For a long moment, no one spoke.
‘You have not answered my question.’ Zeus’ expression betrayed nothing, but his eyes blazed gold.
Hermes lay the piece of metal at his father’s feet. ‘This is all that is left of Hades.’ He could barely force the unbelievable truth past his lips. ‘The dragon burned him to cinders.’
There were more gasps, but Hermes could not tell who voiced them. His entire world had narrowed to his father’s face. Zeus was staring at the melted gauntlet as though Hermes had just thrown Hades’ body into their midst.
‘What of Persephone?’ asked Hera, gripping the armrests of her throne.
Hermes swallowed, dragging his gaze to his stepmother. ‘She too has been slain.’
He felt as though he might faint. Hades and Persephone were dead. Gone, forever. He had lived as a mortal for fourteen years, yet now the concept of life ending seemed repellently unnatural. The Olympians were gods, they did not age then perish like the rest of nature. He knew the divine family could be hurt, he had borne enough beatings to prove that, but his wounds were always healed once he consumed another being’s life-threads. A dark cloud settled around his heart, a fear that had not weighed on him since he took a bite of the golden apple all those years ago. His life might be finite after all.
His thoughts were broken by Artemis’ gut-wrenching wail. The sound shattered the paralysing shock that had descended over the megaron. Artemis’ twin, Apollo, ran to her side asshe slid off her throne and sank to her knees. Poseidon leapt to his feet, shouting over and over, ‘It cannot be!’ while Ares and Athena began to bark questions at Hermes.
‘Quiet.’ At Zeus’ command, his family fell silent. ‘Everyone except Hermes and Poseidon, leave us.’
‘This has gone on long enough.’ Hera rose to her feet. ‘You must tell the children the truth about the –’
‘Silence!’
Hermes flinched as his father’s voice resounded across the room. He stared at his stepmother, desperate to know what she had been about to say. What truth?
Hera’s face was a devastating mask of ice. For a heart-pounding moment, it seemed as though she might defy Zeus, then she flicked the embroidered hem of her purple gown and stalked from the megaron. Artemis and Apollo ran after her, Ares close behind.
Athena alone stood her ground. ‘Father …’
Something like compassion stirred in Zeus’ face. A depth of feeling Hermes had never managed to rouse from their father.
‘Not now, Bright Eyes,’ he said softly. ‘Go, be with your siblings.’
Athena lifted her chin, then sank into a bow and paced from the room.
The doors slammed shut, and Hermes was left alone with his father and uncle.
Poseidon had grown pale as the marble of his statue and looked at Zeus like a frightened child might look to their father. Then he crossed the mosaic floor and flung his arms around his elder brother. Zeus held him as sobs racked his powerful frame.
‘He’s gone … our little brother.’
‘I know,’ said Zeus, staring over Poseidon’s shoulder, eyesfixed on his son. Gently he pushed Poseidon away and bent to lift the melted gauntlet, turning it over as though it harboured a wealth of secrets.
‘Did you see the girl?’
Hermes glanced at Poseidon.
‘You can speak freely in front of your uncle.’
Hermes swallowed, then shook his head. ‘I went to the Underworld because I thought, as the girl was created by Hades, she might return to him …’
‘What else did you find?’
‘Nothing,’ Hermes breathed. ‘Just the Underworld in disarray.’ The part of Hermes’ mind that wasn’t still in shock marvelled at the grain of truth he seemed to have decided to keep hidden from his father. The object he had found amongst the chaos.
Keep it concealed, the voice had whispered.Even from Zeus.
‘It was her, wasn’t it?’ Poseidon said to Zeus, his voice constricted with grief. ‘She did this.’
Zeus ignored his brother, his gaze fixed on his son. ‘The dragon, did you see it?’
