Chapter 26

26

Ten Minutes Earlier

Everything was dark. So dark and cold.

Persephone had never felt colder in her entire life, or more alone. It was like being locked in the cellar but a million times worse. In the cellar, at least she’d been able to feel the floor beneath her feet. She could count the steps up to the door, nine steps up and nine steps back down. There were the brick walls. How many hours had she spent feeling along the contours of each one, memorizing them?

But here in the void, there was nothing. She tried to scream but no noise came out. She tried to flail her arms but they wouldn’t move. She couldn’t even feel them. She heard voices, muted, coming from very far away through the dark fog.

I’m here! I’m right here. Come and find me!

But no one ever heard her. No one lifted a hand down into the darkness.

The voices moved away.

But they’d come back. Closer. She concentrated so hard. Please, she begged.

And she heard it. Clear as a ringing bell.

His voice. Calling her name.

“Persephone.”

Everything within her, all of her soul, recognized him.

Yes, I’m here!

“Come back to me, Persephone.”

I’m here. I’m here, can’t you see me?

He was commanding her to wake up and for the first time after wandering for so long in the darkness, in that terrible, terrible void, she felt something. Actually felt it.

His hands on her face.

She was back in her body. She could feel her limbs, her arms and legs and face and fingers and her nose.

Her lips. Her lips that he was kissing.

But he was gone, pulling away right as sensation came back to her body in lapping waves, a little more each second.

And with it came a terrible heaviness. She was back in her body again, but it felt like she’d gained five hundred pounds. She tried to lift her hand to signal Hades but it was a lead weight. It wouldn’t budge.

Her eyelids felt the same but she cracked them determinedly open.

Blinding light split the darkness and everything tumbled together, the void and the light and Hades. Persephone wanted to cry and she wanted Hades to hold her again. She wanted his hand in hers. She remembered that, how he would hold her hand sometimes.

Was he even still here?

She dropped her eyes closed again and listened. Yes. There was his voice. And Charon. They were both here.

She had to let them know she was awake. What if they left her because they didn’t know she was here? She couldn’t let them leave, she couldn’t let them?—

So, even though it took everything she had, she forced her eyelids open again, but she wasn’t any better prepared for the blinding light.

She focused on the voices to help steady her and forced her eyes open even wider.

And that’s when she heard his voice again. His precious voice.

But… The things he was saying…

Persephone was a chess piece… served her purpose… mission accomplished… a great lay.

Persephone blinked. Once and then again. No. Someone was playing a trick on her. Or her mind was. She wasn’t awake yet after all. This was a horrible dream because her Hades would never say things so cold and callous. She meant something to Hades. Didn’t she?

Liar. How many lies had she told herself to make her situation more palatable? She’d done it back when she lived with her mother and all over again with Hades. Telling herself they loved her. A thousand times even when all the evidence was to the contrary.

Pathetic.

“Bella, you’re awake.” Charon at least sounded genuine in his excitement at seeing her awake.

The light was still painful but Persephone dragged tired eyes over toward the large man as he hurried to her bedside. Her vision was a bit blurry but she didn’t miss Hades in the background keeping his distance.

Charon took her hand and, focusing, she managed to give a wan squeeze.

She let her eyes close again.

Now she knew the truth. She and Hades weren’t star-crossed lovers or any of the rest of the romantic bullshit she’d made up in her head.

She was still the puppet and everyone else still thought they were pulling the strings.

“I’m gonna take you home,” Hades told her as he walked over, and she bowed her head in agreement.

One thing was sure, though.

She’d never let herself be taken in by Hades Ubeli again. She’d escape New Olympus and his clutches as well as her mother’s. She’d find someplace she could truly be free.

And in the meantime, she imagined lifting her leaden fist to her chest, she’d be free where it mattered most—the part of her that none of them could ever touch.

***

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