodded.
"Have I fulfilled the prophecy?" I asked, knowing full well she probably wouldn't answer me.
Her shark teeth came out in full glory, at odds with the beauty of her face and the shine of her hair. But knowing the things I did now and with everything I'd seen, I knew damned well she could control it. "Why do you do that?" I asked her and cringed at the abruptness of my question.
Before I could blink, her teeth shrank down to normal human size and she grinned at me with a mouth full of bright white supermodel teeth.
Atropos was stunning.
"Damn it," I muttered.
"Because it scares you," she admitted. "When we do not terrify people, they ask us for favors we cannot grant."
"Right," I said. "I'm sorry I've asked you for so many favors lately."
She took a sip of her coffee. "You've not asked us for anything we could not grant. And you asked not for yourself." She gave me a side-eyed glance. "We appreciate that."
I tucked my sweater around my shoulders as the cool Tennessee wind brushed against me. "You didn't answer my question," I reminded her.
"Do you feel like you fulfilled the prophecy?" she asked me. I felt like she wasn't screwing with me, more that she wanted my honest opinion.
"No," I said.
Thick silence fell between us. Atropos' dark hair fluttered in the breeze. She was astonishingly beautiful, but I still had an innate fear of her. This was a side of her I'd never seen before. And I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
"You know, I really don't want to die," I told her.
She laughed softly, at odds with the terror her appearance could strike in me. "No one wants to die, child. But sometimes it is necessary."
Since I had her sitting next to me and alone, I asked her another question I normally wouldn't have dared. "Does it bother you?"
She smirked but played dumb. "Does what bother me?"
I waved a hand around. "The whole being in charge of the Fate thing. The severing of the life thread."
"Does the executioner fret about his job?" she asked.
I blinked. "Errm, well I imagine he would," I said.
"No, Aphrodite. He does not. He goes in knowing the person he has to kill deserves it. Because if he doesn't know that in his heart, it will turn his soul into a dry husk. He knows it. He feels it. He sharpens his ax, and he performs his job with a precision unknown to most men. That is what I do." She turned her gaze to me and looked me full in the face.
My mouth went dry at the wisdom and sadness lurking within the ancient depths of her eyes.
"I do it because I have to." She looked away. "And I do it well."
I wasn't sure what else I could say to that if anything at all. I tipped my mug to her instead. "Well," I said lightly, "if it does happen, let's make it quick and dirty, shall we?"
A dimple peeked out at the edge of her mouth. I'll be damned. She was adorable. "It will happen," she insisted. "But I'll try my best to make it quick."
"That's all a girl can hope for." We sat in silence for awhile and watched the sunrise peek over the edge of the mountains, streaked with orange, red and blue. I felt the shadow of darkness lower, the warmth of the sun hit my face, and I was content.