There was no way we were going to let her out of our sight, so we kept her in the same bedroom with us, snuggling her into the middle of the bed. As we climbed in next to her, Cadmus on one side and me on the other, I stroked her dark hair away from her face.
“Everything will be fine now,” I whispered to her. “We’re safe. We’ll sleep and then figure out what we’re going to do next.”
“But what about Hades, Mama?” she asked, her eyes widening in anxiety. “Empusa said that he could be anywhere at any given time and I know that he is looking for us. Why does he want us?”
I thought for a minute about what to say. Hades was a very complex person, as were his intentions. Finally, I replied.
“Hades is complicated,” I began. “I don’t believe that he is all bad. He has his own priorities and sometimes, I think he has lost touch with human values.”
“But he’s not human, he’s a god,” Raquel pointed out.
“I know. But even as gods, we have human emotions. Hades allows his to become blurred sometimes. He gets blinded by trying to get what he wants… which is bringing more people to join him here in the Underworld. The more people who are here, the more energy this place has. I think that’s where the light comes from in Erebus. If you notice, there is no light at all in Tartara- because the souls there are black. The souls in Erebus are neither good nor bad, so there is a muted, soft light from their energy. But here in the Isles, the light is as bright as sunshine. And I think that can only be because the souls here are the purest and the best. Hades values this. He wants our energy.”
“Even mine?” Raquel’s voice was tiny.
“Probably. But don’t you worry,” Cadmus said fiercely. “He can’t have you. I will protect you with my life. And your father is a warrior.”
“One of the best,” I agreed proudly. “Has he ever told you of the dragons that he has slayed?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. I snuggled closer and listened to Cadmus’ husky voice tell tales of his own bravery as I drifted off to sleep.
I immediately wished that I was still awake.
In my dream, I was in a dark, scary place filled with shadows and the sound of dripping water. I knew right away that I had been summoned here, although I couldn’t imagine by whom. Everyone who usually came to me in dreams was here with me now, including Ahmose. I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“Oh, Harmonia,” a deep, velvety voice said from behind me. I spun around to find Hades stepping from the shadows. He was as handsome as ever with his dark eyes glinting as he appraised me. “Did you think that I wouldn’t find you?”
He didn’t sound angry. He sounded very patient. I took a step back. I had learned one thing. Nothing was ever what it seemed. If he seemed calm and patient, it was most likely that he was the exact opposite.
He threw his head back and laughed.
“I do so enjoy you, Harmonia. I’m not going to rage against you. Why would I do that? There are much more genteel ways to get what I want.”
“Such as?” I asked nervously.
“We’ll get to that,” he promised. “For now, let me look at you.” He walked closer and stepped directly in front of me, reaching out to grasp my chin. Turning it this way and that, he examined me.
“Flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes, refreshed skin,” he observed. “Someone has been drinking nectar again.”
“Only a sip before bed,” I replied warily.
“Oh, I am not condemning you,” he assured me. “Of course not. It is exactly what I would expect. And you look refreshed and lovely. Did you enjoy your visit with the Olympians?”
He studied me innocently, waiting for me to explode. I didn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Why, yes. We did. It wasn’t what we expected, but we can work with it. So few things in life are as expected.”
He moved closer and inhaled my neck and I found that his nearness made me woozy. What was it about him that drew me in like this? Whenever I was not with him, I didn’t struggle with thinking about him. It was only a condition that popped up in his presence. The term ‘animal magnetism’ didn’t begin to cover it.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said with a sly grin, reading my thoughts. “I’m extremely attracted to you, as well. You’ve occupied my thoughts ever since you arrived. Your beauty, your innocence, your purity. Think of what you and I could accomplish together, little one. Think on that.”
“Persephone wouldn’t enjoy that,” I pointed out. “She gave me the helm so that I could escape to prevent that very thing.”
His lip twisted into a snarl for just a moment before he composed himself again.
“Yes, the helm. We shall get to that, as well.”
“Hades, you’re very handsome. It is true. And whenever I am near you, you do something that makes me feel almost unbearably attracted to you. But I know that you are somehow inflicting that reaction in me. I love my husband more than life itself. I would never choose you over him. So, whatever you are plotting, put it out of your head. I won’t agree to it.”
“No?” he asked in amusement. “I do so love your passion, Harmonia. It is one of the things that draws me to you. But you must learn to not be so impetuous. You cannot react to any situation with certainty until you know all of the extenuating circumstances.”
“Such as?” I raised an eyebrow.
He held out his elbow and I stared at him unmoving.
“You really think I will just walk with you?”
“Would you like to see your mortal mother?” he asked simply. My jaw dropped. In my utter weariness and all of the excitement and stress of finding the Olympians, I had momentarily forgotten what Ahmose had told me- that my mother had disappeared from Ogygia.
“What have you done?” I demanded. In answer, he held out his elbow again. Gritting my teeth, I took it and we strolled slowly further into the dark abyss that surrounded us. We didn’t need to go far.
Three glittering golden cages stood in the middle of the room. They were beautiful, with ivy garlands wrapped around the bars festively. Inside each one, a shadowy figure sat. I crept closer to see more clearly and gasped.
Not only did he have my mother, but my best friends from the mortal world, Jess and Jenn Gray were here as well. I yanked free of him and ran to the cages.
“Mom!” I cried as I pulled at her bars. But even with my goddess strength, they didn’t budge. Allison Lockhart eyed me calmly.
“Hi sweetie! Have you come to join us?”
I froze. She didn’t seem bothered or afraid. I looked into her cage, and saw that it extended magically into a set of lavish bedchambers. It only appeared as gilded cage. I shook my head.
“Mom, are you alright?”
She looked at me strangely. “Of course I am, sweetie. I’ve never been better.”
Confusion clouded my thoughts as I turned to my friends.
“Jess? Jenn?” I asked warily. “Are you alright?”
Jess gave me her signature sassy look, her little pixie nose tilted into the air. “Why in the world wouldn’t we be, Macy? I’m ticked though because you have never shared this place with me. Hades says that you have known him a long time. And I’m supposed to be your best friend. You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Holding out on you?” I repeated uncertainly as dread filled me up. What in the hell was going on here?
Hades crooked one finger at Jess and she eagerly jumped from her seat, throwing open her cage door and flinging herself into his waiting arms. He kissed her long and lustfully as she curled her body around his. He glanced up at me as Jess sighed contentedly.
“What have you done to them?” I whispered. “Hades? This is… this is atrocious.”
He withdrew from Jess and motioned for her to return to her cage. She sighed, but obediently returned, glaring at me as she passed.
“Why is it atrocious, Macy?” she snapped. “Are you jealous?”
“Jealous?” I repeated. I turned to Jenn. “Jenn…
surely you don’t feel the same way.”
“What way do you mean, Macy?” she turned to me innocently. “We love it here. Why wouldn’t we?” She sounded puzzled. “No homework, Hades is amazing…and we feel perfect, all of the time.”
“But you’re prisoners,” I pointed out. They all three shook their heads in unison.
“We can go anywhere here that we wish,” my mom answered proudly. “Not at first, but we proved ourselves. We showed Hades that we don’t want to leave, so now we’re free to roam as we wish.”
My gaze flew to Hades. “I don’t know what is going on here, but you need to release them. They don’t belong here.” I tuned out their protests as I focused on the god of the Underworld. “I don’t know what you’ve done to them, but stop.”
He looked at me in dark amusement. “Sweet Harmonia. It is not something that I’ve ‘done’, it is just the way that I am. I cannot help it. The attraction that you feel toward me? Amplify that by at least a thousand. That is how mortals feel when I am near.” He shrugged. “It is just the way it is. They are attracted to me, almost uncontrollably. They can’t help it and neither can I. It is just something about me.”
“It is one of your abilities,” I whispered in realization. “It is how you draw people here and keep them.”
He smiled at me silently, his teeth blindingly white. I found that I had to fight the strange attraction to him myself… still. It was maddening, but the pull toward him was certainly there as much as I didn’t want it.
“Your friends and your mother like it here, Harmonia,” he pointed out needlessly.
“Yes,” I snapped. “Because you’ve made it so. You can’t just steal them away and keep them. They have lives in the mortal world.”
I found it odd that none of the three were asking any questions about their surroundings or the supernatural element that was around them. They had been abruptly thrust into it, yet they acted as if everything was normal, as though they had forgotten their mortal upbringings. They weren’t even curious about my appearance- I was wearing clothing from my home on Olympus and I was covered in my husband’s blood. I hadn’t yet had time to wash it off. And none of them found that odd?
“Harmonia,” Hades began smoothly, his voice like melted butter. “You must do what I wish or these three lovely ladies will no longer be welcome here with me. I’ll have to send them away to Tartara. Do you want that?”
They immediately began protesting and crying at the thought of being separated from Hades, not at the thought of being sent to Tartara. I shook my head in wonderment. This was absolutely insane. Yet, on one level, I understood it. If his magnetism was hard for me to resist, it must be impossible for them. And they probably had no idea what Tartara even was. But I did.
“What do you want?” I growled.
“Oh, it’s a decision you’ve had to make before, Chosen One. And you made it then. Let us see if you will choose the same now. You for them.”
A rush of déjà vu washed over me. Yes, I had certainly been faced with this before, when the Fates had forced me to choose between my own life and those of everyone that I loved, including Cadmus. I had stood on the lip of a massive fire pit and had eventually decided to sacrifice myself. I exhaled a ragged sigh. I had even more to lose now. I had a daughter.
“You won’t lose her,” Hades replied to my thought. “She can stay with you. I don’t ask for your life, I simply ask for you to stay here in the Underworld with me.”
The darkness seemed to swirl around me as I weighed his demand. It was so much to think about that I could scarcely process it.
“And if I don’t?” I murmured.
“Then Tartara will have three new prisoners,” Hades answered smoothly