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Persephone was shocked when the young girl put her small hand in Persephone’s larger one. She smiled as not to scare the girl and wrapped her fingers around the tiny hand in return.
She looked to the other souls as they nodded, one by one to each other, and stepped forward to follow her.
Devon took up the rear as Thanatos flew back and landed near him. She glanced at Thanatos and Devon, who conversed in whispers as the souls followed her. Thanatos had his arms folded and was obviously having a serious talk with Devon who had his hands in his pockets and his head down as he listened. She knew they would make sure the gates closed behind her when she guided the new souls through.
As they passed by the still playful Cerberus, the young girl put her other hand out to rub his head, which earned her a lick in return. Cerberus stood back after that to make sure all the souls were inside before he followed them in.
Thanatos and Devon remained on the other side, but she knew she would have to find out what they were discussing later.
As she watched the gates close, Devon looked up and gave her a heartwarming smile. She returned it the best she was able as she lost sight of him and the mortal realm.
It was time to get to work. She had souls to protect.
***
Devon remained silent next to Death as they watched the souls move through the gates after Persephone, Cerberus trailing behind them.
“Funny how this happened when Tristan was being detained and questioned,” Devon mentioned as he walked alongside Thanatos, who checked to make sure the stragglers were gone from the gates.
He also checked for any malfunctioning or broken parts of the gate that could make escaping the Underworld easier for the souls. Cerberus was large when in his guardian form, so if he were thrown against the gates, he could do some damage regardless of how sturdy they were.
“All of them here at once? Their behavior… I haven’t been here long, but even I could tell that was not normal,” Devon stated as he watched Thanatos stand back like a master crafter, or a mechanic, hands on hips and eyes narrowed.
Finding nothing, he turned to Devon.
“No,” Thanatos agreed as he folded his skeletal arms across his chest, blinking between his Reaper form and human form as if so wound up he couldn’t control the change. “That wasn’t. They keep to the entrance and have never strayed further than the banks. Never have I seen them come to the gates. I’ll speak to Hecate about warding the gates against an attack like this again. Getting past the veil is not an issue with it being tied to Persephone’s power, but incoming souls…” He let that thought trail off.
“A distraction. They were herded down here to create a chaotic situation. Take the heat off something going down somewhere else.” Devon ventured to guess, his instincts telling him something else had happened somewhere in the Underworld.
“Shit,” Thanatos sighed, his head falling back in frustration. The gesture was so human that
Devon let out a snort.
It was bizarre to watch the skeletal form behave in such a normal way. He somehow managed to keep his composure while Thanatos continued his thought process, but as usual, Thanatos picked up on Devon’s mood and looked at him. For a flicker of a second, he saw annoyance on Death’s face, which made it even more absurd.
Devon was exhausted and everything was a tad more humorous when a person was beyond fatigued.
“We’ve never had an issue like this before,” Thanatos said. When Devon snorted in amusement again, he gave Devon a withering look.
“And…” Thanatos checked to see if he could continue, and Devon waved his hand to indicate he was done. “A distraction of this size worries me. I’ll take some turns around the realm and see if anything is out of place before I speak with Hecate.” As Thanatos finished, what looked to be ten guards came through the gates and started lining up along the wall.
“Well, Cerberus will have some company guarding the gates tonight. Can’t imagine he will like that too much,” Thanatos said, walking to the guard in charge.
As he listened to the two discuss technicalities for what felt like hours, Devon looked over his shoulder at the river. Charon came into view as his boat drifted down the Styx again to deliver another soul.
“I’ll just head to the castle,” Devon announced and received a distracted wave from Thanatos in return.
Devon shoved his hands in his pockets as he began the walk toward the gates. Before he moved through the veil, he heard Thanatos say his name, halting him.
He turned back to Death to see what else needed to be said.
“She cares for you. I have never seen her like that before. I have no idea the extent of her feelings, but before it goes too far...” Thanatos paused, and Devon readied himself for his next words.
“She takes a lot of shit from people, thinking the fact she is the Goddess of the Underworld renders her without emotions, but you know that’s not true.” Thanatos extended his wings, stretching the black feathers. “If you are not a hundred percent sure you want forever with her, don’t move forward with anything more. Just accept the role as another God of the Underworld and remain friendly. If you do want her, regardless of her title and power, tell her that and treasure her. I would hate to have to torture you for all eternity when I was just starting to like you,” Thanatos finished and launched himself into the darkness, his wings carrying him away before Devon could so much as let out a breath.
Chapter 26
Devon rubbed his hands over his face. Thanatos was completely right, and they both knew it.
