No. It can’t be.
He knew what the God of Death was going to say. He could already feel the betrayal in his bones, grinding away.
“She did it,” Thanatos said. “Persephone did it. She made a deal with Apollo to heal Lexa.”
There was something about this that dissolved his previous feeling of regret and turned it to rage. His body shook with it. How could she have been so reckless, and to involve Apollo? After he had been so clear about his hatred for the God of Music? After he had bargained to get her out of owing him anything? Had his sacrifice meant nothing to her?
Hades curled his fingers into fists and met Thanatos’s haunted eyes.
“Release the Furies,” he commanded.
Hades did not often like to call on the Furies. They were not discreet creatures, and their presence in the Underworld—as well as on Olympus—
was always known.
He did not even flinch when their horrific cries breached the air, pricking his skin as he turned to see three winged creatures explode from the depths of Tartarus to retrieve Persephone and Apollo.
*
Hades felt like he was being torn to pieces from the inside out, his anger was so acute.
Was there no end to this turmoil?
He had killed friends and monsters, bargained and sacrificed. He had made deals to protect and promise a future that he was beginning to think only he wanted.
Hades teleported to Nevernight, where he waited for the Furies to bring his captives. He’d have done this in the Underworld, but he did not want to offer Apollo another invitation into his realm. It was not long before he sensed their approach, an energy so volatile, it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
He watched as Persephone and Apollo landed at his feet. Persephone was deposited gracefully, landing in the position she had fallen when the Furies had captured and paralyzed her with their venomous snakes, while Apollo was dropped right on his face. Hades appreciated the satisfying crack that followed his landing and probably would have grinned had he not been so fucking angry…devastated…betrayed.
His eyes shifted to Persephone, who rose to her feet on shaking legs.
The first thing he noticed about her was how tired she looked. She was pale, her eyes were red, and the shadows beneath them looked deep and dark. She likely had not slept last night if she’d been with Apollo, but it still worried him, more so when she met his gaze. Her eyes had no luster, and he could feel her apprehension and fear. It built between them, as sharp and tangled as thorned vines.
“Fucking Furies,” Apollo groaned.
Hades’s attention shifted to the god as he got to his feet. The Furies must have pulled him from sleep, because he wore a floral robe and his usually pristine hair was a mess.
Hades would have liked to pummel him into the ground until he reached the depths of Tartarus but refrained from making a single move. Once he began, he wouldn’t stop. This kind of rage had no rationale. It coiled through him, tightening every part of his body until he wanted to burst.
“You know you could upgrade to something a little more modern to enforce natural order, Hades,” Apollo said, oblivious to Hades’s fury. “I’d rather be carried off by a well-muscled man than a trio of albino goddesses and a serpent.”
“I thought we had a deal, Apollo.” Hades spoke slowly, his face growing hot from his anger. He had not invited Apollo into his realm to bargain for this to happen.
“You mean the deal where I stay away from your goddess in exchange for a favor?” Apollo’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Hades waited, actively suppressing the overwhelming urge to punch the god’s teeth down his throat.
“I’d have been more than obliging, except your little lover showed up at Erotas demanding my help. While I was in the middle of a bath, I should add.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Persephone said, the words slipping from between clenched teeth.
Hades’s jaw flexed. Erotas was a brothel in the pleasure district where clients bid on men and women they wanted to fuck. Apollo was a regular
visitor, bidder, and, he imagined, fucker, and the thought of Persephone walking those streets and entering that house made Hades feel sick.
“She can be very persuasive when she’s angry. The magic helped. You never said she was a goddess. No wonder you snatched her up quickly.”
Hades’s mood darkened further at that comment, and he glanced at Persephone. This was the last thing she should want for herself. Apollo had gained more than just a bargain with his lover. She had given him power over her in the form of a secret. He imagined she knew by now that the God of Music wouldn’t let that go to waste.