Page 2 of Seph

“Dad!” Zagreus jabbed him in the back. Fortunately, his son had borrowed the helm of invisibility (he had told himhowmany times not to do that?), so Lilith didn’t see the intrusion—or she pretended not to.

“Your points are well taken,” Hades gave the beast a dry smile. “So you wish to leave.”

“Yes.” The demon bowed and muttered something suspiciously like “Your Obliviousness.”

Hades ignored her, an idea forming in his mind. “Everyone who seeks their freedom must agree to complete two tasks.”

Lilith arched shapely brows. “I had heard of one.”

“Vampires are a special case. You replicate, therefore, you have greater responsibility. But, if you prefer to be Tantalus’ pool girl or clean up after the vultures who keep taking out Prometheus’ liver...”

“No! No, no. Task away, Your Most Deadly-ness.”

Hades rolled his eyes. “Groveling doesn’t suit you any better than insolence. Shut your fangs and listen. One, you reap souls and fill my halls. Fair is fair, you know.”

“Easy. Done.” Lilith snapped her taloned fingers.

“Second... you bring back my queen.”

The veneer of confidence fell like a stone. “I do what? Queen? Your—”

“My wife, Queen Persephone. She left for her annual pilgrimage to the mortal world, the halfway point between my home and her mother’s.”

“Ah. In-law drama?”

Hades counted slowly to ten, then sent a torrent of flame over the vampire’s feet, just enough to singe and make her hoparound the room. “She didn’t return as she always does, as she’s done for countless years, and I cannot find her. But I know that she is in the mortal realm, a place I cannot search for long periods of time. Even a day or two without me sends the spirits into a panic. Last time I went to look for her, a few mortal years ago, I completely forgot to appoint any reapers to their tasks. For days, no one died. I had to coordinate an entire plague just to rebalance the population and prevent an apocalypse. The amount of souls in queues...” Hades winced. “No, I know what happens when I go look for her. They say death has eyes and ears everywhere, but all my senses focus solely on her to the expense of all else.”

Lilith snorted, then flinched, clearly expecting another jolt of flames.

Hades gave the demon a severe glare, this one more frosty than fiery. “You wait. Some day, someone will come along who erases everything else for you. You will find that you cannot bear his absence. You cannot live with his pain. You will not rest until you give him what he wants, what he needs.”

“Demon, here. Not to argue with you, Your Most Grimship, but I’m pretty sure you need a soul for that sort of love. And not to second guess you, but you know the rules for my kind. All water is holy. The blessed water evaporates, gets back into the atmosphere, a bit of blessed that, a little sacred this, and we’re confined. Vampires can’t cross running water. I was hoping you’d pop me down in Europe. Lots of ways to travel without directly crossing rivers, or so I understand.”

Hades walked to the demon. To her credit, Lilith didn’t back away. Hades reached out a hand, pale gray-white skin glistening as blue energy whipped through him and expressed itself through his long, clever fingers.

Seph had always loved holding his hands. It was mutual. Hers were petal soft, the color of warm peaches in the sun.Shebrings all the best things to me.His daughter. His son. His first true taste of joy. The only way he’d ever known love. He had to take a moment, pretending it was to gather his deep, most ancient, powerful voice to work his magic.

But it was really just so the vampire wouldn’t tell everyone that the ruler of Hades, Hades himself, was still crying over his missing wife.

“You, and all your spawn, shall have power to travel throughout the mortal world, over oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes. Holy water will irritate you, burn you, but it will not destroy you as it does others of your kind. Any who share your blood will have this power.” He pressed his palm to the beast’s forehead, feeling the current of magic sizzle into her skin.And one of you will love. Truly love, with or without a soul. That one will find my queen.He kept that part of his promise silent. “Any who you spawn will share your task. All who share will be rewarded or punished as one. You have one day to find my queen.”

“Oneday?” Lilith squawked.

“A day—to me. You know what they say about the gods. ‘A thousand years is but a day in my sight.’” Hades shook his head. “While it’s true, it’s notquitethe same to me as it is to other immortals. I measure time closer to the mortals, since I hold their lives. My Seph has been missing for far too long, by any clock.” Hades moved his hand from the vampire’s forehead to her throat. “If you fail... I will reap all the souls of all you’ve spawned and throw them into the lowest pit of Tartarus. I will check in on your progress, vampire, but I shall give only one warning before your mission is over.”

“B-but what if I’m not around in a thousand years? I’m going to live among mortals! I know we’re hard to kill, but we’re not completely death-proof.” Lilith squirmed, balancing on her toes as Hades kept her just on the edge of reaching solid ground.

“Then your youngest living direct descendant.” His brow creased. “Un-living direct descendant. Un-deaddirect descendant? Ugh. You monsters and demons. You know I’ve had to create an entire department to deal with your sort.” Hades released the deadly beauty, sudden weariness washing over him. “Go. Bring her back to me.”

Hades turned away and ignored Zagreus, who protested that there were a dozen other demons waiting for an audience. There was a ghost with an entire business plan and some dimensional representatives from another underworld.

He should never have sold the franchise.

But it had meant more time at home with Seph.

He would give anything to have her back home, even if he had once urged her to leave.

1000 B.C.

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