She looked out at the plain where several souls lingered. They were beautiful phantoms—dressed in white and glowing, but more than that, she knew this place was healing. Her heart felt lighter, unburdened by the frustration and anger she felt over the last couple of months.
“Why? Did he feel guilty?”
Thanatos gave her a confused look.
“He is the reason they died,” she explained. “He made a bargain with them, and when they couldn’t fulfill it, he took their soul.”
“Ah,” Thanatos said, as if he understood now. “You misunderstand. Hades does not decide when souls come to the Underworld. The Fates do.”
“But he is the Lord of the Underworld. He makes the contracts!”
“Hades is the Lord of the Underworld, but he is not death, nor is he destiny. You may see a bargain with a mortal, but Hades is really bargaining with the Fates. He can see the thread of each human’s life, knows when their soul is burdened, and wishes to change the trajectory. Sometimes the Fates weave a new future, sometimes they cut the thread.”
“Surely he has influence?”
Thanatos shrugged. “It is a balance. We all understand that. Hades cannot save every soul and not every soul wants to be saved.”
She was quiet for a long moment. She realized now that she hadn’t really been listening to Hades at all. He had told her before that the Fates were involved in his decision making, and that it was a balance—a give and take. Yet, she hadn’t thought twice about his words.
She hadn’t thought about a lot of things.
But, that didn’t change the fact that he could offer mortals a better path to overcome their struggles. What it did mean, was that Hades’ intentions were far nobler than anything Persephone had given him credit for.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” she asked, suddenly angry.
Why did he let her think those horrible things about him? Did he want her to hate him?
Thanatos kept smiling. “Lord Hades is not in the habit of trying to convince the world he is a good god.”
You are the worst sort of god, she’d told him.
Her chest tightened at the memory of the words. She could not reconcile her feelings. While she was relieved Hades was not as monstrous or uncaring as she first believed, why had he drawn her into a contract? What did he see when he looked at her?
Thanatos offered his arm to Persephone, and she accepted. They strolled through the field. Unlike Asphodel, the souls here were quiet and content to be alone. It didn’t even seem like they realized two gods walked among them.
“Do they speak?” she asked.
“Yes, but souls who reside in Elysium must drink from the Lethe. They cannot have memories from their time in the Upperworld if they are to reincarnate.”
“How can they heal if they do not possess memory?”
“No soul has ever healed by dwelling on the past,” Thanatos answered.
“When do they reincarnate?”
“When they heal.”
“And how long does it take for them to heal?”
“It varies…months, years, decades, but there is no rush,” Thanatos answered. “All we have is time.”
She supposed that was true of all souls—living or dead.
“There are a few souls who will incarnate within the week,” Thanatos said. “I believe the souls in Asphodel are planning a celebration. You should join them.”
“What about you?” Persephone asked.
He offered a small laugh. “I do not think the souls wish to have their reaper join them for a celebration.”
“How do you know?”
Thanatos opened his mouth, and then admitted, “I suppose I don’t.”
“I think you should go. We all should, even Hades.”
Thanatos looked thoroughly amused. “You can count on my presence, my lady, though, I cannot speak for Lord Hades.”
They walked a little while in silence, and then Persephone said, “Hades does so much for his souls…except…live alongside them.”
Thanatos did not answer immediately, and Persephone paused, facing the God of the Dead.
“When Asphodel celebrated him, he told me he did not go because he wasn’t worthy of their celebration. Why?”
“Lord Hades carries many burdens, as we all do. The heaviest of them is regret.”
“Regret for what?”
“That he was not always so generous.”
Persephone let that comment sink in. So Hades regretted his past, and therefore refused to celebrate his present? That was ridiculous and damaging. Maybe the reason he never tried to change what others thought of him was because he believed all of the things people said.