“I actually called so that we can hear how Ashlyn got away,” Megan said over Eliana’s soft crying.
“Mother didn’t get away,” Zotera said. “Father sent her back.”
“Who’s that?” Fenris asked over the sound of Eliana’s soft crying.
“Zotera,” I said. “She’s a friend, and she’s the reason I’m back. I’m not sure how much Megan told you, but everyone in Hell thought I was Persephone. It turns out that I lookexactlylike her.
“When I arrived in Hell, I was alone in a dark room. Thinking I was still in Uttira, I left that room and started looking for an exit. Then I saw the first monst—uh, child of the gods. I ran in a blind panic and ended up ducking into a room with a skeleton clutching a key on a bed and another one chained to the wall at the end of the bed.
“I was only in there for a few minutes when the one chained to the wall started to move.” The picture of how Hades had looked filled my mind. “I panicked and ran again.”
“And Father followed,” Zotera said softly.
“Yeah,” I said. “He did. For a while, I stuck to the rules I knew—the ones I thought would keep me safe. I didn’t look at him or talk to him–stupid druids silenced me with their spell. Even without it, though, it was pretty easy not to. He wasn’t exactly sane in the beginning. But after a while, that changed. And once I figured out that I was in Hell and everyone thought I was Persephone, I had no idea how to get back to that room to prove the goddess was dead.”
“Please tell me you didn’t lead Hades to his dead wife,” Megan said with a cringe.
“No, Ashlyn didn’t know where the room was anymore. I led Father and Ashlyn there.”
“That explains all the earthquakes,” Megan said.
“Was it bad?” I asked.
The single, warning shake of her head said it had been.
“It’s not your fault,” Eliana said with a sniffle.
“I tried to keep him distracted,” I said.
“She did,” Zotera seconded, acting like my personal yes-man, which I really appreciated.
“So Hades saw his dead wife and just sent you back?” Megan asked. “No harm and no foul?”
“Pretty much. But only because of the deal I’d made with him. I'd proven my humanity by proving that I wasn’t Persephone, and he sent me home.”
Megan let out a long breath and sat at the kitchen table. “I guess we should be thankful we’re all still here. That could have gone way worse.”
She motioned for us to join her. Oanen sat next to her, and Zotera and I took the seats on the opposite side. The ground shook slightly again.
“Did you feel that too, Eliana?” Megan asked.
“Yeah. We did,” Eliana said.
“Which means we’ve only solved one of our problems,” Megan said, sounding frustrated. “We got Ashlyn back, but Hades is still a problem.”
“You shouldn’t speak so disrespectfully about Father,” Zotera said, looking worried.
“You think I should respect the god responsible for my mother abandoning me so she wouldn’t kill me? The one who gave me all these urges and anger without any instruction or guidance regarding what to do about it? No. I might be compelled to respect him when I’m in his godly presence, but I refuse to pretend I have any fondness for the god who made my life and the lives of the furies before me a living hell.”
Zotera looked down at the table with a hurt expression, and I reached out to hold her hand. She didn’t deserve Megan’s anger. Neither did Hades. That was all Persephone’s doing. But before I could explain, Zotera spoke.
“I’m sorry you suffered, Megan. Father tried to keep us all safe but sometimes failed.”
“He isn’t the god we’ve been told he is,” I said. “He protected Zotera and many others from Persephone.Persephoneis a big part of the reason you’ve had a shit life.” I couldn’t absolve Hades of all blame. He’d agreed to each deal for whatever crumb of meager affection she offered. But he had tried to make amends.
“While I was in Hell, he made these for you and your mom and grandma.” I took out the rings and set them on the table. “He does care, Megan. A lot.”
Eliana lightly cleared her throat over the phone.
