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Hades couldn't lie to him. Perseus was legally blind, but he could see auras clear as day, especially those of immortals. Hades didn't know what was giving him away and didn't care.
"No, I'm not. Something is happening with Persephone, and I need Susa to help me find her," Hades explained, stepping inside.
"Yeah, Hermes mentioned it. He's here too," Perseus warned him. He and Hermes had started painting together once a week. It was strange to see two of Zeus's sons not trying to fight each other. They both got along with Asterion too, which meant Hades's suspicion about Zeus always being the problem with the family had proven true.
Hades realized too late that he was interrupting something more than painting night. Thoth and Kema sat with Medusa at her huge desk in her office. Thoth was frowning at the screens, his bronze eyes troubled and his shoulder-length dark hair a mess from pulling on it.
"Let me guess, you're trying to convince him that digitization of the new library is a good thing," Hades said, smiling despite his worry.
"Ohh, don't get Feathers started," Hermes replied, appearing by his shoulder. "This is about categorization, not digitization. I take it Persephone hasn't turned up yet?"
Hades shook his head. "No. Medusa, I need you to put a pin in this and help me."
"It's good timing. I needed a break," Kema said, stretching her arms over her head.
"I still don't see why this is necessary when I have a photographic memory. We don't need a catalog. I know what books and relics we now possess," Thoth argued.
Kema got to her feet and kissed her consort on the forehead. "Because we don't have your big, beautiful brain. We need the catalog so everyone else can search for things. Come on, let's raid Medusa's fridge for a snack." She tugged a grumbling Thoth to his feet.
Kema was a new niece to the family, and Hades found her delightful. She could light any room she went into, just like Persephone. It was probably one of the reasons they got along so well.Kema patted his arm on her way past.
"Don't worry, Uncle H. I'm sure Persephone is fine and working something out in her head."
"Thanks, Kema. Take Hermes with you. I need to talk to Susa," Hades said.
"Hey, don't be rude. I'm here for emotional support," Hermes complained.
Kema just took his hand. "Come on, Grandad. It's time to make me something to eat."
Hermes's face screwed up in horror. "What did I say about calling me Grandad?" Technically, Hermes was her grandfather many times over, but it got too complicated.
"Well, I call Thoth 'Daddy,' so you're just going to have to deal with it," Kema said, waggling her eyebrows at her beloved.
Thoth looked flustered and embarrassed, but Hermes was too busy making gagging sounds to tease him about it.
"If Medusa can't find Persephone, I have a few good tracking spells I can try. She won't have gone far enough that I can't find her," Thoth told him.
"Thank you. I appreciate that." Hades still couldn't believe the ancient god had finally been brought back to Greece, but he had reconnected with Set and Anubis, and both of them were making sure Thoth didn't become too anti-social again. Hades suspected the true lure had been the promise of the library's contents and wanting to please Kema.
Medusa rubbed her hands through her curling red hair. "Stop lurking in the doorway, Hades.Tell me what is going on. Hermes only said that Persephone had kicked you both out of her head but didn't say why."
"I don't know why either," Hades said and sat in Kema's chair beside her. Medusa had been his friend for a long time, so he took a shaky breath before admitting, "I don't know what I did to make her want to leave me."
Medusa's snakes hissed in alarm. "Hey, woah. Persephone isn't leaving you. She's just…having a moment. It happens to the best of us."
"She was fine when she left for Athens this morning. Nothing seemed off. She said she had some meetings. I need you to get into her calendar and find out who they were with," Hades said, crossing his arms.
Medusa tapped away on her keyboard. "She shared her calendar with me ages ago, so let's look. Hmmm, not work meetings. She did have an appointment with a gynecologist for her yearly check-up around lunchtime. One second, I'll bring their details up.".
Hades failed to keep up as she plunged into her digital world. To Medusa, the internet was another kind of cave, and she was at home in its shadowy crannies.
In less than five minutes, she had hacked into the CCTV on the clinic's street and was scrolling through the black and white footage.
"There she is! Freeze it," Hades said, pointing at the screen. His sunshine girl was standing outside the clinic, looking unwell and afraid. Hades fought back the frantic feelings coursing through him. What was wrong? What had they done to her?
"Okay, so you're freaking out, but as a woman, let me tell you, no one likes going to the gyno. We all feel like shit afterward," Medusa said quickly. She zoomed in as two men appeared. "Let's see who these guys are."
"Who cares? They are fucking dead men walking for putting their hands on my wife," Hades growled. He would watch the light die in their eyes, and... He peered closer. "Did she just glamor them? Look at their faces."
