I rolled my eyes. “Pleasant thought.”
He shrugged, unbothered.
“It’s true. People will do insane things for love and it usually comes back to haunt them. Take Orpheus, for example. When he traveled to the Underworld and stood in front of me to beg for his wife’s life, I conceded to his pain and torment. I allowed him to return to with his wife to the mortal world—something that is very unlike me. I don’t let people leave the Underworld, as you well know. But Orpheus was so haunted that I gave him a chance. His only condition was that he must walk ahead of her on the way back to the mortal world and that he should never look back. He was so distracted by the love and concern that he felt for his wife that he forgot and turned to check on her. I had to take his wife away for the second time. He lived out the rest of his life in anguish… all for love.”
“No. All because of you,” I snapped. “You didn’t have to place such a ridiculous constraint upon him. I’ve heard the stories. Orpheus loved his wife. Of course he would turn to check on her out of habit. It wasn’t so great an offense. Certainly not so great that you should condemn his wife to a second death. I’ve never understood why you did that.”
“Because he didn’t do as I asked,” Hades answered smoothly, as though it explained everything. “I asked for a small thing. He couldn’t comply. But enough about that. Let’s talk about you.”
“No,” I said quietly. “Let’s talk about Mormo.”
“Oh, we’ll get to that,” Hades said, munching on another Lotus blossom. “But first, I’m curious about you- about a few things. Do you function the best at night, in the dark?”
I shook my head in bewilderment. “What does that have to do with anything? You know that I do. I function best in the light of the moon. My mother is the goddess of the moon, after all.”
He nodded. “And you are rather altruistic at times, not evil at all, although others might not realize that?”
“I do drink mortal souls and blood,” I acknowledged. “That tends to sway opinion.”
“Do you find solace in the shadows and feel comfortable there?”
I stared at him. “What are you getting at?” I demanded. “You know these things are true. I’m a child of the night. Of course I feel comfortable in it and around everything that it contains. Why are you asking me these questions? I would rather you answer mine instead.”
He leveled a dark smoldering gaze at me. “Fine. Ask.”
I gulped. It was the moment of truth. I knew that when I asked my question, Hades would answer it. He held the answers that I had waited so long to hear. I could see it on his face as he waited expectantly, his dark features thoughtful and still.
“Why does my father hate me enough to curse me?”
I could hear the vulnerability in my voice and I hated it. I tried so very hard to be strong. But this aspect of me, this thin, sheer facet of me, was fragile. I usually protected it, hid it from everyone so that they couldn’t use it against me. And here I was exposing it to the god of the Underworld, of all people.
“Do you truly want to know?” Hades asked me. “Are you ready to hear the answer, even if you might not like it- even if it changes everything that you know to be true about yourself?”
I nodded. “Yes,” I whispered.
“So be it,” Hades said firmly. “Here is the answer that you seek. Mormo abhors your presence, the very idea of you in fact, because he is not your father at all.”
My breath caught in my throat as I stared into Hades’ dark eyes. My heart practically stopped beating with his next two words.
“I am.”
Chapter Fifteen
“What?” I stuttered.
I suddenly felt dizzy and faint and sick. The colors around me swirled together and I felt Hades’ hand on my back.
“Breathe,” he instructed me. “Breathe, Empusa. It really isn’t so bad.”
I glanced up at him. The blood had all rushed from my face and I knew I must be as pale as a ghost. My fingertips felt numb. If a goddess could experience physical shock, this must be what it felt like.
“Not so bad?” I repeated. “Isn’t it?”
He shook his head. “No. Why would it be? The man you believed to be your father condemned you to the Underworld in his own stead. I would never do that. By default, I am a better choice.”
I stared at him, my mouth agape.
“You condemned me to the Underworld, too,” I reminded him. “What kind of father does that?”
“A father who wanted you near,” he answered quietly. “I happen to live in the Underworld.”
I ignored the strange look on his face, the vulnerable expression. I didn’t want to feel emotion toward him at all right now. I just wanted answers.
“How long have you known?” I asked. “Has my mother always known or did she believe me to be Mormo’s once?”
“Your mother believed you to be Mormo’s at first. You were born with gray eyes, after all, just like his. But when you were small, still a toddler, she took you outside one night to look at the stars. While you were outside, you grew tired and cranky and began crying. You accidentally turned the moon dark with your distress. Hecate knew right then that you possessed more magic than was possible of a child of Mormo. She and I had been together only one time, but it was enough.”
“She’s known for so long and never told me,” I muttered, as the realization came crashing down around me. “Why? Why didn’t she want me to know?”
“She didn’t want Zeus to know,” Hades clarified. “She thought that Zeus might use it against her at some point. She was right about that. I agreed with her. And it didn’t truly matter to me if you knew who I was or not, to be honest. Being a father is not something that I’ve ever cared about. But now that you are here, in front of me, and I can see how much magic and power you possess, I must admit. It is fascinating to know that I sired that… I sired you.”