Chapter XVI: Hades

CHAPTER XVI

HADES

Hades took a seat behind Persephone’s new desk.

It had been two hours since Apollo had taken her, and he was growing impatient, but then he could taste something metallic on the back of his tongue, and Persephone appeared.

She looked…freshly fucked, though he knew that wasn’t the case. Her hair was windswept, her cheeks and nose reddened from the cold. Had Apollo kept her outside? In this weather? His irritation grew. She seemed to realize where she was and looked up at him, wide-eyed, and then her expression grew almost shy.

“Hi,” she breathed.

“Hi,” he replied, still frustrated and unable to really hide it.

Her gaze trailed down his body and then back up, eyes bright and lively. “Are you well?”

“Harmonia is awake,” he said.

“How is she?” she asked, breathless.

“We’re about to find out,” he said, getting to his feet. He rounded her desk and stopped only a few inches from her. The proximity did not help the tension he felt between them; if anything, it only made it burn hotter. “Did you enjoy your time with Apollo?”

“On a numeric scale? I’d give it about a six.”

His lips twitched and she frowned when she realized her humor wasn’t working.

“I’m sorry you are not pleased.”

“I am not displeased with you,” he said. “I’d just rather Apollo not cart you off to Delphi during your mother’s tantrum and while Adonis and Harmonia’s attackers are still out there.”

“Did you…follow me?”

He held her gaze for a moment and then reached for her left hand, lifting it between them so her engagement ring was on display. This ring…to him it represented so much more than just a promise of their impending marriage. It symbolized what they had gone through to get to this moment.

It was a testament to his hope and a reminder of all the times he’d lost it.

“These stones—tourmaline and dioptase—give off a unique energy, your energy. As long as you wear this, I can find you anywhere. It wasn’t…intentional,” Hades said. The stones he put in her ring didn’t matter; he could still track them because of his power over precious metals. “I didn’t set out to…put a tracker on you.”

“I believe you,” she said, her voice quiet. She looked up at him through her lashes, that strange shyness returning. “It’s…comforting.”

It was a comfort to him, especially with everything happening outside this space.

“Come,” he said, adding something he never thought would leave his mouth, “Aphrodite is waiting.”

---

They returned to the island of Lemnos, appearing outside a large, modern mansion. The fact that Hades had not been able to get them inside said a lot about how Aphrodite felt today. They were past the point of an emergency and on the path to vengeance, but he would be damned if she attempted it through Persephone.

“Can’t we just teleport inside like last time?” Persephone shivered beside him.

“We could,” he said. “If we had been invited.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t Aphrodite let you know Harmonia was awake?”

He didn’t want to answer because he didn’t feel like he could lie.

“Hades.” Persephone’s voice was laced with disapproval.

“She sent Hermes for you. He found me instead.” He met her gaze as he added, “You won’t do this without me.”

Her lips flattened and she looked away, but not before he realized what he’d said had hurt her. Fuck.

“Persephone—” he started, her name a desperate plea, but the door opened, and Lucy answered the door. She was one of Hephaestus’s creations, a nearly human animatronic who took care of their household.

“Welcome,” she said. “My lord and lady are not expecting guests. State your names please.”

Hades entered the house.

“Excuse me!” Lucy shouted. “You are entering the private residence of Lord and Lady Hephaestus!”

He had made it halfway down the entrance hall when he heard Persephone speak.

“I am Lady Persephone.” Then, with as much disdain as she could muster, she said, “That is Lord Hades.”

The God of the Dead turned to her. “Come, Persephone.”

She folded her arms over her chest and glared. “You could show some courtesy. You weren’t invited, remember?”

He ground his teeth. Gods, why did she have to be so stubborn?

“Lady Persephone!” Lucy exclaimed, her voice bordering on a shriek that was supposed to sound like surprise. “You are most welcome. Please, follow me.” She allowed Persephone into the house and made her way toward Hades. As she passed, she turned up her nose. “Lord Hades, you are most unwelcome.”

She definitely had characteristics from Aphrodite.

Hades fell into step beside Persephone and took her hand, frustrated when she tried to pull away. Normally, he would let her go, but for some reason, he couldn’t this time. He held on, rubbing soft circles into her skin, and she seemed to relax.

Hades did not make a habit of coming into Aphrodite and Hephaestus’s home. Mostly, when he visited, he was met by either one outside the house. For two people who rarely seemed to get along, their space seemed to be a perfect balance of their personalities—Aphrodite’s luxury and Hephaestus’s practicality.

Lucy led them down a bright hallway and into the library, announcing them at the door.

“My Lady Aphrodite, Lady Harmonia—Lady Persephone and Lord Hades are here to see you.”

Aphrodite sat beside her sister on a small couch. Harmonia looked far better than yesterday, but that was only because Apollo had managed to heal her cuts and bruises, and she had scrubbed her skin and hair free of dirt. She was still pale, almost gray, like souls when they first entered the Underworld, and her horns…mutilated pieces of bone. They still bore saw marks.

“Thank you, Lucy,” Aphrodite said, and Lucy bowed before leaving the room. The goddess’s eyes narrowed on Hades. “I see Hermes failed to follow instructions.”

“You can thank Apollo for that,” Persephone said.

“Persephone and I are doing this together, Aphrodite,” Hades said tightly.

Harmonia did not react to their exchange. She kept her hand on her dog, who lay curled up in her lap sleeping.

“Persephone, please, have a seat,” Aphrodite said, her voice sickly sweet.

It was fake. Hades hoped Persephone could tell.

“Tea?” Aphrodite continued.

“Yes,” Persephone answered, shivering.

Hades frowned. Was she still cold?

“Sugar?”

Hades crossed his arms over his chest, growing impatient with Aphrodite’s hospitality. It was a ruse.

“No, thank you.”

“Cucumber sandwich?”

“No, thank you,” Persephone said again.

There was silence as Persephone sipped her tea, and then Harmonia spoke, her voice soft, barely audible.

“I suppose you are here to speak with me.”

“If you are feeling well enough,” Persephone said. “We need to know what happened last night.”

Harmonia looked between him and Persephone. “Where shall I start?”

“Where were you when you were attacked?” Hades asked.

“I was in Concorida Park,” she said.

“In the snow?” Persephone asked.

“I go for a walk there every afternoon with Opal,” Harmonia explained. “We took our usual route. I didn’t sense anything untoward—no violence or animosity before they attacked.”

The fact that Harmonia walked through the park often and took the same route probably meant that someone knew her routine and planned the attack. The snow also ensured few witnesses.

“How did it happen?” Hades continued. “What do you remember first?”

“Something heavy consumed me. Whatever it was took me to the ground. I could not move, and I could not summon my power.” She paused for a moment, her hand shaking a little even as it rested atop Opal’s fur. “It was easy for them after that. They came out of the woods, masked. What I remember most was the pain in my back. A knee settled on my spine as someone took my horns and sawed them off.”

“No one came to your aid?” Persephone asked.

“There was no one,” Harmonia said. “Only these people who hate me for being something I cannot help.”

Hades felt uncomfortable about his next question, but it had to be asked.

“After they took your horns, what did they do?”

“They kicked and punched and spit on me,” she said, her voice just a whisper.

“Did they say anything while they…attacked you?”

“They said all sorts of things…broken things.” She swallowed, her mouth quivering. “They used words like whore and bitch and abomination, and they sometimes strung them together into a question, like where is your power now? It was as if they thought I was a goddess of battle, as if I had done some sort of wrong against them. All I could think is that I could have brought them peace, and instead, they brought me agony.”

“Is there anything else you remember? Anything that you can recall now that would help us find these people?” He recognized that he seemed aggressive in his questioning and paused to add, “Take your time.”

She was quiet for a moment, her brows lowering.

“They used the word lemming. They said you and your lemmings are all headed toward destruction when the rebirth begins.”

“Lemming,” Persephone said and met Hades’s gaze. “That is what the woman at the Coffee House called me.”

Harmonia touched her broken horns. It was hard to watch, to know that she had been violated in such a horrific way.

“Why do you think they did it?” she asked, her voice thick with tears.

“To prove a point,” Hades said.

“What is the point, Hades?” Aphrodite snapped sharply.

“That gods are expendable,” he said.

He had no doubt that whoever did this would eventually go to the media or at least use Harmonia’s horns as a type of trophy to prove they could get close enough to a god to wound them. Unfortunately, it would inspire others to try what they had once feared.

“And they wanted proof. It won’t be long before news of your attack spreads, whether we want it to or not.”

“Are you not the god of threats and violence?” Aphrodite asked. “Use your seedy underbelly to get ahead of this.”

“You forget, Aphrodite, that we must discover who they are first. By that time, word will have already spread, if not among the masses, among those who wish to see us fall. But we must let it go for now.”

“Why? Do you wish for this to happen again? It has already happened twice!” Her eyes were alight with her fury, and she had every right to her anger. One person close to her had been murdered, another seriously injured.

“Aphrodite,” Persephone snapped, which drew the attention of both the goddess and Hades. She’d spoken her name as a warning, and she looked like a queen doing it—perched on the edge of her chair, back straight, hands folded atop one another, completely unafraid of putting Aphrodite in her place, even in her own home.

Harmonia cleared her throat. “I understand what Lord Hades is saying. Someone is bound to let their knowledge of my ordeal slip, and when they do, you will be ready…won’t you, Hades?”

He nodded.

“Yes. We will be ready.”