Cadmus laid his hand soothingly on my arm, a silent warning to check myself- to remain calm. I glanced down and swallowed. Then swallowed again. He was right. It would do no good to lose my temper with this god of gods. I took a deep breath.
“Harmonia,” Zeus said calmly. “You cannot leave right now at any rate. There is much to be discussed and you will need to determine a way to leave. Stay. Drink nectar- you all need it, I am sure.”
His grandfatherly face was placid and unbothered, his silver hair thick and unruly as usual. He remained seated with his wife, waiting for our reply. I nodded curtly. It would certainly be nice to take in nectar. We could use our gifts back.
“Wonderful!” Zeus said warmly. “We shall show you to your rooms.”
“I think we can find them ourselves,” I answered. “We know the way.”
“That you do,” he nodded. “That you do.”
We retreated from the courtyard silently, making our way back into the large, empty palace and stood in a tired group, looking at each other dazedly.
“Did that even just happen?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem possible. If they do not want to return, if they do not want to retake their rightful places, then what will happen?”
Hecate shook her head slowly. “This is not something that I ever foresaw. I have no notion of what to do. In all of my travels here in the Underworld, Hades never allowed me access here, and I didn’t want it. I thought the gods would be furious with me and I didn’t want to face that. This… this is not what I expected. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to provide you with warning.”
“Do you think they’ve been bewitched?” Aphrodite asked. “That would at least make sense.”
Ares nodded slowly in agreement. “That would indeed make sense. Hecate, what do you think? Is that a possibility?”
She appeared to consider that. “I do not know. I don’t know how it would have been done.”
I remembered how each silver gaze had fixated on me- not intensely as would have been the case once upon a time, but instead, very relaxed and complacent. They were simply curious at our arrival.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think they’ve just grown lazy here. They’ve grown used to this way of life and they think there is no reason for them to return. From their point of view, they’ve been here for thousands of years with no negative effects on the world. They just don’t realize…”
Cadmus rubbed my back. “We’ll talk with them again tomorrow, Harmonia. For now, let us get a drink and some rest. We all desperately need it. Ortrera’s warriors look dead on their feet. They’ve been guarding us constantly without sleep.”
“We’re fine,” Ortrera insisted, although her face was tired and worn.
“Of course you are,” I answered with a small grin. “Sister, it is not a weakness to grow weary. You haven’t slept in days.”
She dismissed my concern with a scowl and a shake of her head, so I let it drop. The Amazons were proud to a fault. They would rather die than admit what they considered a weakness.
I trailed my hand on the polished banister as we climbed the majestic staircase. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so tired myself. Raquel clung to my other hand, still looking around in bewilderment. If it was hard for me to comprehend, it must be near impossible for her.
There was no way we were going to let her out of our sight, so we kept her in the same bedroom with us, snuggling her into the middle of the bed. As we climbed in next to her, Cadmus on one side and me on the other, I stroked her dark hair away from her face.
“Everything will be fine now,” I whispered to her. “We’re safe. We’ll sleep and then figure out what we’re going to do next.”
“But what about Hades, Mama?” she asked, her eyes widening in anxiety. “Empusa said that he could be anywhere at any given time and I know that he is looking for us. Why does he want us?”
I thought for a minute about what to say. Hades was a very complex person, as were his intentions. Finally, I replied.
“Hades is complicated,” I began. “I don’t believe that he is all bad. He has his own priorities and sometimes, I think he has lost touch with human values.”
“But he’s not human, he’s a god,” Raquel pointed out.
“I know. But even as gods, we have human emotions. Hades allows his to become blurred sometimes. He gets blinded by trying to get what he wants… which is bringing more people to join him here in the Underworld. The more people who are here, the more energy this place has. I think that’s where the light comes from in Erebus. If you notice, there is no light at all in Tartara- because the souls there are black. The souls in Erebus are neither good nor bad, so there is a muted, soft light from their energy. But here in the Isles, the light is as bright as sunshine. And I think that can only be because the souls here are the purest and the best. Hades values this. He wants our energy.”
“Even mine?” Raquel’s voice was tiny.
“Probably. But don’t you worry,” Cadmus said fiercely. “He can’t have you. I will protect you with my life. And your father is a warrior.”
“One of the best,” I agreed proudly. “Has he ever told you of the dragons that he has slayed?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. I snuggled closer and listened to Cadmus’ husky voice tell tales of his own bravery as I drifted off to sleep.
I immediately wished that I was still awake.
In my dream, I was in a dark, scary place filled with shadows and the sound of dripping water. I knew right away that I had been summoned here, although I couldn’t imagine by whom. Everyone who usually came to me in dreams was here with me now, including Ahmose. I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“Oh, Harmonia,” a deep, velvety voice said from behind me. I spun around to find Hades stepping from the shadows. He was as handsome as ever with his dark eyes glinting as he appraised me. “Did you think that I wouldn’t find you?”
He didn’t sound angry. He sounded very patient. I took a step back. I had learned one thing. Nothing was ever what it seemed. If he seemed calm and patient, it was most likely that he was the exact opposite.
He threw his head back and laughed.
“I do so enjoy you, Harmonia. I’m not going to rage against you. Why would I do that? There are much more genteel ways to get what I want.”