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“It isn’t a trade,” Persephone corrected gently. She approached us, crouching down in front of Rogue and brushing a hand down her cheek. Maybe it was hope speaking, but Rogue’s pain seemed to lessen slightly. “You are mortal. You are each only allotted so much time. But, Oizys daimon, you died an honorable death as aphylakes, and you will take your rest in the Elysian Fields.”
“The Fates are cruel,” Rogue rasped.
“They are indifferent,” Demeter corrected, her voice a little less soothing than Persephone’s. “For mortals are many, and you are all just tiny threads in a great and complex web to them.”
“Yes, well, none of that’s very comforting when you’re about to leave your infant daughter behind,” Dare snapped.
A single tear ran down Rogue’s face as she stared at a crying, clearly exhausted Quinn.
“Riot owes me a favor.” Rogue closed her eyes for a long moment, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs. “A blank check for helping Grace once. Tell him… tell him I’m calling it in. Tell him looking after Quinn, raising her, caring for her—him and Grace, and you two and Wild… That’s my favor.”
“It’s not a favor at all,” Dare said quietly. “It’s an honor. But are you sure? Because we can find a way to get her back to Dice—”
“No.” Rogue coughed, shaking her head hard. “No. I want her with you.”
“Of course,” Dare agreed. “Of course. We’ll take such good care of Quinn, Rogue. She will besoloved.”
Rogue nodded feebly, leaning forward to press a kiss to Quinn’s forehead with blue lips before gesturing for Dare to take her. Another tear tracked down Rogue’s cheek as Quinn bawled harder, reaching for her mom. My own cheeks were wet, though I didn’t know when I’d started crying.
“I’m going to rest now,” Rogue announced, swaying slightly before allowing Persephone to lay her down on the ground, her head in the goddess’ lap, stroking her hair.
There was the faintest hint of a smile on Rogue’s face as she drew her last breath. It wasn’t loud or dramatic or violent. She was here one moment, gone the next. Her journey in this realm had ended, and we were left here to muddle through the grief, to pick up the pieces that had fallen with her departure. I didn’t even know her, not anymore, and my heart still felt like it was cracking in two.
“Mamaaaaaaaaaa!” Quinn wailed. Dare scrunched his eyes shut, and I gently lifted Quinn from his arms to give him a moment, bouncing her awkwardly on my hip on instinct.
“Thanatos will hold off collecting her soul for now,” Persephone said kindly. “I will personally give this daimon her burial rites.”
She lifted Rogue’s body as though she was no heavier than Quinn, carrying her into the building where I assumed she’d be laid out on the altar.
“There is too much to be done for you to stay here and grieve,” Demeter sniffed. “Your agathos is waiting for you.”
My head shot up. “You’ve seen her?”
“I have. Now it is your turn—my son-in-law will take you to Ilion, where they are.”
Hades lookedveryalarmed by this. “I have a realm to run. Hermes will take them.”
“I require Hermes, and my daughter will be coming with us. You’ve had her all to yourself for centuries! Besides, the earth is in great need of our agricultural gifts at this time.”
The family drama had the effect of breaking Dare out of his near-catatonic state at least. He stood slowly, gaze darting between the gods and Quinn, who was snuggling into my chest and showing signs of falling asleep.
“Come now, Hades,” Hermes said, striding forward with a dazzling smile that felt totally out of place with the general mood. “We’ve all got a part to play. You can help us out by delivering these fine heroes to Ilion.”
Hades looked ready to send Hermes back to Tartarus.
“It’s not calledIlionanymore,” Hades muttered, climbing onto his awaiting chariot and glaring at us. “Come on, then. Unless you don’t want to see your agathos?”
Dare and I scrambled over—me at the front with Quinn and Dare behind me, arms caging me in while he gripped onto the chariot.
We were both as far to the side as possible, not that it made much difference. Hades was enormous.
Without any warning or command, the four steeds leaped into the air, dragging the chariot in a sweeping upward arc over the Isles of the Blessed and out to sea.
Chapter 31
Darknesshadwellandtruly fallen overIlion—wherever that was—by the time Hades dropped us off. And it was barely one step aboveliterallydropping us; he’d basically hovered a foot off the ground so we could jump, Bullet cradling Quinn tightly to his chest, then he’d disappeared into the sky without a word.
“Dare? Bullet?”
