Page 93 of Hades

Persephone clenched her fists.

She wasn’t hiding.

Mnemosyne toyed with her blade and sighed.

“When you showed some fire, I thought it might be time you stepped out of Hades’s shadow… I am disappointed to learn you still hide within it.” The black-haired female clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Using his helmet to attack because you are too afraid to face me in a fair fight.”

“I am not afraid,” Persephone bit out, reached up and gripped the horns of the helmet. She pushed it back off her head, so the leather strap pressed to her throat and the helmet settled between her shoulders. She held her sword out, the point directed at Mnemosyne. “If you want to fight, then we shall fight.”

She felt Hades’s gaze on her the split second before she heard his bellow of fury and sensed his shadows sweeping towards her to protect her. Rather than letting them reach her, she kicked off, sprinting towards Mnemosyne as the titaness ran at her.

They clashed before Hades could conceal her with his shadows, vibrations zinging up her arms as her sword met Mnemosyne’s. Persephone shoved forwards, knocking the female back, and swung again, aiming for her stomach. Mnemosyne easily blocked her and Persephone dodged backwards to evade her wild swing and then lunged. The tip of her sword grazed the titaness’s shoulder, leaving a crimson line on her alabaster skin.

Mnemosyne looked at the wound and then at her, her silver eyes narrowing. She launched at Persephone, bringing her sword up in a swift arc that Persephone struggled to block. Mnemosyne’s sword came dangerously close to cutting her and she moved to her right, gaining some distance. She couldn’t afford to bleed.

Already two Keres were circling above them, one of them watching her in particular.

But they didn’t attack Mnemosyne.

Because someone was controlling these two death spirits? She quickly scanned the enemies near the gate, but couldn’t make out who might be in command of them, stopping them from attacking their leader.

She did, however, spot a goddess who she marked down as next on her list.

Eris sat on a rock, her gold armour making her stand out against the black landscape, a grin stretching her lips as she watched the battle. Persephone knew without a doubt the goddess of strife was using her powers to sway the weaker-hearted men on her side, making them savage and mindless in their pursuit of violence and bloodshed.

Persephone dodged another blow from Mnemosyne, informing Hades that Eris was present falling to the back of her mind as she focused back on the titaness.

Hades would notice Eris soon enough.

She swept her sword out, driving Mnemosyne back, and glanced in his direction. He was cutting his way towards her, but close to two dozen men stood between them.

A harrowing whine sliced through Persephone’s soul.

She whipped to face the gate, her brow furrowing and heart squeezing as her gaze landed on Cerberus.

The three-headed beast wriggled in his chains, desperately trying to move as the second witch drew a silver blade and held it aloft, poised to sink deep into his neck.

A thick black vine exploded from the ground beneath Persephone and she hunkered down and gripped it, her fight with Mnemosyne forgotten. She rode it as it shot towards Cerberus, pushing all her strength into making it move faster so she could reach him in time.

Her heart hammered against her chest, breath stuttering as she willed the Moirai to let her reach Cerberus before it was too late.

The Fates were against her.

Just as she reached Cerberus, the witch brought the sword down, cutting a gash in the neck of his left head and ripping a howl of agony from him that wrenched at her soul. His blood spilled, splattering the black earth as Persephone leaped from the vine, her sword held high above her head in both hands and her gaze rooted on the witch.

The air charged as she sailed through it.

The entire world seemed to hold its breath.

And then the gate burst to life, a bright explosion that engulfed the witch and Cerberus.

And Persephone.

Chapter 26

“Persephone!” Hades bellowed as the gate opened and an explosion of light swallowed her and Cerberus. When the light faded enough for him to see, he frantically searched the area in front of the gate, his pulse pounding as he shook his head. She was gone. They both were.

He ran towards the shimmering disc of the gate, the urge to leap through it near overwhelming, a need he found difficult to deny even as Keras called to him.

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