“You need to eat,” he observed. “We’ll speak in a while.”
It was true- while I desperately wanted to nail down the details of this deal with Hades, I was insanely hungry. I put another bite in my mouth, then another. Finally, we finished up dessert and it was time to talk.
“Now, back to your issue of family,” Hades began. I was pleasantly full and the nectar had replenished my strength. I could feel my cheeks flushing from its effects, just as a mortal’s would flush with too much wine.
“You mentioned something about options?” I asked casually, staring at him in the eye. His twinkled happily. I was certain that whatever they were, the options were all to his benefit.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “You have a couple. First, you may stay in this palace with me while Raquel and Cadmus continue to stay in the Isles of the Blessed. This would not be a bad option, Chosen One. The isles are filled with every luxury and everything that they could possibly ever want or desire. It is truly a paradise. And you will, of course, retain your magic mirror. You can see them at any given time.”
“And my second option?” I tried to ensure that my voice didn’t waver, but it was difficult. The thought of never being with my family again was soul-shattering.
“Your second option is to bring them here, to reside with us here in the palace. They will be here with you, and they will have freedom to come and go as they please, roaming anywhere in the Underworld that they wish.”
“And me?” I asked quietly.
“You will be confined to the palace grounds,” Hades answered. “It is your energy that I find exquisite. I want you near me at all times.”
At the other end of the table, Persephone slammed down her goblet, but she remained silent. I glanced in her direction and found her glaring angrily at her husband. He remained unfazed, waiting for my answer.
“Why can’t they return to the Spiritlands?” I asked. “Why must they remain here at all?”
“Because that simply isn’t an option,” he replied firmly. “But the Isles are a paradise, even more so than the Spiritlands. They are better off there, anyway.”
“In your opinion,” I added. He smiled.
“My opinion is the only one that matters here.”
Unfortunately, I knew that he was right. I was completely at his mercy. And I didn’t want my family to be under his thumb on a daily basis. I didn’t want my daughter anywhere near him. He nodded.
“Excellent choice,” he approved. “They shall stay in the Isles.”
My heart broke at his words, but I didn’t say a word. It was necessary. I had to protect them, no matter the cost.
“And what of my mortal mother and my friends?” I asked.
He smiled. “I will return them post-haste to their mortal lives. I didn’t really need them here, I simply needed them to bring you here.”
“But what of their memories from here?” I asked, troubled. “They will forever be haunted by this.”
“No,” he answered. “They won’t be. I shall simply erase those memories. They will have no recollection of this time, whatsoever. It is very easy, really.”
A thought occurred to me and I hesitantly wondered if I should ask. Hades saved me from my unease.
“Of course,” he answered my thoughts. “That is actually a very considerate idea. I can certainly erase you from their memories, as well. I can eliminate all traces of Macy Lockhart’s existence in the mortal world. That might be the most humane thing to do in this situation, don’t you agree?”
I nodded numbly. I hated it. I would miss my mother and Jess and Jenn… but I couldn’t live with the thought that they were missing me, too. It would be better if I never existed to them at all.
“Consider it done,” Hades concluded. I nodded silently, willing myself not to cry.
We finished our after-dinner drinks in silence and I excused myself to my rooms. Looking around, I studied my new quarters. They were elaborate and lavish. Hades had spared no expense, but I didn’t care. The bed was large and soft, encased in a billowing canopy and sheer side panels. Fluffy pillows were piled on top and I threw myself onto them, sobbing into them quietly. In all my mortal lives, I had never known such pain as this. It filled me up and I couldn’t think past it. So, I cried. It was the only thing I could think of to do.
I cried for at least an hour and when my heaving sobs finally subsided, I lay spent for a moment longer before I sat up, reaching a shaking hand up to smooth my hair. I glanced at the magic mirror. Did I want to see? I knew by now, they had to know that I was gone. Did I really want to see that?
No, I didn’t. I couldn’t stand to see Cadmus in pain or see the look on Raquel’s face. I couldn’t imagine what she would feel. She had only just discovered that I was her mother and to have me snatched away now, it would have to be devastating for such a little girl. I truly hoped that Aphrodite would swoop in and provide all of the motherly things that Cadmus wouldn’t be able to provide. He was a glorious father, but children needed a mother’s touch in some things.
Standing up, I re-covered the mirror with a velvet drape. I would look again sometime in the near future, but I couldn’t handle it today. My heart was just too fragile.
Straightening my clothes, I left my rooms to explore the palace. I would do anything to occupy my mind so that I didn’t focus on how on my own devastation.
My suite was apparently in a wing dedicated to bedrooms. It was quiet and tranquil during the day with the halls lit softly. I followed the winding corridors out until I emerged in a great room. Books lined the walls, from floor to ceiling and I found Persephone seated by a raging fire, a book in her hands. She wasn’t reading it, however. She was staring absently into the flames.
“I’ve heard that you can control the Phoenix,” she murmured, without looking up. I had no idea how she knew it was me and I didn’t ask. I quietly crossed the room and seated myself in the chair opposing her.
“Yes,” I answered simply. The fire felt wonderfully warm and quickly made me sleepy. The emotions of the day had drained me and I closed my eyes, soaking in the warmth.
“It must be exquisite to be in control of so much power,” she replied. I felt her eyes on my face, but I didn’t open my own. I was suddenly very, very weary.
“Not particularly,” I answered. “I don’t even know how I do it sometimes. It just happens.”