“And the others that vanished? Where did they go?”
“Wherever Hades decided they needed to be. Come.” He tilted his head towards the dais. The sooner this day was done, the sooner he could take her back to the gatehouse and away from Hades, away from everyone else’s eyes.
She stayed rooted in place. “My gift is bad compared…”
His curiosity piqued.
Cyane nervously tugged her hair. “Can you unsheath your sword?”
He eyed her, intrigued by her request. Did she want to share a gift with him to give to Hades? Cerberus’s undying servitude and loyalty was his lord’s, but Cerberus hadn’t thought to share a gift. He tugged out his blade and held it firm between them.
Cyane’s eyes flickered up and down its length, and pride filled him. But then she lifted a lock of her hair and pressed it taut against his weapon, slicing it off with ease. She held one curled strand while several wisps fell to the floor.
She clutched the lock of hair to her chest. “I’m ready.”
Her gift.
He sheathed his weapon. The thrill darkened.She doesn’t plan to share her gift with me.
He nodded, annoyed, and escorted her to Hades. Cerberus took his place at his lord’s side when Cyane bowed before the God of the Dead.
Something else filled Cerberus, something he didn’t like. He wanted to take his sword back out and slide it through Hades’s back, push his lord’s bloody corpse aside, and take his place.
“God Hades,” she said, head still lowered. “My name is Cyane. I’m honored to be in your presence.”
Hades leaned forward eagerly.
Cyane took in a deep breath before she continued. “I do not wish to dishonor you, but I have little to offer. Please take this lock of my hair, a piece of me, a part of my identity.” She held out her open hand and meekly peered up at his lord. The curled, silken length of hair lay in the center of her palm.
Hades reached forward and took the gift with a smile. “Beautiful. I gladly accept your tribute, mortal Cyane, but your presence here is the greatest gift of all. Please stand.”
“I don’t understand?”
Hades didn’t answer, instead, he played with her hair between his fingers, rapt in his one-sided game. Cerberus scowled furiously as Hades wrapped Cyane’s hair around his middle finger, where it tied itself into a band.
Cerberus’s hands twitched at his sides. Had he enjoyed Cyane’s hair like that? He’d never taken off his gloves when he’d touched her, and although his fingertips were bare of material, he’d only felt her at their tips. His chest tightened for the piece of her he’d failed to take for himself.
Red threatened to cloud his vision.
Hades stood and approached the edge of the dais.
Cyane shifted uneasily on her feet.
Hades's voice boomed, “The Day of Gifts is coming to an end, let it be known that my queen and I are pleased with your tributes. This year, unlike so many years before, will mark a change that I have longed for—longed for hungrily as I await Persephone to descend and come to me freely. This year, unlike the countless that preceded it, I will receive the gift that I have always wanted. And this year, I will give a gift in return.”
Hades looked directly at Cyane, and his smile turned terrible.
Cerberus stepped forward as the crowd roared. He reached out to Cyane and jerked her to his side.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
He shook his head.
Hades’s voice assaulted the air. “Let the Day of Battles commence!”
The large doors to the ballroom slowly creaked open. Everyone turned at once to watch them. The hush that had settled over the room was broken by giggles, whispers, and a few misplaced claps as excitement built for the surprise.
Cerberus’s scowl deepened as he scanned the ballroom.
