Persephone joined Circe next to the table and they leaned in close to each other. Their voices barely a whisper.
揑 know we抳e had our doubts,?said Circe. 揃ut if there抯 even a slight chance that what the Redmond woman said is true, it means she had information that we don抰。 They抳e probably carried bits and pieces of their own family story through the ages the same way we have. Who抯 to say what they may or may not know??
Persephone nodded. 揥e抮e already two steps behind, then. Maybe more than that.?
Circe sighed and pushed her hand down on her hip. 揥e need to go see Alec. Right now. Everybody going??
揘ah,?Mo said. 揑抣l stay. I need a minute to myself.?She stood and I went to her, resting my head on her shoulder.
揑 don抰 like you being here alone,?I said.
揑抣l stay, too,?Persephone said quickly. 揌ave you eaten??she asked Mo.
揑桰 don抰 think so,?Mo said. 揘o. I haven抰。 I didn抰 even think of that to be honest. Not much of an appetite.?
Persephone looked her over. 揧ou need food. Nothing heavy, maybe just soup.?She looped her arm through Mo抯 and led her toward the kitchen without another word.
The gesture hit me right in my chest. Something so simple as offering to feed someone who was grieving. It reminded me of the way Mo cooked dinner for Mr. Hughes back in Brooklyn when it was clear he was just too overwhelmed by his wife抯 passing to feed himself. I bit the inside of my lip to hold back the torrent of tears threatening to spill over. I didn抰 know how to say that it moved something in the very deepest part of myself to have Persephone and Circe show such care and concern for me and for Mo. Did I expect them to be cruel? Spiteful? I didn抰 think so, but until two days ago I thought they were dead. I realized I didn抰 have an opinion about how they抎 see me or my parents because I never expected to know them.
Marie slipped her hand into mine. 揚ersephone will take care of her.?
Circe gently touched my shoulder. 揧ou can stay, too, of course. Persephone抯 not a good cook, so maybe just order something for Mo??
揗o can抰 cook breakfast to save her life,?I said. 揕unch, dinner梟o problem. Bacon and eggs? Probably gonna be a fire.?
Circe let her worried gaze wander toward the kitchen. 揟he two of them together might not be a good idea, then. I saw Seph burn a pot of water once.?
揌ow抎 she manage that??Nyx asked, a grin stretched across her face.
揟hat抯 your BFF,?Circe said. 揧ou tell me.?
I glanced at Nyx. 揃est friend, huh? Did you know she was out there somewhere??
揑 didn抰 know for sure,?Nyx said. 揑 hoped. It抯 hard thinking one of your closest friends might not come back.?
揥hy wouldn抰 she come back??I asked.
Nyx pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and ran her hand over the top of her head. 揚ersephone has struggled with this abnormally long life of hers. It has not always been easy.?
I felt like there was more to it than that but she was probably holding back out of a sense of respect or loyalty for Persephone.
揘o more secrets??I said to Nyx. 揈verything out on the table now??
揧es,?Nyx said.
Marie cleared her throat way louder than she needed to.
Nyx rolled her eyes. 揗aybe one more thing, but now is not the time.?She turned and walked out the front door.
As we got out of the car and climbed the front steps of Marie抯 house, Nyx hung back.
揑抣l meet you inside,?she called. She took off her coat and set it on the hood of the car, then marched off toward the wooded area near the bluff.
揥hat抯 she doing??I asked. 揑抳e seen her coming and going from over there a bunch of times.?
Marie paused. 揝he has梐 pet. It makes a huge mess, so she keeps it away from the house.?She opened the front door and went in.
揥hat kind of pet??I asked. 揕ike a big dog? Like that thing Hecate had with her??
Circe tipped her head back. 揑 still cannot wrap my head around the fact that you actually saw her and the dog in the flesh.?The little sparkle in her big brown eyes made me smile.
揌ecate抯 dog is the sibling of Cerberus,?said Circe. 揟he three-headed dog that belongs to Hades and guards the underworld.?
揗ore gods and monsters,?I said.
Circe nodded.
揘yx抯 pet is like a big dog,?said Marie. 揟hat抯 a fair comparison.?
揝o, it抯 not an actual dog??I asked. Marie was purposely being vague and that meant she was hiding something.
揃etter to have Nyx explain it to you,?Marie said. She power walked down the hall toward Alec抯 office before I had a chance to ask any more questions, but I was not about to let it go.
Marie just about drop-kicked the door to Alec抯 office open, and he jumped halfway out of his chair. He clutched his chest and pounded his hand on the desk.