Page 20 of Conquered Obstacles

“Yes,” Hades confirmed. “But also that you both plan to do something with the power. Zeus does nothing with it. Nothing at all, and it upsets many of us. I keep order of the underworld and souls, punish the evil, at least for as much as he and many judge me. I don’t like it—I never wanted the job, but it has to be done!”

He cleared his throat and looked away.

“I’m sorry, Brother,” I whispered.

“The fault is not yours.”

“It’s all of ours,” Poseidon accepted.

“It’s all of ours,” I agreed, glad when Hades nodded, at least not blaming himself fully anymore. “And thank you.” I gave him the best smile I could when he looked at me. “I think it’s a great answer to the problem.”

He studied me for several moments. “I find that surprising.”

“I am fragile, Brother,” I rasped. “Hera’s right that she broke me.” I tried to wipe the tears before they fell, but I wasn’t fast enough. “It’s not even to be self-serving that I want more power to feel safer. It is the best way to handle Zeus and that psycho. They won’t ever stop until maybe they are weak and have nothing left.”

“And we have each other to keep ourselves in line,” Poseidon said firmly. “You are most powerful, but you are listening to us, hearing our advice. You will never become Zeus or out of control then, Brother.” He gestured between the two of us. “We have faith in you and that we can do this now that we’ve stopped listening to Zeus.”

“Aye,” I agreed. I went over to Hades and hugged him. “Thank you for earlier. I’m sorry I almost struck you. I would never hurt you. I was so…”

“I felt it,” he whispered. “I felt your pain before my minions alerted me. I am so sorry for what you suffered, Sister.”

“I hate to interject, but I thought I had fed and killed but didn’t remember,” Demarcus muttered.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I parted from Hades. “I didn’t realize until I talked to Colton that…” I shook my head. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’ve done enough to you to deserve this,” he said sadly. “But maybe I can start to make amends for that.” He held out a business card to me. “I found a psychiatrist who is a vampire. An old one. She doesn’t practice anymore but has kept up with the field. She focuses on complex PTSD and compounding traumas like war and such. She’s willing to help.”

“You cannot think…” Hades started to say but trailed off when I immediately took the card. “I apologize, Sister.”

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s nothing, but Nan who works for me said nothing helped her more than speaking with a group of others who understood her pain. She said it was the only way she made it through.” I gestured to the four men who I had done something to from my dream. “And if now I can mess with them too…”

“Hey, all of us are fine, and I think it’s a sign you’re healing, Arabella,” Jamie said easily as he made me face him. He nodded and smiled when I frowned. “Now you see that if Hera comes for you, it won’t be the same as before. The past won’t repeat itself. Maybe you just need different wards here or you needed this conversation with your brothers.”

He shrugged like it was no big deal.

I didn’t think it was that simple, but I was hopeful that maybe he could be right. Still, I was glad that all four of them weren’t mad at me. Demarcus was upset that I wasn’t ready to just fix things after our disaster of a date, but he’d done it, and I had too much else going on. He accepted that and it was all on my timetable.

I did still want to fix things with Isiah, but again… So much was on my plate. And now, apparently, I was messing with them in my sleep.

I told my brothers that I’d really liked having a late Sunday lunch with them last week and hoped we could do it again. Even with the twins and others of our family, maybe make it a weekly thing. Just food and being together, simple, and leave the rest outside.

They seemed to accept that and looked as happy to hear that I’d had as nice of a time as they’d had. I sent texts inviting Dion and Chen, as well as the twins, apologizing for it being last-minute and assuring them that we did want them to come, but time just always flew too fast.

Demarcus promised he was fine, but Isiah seemed out of sorts as well, so he asked to stay on the couch for a bit even if it was with Colton. I fully understood, and Jamie and I weren’t going to be upstairs doing anything naughty with two of the other men I’d been intimate with in the house.

And when I had to be at the bakery in a few hours even.

My life was seriously weird.

I woke when I needed to and kissed a sleeping Jamie goodbye. I used my power to clean up and change before appearing in my apartment. I talked to everyone about the decision to have the bakery pickup orders only for Sundays and Mondays, and everyone was ridiculously relieved. Apparently, things had gotten worse on Sundays since the café had reopened.

I made sure to pay attention… And I didn’t like what I found.

It was beyond bad. There were two different groups that treated my bakery like a playground and didn’t even watch their own children. I had to step in and tell them to handle their children and if they destroyed my expensive decorations that they would be replacing them.

And a woman actually yelled at me for having expensive decorations around kids then.

“Ma’am, this is not a playground but a bakery,” I reminded her, gesturing to the glass display case and long line. “There’s not a kid’s corner or even toys for these sorts of shenanigans. Yes, children are welcome here, but your kids have been crashing into customers and causing trouble. Please tell them to stop, and parent your children. My employees aren’t day care workers.”

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