Page 87 of Dead End

I set the thoughts aside for later and focused on my parents. They were really and truly alive. Well, sort of.

Hestia returned to the room with someone in tow. He was about my height with a full head of hair and a beard that would’ve put Santa Clause to shame. He wore a loud Hawaiian-print shirt, swim trunks, and flip flops.

“Melinoe, this is Asclepius,” Hestia said. “I don’t think thetwo of you ever met. He’s been dwelling in Elysium for as long as I can remember.”

Asclepius shook my hand. “A pleasure.”

I ran through my mental catalogue of Greek deities, courtesy of Pops.

Hestia placed a hand on his shoulder. “Asclepius…”

“Heals the sick and raises the dead,” I interrupted. “You’re perfect.”

“Save your praise until I’ve actually done some good here.” The god turned to his patients. “It’s been quite a long time since I’ve had to do any work. I’m bound to be rusty.”

“Nonsense,” Hestia said. “You’re the ideal god for this.”

Asclepius motioned to me. “Would you mind?”

I carried the chair out of the way and gave him room to examine them. Hestia gripped my hand as we watched and waited. I found it hard to breathe. Still, I was grateful he let us stay.

Once he finished his exams, he crossed the room to address us. “I can confirm that they are, indeed, Hades and Persephone.”

Hestia released a relieved cry.

“How have they survived this long in their mortal forms?” I asked. “They should’ve died without access to food or water.”

“They did, at least the threads of the humans have been cut by the Fates. What you see now are merely the remnants of their shells fueled solely by the gods’ remaining essences. In fact, I can see evidence of their original forms trying to break through.”

My head jerked up. “What?”

He nodded. “I can see traces of Hades.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Now that they’re out of Tartarus, I’d say give them time to recuperate. A couple glasses of nectar will accelerate their transformation.”

Hestia snapped to attention. “I’ll have Phoebe bring them at once.” She bustled into the hall to tell the attendant.

“Did they feel any pain?” I asked.

“You can ask them yourself in a few hours, but my guess is no. They were in a form of stasis.” His eyes met mine. “What do you think they were doing in that cave?”

“You can ask them yourself in a few hours,” I shot back.

Chuckling, he dragged a hand through his impressive head of hair. “I’d love to, but I was in the middle of a heated game of pickleball with Ariadne when Hestia summoned me. I have a winning streak I’d prefer not to break.” He shook my hand again. “I’ll be back to check on them tomorrow. I predict they’ll have progressed by leaps and bounds by then. Tartarus will have drained them of much of their energy, but now that they’ve left it, they should mend faster.”

I hoped he was right.

I only left their side to eat and bathe. I even slept on the floor between them with blankets and a pillow delivered by Phoebe. Attendants washed and dried my parents, leaving them nude beneath the sheets. They were less concerned with preserving their dignity and more concerned with the ongoing transformation process. This version of my father was more muscular and his skin a few shades darker than the man I’d seen in countless photographs. The new version of my mother was taller with paler hair.

I administered their nectar through a feeding tube, as recommended by Asclepius, until they were finally able to drink on their own. As predicted, they were fully awake the next day. My father was the first to speak. He broke down in tears at the sight of me seated on the edge of his bed. His sobs seemed to rouse my mother. I found myself smothered by hugs, kisses, and a generous number of tears, some of which were my own.

“I can’t believe this,” my mother said, for what seemed likethe fiftieth time in an hour. “I thought for certain no one would ever find us.”

“Was that the plan?” I asked.

They exchanged looks. “We did choose to hide there,” my father admitted. “We thought it was the ideal spot to remain undetected. A place that would protect us from discovery by other gods.”

“How did you ever expect to leave?”

“We knew that one day you would find us,” my mother said. “And you did.”

---