A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone #2)(88)

She thought about asking him what kind of supplies, but he didn’t seem interested in talking about it—in truth, he seemed just as distracted as she felt.

Finally, they came to the end of the tunnel, and Pirithous unlocked the door.

“Thank you, Pirithous. I owe you.”

He shook his head. “Haven’t you learned anything about owing people?”

Those words hit her hard, and his question gave her pause, but the mortal was quick to change the subject.

“Be careful, Seph.”

He closed the door, and she heard the lock click into place on the other side.

Persephone made her way through the Olive & Owl Gastropub, exiting into Monastiraki Square, a stone covered courtyard with several pubs, coffeehouses, and a large church. The clouds had thickened in her time underground, and a light mist hung in the air, coating everything in a slick layer of rain. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her dress and headed to her apartment.

It was on the way home when Persephone received a text message from Eliska that Lexa was awake. She changed directions and headed for the hospital instead.

She wasn’t sure what she expected when she had imagined her reunion with Lexa, but when she laid eyes on her best friend, she knew she had let her hopes get too high.

Lexa looked exhausted. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her lips were chapped, and her dark hair was knotted, parts of it stuck to her face.

Then there were her eyes.

Unlike her body, they had not regained life, and when she met Persephone’s gaze, there was no spark of recognition. Still, she managed to smile, despite feeling something dark gather in the back of her mind.

Something is wrong.

“Hey, Lex.” Persephone said quietly, approaching the bed. Lexa’s brows drew together, and when she spoke, her voice was low and rasped.

“Why am I here?”

Persephone hesitated and glanced at Eliska for clarity.

“She’s been saying that since she woke up,” she explained. “The doctor says it’s part of the psychosis.”

“Why am I here?” Lexa repeated.

Eliska went to her and sat on the edge of her bed, taking her hand.

“You were in an accident, baby,” she answered. “You were hurt really bad.”

Lexa looked at her mom, but it was like she didn’t recognize her, either.

“No, why am I here?” Lexa’s questioning was more aggressive, and her eyes became unfocused. “I’m not supposed to be here!”

Persephone could feel the color drain from her face. She knew what Lexa was saying. She wasn’t asking why she was in the hospital; she was asking why she was in the Upperworld.

Eliska looked at Persephone and saw the desperation in her eyes. It was one thing to have Lexa back, another to handle the aftermath and impact of her trauma.

“I’ll get the nurse,” Eliska said. “That will give you some time alone with her.”

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Lexa repeated as her mother left the room.

Persephone sat on the end of her bed.

“Lexa,” the goddess called her name. It took her a moment, but she finally lifted her head and met Persephone’s gaze.

“You don’t remember.”

Lexa’s eyes glistened with tears.

“I was happy,” she said.

“Yes, you were happy,” she said, hope ballooned in her chest. Maybe she was remembering. “The happiest person I knew, and you were in love.”

That gave Lexa pause and her brows knitted together. “No,” she shook her head. “I was happy in the Underworld.”

Persephone was stunned. That was the last thing she expected her to say.

“Why am I here?” Lexa asked again and again. “Why am I here? Why am I here? Why am I here?”

Her voice grew louder, and she started to rock, shaking the bed.

“Lexa, calm down.”

“Why am I here?” she screamed.

Persephone stood. “Lexa—”

The door to her room burst open and Eliska and two nurses hurried to subdue her. Lexa was screaming now—it was a sound she’d never heard her best friend make. She backed away from the scene until she reached the door, then fled.

Lexa’s cries followed Persephone until she entered the elevator.

She waited until the doors were closed to burst into tears.

“Are you happy with the results?”

Persephone whirled to face Apollo.

He was dressed in a grey suit and white button up shirt. His dark hair a perfect mess of curls. He looked beautiful and cold all at the same time.

“You!” Persephone advanced on him. Apollo lifted a sharp brow and didn’t move. She hated that he seemed so unafraid of her. “You said you’d heal her!”

“I did heal her. Obviously. She’s awake.”

“I don’t know who that person is, but it isn’t Lexa!”

Apollo shrugged, and his dismissal angered Persephone so much, vines began to sprout from her skin. She didn’t even feel the pain.

Apollo looked disgusted. “Get a hold on your anger. You’re making a mess.”

“The deal is off, Apollo.”

“I’m afraid it’s not,” he said, suddenly seeming far taller and imposing than before as he straightened and uncrossed his arms. “You asked me to heal her and I did. What you failed to realize, is that it wasn’t just her body that was broken, her soul was, too, and that, I’m afraid, is your lover’s wheelhouse, not mine.”