Heavy silence descends like a cloak. Alistair brushes the edge of my mind in a reassuring caress but doesn't say anything. I try my best to process all that Hades has said. To put the pieces together. Could what he is saying really be true or some new ploy to get me to trust him so that he can kill me? But if he really wanted me dead then he could have done that many times already. Alistair has never hurt me. Did he really endure all that pain for the sake of getting my mum and I here? Did I torture him for nothing? No, I got my Dad and the pack free. Even though they turned on my mum and I the second Dad was killed. Bastards.
This prophesy Hades mentioned is about Alistair and I. He is the Heir or death. My fated Mate. If what Hades says is true, Alistair and I are somehow destined to overthrow Zeusand free Gaia. That's an impossible task. Zeus's power is infinite. How can we ever hope to stand against him? Let alone win! No one could do that. Not even Gaia. He imprisoned her and he will kill us with ease. Death by thunderbolt. At least it'll be quick I suppose.
I scoff and shake my head.
The Fates narrow their gaze on me and I almost buckle under the weight of their inky black eyes.
“He speaks the truth chosen one.” The middle one says in a voice neither young nor old. It echoes through the room like a death knell.
I know it's the truth. I feel it in my soul but my Dad is still dead.
A weight settles on my shoulders at what my fate is to be. What I'm destined to do and everything that Hades has done to bring us to this moment. I face down the God of the Underworld with hate burning in my eyes.
“What of the Nymphs you killed? The packs you wiped out like the one in Scotland?” I say.
“We tried to free Nymphs from the oppression of the wolves. We exaggerated our lust for blood and the hunt as an excuse to find them. What few we did attain are safe on the island of Sarpedon. The others were killed by their Alphas who would rather them dead then taken from them.”
Hades eyes darken at the memory as he stares down at the table.
I'm reminded of the vision from the battle at Yellowstone 18 years ago. When Seth had turned to my mum... I wanted to believe that he had defended her from Alistair, but I know that wasn't true. He went to attack her instead of defending her. Alistair had grabbed his maw. Alistair had defended Mum from Seth.
The puzzle pieces keep clicking together and it hurts my heart.
Hades looks every bit the defeated hero, who has tried his hardest to save people and feels heartbreak for the ones he couldn't save. Is he really saying that all the evil things he's done were fake? That he done bad things but with good intentions. It's a complete cop out!
“You killed my Dad to what? Save us!?” I bare my teeth in disgust as I stand. “Why would I ever help you after that? My mum lost her Moira bonded Mate!” I force the tears in my eyes back by pure will. “You of all people should know how that feels!”
Hades looks at my mum with pain etched through his features.
“What if she didn't?” He asks.
Gwen looks up in disbelief. Sorrow and confusion flooding her features.
“I asked the Fates here to help right my wrongs. To somewhat selfishly show you that I am not the monster you know me to be.” He stands and moves around the table to my Mum. “I know the pain you feel. I've felt it every day for millennia. Being separated from the other half of your soul is an agony I wouldn't wish on anyone.” He takes her hand as he kneels before her. “I could bring him back to you. Moira bonds can never be broken. Not even in death. We can use that tether to bring him back but it would come at a cost.”
“What cost?” Mum asks instantly.
The Fate on the left is the one to answer.
“Your threads are bound together and though his is cut it can be repaired. The cost is your immortality. To rebind his soul will take all of your power. You would both be human.”
The one in the centre speaks next.
“You and Carter have created one of the greatest Heroes of this age and in doing so you have suffered a tremendous loss. We can offer you this boon in gratitude for your role in Krista's life. We will ensure that your human lives are long, peaceful and happy. Carter will be free of Zeus's influence and you will both be safe from the coming events. But you can never return to Yellowstone. To do so would kill you both and put everything at risk. Krista's life being one of them.”
Then the Fate on the right straightens. Her focus on my mum.
“You're threads of life will become one. When your human lives come to an end, it will be together and without suffering. I can promise you this. The Forest of Elysium will welcome you both. There your afterlife will be glorious and befitting of Heroes.”
Mum turns to me her eyes brimming with tears. I smile at her in what I hope is happiness. She deserves this. Even at what the cost will be I know they will be happy. The Fates have promised them safety and that's more than I could ever want for my mum given what I have to do. She turns to Hades.
“But to be reborn won't we forget everything?” She says through sobs.
He shakes his head with a small, warm smile.
“You're not being reborn and neither is he. You will still look the same and have the same memories. You will simply be human.”
She sits in stunned silence for a few seconds then she turns from Hades to me. I can see the battle of conscience going on in her watery eyes. I can see the fear of becoming human and leaving me to my own path warring with the hope and desire to be with Dad. They deserve their happy ending. I wipe my eyes and smile encouragingly.
