Page 206 of A Touch of Chaos

“A battle,” Hades said. “A war.”

It was the obvious first choice.

“You are almost there,” she said.

He stared at her for a moment and then answered, “A game.”

“And there it is,” she said.

“You are saying I can fulfill the prophecy by losing a game to Theseus?”

“I am saying that he has won a lot of battles against the gods, and still the ophiotaurus remains absent. Is it not worth a try?”

Hades supposed anything was worth a try.

“I do not just want to sabotage his future,” Hades said. “I want him dead.”

“Ah yes. Too bad he is invincible.”

“You know you are not helping.”

She shrugged. “Aphrodite was right. Even Achilles had a weakness. You already know Theseus’s.”

He did, although it was obvious for anyone to see. The demigod was arrogant.

It is not hubris if it is true, he had told Hades, though his comment was just another example of his excessive pride.

Hades was determined that it would be his downfall.

There was silence for a moment, and in the quiet, Hades thought he could hear the shuffling of feet. He turned to look down the street, and his heart seized when he met Dionysus’s gaze. The God of the Vine had returned. He looked exhausted, angry, and devastated. Beside him was a woman Hades did not recognize, but he guessed she must be Medusa.

“Dionysus,” Hades said, turning to face the god.

“My maenads,” Dionysus said and stopped.

“I know,” Hades said. “Come.”

He led Dionysus and Medusa inside to Hecate’s infirmary. When he pulled the curtain back, he was surprised to see Naia awake, propped up with pillows. She looked pale, and there was a cloudiness to her gaze that Hades attributed to her grief.

When she saw Dionysus, she burst into tears. He went to her and knelt beside her, taking her into his arms.

“He has Ariadne, Dionysus,” she wailed. “He took her and her sister and the baby. There was nothing we could do.”

“Shh,” Dionysus soothed. “You did everything you could, Naia. Everything.”

Hecate took Medusa away, and Hades left the two to reunite and grieve together.

Hades was surprised when he found Persephone standing with Artemis, though as he approached, the Goddess of the Hunt departed. Hades watched her go before turning his attention to his wife.

“What was that?” he asked.

“A truce,” she said. “Did I hear correctly? Dionysus has returned?”

He nodded. “Naia is also awake. She says Ariadne, her sister, and the baby were taken by Theseus and the other demigods, which means they are likely behind the wall of Theseus’s fortress.”

Persephone paled. It was evident that breeching the wall would be an important element to winning this war, but now it was necessary to rescue the three.

“I know you are angry with me,” he said.

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