Page 53 of Seph

“An expert on his constant lying and his deviousness? There is someone who might help you... even for the mere pleasure of inconveniencing him and watching Zeus sweat.” Hades snapped his fingers, and the vision of Simeon and Emily conversing dissipated, replaced by an elegant Upper West Side Boutique.

Simeon squinted at the misty mirage, focusing on the floating letters above the gleaming glass doors until they became solid enough to make sense of. At last, he read them out. “Hera’s Bridal.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Hera’s Bridal.”... Manhattan, Paris, Athens, and Palm Beach.”

“She’s in New York right now, and that means so is my dear brother. She doesn’t let him stay too long without a nanny.”

Simeon snorted. “No love lost?”

Without warning, a picture of a growling Heatherington whispering into Anna Wharton’s neck as his hands rummaged under her skirts suddenly superimposed itself over the bridal shop. The vision of his old employer fornicating with the somewhat simple lady’s companion made Simeon’s blood boil—but he got it.

Zeus had power. He didn’t need to take what others had—but he did, just to keep them in their place, just to hone his selfishness even further.

Mocking laughter filled Simeon’s head. “Ah. Got it.”

“Do you see why Seph and Hera hate him? He takes what he wants because he thinks the world owes it to him. A king isn’t supposed to ravage his subjects, he’s supposed to protect them. You know, most people in the Underworld are quite content...well, in many of the neighborhoods. Seph and the kids have really helped me with some improvement projects over the years.” Hades’ eyes were suddenly bright in his lean face. “I can’t wait for Seph to get home and see what we’ve done with the place. She had scrolls and scrolls of ideas, and I’ve made sure to work on them...”

Simeon swallowed, and the noise was amplified in his head. At least the images of Anna and the bastard were gone, leaving the dim residue of Hera’s Bridal. “Well. You’d better start plannin’ that Welcome Home party. We’ll find her.”

Hades opened his mouth, closed it, and then nodded with a stiff jerk of his head.

Simeon woke up as if someone had catapulted him forward. “Bloody hell!”

Emily was already awake next to him, wide-eyed and hugging a pillow. “Actually, Milly makes it sound like most of the afterlife is pretty suburban. They have bowling alleys now.”

“Van Helsing, did you have—”

“A visitor in my head? Mmhm. Milly thinks I made a lot of good points, but she’s on your side. Her mother would never cheat, yadda yadda.”

“You ought to know what it’s like not to believe someone. It took me nearly a year to convince you I’m not some bloodthirsty monster,” Simeon spat before he thought better of it.Great. Let’s piss her off, shall we?

A hurt look came across her beautiful face, but it slowly vanished. “Yeah... I guess. But still, a thousand years is a long time to stay faithful.”

“Not if you’re a prisoner. Or if your heart is.”

She looked at him. “Or if your heart is... Damn. That’s very poetic.”

“I like poetry. I like books. I like art.” His voice was suddenly weary. All of him was. He laid back and felt for the world around them. Nearly dark enough. They’d slept the day away, or that dream visitation had taken a lot longer than he thought. That might be true—he had a feeling these gods didn’t have thesame time flow that mortals had, and it was compounded by the amusing thought that Hades didn’t know how to work his daughter’s nightmare staff.

Emily curled up next to him, her head on his chest. “Yeah? What else do you like?”

“You. I love you.”

She hugged him back tighter. “You’re going to be okay. I’m not going to let them take you. And... and if they do...I’m going to come get you back.”

“I know you will.”

For a split second, she loved him. It was the same sort of split-second panic as falling down a flight of stairs or seeing a blade you couldn’t dodge.

She loved him because he didn’t ask her how. He said, “I know you will.”

Simeon believed in her. The way Hades believed in Seph.

His heart is a prisoner. The kind of prisoner where even if you give them the key, they don’t leave. His heart is faithful. Unshakeable.

Past sins blurred out. Her image of Hades had once been a fictional, scary lord of death, and after interacting with his daughter and being on the periphery of his life, he seemed more like a confused single father who’d rather run a bowling league and host a neighborhood barbecue over the hellfire than anything big or scary.

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