“Of course, I remember,” Hades growled and tossed the bottle of wine into the fireplace.
The wine bottle shattered and flames flared up into an explosion. Okay, maybe that hadn't been wine in that bottle.
“I've searched the Underworld for her soul, Thor,” Hades went on. “Persephone's not here. Where is she? Humans have souls, we must have them too. So, where do our souls go?”
“The Void,” I said as I stepped forward.
Hades gaped at me. “Who are you?”
“I'm Vervain; I've come with Thor to tell you that we've discovered who murdered your wife.”
“What?” Hades stood, stumbled, and then righted himself. “What did you say?”
“It's been a strange few days,” Thor said gently. “This human witch knows things about us and our world that she can't possibly know. She speaks to an entity who calls himself the Consciousness of the Void; that's the place where he says our souls go upon death.”
“It's where human souls were meant to go as well,” I added. “Before Gods gave them alternatives.”
Hades frowned and tried to process it all through his inebriation. “I don't... I can't... just tell me who murdered my Persephone.”
“Nyx,” Thor said. “It was Nyx.”
Hades' jaw slowly fell open, and his expression went dazed. He ran a hand over his face and then shook his head like a dog shakes off water.
“Teharon? Are you here?” Hades called out.
“Yes.” Teharon came forward and laid a hand on Hades' shoulder. “Do you want me to heal your—”
“Sober me up, man,” Hades growled.
“Of course,” Teharon murmured.
A pale blue glow emanated from Teharon's hands and into Hades. The scent of fresh water filled my nose as a memory returned to me. I was in a dank cave with chains on my wrists and ankles. My insides were on fire, but then Teharon had cooled me with his magic.
Blue did that to you,Alaric said.He possessed you and tried to force you to go to him. Thor had to chain you to stop you from leaving. Then Blue burned you from within.
What?I glanced at Blue, and he smiled softly at me.
It was before you healed Blue,Alaric went on.Teharon saved your life that day.
Then Hades gasped and his eyes shot open. They had been a dull brown before, but now that brown had gone transparent, and I could see fire burning behind his irises. I blinked in surprise.
“Nyx!” Hades roared. “You traitorous bitch!”
“I guess we didn't need proof, after all,” Re noted dryly.
“I'll tear her throat out with my bare hands,” Hades growled as the ground began to shake. “And then I'll throw her carcass into the Pyriphlegethon.”
“Hades.” Thor took both of Hades' arms in hand. “I need you to get control of yourself. We're with you; all of us want revenge for Persephone. But we can't get that if you kill us first.”
Hades glared at Thor, but then he took a deep breath, and the quaking stopped. He nodded, and Thor released him warily.
“Thank you for bringing this to me,” Hades said sincerely. “I will—”
“Hades!” A blond, statuesque woman strode into the room; pushing past the God Squad.
Three men followed the blond in; one was even larger than Thor, but all of them looked ferocious. They took up a position behind the woman as she confronted Hades.
“Sober up, Hades, we... ” she blinked in shock as she realized that Hades was already sober. “Oh.”
