Chapter XX

Chapter XX

The Amazons

Now is not the time, he wanted to say, but he knew what she would threaten.

His future with Persephone, though he had done enough to damage that himself during their last encounter. His chest ached at the thought of how he’d left her—with no comforting words, only a countdown to say goodbye to her friend—and even though he had fucked up, he did not need Hera making it worse. It was that thought that made him relent, despite the pressing matter of locating the Graeae.

He would just have to send Ilias to Lake Tritonis. For a brief moment, he’d considered including Dionysus in the retrieval, but he did not know the god’s loyalties, and with a potential revolt on the horizon, he did not want to take any chances.

“What is it?” he snapped. He saw no reason to hide his resentment of the goddess. Especially after what she had put him through during the last two labors, though that only made his stomach churn. What did she have planned for him next? Was it to be something far worse?

“I’d like you to retrieve Hippolyta’s belt,” she said, almost casually.

Hades’s brows lowered. That was a relatively tame ask given what she had saddled him with before.

“Hippolyta’s belt,” Hades said. “Why?”

“Do not question my wants, Lord Hades. It is none of your business.”

Hades narrowed his eyes. “Does Ares know of your wants?”

“The belt was his gift to Hippolyta. I see no reason to ask him.”

Hades glared. There was nothing particularly stunning about the belt. It was leather, and Hippolyta wore it to symbolize her status as Queen of the Amazons. Its only power was that it gave its wearer superhuman strength, a useless power for both Hippolyta and Hera, who already possessed such a skill.

Unless, of course, it was an attempt to gain another weapon in her fight against Zeus. The belt could give an Impious mortal the power to face a god.

Hades’s mood darkened, and suddenly he wondered just how much his labors had intertwined with her ultimate goal of overthrowing Zeus.

He did not let himself think on that long, though. He filed the information away for later. Perhaps he was onto something—something that would allow him to end Hera’s labors and prevent her retaliation against Persephone.

“Do whatever you must to trade,” she said. “You have until sunset.”

Hades gave a frustrated growl as she left. He took out his phone and called Ilias.

“Yeah?” the satyr answered, out of breath.

Hades arched a brow. “Are you in the middle of something?”

“Running a marathon,” Ilias replied, a sarcastic edge to his voice.

Hades did not question it. “When you are finished,” he said, “I need you to travel to Lake Tritonis and secure the Graeae. Tell no one. I will be back as soon as possible.”

“Got it,” Ilias replied, and when Hades hung up, he vanished.

* * *

The Amazons lived in Terme, which was north of New Greece, and while part of the mainland, it existed on no mortal map. A smaller island extended off the coast, which they called Themyscira and used as a training ground. The landscape of Terme was lush and green, the terrain made of cresting hills and deep divots where white water flowed over great rocks. Their city was encased in a tall and expansive wall of stone and graying brick. Its towers and gates were heavily guarded as there was always a brave mortal or two trying to scale the walls, and depending on their intentions, they were either released or held in prison under Queen Hippolyta’s discretion.

It was at one of those gates that Hades appeared. While it was likely he could have appeared at Hippolyta’s sanctuary, doing so would have been considered in poor taste, and since he was going to ask a favor of the Amazon queen, he decided against it.

The two women at the gate were tall and stood at attention, dressed in bronze hoplite armor, including a helmet, breastplate, and greaves. They carried bronze shields that reached from their chins to their knees and spears in their right hands. They were stoic and strong.

While they stood still before the wooden gate, he could tell by how they stiffened that they did not expect to see him.

“Lord Hades,” the one on the left said. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“You don’t have to lie,” he said. “I need to speak with Hippolyta.”

The Amazon on the right used her spear to knock on the gate thrice, and the doors opened to reveal the interior of the Amazons’ oasis, which was just as lush, packed with evergreen oaks, cypress, and flowering myrtle and oleander. Dirt paths wound through identical homes that were composed of sun-dried mud bricks and covered in a flowering vine that smelled strongly of honey.

On the other side of the gate, another Amazon waited. She was dressed the same as the two guards and said nothing to him, only turned and led him down the winding road. Hades followed between the tightly built homes. The floral smell was stronger here, and Hades noticed plump bumblebees moving from flower to flower, zipping between him and the Amazon he followed.

The path led to a round courtyard that was several feet below ground level and accessible by a set of stairs that extended around the entire perimeter. Despite the center being covered in sun-dried brick, the Amazons had managed to make the space look just as lively as the surrounding landscape, filling great stone pots with flowers and greens. Opposite this gathering place were more of the same homes, and from over the tops of their roofs, the mountainous terrain of the rest of Terme was visible, where clouds hung low to meet their peaks.

Despite the fact that the Amazons had a queen, there were no palaces here, and Hippolyta did not even sit on a throne. She was queen because of her knowledge and expertise in battle.

Nothing else mattered.

The Amazons not on guard wore white peploses and cloaks. Some wore gold or leather belts while others chose ribbons, and their hair was braided into intricate styles that kept it off their necks and out of their faces—a completely practical choice, both due to the heat and because of its interference in battle.

Hades followed the guard down the steps into the lower courtyard. There was a large fountain in one corner where the women could draw drinking water and a firepit where they cooked community food, but the thing that caught Hades’s attention was a metal pole protruding from the ground and the woman tied to it.

Hades nodded toward her.

“What did she do?”

The Amazon did not look in her direction but answered, “Slept with a man outside the mating ritual.”

Hades said nothing. The Amazons procreated once a year with a tribe called the Gargareans, keeping only the female children born from the couplings—males were returned. It wasn’t that the Amazons hated men; they found them unnecessary for anything outside of sustaining their society, so to seek one out beyond necessity was considered shameful.

And dishonor among the Amazons was a death sentence.

Hades could not help looking at the woman who was staring down at her feet, and while she appeared stoic and unbothered by her punishment, he could see her pain in the details of her body—the way her toes curled into her sandaled feet, the tremor that shook her legs, the hard fists she made behind her back, the set of her mouth that seemed to make her jaw far more prominent. The metal at her back had to be scorching, and if he had to guess, her skin was covered in blisters.

They continued across the courtyard, though as Hades looked ahead once more, he found Hippolyta approaching. There was something enchanting about her face. Perhaps it had something to do with her eyes, which were pastel green and heavy-lidded. She looked perpetually bored but stern. Her blond hair was braided away from her face and she wore white. Cinched around her waist was her leather girdle. It was a plain piece of ornamentation that laced closed at the front, though as far as relics went, it was probably best it was so unremarkable. No one expected mediocrity from the gods. They’d assume it had no power save its utility.

“Lord Hades,” she said. “You are here to see me?”

“I am,” he said. “I’ve come to ask for your belt.”

He saw no need to be anything other than direct. He did not have time, and neither did Hippolyta.

There was a pause. “I appreciate that you do not dally, though your request seems out of character.”

“It is.”

He said nothing more, not wishing to offer an explanation, and Hippolyta did not ask for one, likely because she did not care. The Amazon queen studied him for a moment, then said, “I am not opposed, though it would need to be a fair exchange.”

“I have a trade in mind,” he said. “Though it is not conventional.”

He was not certain Hera would like it, though she had not said when he had to obtain Hippolyta’s belt, and her final message had given him more room for interpretation than she had probably intended— do what you must to trade.

“Go on,” she said.

“I am in need of an aegis,” he said, indicating behind him with a nod. “And one of your own is in need of honor.”

“Zofie is young,” Hippolyta said and, like the other Amazon, did not spare her a glance. “She has a wandering eye that causes her to lose sight of what is truly important.”

She was speaking of discipline.

“Perhaps a charge will give her focus,” Hades said. “If she brings honor, then I will return her to you in exchange for the belt. If she does not—”

“You will kill her,” Hippolyta said.

Hades was not surprised by the queen’s quick command. It was likely their plan for her to begin with, so he nodded.

Not one to delay, Hippolyta nodded.

“We have an agreement, Lord Hades,” she said and glanced at the Amazon who stood a few paces behind Hades. “Bring her.”

The guard left to retrieve Zofie, and with her departure, Hippolyta turned her attention to Hades.

“There is unrest out there,” she said. “I feel it in my blood.”

That premonition was something she had inherited from Ares. It was a type of magic that stirred their lust for battle, and it only confirmed what Helios had said about war.

“You are not wrong,” Hades replied, grimacing.

Hippolyta inclined her head. “You do not like war despite its benefit to your kingdom.”

“There is no benefit for traumatized souls,” Hades said, and as much as the Underworld could offer healing in peace, receiving souls who had died in battle was not an easy thing to witness.

The queen said nothing, and the guard returned with Zofie. Hades turned to observe the woman. He had been right about the blisters. Her skin was bubbled, not only from where the metal pole had touched her but from where the sun had beat down on her shoulders and arms. It was likely her scalp looked the same, though it was hard to tell given her dark hair, which was long and braided. Her hands were still bound, but she no longer looked down. She met his gaze with piercing green eyes.

“Lord Hades has offered you a chance at honor,” said Hippolyta, and when the Amazon heard her speak, her eyes lowered to the ground once more. “If you are found to be inadequate at any point, he has been ordered to kill you.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Look upon me once more, Amazon,” said Hippolyta, and Zofie obeyed. The address communicated the hope Hippolyta had that she would succeed.

“Thank you, my queen,” Zofie said.

Zofie said nothing more, and Hades could not tell what she thought. There were some who might see being in his care as a worse sentence than dying by exposure.

“Goodbye, Hades. Perhaps I will see you again,” Hippolyta said, though there was an element of dread that came with her words, given that she had spoken of war.

He nodded, and the armored Amazon returned them to the gate in silence.

Once outside it, he faced Zofie and tapped her shoulders, healing the blisters while releasing her from her bonds. Her eyes widened as her arms fell to her sides, and as she lifted them to rub each wrist, she whispered, “Thank you.”

“It is not for me to judge what has been viewed as an indiscretion by your people,” Hades said. “All I care about is that you protect my future queen. Do you understand?”

Her expression shifted from surprise and gratitude to one of serious acceptance. She nodded. “Of course, my lord.”

He had to admit, he felt a little less fretful, knowing that Persephone would be actively protected, but his peace was soon disrupted by a call, which he took outside the gates of Terme.

“Yes?”

“They’re dead,” Ilias said, and Hades felt his stomach clench. “All three. Recent too.”

* * *

Hades found Ilias in a cave off the side of a rocky cliff that faced Lake Tritonis. The satyr stood over three dead bodies. Each appeared to have attempted to crawl away from their attacker, with a hand outstretched and a foot curled into the dirt. It had been a long time since he had seen the three sisters, but even in death, they looked no different. Aged faces, hooked noses, and deep frowns. Their bodies were cloaked in black, their snow-white hair peeking from beneath a hood.

“They were stabbed,” said Ilias.

Hades could not see the blood for the black cloaks, but he could tell that the cloth had been sliced everywhere. The attack had been brutal and cruel. Still, the fact that the three sisters lay dead at his feet was shocking, considering they were deities in their own right and their powers included the ability to heal wounds, though these were numerous.

The wind outside howled and whistled, a harrowing wail that seemed to mourn the deaths of the witches. Hades made a circle around them, pausing to kneel near one—Deino, he believed. He reached out and touched one of the wounds. His fingers came away stained with red and black—blood and poison that burned.

“Hera,” Hades said quietly.

“What?”

Hades rose to his feet and smeared the mixture of blood and poison on the wall.

“They were stabbed with hydra blood–tipped blades,” Hades said. “I fought and killed the hydra days ago. I was on my way here when Hera ordered a new labor, which is why I sent you instead.”

It had been a distraction, and it had given Hera the time she needed to order the deaths of the Graeae. The question was why?

After a moment of silence, Hades nodded to Zofie, whom he had brought along, seeing no point in wasting time depositing her elsewhere.

“This is Zofie. She is Persephone’s new aegis. She needs armor and weapons. Get her settled. After that, I need you to look into Hera’s dealings with Theseus.”

He was beginning to see an end to her labors and any hold she had over his marriage to Persephone.