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"I don't know, and that bothers me. We have no enemies left that I know of, but everyone else has either ignored us or been hiding."
Thanatos crossed his arms. "Do you think we should be ready for hostility?"
"No one is dumb enough to try and attack Hades in his realm," Erebus argued, his shadows dancing about his feet. It was a sure sign he was ready for a fight should it come.
"I really don't know. Zeus had the most children, and I don't know how it was handled," Hades admitted.
"Usually, a party and a lot of ass kissing," Hermes said, walking over to join them. "You came to my big day."
"Only because I wanted to see the child with big enough balls to steal Apollo's cattle and force Zeus to recognize him into the pantheon." Hades could see the man before him as a gangly youth with a cheeky smile. He was still far too clever for his own good.
"Some days, I think I would have been better off staying with the sheep," Hermes replied, half joking. "What do you need from us, Hades? Everyone else has gone to bed for the night."
"Come with me. Isis is about to arrive," Hades replied.
Night had fallen, and the sky above them was a surreal galaxy of stars in a dark purple, blue, and black sky. Two stars were falling toward them.
"She's brought a friend," Hermes commented. The stars became winged goddesses, and they landed lightly in the garden. Isis's iridescent wings tucked close into her body before disappearing. The other goddess had wings of black and ruby. She was darker skinned than Isis, with her black hair in braids and dressed in red robes.
"Isis, thank you for coming," Hades said, and all the Greeks bowed to her.
"How is Persephone?" Isis asked.
"She's struggling. I would have summoned you earlier, but she wouldn't allow it," Hades replied. He looked at the other goddess.
"This is Ashirah, who knows Persephone from the island," Isis introduced.
"It is a pleasure to meet you at last, Unseen One," Ashirah replied. "Don't worry for Persephone. I have birthed many gods and goddesses, and none were easy."
"We will all worry about Persephone regardless," Hermes replied. "It's good to see you again so soon, Isis. You know Anubis and the others will be able to sense you here."
Isis smiled and patted him on the cheek. "Thank you for your concern, little one, but my time in exile is over. Now, Hades, take us to your wife."
Hades turned to the triplets and Hermes. "Please set the defenses for the underworld just in case we have hostile visitors." They all nodded and vanished.
Hades tried not to flinch at Persephone's cries inside the villa. He opened the doors to the nursery, and Isis and Ashirah entered. Instantly, the room filled with calming power that caused a lump to appear in his throat. Rhea had never been soft with him like she had been with Zeus. He had seen mothers but had never felt that energy for himself until that moment. It radiated from Ashirah and Isis, blanketing the room in comfort.
"Isis," Persephone sobbed and took the other goddess's hands. "Help me."
Hades looked at his struggling wife, and helplessness overtook him again. "Do you want me to stay?"
"I love you, but no. You distract me too much," Persephone said. Hades kissed her forehead.
"I'll be close if you change your mind," he said, letting Ashirah hustle him out. Hecate followed, swaying on her feet.
"They can handle it from here. Go and rest," Hades told her and inclined his head to her. "Thank you for your help as always."
"I don't know how much help I was. Those kids are fighting over who is coming out first," Hecate replied, giving him a tired smile. "You are going to have your hands full."
"When don't I?" Hades said. He found a couch to sit on, and Cerberus jumped beside him and laid his three heads in Hades's lap. "Looks like we can do nothing but wait, boy."
Hades was so tired and anxious that he didn't notice Hermes until he sat beside him on the couch and handed him a whisky.
"You are going to be a good father, uncle," he said, putting an arm around Hades's shoulders.
"How do you know? I didn't exactly have good role models," Hades replied.
"I know because you were always more of a father to me than Zeus was. You remember that day the Olympians first accepted me, and you probably saw Zeus showing me off and bragging about how clever his new son was. You didn't see him pulling me aside and telling me to expect nothing more from him, that my role was to serve him as the king of the gods, and that if I ended up betraying him, I would meet the same fate as Prometheus."
