A Game of Retribution (Hades Saga #2)(108)

He gathered her into his arms, teleporting to the pier at the Styx where Charon would be arriving soon.

When she heard the rush of the river, she pulled away, looking off toward the horizon.

“Hades, what are we—?”

Her words faltered when she saw Charon’s boat cutting across the black waves, his robes a bright beacon against their darkness. There was a single figure beside him, a woman who looked far younger in the Underworld landscape than she did in the world above.

“Lexa,” he heard Persephone whisper, and when Charon docked with the soul, Persephone stood so close, Lexa barely had space to climb out of the boat, but she seemed just as eager to see Persephone. They held each other and cried. All the while, Hades stood aside and let them, because beyond this time together, nothing would ever be the same.

Not for Lexa and not for Persephone.

Hades tried not to listen to their conversation, but it was hard given that he stood only a few feet away. There were apologies and expressions of pain, and the dread came when Persephone turned to him and asked, “Where is she going?”

She was going to Elysium to heal because she had taken her own life, and to do that, she would have to drink from the Lethe, which meant she would have no memories from her time above—not of anything, not even Persephone.

He knew Persephone had asked because she hoped he would say otherwise, but when he did not speak, he knew she understood. He waited for her anger, but Lexa was quick to speak, drawing her attention.

“Seph,” she said, squeezing her hands. “It’s going to be okay.”

Persephone’s mouth trembled. “Why?”

Lexa opened her mouth to speak but shook her head. It was likely she didn’t even understand the decision she’d made. It was just that her soul had wanted so badly to remain in the Underworld the first time, it couldn’t handle returning to a world it did not want—no matter how much she loved Persephone.

“I did this,” Persephone said, her voice trembling, and Lexa brought her hands to her chest.

“Persephone, this was my choice. I am sorry it had to be this way, but my time in the Upperworld was over. I accomplished what I needed to.”

“What was that?” Persephone asked, miserable.

Lexa smiled. “To empower you.”

Persephone shook her head and fell into Lexa’s arms. It wasn’t something she was ready to hear yet, but there would come a time when she would recognize the impact of this loss. She would see how strong she truly was.

They remained together until Thanatos arrived to escort Lexa to the Lethe. This time, he was far more prepared to offer the benefits of his magic, and a sense of calm overcame everyone gathered, even as Lexa hesitated.

“Wh-where am I going?” she asked.

“You will drink from the Lethe,” Hades explained. “And then Thanatos will take you to Elysium to heal.”

Even as Hades spoke the word— heal—he noted the glow in Lexa’s eyes.

She was ready.

“I will visit you every day, until we are best friends again.”

Persephone’s promise made Hades’s heart hurt, but he had no doubt she would hold to it—no matter how hard it would be.

“I know,” Lexa whispered, and for the first time since she arrived, there were tears in her eyes, but Thanatos took Lexa’s hand, and she seemed comforted by his presence. She let him lead her away, and when Hades and Persephone could no longer see them, they returned to the palace.



*

Once in their bedchamber, Hades encouraged Persephone to rest, and after she had fallen asleep, he found himself in Hecate’s meadow, where the goddess invited him for tea. Inside her small cottage, he felt like a giant, barely able to sit at her table, though he managed as she made a blend—one in particular she said would calm nerves.

“I hear our dear Persephone has had quite a harrowing evening,” she said.

Hades nodded, reflecting on the day. They had gone from one extreme to another—an intense high to a devastating low. He wavered between each of those memories—Persephone’s genuine happiness to her shocking pain.

There was a part of him that hated himself for this, that blamed himself for Lexa’s ultimate end. If he had been more forthright about his world, maybe none of this would have happened.

Hecate slammed a hand against the table, snapping Hades out of his thoughts.

He met her gaze, mildly annoyed.

“Stop that,” she said, setting a steaming cup of tea beside his arm. It smelled like chamomile, lavender, and mint.

He raised a brow at the goddess. “I thought we—”

“I don’t need to read minds to know when you are brooding because you scowl,” she said. “What’s done is done. There are no decisions that can take us back in time, only ones that move us forward. Right now, Persephone needs an attentive… boyfriend.”

Hecate seemed to shudder at that word, and despite everything, he smirked. “Fiancé,” he said.

Hecate blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Fiancé,” he said once more and added, “Persephone agreed to marry me.”

A slow smile broke out across Hecate’s face.

“Are you saying,” she said carefully, “that I get to plan a wedding?”

“I think you’ll have to talk to Persephone, but I doubt she would tell you no.”