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Somewhere in the distance, Demeter screamed, “Hera!” And the rain fell harder, almost drowning them all, even as the Fates remained undeterred by the downpour.

“You made a bargain with us, Your Majesty. A soul for a victory. Your soul for his broken heart. And so it shall be. Behold the King of Olympus lies ruined at your feet.”

“No!” Nemesis’s voice rang above the chaos of the storm.

Hera felt the floor tilt under her feet as she watched the spindle in the hands of the Spinner stop, the thread within the fingertips of the Allotter being stretched tautly. She saw the years pass in front of her eyes. Wasted. So much emptiness. So many rooms filled with spite, hatred, and silences that caused her nothing but wounded pride. She had let a man ruin her eternity.

The lights dimmed. In the distance, she could feel more than see a figure running towards her. Cold hands reached for her. Cold hands, ice-blue eyes. And a Queen of Hearts, torn and mangled in those long fingers.

Hera had collected the set. Hera had achieved the impossible. And Hera knew that none of this mattered. Only Nemesis did.

Yes, the one who had made her last days, weeks and months feel alive. The one who had made her live. The one who would ultimately have helped her die.

Hera felt her mouth stretch into a painful smile.

“It’s not your fault.” Her fingertips caressed the sharp jaw, the chiseled cheekbones, the long lashes trembling with tears. “Don’t cry. It’s not your fault. I knew what I was doing.”

“No, no, you didn’t. How could you? How could you when you lived your entire life centering this asshole man, and now you’re dying, still for him.”

Hera blinked. The bears wailed close by. She could hear Zeus’s shouts. She ignored those. She clawed at the edges of her consciousness to try to look at Nemesis. Nemesis, who was holding her, head bent over her, shoulders shaking with sobs.

“Vengeance never cries,” Hera whispered. “And for what it’s worth, I regret this. My Vengeance. I regret this so much.”

Nemesis lifted her eyes, gripping Hera’s shoulders painfully now.

“You do?”

“Yes. I wasted my life on things that never mattered. I wanted something that was never worthy of the sacrifices I had made. I played a role that suited someone else. And all this time, looking back, there was only a short period of my life when I felt alive. It was with you. You made me feel alive. Even now. Even in death.”

Nemesis’s body trembled; Hera could see the tears streaming down that beloved face.

“You can let me go, Nemesis. Your greatest act of vengeance has been accomplished. I’ve loved. I’ve loved you so much. You have my heart. All of it. You will always have my heart.”

The Fates gasped. The building shook, and the Inflexible pushed the handles of the shears. Hera saw the golden thread of her life, cut in two, fall to the floor.

Demeter’s rain fell gently over the ballroom, the candles burned out. Hera watched her life leave her body and held onto the last thing afforded to her. Eyes that cried for her. Hands, suddenly hot, that burned for her. And a heart that was always so steady, beat out of rhythm, just for her. As far as final memories went, Hera thought hers were unmatchable.

14

WHERE BETTER PLANS ARE MADE (AND THE EMPRESS AND HER REVENGE LIVED HAPPY EVER FOREVER…)

“Can she hear us?” Demeter’s words pierced the veil of her dreams.

“It’s Hera. She’s either listening in and pretending otherwise, or she’s dead to spite us all. Sorry.” Clio’s voice was hushed, the apology came in fast and almost reverently.

Hera tried to surface from the fog that clouded her eyes and desperately wished they’d continue speaking, as it was the only thing she could focus on. If only Nemesis would say something.

“Good thing Nemesis is not here to smack you, Clio.” Demeter’s voice took on a concerning quality. Hera wanted to shout, to ask where Nemesis was. Her Vengeance.

“I still can’t believe she did it. Actually, there are about a thousand things that happened that I cannot believe. Zeus being in love with Hera all this time and his heart breaking over her. Hera dying. Nemesis tying the thread and bringing her back.”

Demeter’s words held reverence. Hera struggled through the dreams harder.

Thread?

“Not even Fates stand a chance when Vengeance claims her spoils.” Clio whispered in awe.

Spoils? What was happening?