A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone #2)(66)

“I realize that, but Demetri...if you really loved—”

“Don’t,” Demetri snapped, and Persephone clamped her mouth shut. He took a deep breath. “This conversation is over.”

“Demetri—”

“If I hear a whisper of what I have told you anywhere, Persephone, I will fire you. That’s a promise.”

Persephone pinched her lips together and stood, feeling dazed. She paused before leaving the office.

“You’re no better than Apollo.”

Demetri laughed, and it was cold and humorless. “I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever compared me to a god.”

“It’s not a compliment,” Persephone replied. She knew it wasn’t necessary to point it out. Demetri was well-aware of the gravity of her comparison. Apollo and Demetri had essentially made the same decisions when it came to the people they supposedly loved, and the results were devastating for the mortals who remained.

She left Demetri’s office and gathered her things.

“Oh...uh, Persephone?” Helen called as she walked past the desk to the elevator.

She didn’t stop.

“Persephone?”

Helen came up beside her.

“What, Helen?” she snapped.

“Are you—”

“Please don’t ask me if I’m okay.”

Helen’s lips thinned, and she hesitated, stumbling over her words. “Um, this came for you.”

She handed Persephone a white envelope.

“Who—?”

She started to ask when Helen turned on her heels and returned to her desk.

Persephone sighed. She didn’t blame the girl for practically running from her. Now she had two reasons to apologize to her, but she’d have to do that later because she really wanted to leave.

She stepped inside the elevator and opened the envelope.

Inside was a handwritten letter.

Dearest Persephone,

I see you did not like the rose. Perhaps you will find future gifts more acceptable.

-Your admirer

It was the first time she’d thought about the rose since it had arrived on her desk a few days ago. It was still there, wilted and forgotten after Lexa’s accident. While she had assumed Hades had given it to her, she now realized it wasn’t from him but another person. She was going to have to tell Helen to stop accepting unmarked gifts and envelopes.

Suddenly uneasy, Persephone crushed the letter between her hands, and as she stepped out of the elevator, threw it away.

She called a taxi and headed to the hospital to visit Lexa.

She would never get used to this place, just approaching made her anxious—a feeling that grew once she reached the second floor, making her way down the hall to Lexa’s room. Suddenly, she halted, spotting Eliska and Adam speaking to the doctor.

“At this point, it is something to consider,” the doctor was saying.

Lexa’s parents looked distraught.

Persephone ducked behind a computer stand, listening.

“How long does she have? Once the ventilator is removed?” she heard Adam ask.

“That’s really up to her. She could pass within seconds or days.”

Persephone felt sick to her stomach.

“Of course, it is your decision,” the doctor said. “I’ll give you some time to think on it. If you have any questions, please, let me know.”

Persephone turned and ran down the hallway to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before vomiting, and when nothing else came out, she heaved.

It took her far longer to compose herself than she imagined and by the time she made it to Lexa’s room, Eliska was alone. She looked up when Persephone entered and smiled.

“Hi, Persephone,” she said.

“Hi, Mrs. Sideris. I hope I’m not bother you. I should have told you I was coming.”

“It’s fine, dear.” Eliska stretched. “If you’re going to be here for a bit, I think I’ll take a walk…”

Persephone managed a nod and a small smile. When Eliska left, she sat on Lexa’s bed and carefully took her hand in her own. Her skin was bruised from the IV and discolored from the tape they used to secure all the tubes going into her body.

Guilt settled heavily on her shoulders. She had failed to find a cure for Lexa’s injuries. The ventilator breathed for her, kept her body going, and Lexa’s parents wanted to take her off.

It was Persephone’s worst fear realized.

What would be so terrible about seeing her enter the Underworld?

It was a question that should have a simple answer, but it was more complicated than that, and on the heels of Hades’ proposal, the truth of her agonizing thoughts were exposed. What if she and Hades weren’t meant to be together forever? What if she lost access to the Underworld and the souls? That would mean she would lose contact with Lexa, too.

She recognized that even when she and Hades had broken up, the God of the Dead had allowed her to retain his favor. She could have gone to the Underworld at any point and visited the souls, but she hadn’t. The thought of going had been too painful and filled her with anxiety—that wouldn’t change if they split again.

“I don’t know if you can hear me,” Persephone said. “But I have so much to tell you.”

As she held Lexa’s hand, she launched into a summary of everything that had happened to her.