A Touch of Malice (Hades x Persephone #3)(45)

“I do not know,” Harmonia admitted. “But I cannot help thinking that another god—an Olympian—helped them attack me.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I recognized the weapon the used to restrain me—the feel of it, anyway. It was a net, similar to one Hephaestus made but the magic was not his.”

“Whose magic was it?”

Harmonia started to speak when there was a knock at the door and Ivy entered.

“Just brining your coffee,” she said, setting a tray on the coffee table.

“Thank you, Ivy,” Persephone replied.

“Anything for you, my dear. Call if you need me!”

Alone again, Persephone poured each of them a cup of coffee, and as she handed Harmonia her cup and saucer, she asked, “Whose magic?”

“Your mother’s.”

“My…mother’s?” Persephone sat with that information for a beat. She did not question how Harmonia knew who she was, she was certain Aphrodite disclosed that information. “What did it smell like? The magic?”

“Unmistakable,” Harmonia replied. “It was warm like the sun on a spring afternoon, it smelled like golden wheat and the sweetness of ripened fruit.”

Persephone did not respond.

“I did not wish to tell you in front of my sister,” Harmonia explained. “There is a chance I could be wrong…especially if the weapon they have was created from relic magic.”

That was a possibility.

“But you sensed no other magic?”

She frowned and offered a quiet, “No.”

“But…why?” Persephone asked aloud. “Why would she help these people so intent on hurting gods?”

“Perhaps because they’ve hurt her,” Harmonia supplied and then she explained, “Perhaps she targeted Aphrodite because she is one of the reasons you and Hades met.”

Something akin to shock settled upon Persephone’s shoulders. She had never considered that her mother would hurt those who supported her and Hades’ relationship—especially via a group of mortals who hated the gods. It did not make sense, unless they were missing something.

“If these mortals hate gods, why would they accept help from one?”

“Mortals are still powerless,” Harmonia said. “And it would not be the first time something like this has happened. Throughout every Divine war, gods have taken the side of their would-be enemy. Hecate is an example—a Titan who fought alongside the Olympians.”

That was true—and Hecate was not the only god to choose the Olympians. Helios had been another, and as she was often reminded, he used his allegiance as a reason to avoid helping the gods in any capacity.

“I’m so sorry.”

Persephone’s brows knitted together as she met Harmonia’s gaze. “Why are you sorry? You were the one who suffered.”

“Because it is not in my nature to add to your pain,” she said.

“This isn’t your fault.”

“Nor is it yours,” Harmonia said, as if reading her mind, and then the goddess offered as an explanation, “I can see your aura turning red with shame and green with guilt. Do not blame yourself for your mother’s actions. You did not ask her to seek vengeance.”

“It is not so easy,” she replied. “When so many suffer as a result of my decision to marry Hades.”

“Is it because you chose to marry Hades, or something far deeper?”

Persephone looked at Harmonia questioningly.

“At the root of Demeter’s anger is a multitude of fears. She is afraid of being alone and she likes to feel needed.”

It was true.

Demeter liked to be the savior, which is why it had taken her so long to disclose the mysteries of her cult, which included gardening. It gave her a sense of power and need when the world begged for food and water.

“Will you tell Aphrodite of your suspicions? That she was the intended target of your attack?”

“No,” Harmonia said. “Because she will only feel guilty. Besides, you’d have no chance at handling this situation quietly once Hephaestus found out. He would set the world on fire for her.”

Persephone smiled at those words. She’d heard the same thing from Hades and suddenly she felt like she understood the love the God of Fire possessed for the Goddess of Love.

“He really cares for her.”

“Yes,” Harmonia answered. “I see it in their colors every day, but it is a dark love they possess for one another, hindered by shared pain and misunderstanding. One day, I think they will come to accept one another.”

Harmonia looked at her watch. “I must return to Lemnos before Aphrodite comes looking for me.”

Opal grunted as Harmonia picked her up and returned her to the bag.

“Of course,” Persephone said, standing with the goddess.

As she opened the door, she found Sybil on the other side preparing to knock. The oracle dropped her hand and offered a smile which quickly faded when her eyes shifted to Harmonia, her expression becoming troubled.

Strange, Persephone thought.

“Sybil, this is Harmonia,” Persephone said. Perhaps she did not recognize the goddess, though that did not make sense with her background as an oracle.

“It’s…very nice to meet you,” Sybil said, though she seemed distracted.