“So, you traded your freedom for a collar?”
“What would you trade for something you loved?” the Magi countered.
The world, Hades thought.
“Oh!” Hecate exclaimed suddenly, bending to scoop up the cat that had hissed at Hades earlier. “Is this her? What a sweet baby! What is her name?”
“S-Serena.”
“Serena,” Hecate said, lifting the cat as she would a child. “I have a polecat named Gale—”
Hades sighed. “Hecate, can you not?”
“This is being human, Hades,” the goddess said. “You should be taking notes. Don’t you want to impress Persephone?”
“Who is Persephone?” the magi asked.
“Not your concern,” Hades snapped, then he glared at Hecate and hated himself for his next question. “What does a cat have to do with being human?”
“It has everything to do with the cat,” Hecate said, then she sighed. “The cat is humanity. It’s what makes this,” she gestured toward the Magi, “unfortunate, sad, and pitiful mortal worth saving.”
“You haven’t seen his soul,” Hades muttered.
Hecate glared.
“I am teaching you a lesson, Hades! Learn it.”
Hades was about to snap that she was a horrible teacher, when he felt the air shift behind him. He turned and shadows split from his essence, racing toward the retreating form of the Magi, who was attempting to escape down the hall.
The shadows enveloped him and sent him flying backward. The Magi crashed into one of his immaculate glass displays and was still.
Hecate grimaced.
“You didn’t have to throw him so hard. He isn’t a god.”
“He wanted to act like one.”
Hecate arched a brow. “Is that the response of a compassionate god?”
“Is that what you were trying to teach?”
Hades took a step toward the mortal and waved his hand. The Magi opened his eyes, blinking, and then groaned as the pain from his landing set in.
“Listen here, mortal, and listen well. You will tell me who requested your services, or I will spend eternity cutting out your tongue and feeding it to your cat. Do you understand?”
The man nodded, breathing hard, and answered, “His name is Theseus.”
Theseus.
It was a name Hades knew well, as it was the name of Poseidon’s son, his nephew.
“The golem was Sisyphus’ idea,” Vasilis explained. “He was a client of mine. It was after he came to visit that Theseus arrived, demanding to know Sisyphus’ plans. He made me summon a portal to the warehouse. He left from here with Sisyphus. I don’t know where they went.”
So Sisyphus had been deceived just as much as Hades had. The question was, what did Theseus want with Sisyphus? Had he sought revenge for the murder of Aeolus Galani, or was there something more to his actions?
After a moment, the Magi spoke.
“Please…please don’t take my cat.”
“Hecate,” Hades called to the goddess, who had made her way toward the dark hallway with the cat still in her arms. “Bring the cat.”
“W-wait. I said please!”
“Oh, you’re coming, too, mortal,” he said, and Vasilis’ eyes grew wide.
“But I told you the truth! I—”
The Magi was silenced, vanishing with a wave of Hades’ hand. He would spend time imprisoned, but not in Tartarus—he would go to a Phantom Site, a prison that could only be seen by those who were favored. It was a special place for mortals like him—Magi who broke the law or held secrets—and on rare occasions, might be used as bait.
Hades turned to Hecate. “See, I can be compassionate.”
***
Before leaving The Three Moons, Hades summoned Ilias to the shop so the satyr could dispose of the contents—which meant burning it to the ground. He and Hecate parted, Hades had business with Aphrodite, while Hecate intended to return to the Underworld.
“The souls are celebrating you tonight,” she reminded him. “They would be overjoyed to see you.”
Guilt slammed into him, as it always did when his people set aside time to worship him.
“Persephone will be there. I believe they plan to honor her as well.”
That was not unexpected. She deserved their worship. She was more of a god than he had ever been to them. Besides, they would have to get used to celebrating her. She was to be their queen.
“Perhaps I will make it this time,” he said before departing, but doubted his words.
The Goddess of Witchcraft meant well, but there were some demons Hades did not wish to face, and his people—his past treatment of them—was one.