AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stiffened, my chest tightening. I locked down my expression, not letting a single emotion show. "What about him?"
Lili sighed, running a hand through her long wavy hair. "He's dangerous, and he's starting a war. We want to stop it before it can begin, and—you know him. You might be able to help us stop him. You were killed unnaturally, and you never should have died—"
"I never should have lived," I drawled, scanning the bedroom and baffled by the normality of it. There were knickknacks on shelves, a chest of drawers that overflowed clothes against the wall, and a worn little rug on the wooden floor. Family photos hung on the walls. I'd been resurrected in a completely normal bedroom. So ordinary it was almost boring. What the fuck?
"But you are living," the redhead said, smiling disarmingly. I knew she could blast me into pieces, yet she looked harmless. "And you're strong enough to stay that way."
"It won't be easy," the tall man added, his arms crossed over his dark, elegant clothes—a blend of tailored modern styles in his shirt and classic leather armour in his trousers and boots. "You'll have to regain your strength; your previous body was obliterated, so this one is new."
"What?" I snarled, surging off the bed and stumbling over to the mirror I'd spotted hanging on the wall. I grabbed the dresser when my knees buckled, and scanned my reflection, my shoulders slumping in relief when I saw the same face as always. Same arrogant curve of my mouth, same severe slope of my nose and brutal line of my jaw, even the same narrowed eyes, blazing silver fire. No, that was panic. Because I'd had a scar on my chin, and now the skin was smooth and unblemished.
"Your soul dictates your appearance," he went on, watching me closely, "so you should look exactly the same. You might notice the absence of some scars, tattoos, and other marks. But you're alive."
"This makes no fucking sense," I spat, staring at myself, my mouth opening and closing. "I was unmade. How the fuck am I alive?"
I gave the man a wary glance when he came closer, my soul quailing at his nearness. Fucking hell, he was even more powerful than the redhead; he just kept his power buried. When he smiled, I nearly pissed myself.
"I'm Hades, god of the dead and king of the underworld."
My knees buckled. I laughed, a short, staccato burst of sound. He was lying. He had to be. There was no fucking chance this was—
But my eyes drifted to the freckled redhead and my stomach dropped. This was insane. Completely and utterly insane.
The goddess of spring and queen of the fucking underworld waved at me. "I'm Persephone."
"I know exactly what you're feeling," Lili laughed, a smile curving her cheeks.
I was in a tiny bedroom with the god of the dead, the goddess of spring, and the queen of Hell. No, she really didn't know what I was feeling.
"So what do you want?" I breathed. Panic laid its noose lovingly around my throat, tightening in increments until I couldn’t breathe.
"Stay here, heal," Persephone replied with a gleam in her eyes. "And when you're well enough, reunite with the mate who's prophesied to kill Cronus once and for all."
I blinked. "And the rest."
"That's all," Hades said, slanting a look at me as I held onto the dresser a little too hard. My knees were weak as shit and I wasn't convinced it was entirely the shock of being in the same room as gods. My body was new. "This new war started in Alphaven in Hell, the realm ruled by my daughter—" He glanced warmly at Lili. "And home to three of my sons. Whatever plans Cronus has, they involve Hell. And my family."
Hades glanced away, and I frowned. What was he keeping out?
Persephone unfolded from the bed and crossed the small room to her husband. She took his hand, her eyes only for him. "We'll stop him. I promise, Hades. We'll stop him."
Oh, shit. I'd forgotten my mythology for a moment.4 Cronus was Hades's father.
"My mate," I said, moving to the small window and gripping the frame so my weak legs didn't drop me on my ass, "is Rhea's descendant." I wouldn't tell him the rest, wouldn't tell him about his mother's suicide. "She's your family."
"Shit," Lili breathed, blinking. "That means she's my family, too."
Sure, whatever. Back to my point.
"She's your family," I said to Hades, my voice cold, "so I’m hoping that makes you inclined to protect her. Keep her safe from whatever Cronus is planning, and I'll do what you want. Ask anything; I don't give a shit. But Cronus doesn't touch a single fucking hair on her head. And I need something else. I'm willing to bargain for it."
Hades glanced at me, weighing me in a way that made my stomach knot. "The only thing I expect of you is to ally against Cronus. Fight with us. I'd protect her anyway because she's my daughter's friend, and she has the power to kill Cronus."
"And it's the right thing to do," Persephone pointed out wryly.
"So you brought me back," I said slowly, "because I might come in handy fighting Cronus."
"We brought you back," Hades said, arms crossing over his chest, "because Cronus is free and has the entirety of Olympus imprisoned under the mountain. He's devoured fifty god descendants and amassed untold power, and he'll only grow more dangerous in the days to come.
