Page 53 of Hades

And nothing happened.

“Here.” Cassandra stepped into view beside him, a concerned Daimon hot on her heels. She swept her fall of raven hair over her shoulder and held her hands out before her, drawing down a deep breath as her focus narrowed on the door.

“Baby,” Daimon murmured, his voice so quiet Keras barely heard him. His brother practically vibrated with a need to stop her, to reach out and take hold of her.

“Nobaby. I am doing this.” Cassandra didn’t take her eyes off the door as a glow lit her palms and her Russian accent lent a clipped tone to her words. “Magic is not a danger. Our boy is strong.”

“Boy?” Daimon blanched and his gaze flitted over all of them, and Keras was sure his brother wanted to smile over the fact they were having a son, but the joy was short-lived, becoming a look of concern again as his blue eyes landed back on Cassandra.

Daimon was right to be worried. Fathering a son meant many things, including the fact the boy would be expected to follow in Daimon’s footsteps, becoming a warrior and fighting on the frontlines to keep the Underworld safe.

It also meant the baby would be far stronger, liable to survive the dangers of his mother using magic while he was in the womb, but also more likely to inflict pain upon her. In short, the baby was a danger to her wellbeing.

Adora’s kicks had been strong enough that Megan had frequently been bed-bound for days recovering from her bouts of restlessness.

Keras could only imagine the toll their son would take on Cassandra’s mortal body.

The door creaked open, snagging his attention, and he glanced at it and then back at his brother. Daimon met his gaze and Keras nodded, silently telling him that he wasn’t alone in his fight to make Cassandra take all the rest she needed. If the witch refused to remain on the sidelines, together they would find a way to make her accept it was where she needed to be. None of them doubted her strength, but they did know better than her.

Keras had watched his own mother—a goddess—struggle at times when pregnant with his brothers.

He stepped forwards and opened the vault door, feeling more than ever that they needed to get their mother back. If anyone could convince Cassandra to take it easy, it was Persephone.

It took one sweeping glance of the armoury to see what he had feared was true.

“He’s taken his bident and helmet.” Keras pivoted to face the others, his expression no doubt matching the grave ones they wore. “He could be anywhere by now. Invisible to our eyes.”

“How are we going to find him?” Calindria rubbed her right arm, a habit he had noticed she had now, one that spoke of fear and a vulnerability that roused a fierce need to protect her.

He had failed her as much as the next member of their family, allowing her to spend centuries in that hellish cage he had seen her in when walking in another’s mind. The enemy had taken more than her freedom from her. They had taken her confidence. Her strength.

Her smile.

Although, Thanatos seemed to be bringing that back for her little by little. Keras couldn’t have dreamed of a better male for his sister. For all his gruffness, the god of death was protective and powerful, second only to Hades in this realm. Keras felt confident that nothing terrible would ever happen to his sister again now that she had Thanatos at her side.

The male was absent today though, busy questioning Morpheus in Tartarus with his twin, Hypnos.

“Cerberus?” Valen offered, sounding uncertain. When everyone looked at him, he rubbed his nape and hiked his shoulders. “Damn thing is a dog at its core, right? He could track Dad.”

“Ah, fuck,” Ares muttered at the exact moment something crossed Keras’s mind that had him thinking the same thing.

“Cerberus,” Keras said and teleported, unsurprised when he landed outside the paddock where Cerberus had been for the last few days and the others appeared behind him. This time, Keras did curse. “Fuck.”

Enyo slanted him a look that was part-concern, part-admonishing. She wasn’t fond of his mortal vulgarities, and he didn’t particularly enjoy swearing either, but this called for it.

The paddock was empty.

“You think he took Cerberus back to his other stable?” Valen sounded hopeful, but the look on his brother’s face was the opposite. He knew Hades hadn’t taken Cerberus back to the secret realm they had all only recently learned about.

“Dad would have to use his chariot to leave the Underworld. The only alternative is Tokyo and he knows our brothers will be there waiting for him.” Daimon kept his arm around Cassandra’s waist, pinning her to his side, and even he didn’t sound confident.

“The only alternative?” Ares’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

“I mean… come on… he wouldn’t be crazy enough to do something so reckless. He wouldn’t create a gate.” Daimon’s pale blue gaze leaped between all of them.

“Have you seen Father recently?” Keras frowned at him and then shifted his focus to the empty paddock as a few of the gathered murmured that he had a point.

“Father isn’t himself.” Calindria moved to the edge of the paddock and braced her gloved hands against the fence. “He isn’t thinking straight.”

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