AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hades’ brows knitted together at her question. He knew she was challenging him, but what was her aim?
“What was her name?”
“Eurydice,” he said. “She died the day after we were married.”
“I am sorry. How did she die?”
Hades should discourage this line of conversation. It would only give the man hope.
“She just went to sleep and never woke up.”
Hades swallowed. He could feel the man’s pain, and yet there was still guilt weighing heavily upon his soul. What had he done to his wife? Why did he feel such guilt at her passing?
“You lost her so suddenly.” Persephone sounded so sad, so forlorn for the man.
“The Fates cut her life-thread,” Hades interjected.“I cannot return her to the living, and I will not bargain to return souls.”
He noted the curl of Persephone’s delicate fingers into a fist. Would she attempt to strike him? The thought amused him.
“Lord Hades, please—” Orpheus choked.“I love her.”
His eyes narrowed, and he laughed. He loved her, yes, he could sense that, but the guilt told him the mortal was hiding something.
“You may have loved her, mortal, but you did not come here for her. You came for yourself. I will not grant your request. Charon.”
Hades leaned back in his throne as Charon obeyed his command, vanishing with Orpheus. He would return the man to the Upperworld where he belonged, where he would mourn like other mortals for his loss.
In the silence, Persephone seethed. He felt her anger, billowing. After a moment, he spoke.
“You wish to tell me to make an exception.”
“You wish to tell me why it’s not possible,” she snapped, and Hades’ lips twitched.
“I cannot make an exception for one person, Persephone. Do you know how often I am petitioned to return souls from the Underworld?”
Constantly.
“You barely offered him a voice. They were only married for a day, Hades.”
“Tragic,” he said, and it was, but Orpheus was not the only one with this kind of story. He could not spend timefeelingfor every mortal whose life did not turn out the way they expected.
“Are you so heartless?”
The question frustrated him.“They are not the first to have a sad love story, Persephone, nor will they be the last, I imagine.”
“You’ve brought back mortals for less.”
Her statement took him aback. To what did she refer?
“Love is a selfish reason to bring the dead back,” he replied. She had not yet learned that the dead were truly favored.
“And war isn’t?”
Hades felt his gaze turn dark. The anger her words inspired burned through him.“You speak of what you do not know, goddess.”
The bargains he had struck to return wartime heroes weighed heavily upon him, but the decision was not made lightly, and he had not been swayed by gods or goddesses. He had peered into the future and saw what lay ahead if he did not agree. The sacrifice was the same—a soul for a soul—burdens he would carry forever. Burdens that were etched into his skin.
“Tell me how you picked sides, Hades,” she said.
