“The chains are notliterallyyou.” Hephaestus groaned, getting annoyed that Erebus wasn’t catching on. “They won’t work in the daylight.”
“What?” Erebus shook his head in shock. “They won’t work?” Hephaestus nodded.
“I’ve designed them that way. There’s a loophole for every god’s power, if they can figure it out.” Hephaestus’s voice got quieter. “I’d never make a weapon that held absolute power.” There was something in his tone that made Erebus think this was something more personal for Hephaestus than he was letting on.
“Once the sun rises…” Erebus trailed off, almost too hopeful to say it aloud but Hephaestus nodded.
“You’ll be able to break them, and your powers will return to you. They were put on you under the cover of night, but in daylight, they won’t hold the power.” Erebus nodded, a quiet sense of contemplation coming over him as he let out a long breath. When he looked up, Hephaestus had opened the door and was on his way out.
“Thank you.” The god turned around, nearly entirely covered in shadow now. He nodded once, Erebus couldn’t be sure, but said nothing and shut the door behind him. There was something to Hephaestus that none of the other gods could figure out, not that anyone had really tried. This certainly wasn’t clarifying anything. At least he knew he had an out. Erebus just needed to wait.
“I hate waiting.”
* * *
???
* * *
It was barelydawn when Hades stepped out of his Olympus residence, still fussing with the ties of his chiton. He looked up to see Poseidon already waiting for him, standing outside his door.
“It’s a bit early for plotting, don’t you think?” Hades asked quietly, falling into step beside Poseidon as they made their way towards the great hall. Most of the gods were now spending all their time there, losing themselves in revelry until they had recharged enough to descend upon the battlefield. Poseidon looked around them, ever cautious that they would be overheard.
“Do you think this is wise?” Poseidon asked Hades without looking at him, his voice low. Hades knew that he was referring to their latest development, following Typhon’s fail to kill Zeus on the battlefield. As the pantheon came into view, Hades only nodded in response. The duo made their way to join in the crowd, knowing that it would only seem suspicious if they avoided everyone entirely.
As they approached the steps, a voice called out from behind them.
“Hold on.”
Both gods turned around and saw Erebus, looking livid and rubbing one of his wrists absentmindedly. Poseidon raised an eyebrow in his confusion, but Hades only grinned.
“Don’t think we didn’t notice what you got up to during nightfall.” He looked at Erebus as if he was salivating for details. “It seems that you two have made up well. Is the Consort of Darkness going to be gracing us all with her presence?”
“Be quiet about it,” Erebus snapped, looking around them like Poseidon had. “It’s best if it’s… not known that she’s… involved.”
Erebus chose his words very carefully, still not even fully understanding himself if he had gotten back together with Nyx. Zeus knew of her presence now, but that seemed moot. Erebus had intended on leaving immediately for the Underworld, but it would be best to stay. His presence would startle Zeus and confuse him. Zeus also wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the hold that he had on the other gods. This included capturing Erebus publicly or admitting that he had petitioned Hephaestus to make a weapon that could hold anyone. Surely, the latter would not spark confidence in Zeus as a ruler of gods.
The three immortals fell into silence as they approached the steps, the commotion inside making it apparent that the gods were still going strong. Hades put his hand on the door when a voice rung out behind them.
“Going inside without me, boys?”
35
Hecate’s voice was mischievous, and when the gods turned around, she had a smile on her face. It was an increasingly rare occurrence to see Hecate out of the Underworld, but there she stood. She was in her full god form, the heads of the crone and the maiden on her shoulders. There was a trail on the ground behind her of glimmering red dust, traces of the power that was running under her skin. She was wearing a large, golden pendant of the triple moon—a symbol that she shared with Nyx. Her hair hung nearly down to her waist while her arms had bracelets that looked like a dog’s open jaw encompassed her hand.
Even Hades and Erebus, who had seen Hecate in her full power, were slightly taken aback. Poseidon, who hadneverseen Hecate like this, was unable to keep from openly staring. It was Erebus who took a step forward, offering her a warm smile.
“It’s always a delight, Hecate.” He reached for her palm and kissed it, giving her a healthy show of respect, regardless of the power hierarchy between them. Hecate gave him a sly smile and breezed past him, walking in between Poseidon and Hades without a second glance at either of them.
“I’ve decided this was taking too long,” she said with a smirk, turning back at the men as she grabbed the door handle. “I’ve come to speed things up.” With that, Hecate tossed open the doors to the great hall, the rush of wind from its momentum causing her hair and tunic to flare out behind her. She stepped into the great hall, and there was a collective gasp before a few of the different gods swarmed Hecate. She was a rarity in Olympus, even more so than Hades, who had the unpleasant responsibility of fraternal relationship with Zeus.
Poseidon, Hades, and Erebus filed in, keeping to the edge of the crowd. Zeus hadn’t noticed Erebus yet, but as soon as he saw Hecate, he stepped off his dais and walked over to her. Hades rolled his eyes as he watched it unfold.
“Oh, this is going to be delicious.” Hades chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning back against a column.
“Why do you say that?” Poseidon followed Hades’s gaze.
“You haven’t spent much time with Hecate, have you?” Erebus grinned and Poseidon shook his head in answer. “Then you are going to enjoy this, too.”
