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Hades sat on the couch staring into the fire, and while he should be thinking about what he would do now that the ophiotaurus had been slain, he could only think about Persephone. It wasn’t even the way they’d parted that weighed heavily on his mind; it was their future, which would likely not exist once Zeus discovered everything he’d been hiding. How long until his brother discovered not only that the ophiotaurus had been killed but that Hades was also responsible for its resurrection because he’d killed one of Zeus’s closest friends and servants, Briareus?
How long until Zeus not only forbade his marriage but wed Persephone to someone else?
He recognized his concerns were selfish, and if it were Persephone, she would worry over humanity, but humanity rebuilt itself even in the aftermath of the most destructive battles.
There would be nothing to rebuild if he lost her.
There was a knock at his door.
He looked up to see Ilias enter his office.
“I thought you might want to see today’s headline,” he said, handing Hades a copy of theNew Athens News. A bold, black banner ran across the top of the page, a screaming insult:
Meet Theseus, the Demigod Leader of Triad
It seemed Helen had made good on her threat against Persephone. Hades scanned the article, his jaw slowly tightening the more he read her biased words. The issue was that mortals would not see her favoritism; they would see a man who was half human, someone who could understand and fight for them.
They would see their reality reflected in Theseus’s words.
“Why not let the gods speak for themselves? I knew it wouldn’t take long for one—or many—to execute their wrath upon the world.”
Perhaps that was what made this so damning—the fact that he wasn’t wrong.
If anything was going to turn mortals away from the gods, it would be their own actions, and right now the greatest threat was Demeter’s storm.
“His timing is commendable,” Hades said, tossing the paper into the fire.
“I imagine he is feeling pretty powerful right about now,” said Ilias.
Hades imagined he did, so what could they do to remind him of his insignificance? After a moment, he rose to his feet and turned toward the satyr. Usually, he would give him some kind of direction or order, but given the circumstances, he had no idea how to proceed.
He truly felt like he had no control.
Hades manifested in Hecate’s meadow. He was there for only a moment when he felt the goddess’s magic blast toward him. While it took him by surprise, he managed to teleport before the blow struck, except that she was one step ahead, and as soon as he appeared, her power hit him square in the chest.
The force sent him flying backward. He felt the ground give way at his feet as he dug his heels in to stop himself from crashing into the mountainous walls of the Underworld.
Even as he came to a halt, he sensed Hecate’s approach. The problem was, he could not see her, but her magic crackled in the air, raising the hair on his arms.
“I’m not sure what I did,” Hades growled. “But you could try talking to me before going to battle.”
“Perhaps you should have considered doing the same before you put Persephone through such torture,” she said. Her voice came from all around, as if there were hundreds of Hecates surrounding him.
“Iknow,” he said, frustrated. “I am an idiot.”
“You are more than that,” she replied, appearing before him, arms crossed.
“Are you done?” he asked.
“Maybe,” she said, sounding uncertain.
Hades glared. “You know, I was feeling horrible about it even before I came to you. Now I somehow feel worse.”
“As you should. What were you thinking?” she demanded.
“What do you mean what was I thinking? I was training her! And don’t critique my methods. You’re the one who stabbed her just so you could teach her to heal.”
“Ipreparedher,” said the goddess. “Was it kind? No. But you may have undone all the progress we have made!”
