Page 21 of All for her Forgiveness

"I do my part by hunting Ryan Corey III around the world, Hades, but the issue with Kennedy is something that only you two can resolve. Have you ever imagined what it would be like if it's true and the boy is yours? How will you explain to your son that you sent his mother to prison? Forget it, you don't need to answer."

Too late. Now, all I can imagine is mother and son hating me forever for tearing them apart.

"I need to go. I called because I wanted to know if you have any ideas on how we can clarify this mystery."

"About the boy being yours?"

"No, I have no doubts about that. King has the same birthmark as me and my brothers. The question is notif, buthow."

"Mysteries are my area. I'll see what I can do."

"Let me know if you have any news."

"Hades?"

"Yes?"

"We all have to deal with our personal hells. You were . . . are, still, in the middle of yours. I also lived in mine for years, but there's always the option to leave at any time. I married the daughter of the enemy. The heiress of the man who burned my entire family alive."

"I made a promise to protect Pam, Odin. You saw the state she was left in. What was done to her."

"I know. I remember everything, and even though I didn’t like her, I regret that a young woman lost her life like that. What I'm saying is just make sure that, of the two, it was indeed Pam who needed protection."

"You think it was Pam who drugged me," I say.

"Yes, I do. And if it's true, everything went wrong. You slept with Kennedy instead of her, as Pam probably expected. What started as a small snowflake may have turned into a huge avalanche. Something tells me that the key to the mystery lies in finding that bastard fugitive."

"I'm not going to tell my brothers anything about King right now."

"Until you're sure?"

"I'm sure, but I'd like to talk to Kennedy about it first."

"Zeus won't like that you're keeping this from them, no matter how long."

"I'll deal with him later."

Kennedy

The Next Day

"He said what?" I try to sit up, but I'm still a bit groggy from the antihistamine. I glance towards the crib that's now next to me on my left, as if, after Ernest's statement, Hades could come into the room and take King away.

"Hades said that King has the birthmark of the Kostanidou. He'll probably ask for a DNA test."

"My God, he really hates me. Now, he wants to take my son away from me!"

"Calm down, dear. I don't think that's it. He seemed shaken. I don't want to meddle in your personal life, but do you think you and he . . .”

"I don't know. Christ, it's one nightmare after another."

As if my words have power—or maybe it’s just coincidence—we hear two knocks on the door, and then it opens.

"I don't want you here, Hades. Leave. He's not yours."

"I'm not going anywhere. And yes, in some inexplicable way, I know he's mine. I won't let you destroy my relationship with my son."

"I won't let you destroy my relationship with my son,"I repeat in my head, and at that moment, a memory of something very similar comes back to me.

---