Page 13 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"But they weren't destroyed?" Stella asked.
"No," Persephone shook her head. "They could not be destroyed, only bound and imprisoned in thedeepest void between worlds. Some were sent to Tartarus. Others went to places even darker."
"And now they're stirring," I said, the weight of this new threat settling heavily. "Because of Lyra."
Persephone inclined her head. "Some of Hades' most secure prisoners have become violently agitated. The Hekatonkheires—hundred-handed giants from before the First War—are throwing themselves against their chains. The prison wardens report they keep chanting the same phrase over and over."
"What phrase?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer.
"'The Trifecta comes,'" Persephone said softly. "They know something is going to happen. Even locked away in the deepest pits of the Underworld, they can feel the power building within you."
My hands instinctively moved to my belly in a protective gesture. In response, all three babies shifted at once. Their combined magic created a momentary shield of light around me that both Stella and Persephone had to step back from. "They're getting stronger," I whispered.
"It’s also more dangerous for you," Clio observed as she assessed the magical display. "Their individual signatures are beginning to harmonize, but that still poses a threat to their stability in the womb."
Persephone nodded gravely. "That makes them an even more tempting target for Lyra and her allies. If she succeeds in capturing their combined essence through the Trifecta Ascension, she could potentially release many from their imprisonment."
"She needs bigger, badder monsters if she’s going to remake the world order with herself at the top," Stella concluded.
"We need to warn Aidon and Hades," I said urgently. "Ifwhat Stella saw is connected to the disturbances in the Underworld, they could be walking into something much bigger than we anticipated."
"I've already sent word," Persephone assured me. "But communication is difficult. The magical disruptions Lyra has triggered are affecting all realms, not just the mortal world."
A sudden thought struck me. "It’s the shifting ley lines Mythia discovered."
"It is," Persephone confirmed. "They're part of a widespread pattern of magical destabilization. Lyra is weakening the boundaries between worlds to release her army."
This was about so much more than my babies. However, they remained my paramount concern. "What can we do?" I asked finally. "I'm stuck in this bed, the babies are still weeks from full term, and Lyra's apparently assembling an army of primordial monsters."
Persephone's expression softened slightly. "First, we must ensure you and the children remain safe. The ritual cannot proceed without you."
"And second," Stella added, her voice regaining its usual pep, "we need to turn Lyra's surveillance against her."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Stella gestured to the monitoring symbols still pulsing on my ceiling. "She's been watching us, learning our weaknesses. But what if we start feeding her false information? Make her think the babies are developing differently than they are, or that our defenses are positioned where they aren't?"
A slow smile spread across my face—the first genuine one in days. "A disinformation campaign."
"Precisely," Stella nodded. "Nina's new abilities can help us identify exactly what information the monitoring symbols are collecting. Then we can manipulate it."
"It won't stop her plans entirely," Persephone cautioned, "but it might buy usprecious time."
Time was exactly what we needed. Time for the babies to develop fully. Time for Aidon and Hades to track Lyra to her primary base. Time to strengthen our defenses against whatever assault she was planning.
Before I could respond, the bedroom door opened yet again. Aidon strode in with his confident swagger. His presence warmed me despite his shocking appearance. His clothing was torn, and he had a deep gash across one cheek. His eyes burned with a combination of fury and fear I'd never seen before.
"Aidon!" I gasped, instinctively reaching for him.
He crossed to me in three long strides, taking my outstretched hand. He was ice-cold as his shadows writhed around him in agitated patterns. "You're safe," he breathed, as if reassuring himself.
"Of course I am," I assured him, alarmed by his state. "What happened?"
"We found one of Lyra's sanctuaries," he reported grimly. "It was... not what we expected."
"The shadow beings?" Stella asked. "The Forgotten Ones?"
Aidon's gaze snapped to her. "You saw them too?"
