揑 just want you to know that I抦 going to regret what I did forever and I抣l try to make it right,?Karter said. 揈ven if you don抰 ever forgive me.?
I turned away from him and gazed out over the water as it broke against the rocky shore. Mom looped her arm around me and pulled me close. I wrapped my arms around her waist and only let go when Circe gestured for us to join her.
We went down to the shore and followed Circe and Hermes into the lighthouse. Hermes sat in the chair by the fireplace. He appeared to be thinking very hard about something, his dark eyes troubled. Karter stayed close to the door as I pulled out a chair at the table and guided Marie to it. Hermes glanced up and looked her over.
揧ou抳e been stripped of immortality,?he said. 揂nd still I sense an air of relief about you. Why??
The look on his face caught me off guard. His eyebrows bunched together, his head tilted梙e looked like a kid who抎 just asked a very important question, something he couldn抰 fully comprehend.
Marie stared right back him. 揑 am relieved. I抦 lucky to even be alive.?
揑t抯 this fragility that excites you??he asked.
揑 have lived my share of lifetimes.?Marie sighed as she echoed Persephone抯 words. 揃ut I don抰 know if I抳e ever really lived.?She glanced at me. 揃ut that抯 what I plan to do now, so yeah. I抦 happy to have a chance to do that.?
Heat rose in my face. It was the wrong time to feel so moved by her words, but it was clear they were directed at me and I couldn抰 help but smile.
揂nd you,?Hermes said, turning to Mom. 揧ou抳e come back from the underworld. Do you understand what a feat that is??
揑 do,?Mom answered.
揙nly a handful of mortals have ever been able to return from that place,?he said.
Mom nodded. She hadn抰 gone into detail about what she抎 been through, but there抎 be time for that later.
Hermes stood and crossed the room to tower over Karter, who tried desperately to press himself into the wall behind him.
揂nd what will you do??Hermes asked. 揧ou抮e alone in this world.?
揌e抯 not,?Circe said. 揜emember what Persephone棓 She stopped short and swallowed whatever sob or grief-stricken howl had clawed its way up her throat. 揜emember what she said. She found purpose with us, with her family. Maybe you have a chance to do the same thing.?She looked to Karter. 揌e抯 looking for redemption, but he抯 not gonna find it with Bri or her mom or anyone else here. Maybe you can help redeem him ?for himself, for his own benefit.?
Hermes returned to his seat and motioned for Karter to follow him, which he did on unsteady legs. He sat down in a chair across from Hermes, and they stared at each other for a moment before Karter looked away.
揧ou抣l stay,?Hermes said to him. 揥e抣l see what redemption there is to be had.?
Hermes kept Karter busy unloading our things from the ship and transferring them into the trunk of our rental, but between rowing the dinghy out to the ship and lugging our stuff up the rickety steps, Hermes had taken Karter aside and said something to him that sent Karter into his own thoughts. He avoided eye contact with me and didn抰 try to speak to me at all. I was a little surprised by how much that stung.
Finally, when we抎 loaded our things, Mom helped Marie into the back seat of the car as Circe and I said goodbye to Hermes. Karter stood in his shadow, staring down at the ground.
揧ou know where to find me should you need my assistance,?Hermes said.
揑 thought you didn抰 get involved with mortals,?I said.
He eyed me carefully, and I decided not to press him. He抎 clearly had a change of heart, and whether that was due to Persephone抯 intervention or Karter抯 sudden need of him didn抰 really matter. He could use his power to help somebody other than himself, and that was really all we抎 been asking of him anyway.
As Circe turned to head to the car, Karter slipped a folded piece of paper into my hand and pressed my fingers closed around it. His hand lingered on mine for just a second longer than it needed to.
揃ye, Bri,?he said.
I pulled away from him, tucked the paper into the back pocket of my jeans, and walked to the car without looking back. As we drove away from the Great Eye, I breathed deep, let the cool air from the cracked window fill my chest. We抎 taken our own hero抯 journey, and we抎 emerged with wins that meant more to me than anything, and losses so profound I thought there was a good chance we hadn抰 been able to fully process them yet. Circe reached over and patted my shoulder, and when I looked in the rearview mirror, Mom smiled at me the way she did when I抎 done something she was proud of.
Nyx met us at the airport outside Red Hook when we landed the next day. She and Circe shared a new round of tears, and what I hadn抰 fully realized was that Persephone had her mind made up long before we left Rhinebeck, much the same way Marie had.