An owl was perched on the lowest limb and I would almost swear that it was the same owl that I saw next to the Necromanteion. I studied it and it looked back at me with unblinking amber eyes. It had to be the same. Eris held out her hand and the owl extended a clenched claw, dropping two small bright pink blossoms onto her palm. She held one out to me and put the other in her mouth.
“No, don’t!” I cried, reaching out to stop her, but it was too late. She was already chewing.
“Eris, what have you done? You know that you cannot leave here now.”
She stared at me calmly.
“What I know is that things are very muddled right now. It is difficult to say who will wind up on top. And is there really a ‘top’? I find, as time goes on, that things are rarely what they seem and power is a very fluid and finicky thing. Eating these is the only way to quickly arrive at Hades’ palace, a place where we both need to be. If Zeus comes to his senses, perhaps he will provide a way for us to return. If not, perhaps Hades will be good to us.” She shrugged her thin shoulders and then swallowed.
I stared at her in apprehension. Her words were uncharacteristically wise. She was right. We had no idea who would end up in control when all was said and done. In the meantime, we had to do what we needed to do in order to take care of ourselves. I reached out a shaking hand and took the flower. Chewing it, I damned myself to an eternal existence in the Underworld. My only hope now was that someone took mercy on me and set me free. I swallowed. But it was what I had to do. And as a mother, I would do it again and again and again in order to secure Raquel’s safety.
Eris looked at me and nodded. “Ready?” She grasped my hand and we were gone.
Before I knew it, we were standing in front of Hades’ imposing palace. My head whirled just a bit from the instantaneous travel, but after just a moment, I felt back to normal. I felt just like any other person would who was walking to their eternal damnation: Numb.
The drawbridge lowered and the guards nodded to us. Clearly, we were expected. We quickly entered, stepping into the entryway and found Hades waiting.
“Ladies,” he nodded. I stared at him in return. He might think that he wanted to keep me for all of eternity, but I was not going to make it pleasant. “Welcome back.”
He snapped his fingers and a hunchbacked undead servant appeared.
“Yes, sir?” the servant asked.
“Bring Alexi,” Hades demanded.
I stared at him dumbfounded. “How did you get him so fast? He was in Zeus’ palace when I left.”
Hades smiled. “No, he wasn’t. He was in Zeus’ palace when you retired for a nap. Now he is here.”
He offered no explanation and I found that I really didn’t care to know how he had retrieved Alexi so quickly. Within minutes, the servant had returned with him. As always, Alexi was cold and unemotional. I knew now that it was because his soul was gone. I hadn’t known that when I had first met him- when he had shown up in my bedroom in the mortal world to take me to the Spiritlands for the Fates. I had just thought he was a jerk.
He stood before me now, his arms limply at his sides, his eyes straight ahead. He was handsome in a very pale way. He wasn’t my personal cup of tea, but Eris was staring at him with hearts in her eyes. I couldn’t believe that I had never noticed that before, either. I briefly wondered how long it had been going on before Hades moved to a corner of the room.
The Box of Souls sat on a marble pedestal. I almost cried out, but restrained myself. How had Hades gotten it from the Keres? But just as soon as I wondered, the answer came to me. Obviously, Alecto had somehow finagled it. I found that once again, I didn’t want to know the details.
Hades opened the lid and simply reached into the box. Within a second, he had withdrawn his hand and closed the box once again, turning around to face us.
“You realize the price?” he asked Eris.
She nodded stoically, without saying a word.
“You are bound to me for eternity,” Hades said. “You belong to me now.”
Eris nodded once more, one short determined nod. I didn’t bother to protest or try to intervene. I knew what it was like to trade yourself for someone else. I knew her mind would not be swayed. I had to admit, I respected her for her decision. She was putting someone above herself, something I never thought I would see.
“Very well,” Hades said pleasantly. “We have a deal.”
He extended his hand and opened his fingers, blowing a puff of air in that direction. A shimmery cloud formed in front of us and sailed directly toward Alexi. He automatically opened his mouth and then stiffened as the cloud filled him up. He was rigid and silent for a moment while color quickly flooded his cheeks. The change was immediate and obvious.
Alexi looked around in confusion for a moment before he was able to compose himself. The first expression to cross his face was a perplexed one. And then relief as he saw Eris.
“Eris?” he breathed.
She flew into his arms in record time and I had the sudden urge to cry. Somehow, my arch nemesis had managed to procure a deal that would keep she and her beloved together for eternity. It didn’t matter to them that they belonged to Hades now- they would face that together. I felt an overwhelming rush of jealousy. I didn’t have that anymore. I had to leave my soul mate in order to protect my family. It was the story of my life.
“Now, then,” Hades said pleasantly. “You may return to the Spiritlands. You will be more useful there than here right now.”
“The Spiritlands?” Eris repeated uncertainly. Hades nodded.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “Sometimes it is very useful to me to have people on the outside. You will assist me greatly in the future, I can feel it.”
Eris’ shoulders dropped just a bit and I saw the corners of Hades’ mouth curl slightly.
“It will be fine, Eris,” he soothed. “I protect my own. Now, go.”
He waved his hand and Eris and Alexi were gone. I was left alone in the foyer with the god of the Underworld. He assessed my mood from where he stood, his dark head cocked thoughtfully.
“And here you are,” he murmured, moving smoothly to my side. Lifting one slender hand, he stroked the side of my face. I struggled to not flinch. “You have done the right thing,” he assured me. “You will be happy here.”
“Will I?” I asked sharply. “I’ve had to leave my family.”
“We’ll discuss that over dinner,” he replied, offering me his arm. “Now that you can eat here, I have had a feast prepared in your honor. I’ll allow you to retire to your rooms to freshen up. You’ll find fresh clothing for you on your bed.”