Page 32 of Hades

She points over to two dumpsters at the side of the restaurant. “It ain’t as pretty as most of them, but it gets the job done. You can leave your girlfriend’s Jeep, but I’ll tell you right now, those repairs will cost you.”

“I’m good for it,” I inform her as I head toward the dumpsters. “I didn’t catch your name.”

She waves me off. “Not important. Don’t bring trouble back here, if you understand what I’m saying. I run a safe place where I get a diverse crowd, if you know what I mean. Ain’t none of them deserve your mother-in-law’s wrath.”

“Understood,” I assure her as Argos and I maneuver between the metal dumpsters, or at least they appeared to be dumpsters. The moment we’re between them, their natural rock shape is evident. “Smart camouflage!” I yell back, but the woman is already gone.

~

Argos and I step out on the other side and are directly in front of The Firehouse. When his paws touch the black, charred ground, he lets the fluffy façade fade. He nearly triples in size and has a coarse, black fur coat. His elongated fangs hang over his jaw, and I think to myself, had he been in this form, Themis might have thought twice.

He gives his body a shake from snout to barbed tail tip. “You good?” I ask him, and he answers with a huff. “Yeah, me too, buddy.”

I don’t know that Alastor is here, only that this is his place, and it would be where I would go. The moment we push open the doors to the bar, the Valkyrie, Val, spots us and points to the pits.

Similar to the pit arena atThe Inferno,a crowd is gathered, and Alastor is overseeing the mayhem. When he spots me, he demands that all fighting stop while he takes care of business. I appreciate it, but he won’t like what I have to say.

“We need to talk!” I yell as he walks through the demon-infested crowd. He points to his office, and Argos and I head that way.

I don’t bother explaining the situation, there isn’t time. “Can you get into the Heavens?” I demand as I walk into his office.

“Well, that’s a fucking great greeting, and I haven’t stepped foot there in over two millennia.” He glances at Argos. “Is that Aradia’s dog?”

I give him a raised eyebrow. Of course, he would recognize that damn dog. “Can you get in or not?” I ask, diverting the question.

“What’s this all about? Why do you need to get into the Heavens?” he asks, still eyeing Argos.

There are a few things that I hate doing. One is explaining my actions to anyone, and the other is asking for help. Yet here I am about to do both. “Your mother has Aradia, and I need your help to get her back.”

“What?” he snaps. “How the fuck did that happen?” He looks Argos straight in the eyes. “You were supposed to protect her!” he yells, and Argos grunts his displeasure.

“Themis came. There wasn’t much he could do.” I defend the mutt that could easily defend himself.

“Then where the fuck were you? How could you let this happen?”

The anger and guilt I have been suppressing boils to the surface at his question. “How did I let it happen?” I yell back. “I took your advice and stayed away. You should have been watching her. Instead, I had to slaughter a clan of Quasit demons looking to make her their next snack. So where the fuck were you?”

I slam my fist down on his desk when he doesn’t answer. “What were you doing to keep her safe? You were down here fucking around while she could have been killed.”

“Have you forgotten that she may appear human, but she’s not? Didn’t you say she’s lived hundreds of lives? She would have been fine.”

With two steps, I’m standing in front of him with my hand wrapped around his neck, squeezing out his breath. He may be the Keeper of the Fires of Hell, but I am fucking Hades, Ruler of the Underworld, and it’s about time he realized it. “You’re immortal. Should I snap your neck just so you can see how it feels?”

I can feel his pulse quicken. I’m sure there isn’t much that scares him, but his sudden realization that I could end him is written all over his face.

“You’re right,” he manages to squeak out. “I should have been watching her.”

Abruptly, I let go of his neck. “Can you get into the Heavens or not?” I repeat, doing my best not to unleash my anger on him. He is her brother. Even if we don’t see eye to eye on how things should be handled, he still wants what’s best for her.

With a long sigh, he runs his hands through his ginger hair. “I think so, but I’m not sure. And you’ll need more than just me to get her out. You’re going to need a fucking army.”

“I can get an army—one she’d never expect.” Ideas are already flowing through my brain. There will be plenty who will follow me, that’s not the problem. The problem is that I haven’t even tried to return to the Heavens since being cast out. “I’ll have to find a way to get there since I’ve been banished. But if the curse is starting to falter, maybe.”

“I could gather enough from this side. Astaroth holds no love for the gods that rule the heavens. He’ll be in,” Alastor adds. “What about Reaver? He’s with you, isn’t he?”

It hadn’t occurred to me to ask Reaver. As far as I’ve ever known, a fallen Archangel can’t return to the Heavens. They’re as banished as I am, as much of an asset as he would be in going up against Themis and whatever army she can command.

“He’s fallen,” I say, stating the obvious.

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