Megan’s mood didn’t improve with their teasing.
“Portaling should be banned,” she said. “He was there and gone as fast as I could blink. We werewatching.”
Eliana reached across the table again and set her hand on Megan’s. I watched the tension melt from Megan’s body.
“Seriously?” she asked in a much calmer tone. “What grudge does he hold against Ashlyn other than she looks like Persephone? If we knew that, maybe we could—”
Hades disappeared from beside me. Everyone looked at me.
“Thanatos was Mother’s lover,” Zotera said in a rush. Her frightened gaze met mine. “Mother made me promise never to tell. Call Father. Now.”
“Hades,” I said without hesitation.
He reappeared beside me and took my hand in his.
“Does that happen often?” Megan asked. “You disappearing? It happened right before Thanatos showed up.”
The waiter approached before I could answer. Fenris ordered two main dishes and told Zotera she could try both so she could make them for him later if they were good. The waiter gave Fenris an offended stare, which he ignored as he bragged about Zotera’s soufflé. The rest were quick to over-order too. It helped that we were eating at the Council’s expense.
Once the waiter left, Megan repeated her question.
“It happens frequently, but I’ve been watching the time, and how long he’s with me isn’t consistent.”
“And he always comes back when you say his name?” she asked.
I nodded.
“I really want to make a retriever joke,” Fenris said, “but my fur-bound alter-ego is telling me we suits need to stick together in respectability.”
Zotera giggled behind her hand as Megan held up her hand to pretend to squish Fenris’ head between her fingers. Oanen drew her hand to his lips, ending her mumbled threats until the food came.
Once the food arrived, we shared our meals and listened to Fenris’ entertaining food stories from his childhood. While Eliana and Hades ate just enough to be a part of the meal, the rest of us cleaned our plates. The food was that good and that minimally portioned. When the server came to offer dessert, we asked for two of everything.
Zotera was delighted with each bite of dessert she tried and promised Fenris she would make him anything we’d had any time.
The food and company were so enjoyable that I never wanted it to end.
However, the desserts eventually ran out, and we asked for the bill. Fenris took another picture to send to his dad while Oanen paid.
“Should we follow you or meet you at the penthouse?” Megan asked.
I looked at Hades for the answer.
“Penthouse,” he said just before disappearing again.
“Hades.” He immediately reappeared.
“Is someone in Hell calling you back?” Megan asked, standing.
“My will is my own. Hell is the cage to which I’ve been leashed.”
“So you’re not quite free of Hell, and that’s why you keep getting pulled back?” Megan asked.
“That is a question I cannot answer,” he said, helping me from my seat.
While Megan, Oanen, and Zotera took the easy way back to the penthouse, the rest of us used the car. I appreciated the extra time since I needed to think about the little nugget of information Zotera had dropped at lunch. I could feel Eliana’s gaze on me several times during the quiet ride but didn’t acknowledge it.
The God of Death, Persephone’s ex-lover, was trying to kill me. Why? Because Iwasn’ther or something else? What might have Persephone done to him that he’d want her doppelganger—me—dead? Probably some level of maiming or disfigurement. Hadn’t Zotera mentioned Persephone cutting off a certain male prized appendage? Although, I was pretty sure it had been Hades’ appendage.
