Page 32 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
‘What… what did he do?’ The words scraped out of me. I couldn’t reconcile the man I’d spent time with as someone capable of slaughtering innocents.
Then again, the gods had never needed a reason to slaughter witches. So what the hell did I know?
‘He is mighty, Sephy. He has control over the Underworld, which is essentially the Earth from the crust down. Because of this, he is also the richest god.’I gave her a ‘carry on’ gesture with my hand. ‘He exploded. And, I mean, exploded. His grief over losing you caused him to lose his mind. His rage caused many earthquakes, killing thousands of mortals. He was absolutely devastated once we managed to calm him down.’
I gasped. ‘Holy crap.’ Was it my fault so many people had died? A storm of emotions rushed through me—every fibre of my being was swept up in the onslaught.
At times, I could taste his sorrow; it felt almost tangible. Was it due to his anguish over losing Persephone and his ensuing actions?That tug in my chest intensified, threatening to drag my heart from my ribcage. I had an overwhelming urge to see him, but I squished that little fucker back down before I bolted out of the kitchen to find him, like a total creeper.
‘And as for Demeter, no one has seen her since you disappeared. We believe, with Zeus’s permission, she tookherself off to Delos, which was Artemis’s court. The original legend of you and Hades isn’t true, you know, Sephy.’
‘What do you mean?’ I tilted my head at the Titan.
A faint smile danced on her lips as she took a drink. ‘You first met Hades in Olympus at one of Zeus’s gatherings. It was the first one your mother allowed you to attend. She was quite… controlling. You were essentially like her prisoner?—’
‘Great gods. That’s so not cool.’
‘Yeah. Demeter kept you on her island for centuries. Your only friends were nymphs, and no one had ever laid eyes on you. She was petrified of losing you.’
‘Demeter sounds like she had some major parenting issues.’
Tee huffed a laugh. ‘She sure did. Anyway, being able to smell and taste emotions?—’
‘Which is freaky on so many levels,’ I interrupted, prompting her smirk. ‘Can any of the other gods taste emotions?’
‘Only the big three: Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon. Though, Hades can also see through lies and into souls.’
‘Into souls?’ My eyes rounded, and she cough-laughed.
‘Yup. Anyway, Hades sensed how lonely and miserable you were. When you chatted with him, you opened up and confessed that you wished for your freedom from your mother. He understood, having come from a fucked-up family himself. Zeus has always bullied him.’
‘Bullied him?’
‘Yeah, he constantly jibes Hades, but he’s quite envious of him. He resents how his people adore him and how powerful he is. Naturally, once Hades had you, Zeus’s jealousy only grew worse. He’s an egotistical prick.’
‘That’s awful. Why doesn’t Hades challenge him?’
Tee shrugged. ‘He’s gotten used to it over the aeons. He once told me that the only person you can change in your family is yourself, and that comes down to how you choose to interactwith them. But he keeps his distance from Zeus as much as possible.’
‘Was Zeus really Persephone’s father?’
‘Yourfather.’ She shot me a narrow-eyed look. ‘Nope, we don’t believe so. Demeter has never revealed his identity, but you’ve got to remember, Sephy, that the original gods were created, not born. Though they consider themselves siblings, there’s no DNA going on. They’re beings of magic and power.’
I mulled over her words for a few seconds. ‘Persephone—erm, I—must have trusted Hades to confide in him about Demeter?’
She gave a half-shrug. ‘Like I said, he’s a nice guy. Anyway, he offered you sanctuary in the Underworld, for as long as you wished. You both staged the kidnapping because Demeter rarely let you out of her sight.’
‘Did he really split the earth and come out in a chariot?’
‘Yup.’ She grinned.
‘Like a knight in shining armour,’ I breathed, a little bemused.
‘Hades knew he loved you from the moment he laid eyes on you.’
‘And Persephone?’
‘You’—she hesitated—‘most probably fell in love with him the first time you met. You were repressed, because of your mother. You weren’t accustomed to men. Hades gave you time, but it didn’t take long until you and he were?—’
