Page 37 of Hades

I spent the next few hours explaining the curse. How it works, how it’s meant to keep us apart, and worse, and what happens if Aradia falls in love with me. “Her mother was particularly cruel to Aradia. Not only will she forget me moments after we fall in love, but she’s forced to remember her lives before.”

Getting up, I go over to the enormous wooden chest I’ve kept sealed for over half a century. I’d thrown the key into the River Styx, thinking I’d never open it again. There was no point. I was done chasing after a ghost.

“No one remembers her but me,” I choke out, kicking the ancient lock dangling from the chest. “In here are bits and pieces of every life she’s lived, and every time I’ve tried to love her, despite knowing as soon as she loves me back, I’m taken from her memory.”

Reaver lets out a long whistle. “Shit. And I thought being tossed in prison was bad. Themis fucked the both of you. Who would do that to their only daughter?”

“Themis never thought I was good enough, and I can’t say as I blame her. Do you still have your sword?” I ask Reaver, because the only thing that will open this without the key is the flaming sword of an Archangel. I was confident I’d never associate with an Arc again, so it was the perfect way to ensure I would never view its contents.

“Can’t you just… unlock it?”

“No. I didn’t want to be tempted to open it, so without the key, only the flaming sword of an Archangel can break it,” I state, kicking the lock again.

“Well, that seems a bit extreme, even for you,” he jokes, but I don’t laugh. “Is there anything in here to help us get her back?” Reaver inquires as he inspects the chest.

“I don’t think so.”

“Then you should keep it locked until we get her back. Open it with her, let her see what you’ve kept.” I think about what he’s said. Would she be interested to see what I’ve kept? Or would she somehow realize I’m a man who grasped at any straw I thought might hold? “So, who will we be going into this shit show with?” Reaver asks, taking back the bottle and chugging down half.

“Alastor is enlisting Astaroth and his armies, but I don’t think a demon army can enter the Heavens. The best people for this are those of us who know the lay of the land then use the army as a back-up. We’re most likely going to need them on our way out. If getting in is smooth, fucking getting out will be a shit-show.”

There is no doubt in my mind that Astaroth could, if he wanted to, enter the Heavens. But a full-scale demon invasion would be stopped before we got to Themis’ temple. Also, it could put Aradia in harm’s way, and I can’t have that.

“I don’t know if Asher or any of them can help us, or that they’d want to. I’ve pretty much burned all those bridges,” Reaver confesses. “But it can’t hurt to ask. None of them think very highly of Themis.”

Reaver must notice my preoccupation and general lack of interest. I can’t keep my mind focused on the task without knowing she’s okay. For fifty years, I self-isolated to keep from ruining any chance she might have had at happiness. I never ventured into her world and kept the basin covered.

Now, I can’t stop thinking of her and what she must be going through. Does she know what her mother did to us? Or is she just a pawn in whatever game Themis has decided to play this time?

“I need to know she’s okay,” I blurt out as I approach the basin. “And that thing won’t see into the Heavens. I’m worried that Themis is just using her. I don’t think that woman has a maternal bone in her fucking body.”

“I’ll go,” Reaver offers. “I’ll get in, see what we’re up against, make sure Aradia is safe and then get out.”

“If Themis catches you, she won’t hesitate to make your time in Treachery look like a cake walk,” I remind him, because for the goddess of Justice, she likes to have the scales tipped to her side.

“There also may be a way to get you in. When Ash and I were young we found a portal that led to the Underworld. If I can find it again, it could tip the scales in our favor.”

I’m shocked at the news of a gate or portal directly to the Underworld. While most anyone can come and go from here, the Heavens are by invite only. If there is way to get in undetected from the Underworld, it most likely would have been destroyed eons ago.

“Do it,” I say without hesitation. “We’ll convene here once you’re back, and then we’ll go get her. I’ll talk with Ash and Cain to see what kind of support they can give. Once Themis knows she’s gone, she’ll be looking for her. But I have a few ideas where we can hide her.”

I don’t elaborate on where I plan to bring her. But Reaver, not having been affected by Themis’ curse, gave me an idea. Not a good one, but it’s most likely the best place to bring Aradia where Themis won’t be able to find her. It’s also the most dangerous.

Once Reaver is gone, I plan on taking a much-needed tour of Treachery Prison.

REAVER

“What the fuck wasI thinking?” I mumble as I cross the threshold into the Heavens.

The moment my feet touch the soil, I can feel my wings unfurl. Their weight was always a welcome feeling, a source of great pride. Ash and I were born twin Elite Archangels, the rarest breed. Unlike most Arcs, who gain their wings around three or four, we were born with ours.

Their weight only reminds me of everything we lost and left behind. The grounds around the training arena are eerily quiet. Usually, there would be young Arcs learning to fight and the sound of wooden training spears colliding.

But there is nothing.

I was keeping a low profile, sneaking around the grounds and the arena, but with no one around, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to continue. The arena is so desolate, my footsteps echo through the stone corridors.

“This can’t be good,” I whisper, although no one would hear me even if I screamed.

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