The phone barely rings before Hades picks up."Angel?What's wrong?"
"Jake's having a panic attack.He's throwing things, screaming, and I can't calm him down."My voice breaks slightly."Can you come?Please?"
"I'm already on my way."
"Absolutely not," Ethan says the moment I hang up."I will not have that criminal in this house dealing with family matters."
"Then leave," I snap."Because he's coming whether you like it or not.You're also forgetting that Hades is family, and you have no right to be here.We broke up.Why can’t you accept it?"
Hades arrives in less than ten minutes, and the relief I feel when I see him walk through the door is overwhelming.He takes one look at my face, then at Ethan's furious expression, and his jaw tightens.
"Where is he?"he asks quietly.
"His room.Down the hall."
Hades nods and heads toward Jake's bedroom without another word, Ethan trailing behind him with obvious reluctance.
I slip into the kitchen under the excuse of grabbing a drink.For a second, my legs buckle, and I catch myself against the counter, swallowing a sob.Just for a moment, I let it wash over me, before I steady my spine and head back.
I find Jake curled up in the corner of his destroyed room, sobbing into his knees.He looks so small, so broken, that it makes my chest ache.
"Hey, buddy," Hades says, his voice gentle as he crouches down a few feet away from Jake.Not too close, not invading his space, just...present.
Jake looks up with red, swollen eyes."Uncle Hades?"
"Yeah, it's me.Heard you were having a rough day."
"I broke everything," Jake whispers."Aunt Evie's gonna be mad."
"I'm not mad, sweetheart," I say from the doorway."I'm just worried about you."
"Your aunt's not mad," Hades confirms."But it looks like you're pretty mad yourself."
Jake nods miserably."I miss them so much.And I keep forgetting they're not coming back, and then I remember and it hurts."
"Yeah.That's the worst part, isn't it?When you forget for just a second and then reality hits you all over again."
"Does it ever stop hurting?"
Hades is quiet for a long moment, and I can see him choosing his words carefully."It stops hurting as much.The love doesn't go away, and neither do the memories.But the hurt...it gets easier to carry."
"How do you know?"
"Because I lost someone important too when I was about your age."
Jake's eyes widen."Who?"
"My mom.And it made me so angry that sometimes I'd break things too.It made me feel like if I couldn't make the hurt stop, at least I could make some noise about it."
"Did you get in trouble?"
"Sometimes.But mostly I just got scared looks from people who didn't understand that I wasn't really angry at them.I was angry at the whole world for taking away someone I needed."
Jake crawls closer to Hades, drawn by the quiet understanding in his voice."Were you scared too?"
"Terrified.Because when you lose someone that important, it makes you wonder if everyone else is going to leave too."
"Yeah," Jake whispers."That's exactly how I feel."
