He returned to the Underworld, where he had expected—or rather hoped
—to find Persephone. There was a part of his brain that needed to lay eyes on her after the ordeal he’d been through, not only to ease his pain but to know that she was still here, that he had fought for her and not lost her.
He was not prepared for the sinking feeling in his chest when he did not find her asleep in their bed, roaming the garden, or at Hecate’s cabin.
“What has you so uneasy, my king?” Hecate asked when she found him outside her home.
“Could it have something to do with the fact that I have been killing all day?” he snapped.
“Murder does put one on edge,” Hecate agreed airily. “Would you like some tea?”
“What I would like is to be free of Hera’s labors,” he said.
“Hera,” Hecate said. “The Goddess of Women who does nothing but punish them. How did you earn her scorn?”
“I told her I would not overthrow Zeus,” Hades replied.
“Yet.” Hecate paused and looked at Hades, who raised a questioning brow. “What? All things must come to an end.”
Hades paused for a moment, then said, “She has threatened my future with Persephone.”
“No one but the Fates can truly threaten your future, Hades.”
“Perhaps, but Hera can turn her scorn on Persephone,” he replied. “And that would be my fault.”
“Is it your fault because you love her?” Hecate asked.
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Your greatest battle, Hades, will be recognizing that Persephone too has made the decision to love you. So there is no fault, only choice.”
It was a pretty sentiment, but he was dealing with gods—gods like him.
“That was before she knew the consequences.”
“You think so little of her love?” Hecate asked.
Hades flinched. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it once more.
“If you continue to project your doubt on her, then you do not deserve a future with her.”
They were harsh words, but Hades knew they were true.
“Now, would you like some tea? It will take your mind off things.”
“I think I’d rather have a clear mind, Hecate. I know what you put in your tea.”
She arched her brow. “Does all that alcohol give you a clear mind?”
“At this point,” Hades replied, “yes.”
Hades returned to his office, still on edge. His short conversation with Hecate made him want to see Persephone even more, if only to confirm that she still wanted this— them, their future—but once more, his fears overwhelmed him.
What would it take, he wondered, to feel such assurance?
He scrubbed his face and crossed the room to pour himself a drink. It was probably best that he put off seeing Persephone until he had a shower and
real sleep anyway. Besides, it was likely she was at the hospital with Lexa, and he did not wish to intrude on their time together.
Just as he set out a glass, his phone rang. Hades answered without a greeting, though Ilias did not need one to offer his update.
“Persephone’s at Iniquity,” he said.
Hades was overcome with a sudden coldness that settled heavily in his stomach, but the shock quickly melted into something far more fierce. Once more, his uncertainty welled.
This was part of his life he had wanted to shield her from. It was one thing for her to know and attend Nevernight, another thing entirely for her to attend Iniquity.
“What is she doing there?”
Ilias’s hesitation assured Hades that he would not like the answer.
“She was dancing,” he replied. “But Kal has summoned her to his suite.”
Hades teleported, appearing beside Ilias, who had yet to hang up his phone.
Despite this, he began updating Hades on the situation as they watched what was transpiring inside Kal’s rented suite via a panel that acted as a one-way window into his room.
Numerous underworld criminals worked within the walls of this club under the close scrutiny of Hades’s staff, and while many of them believed they were being watched via a monitor, there was an additional element to each of these spaces that ensured they never worked outside Hades’s rules, including a network of secret passages that allowed observation.
Hades could not take his gaze off Persephone, who stood opposite Kal dressed in black. He hoped she at least thought of him as she had dressed, because every curve of her body was on display. The light poured over the high points of her face, creating dark hollows under her cheeks and making her look stoic and severe.