“It is,” he agreed, completely missing my subtle sarcasm.
“Mother,” Zotera said, jumping to her feet.
The way her face lit when she looked at me had me feeling sorry for her because I’d been where she was. Lonely. Desperate for someone to talk to. To be with.
“Hi, Zotera. Have you been doing anything fun while we were gone?”
She glanced at the spot where she’d been at the base of my throne.
“No. I was miserable the whole time you were away.”
Well, that just made me feel worse. Especially since she didn’t say it with her usual enthusiasm. She actually looked miserable about it.
“Would you like to have lunch with me?” I asked.
“Can we try another new food?” she asked eagerly.
I rose from Hades’ lap and took Zotera’s hand in mine.
“I don’t think the furies have time to run for takeout, but I’m sure we can come up with something,” I said as I led her to the table.
“If you wish to try something new, I will summon one of them,” Hades said, following us.
“No, that’s okay. I have an idea. Have you ever tried a sandwich?”
For the next thirty minutes, Hades’ worked to create all the components for a ham and cheese sandwich. His thinly sliced, salted pork, artesian-level cheese, and rustic fresh bread knocked my mundane sandwiches from back home out of the park. I didn’t even miss the mayo and mustard. Well, maybe a little, but not much.
“I like this one,” Hades said after swallowing his first bite. “The flavors are more enjoyable than that pizza.”
“Cheesecake is still my favorite,” Zotera said. She took an extra piece of ham, turned it into cheesecake, and pushed it toward Hades. “You should have some, Father.”
He immediately set his sandwich aside and sampled the dessert.
“It is very good,” he said with a slow nod.
She beamed at him and took another bite of her sandwich.
“Father,” a voice called.
We all turned to look at the entrance, and I saw Megan jogging toward us.
“I have a potion.”
Megan wasn’t even slightly winded when she arrived at the table. I thought back to all the running I’d done when I’d first arrived and how breathless I’d been despite the time I’d spent on the treadmill prior to appearing here. I’d exercised for survival. When was the last time I thought about doing that?
“We’re not sure it will work,” she said, bringing my thoughts back to the moment. “We tested it on one of the druids that Zayn mind-wiped. The mind-wipe was a complete and selective erase. There shouldn’t have been any way to get the memories back. But this worked,” she said, holding up the vial filled with a luminescent white liquid.
Hades took the vial as Megan continued.
“The druid remembered everything. Everything-everything. Like being born, which she was really upset about. She said it was the most traumatic experience of her life. Anyway, we don’t know how it will affect you, but it knocked the druid out for several hours. Kind of violently. She flew back like she was hit with a wrecking ball.”
“Good,” I muttered.
Hades arched a brow at me.
“Not for you,” I said quickly. “Her. She deserves every bit of misery drinking that potion gave her. I’m still mad at them for sending me here.”
His brow arched higher.
