Chapter Seventeen:

The Underworld...

"No beach this morning. Doctor's orders," Persephone said, fluffing the pillows behind my back as I sighed, tapping furiously at the keys on my laptop. Two weeks post-Kronos and they still treated me like I was made of glass.

"Seph, this is ridiculous. I'm fine, so you guys can chill and stop worrying about me so much. Also, please tell Hades to drop those stupid shields around the castle. Every time I step outside it feels like my skin is going to peel off."

She smiled, filling Bailey's food bowl. "You know I can't do that, Emma. Hades takes security to an extreme level when someone in his family is threatened."

"Awe, he cares? That's so sweet." I put my hand over my heart dramatically and she snorted, rolling her eyes as she coaxed the roses dotting my room back to life.

"Who are these from?"

"Poseidon. I think he feels guilty about dragging me into Kronos' business in the first place, and rightly so, that little jerk."

"I need to be kidnapped more often," she mused, plopping down beside me on the bed. "So, what's on the schedule for today? And more importantly, can I join you?"

"What about work? The good people of Portland aren't going to find your unique arrangements anywhere else on Earth, you know. Besides, you need to give me something to write about!" I wasn't going to say, 'I actually need a little space from both you and Hades right now', because I knew it would hurt her fragile feelings and I didn't want to be that person. Not to mention the fact that it probably wasn't wise to insult a goddess to her face.

"Hades says that I need to be your nurse and-"

"Guard?" I retorted, sliding out of bed and wrapping a light sweater around my shoulders.

"Playmate," she corrected. "And when he gives me a direct order like that, well, I can't refuse, can I?"

"Where is he, anyway?"

She fidgeted, an awkward movement I didn't fail to notice. "He's bouncing around a bit today between the beach and Portland, taking care of business. You know what it's like."

My eyes narrowed. "He's not, by any chance, picking up my slack, is he? You know, the work I should be doing right now? The work he won't let me do?"

"Emma, it's for your own good. You don't know what your death did to him - what it's still doing to him. He feels intensely guilty that he let you go to Kronos at all, so please give him a break. He doesn't want to risk your life again over something he's more than capable of handling himself."

"No, that's not acceptable," I said, pushing Bailey into her kennel as Persephone followed, fluttering over me. "This is something we did together-something that he hired me to help him with, and I'll be damned if he keeps me soft and useless in my rooms because he's scared. Screw that."

"Emma, please be reasonable," she said anxiously as I stormed into the hallway. "This isn't forever, just until he thinks you're ready to do the work again."

"There have been plenty of moments over the past four years when thought that I wasn't ready to do this, and it pissed me off as much then as it does right now. Move."

Persephone punched a hand into the rough staccato wall, blocking my path. "You need this time away from all of the chaos that's happened over the past few days, and don't you dare try to deny it. You're wrung out, Emma, and it's not a weakness to admit that. So why are you being so difficult?"

I gave her a level look, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "I know you helped with the souls for ten months, Persephone, but you weren't born to do it and I-"

"Don't you dare say that you 'have more experience than me' because that's a bullshit excuse for brushing me off. I know what the souls do to you because I've been there, and you're trying to do too much at once, again. Let him handle them."

I thought briefly about pushing her aside, but she was more than seventy-one times my age, immortal and had the strength to prove it. "I really don't want to fight with you, but-"

"Good, then don't. Now, are you going to go back to your room by yourself, or do I need to pick you up and carry you there?"

"You were more fun when you were cursed," I said after a minute and she smiled as I stomped to my room, slamming the door in her face.

***

"I know you're angry with me-"

"Understatement of the year," I mumbled, sucking sausage fat from my fork tines.

"But put yourself in my shoes, just for a minute," Hades continued, sitting back in his chair as he cradled a steaming mug of coffee. "When Kronos sent word that he'd murdered you..." One flash of lightning in his eyes, one squeeze of his fist and the mug shattered, liquid and bits of ceramic spraying the floor around him. "You've really got to stop doing that," Persephone said, irritated, as she signaled for a maid to clean the mess up.

I stayed silent, lip quivering as his intense gaze bore a hole through my skull.

"It's not incompetence, or lack of faith in your abilities, that I'm choosing to ground you with regards to the souls. If you end up in my enemy's hands again, your death will be permanent, and there's nothing I can do to reverse it. Do you understand?"

Persephone caught my eye and mouthed the words I told you so as I looked down at the cracks in the stone beneath my feet.

"That won't happen, because Hera-"

"And how long, exactly, do you think her ruse will last?" He interrupted. "A hundred years? Maybe less? Every time you help a soul, you run the risk of alerting Kronos to the fact that you're not currently in Tartarus being personally tortured by him. That's not a risk I'm willing to take, Emma."

"So what am I supposed to do here if I can't help you?"

"I think your family deserves a visit from you, all things considered," Hades said. "Spend time with them, rest in Portland, and when I'm ready, I'll send Hermes to get you."

"But..." Didn't I want the space? And if he handled my half of the soul load, it meant I had the chance to recharge. Shouldn't I be jumping for joy? "You just returned to us," I said to Persephone instead, who reached out, intertwining her fingers through mine. "I was hoping to spend more time with you."

"As you've pointed out, I've been neglecting my shop because of all the excitement around here lately. Come see me during normal business hours, and we'll chat," she said, squeezing my hand.

"Did I hear someone mention travel?" Hermes materialized across the table from me and I jumped in surprise, the room disappearing for a split second. It felt like I'd just walked through a giant vat of goop, time slowing and speeding up again in the same breath, and I clutched the edge of the table, lilting forward.

What the hell?

"Emma? What happened?" Hades asked, standing.

"I have absolutely no idea."

"She...blinked," Persephone said, awe-struck, and I gazed around the room, brow furrowed. Wasn't that their power? The power all the gods had? So, I...oh, no. No, no, NO.

"I'm immortal now?"

"No," Persephone said quickly as Hades sat back down again, running a hand across his chin.

"Then why the hellcat can I blink?"

"Try it again, maybe?" Hermes suggested, watching me with anticipation.

"See if you can go to your room and back," Hades said, a curious, wary expression crossing his face.

"But I don't even know how I did it in the first pla-"

"BOO!" Hermes shouted, leaping to his feet and I screeched, glimpsed Bailey licking a bone by the fireplace before pulling myself back to the dining room, and he smiled, laughter rumbling through his chest as I shook and plopped myself down in my chair.

"That wasn't funny!"

"Awe, c'mon, Ems, it was slightly funny."

"I told you not to call me that, remember? No nicknames."

"What if I let you call me 'Herm' or 'Hermy'?"

"How about 'Herpes'?"

"It's a fear-based response," Persephone interrupted, rolling her eyes Hermes' direction. "Mortals can't blink, not unless they had assistance from a god or...goddess..." Her mouth popped open into a little 'o' as the pieces clicked into place. "Hera."

Hades spread his hands out across the table, palms down. "Sister, I know you're listening."

"This better be important, brother. I'm talking life or death stuff," Hera said, appearing at the end of the table.

"Why can Emma blink?"

She paused a beat, face carefully composed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were never a good liar, Hera. What did you do to her?"

"I brought her back to life! With a couple of...err... 'added' bonuses. She's Emma 2.0! God-lite so to speak."

"You had absolutely no right to do that to her against her will," Hades said, a lash of anger entering his voice and she held up her hands in front of her like she was calming a wild animal.

"I'm sorry that you disagree with the method I used to save her life, Hades. I'll remember that for the future."

"What can I do?" I asked, and she smiled.

"You'll heal instantly which, in your case, might come in handy more often than you'd care to admit now. Also, you'll always know when he's nearby," she said, jerking her head in Hades' direction. "Or any gods, for that matter, since you're still insistent on keeping a life in Portland separate from here."

"I'm sorry but how, exactly, does that make me different from, I don't know, a god?"

Hades shifted, a slight movement I didn't fail to notice, as Hera pursed her lips, gaze roving over me once. "You can still die, and will, when you're old and frail. I did not, despite what my brother initially assumed, make you immortal. That's up to him to decide, and you both know why."

"Enough," Hades growled as Persephone glanced between us, confused.

"I don't understand," she said as I inwardly groaned, wishing Hera had just stayed quiet. "Why does Hades have control over Emma? Isn't her fate in her own hands?"

"She ate a pomegranate, sweetheart," Hades said, laying a hand on the small of her back. "She's tied to the Underworld now, and to me." Hades avoided her why the hell didn't you tell me this sooner glare, mouth tight...strained.

Smooth, Hades. You know that you're going to have to tell her the whole truth someday.

That day is not today.

"I wish I'd known about these gifts before, but I'm still grateful to be alive, obviously," I said to Hera, who smiled.

"Stay out of trouble, okay? And enjoy your third chance at life."

She vanished, and you could've cut the silence in the room with a knife as Hermes edged towards the door, feeling the tension and not really knowing why it was there in the first place. Lucky him.

"Since Emma can now blink, you won't be needing my services, yes? There are some books I'd love to re-shelve."

"Go," Hades said, grabbing a new coffee cup as his brother disappeared, too.

"Why is she tied to you?" Persephone asked, approaching him.

"Persephone..."

"Don't you dare, Hades. When mortals eat fruit here, they're stuck, unable to leave unless we will it. So, why is she bound to this place, and to you in particular?"

"Because of the agreement we made," I said quickly. "Before you were cursed, remember? I had to be tied to one of you, and when you ended up living in Portland, Hades was the next obvious choice."

Not the whole truth.

But also not a whole lie, either. That seems to be our theme of the day.

"He lets me go to Portland as long as the trips don't interfere with my work with the souls, or the book."

"But, I'm back now, so tie her to me instead."

"Why is this so important to you?" Hades asked, cautious.

"Because you're my husband, and because I don't approve of another woman being tied to you, no matter how close the three of us are."

Do you still think it's a good idea to tell her?

I have my doubts now, especially since I'm not actually immortal. I never really knew how...jealous...she was.

It's a by-product of our life together. Gods and goddess are, by nature, notoriously jealous, suspicious and distrusting.

"Do you really want me to do this?"

"Yes, I do," she said, arms crossed stubbornly over her chest.

"Then it's done."

"Good," Persephone said, satisfied, leaning back in her chair as she cracked open a book.

What the hell, Hades?

I heard the mental sigh. You're my soulmate, Emma. That's why the bond chose me over her, not because she wasn't physically in the Underworld, and a bond like that can't just break unless one of us meets a true death. This hits two birds with one stone. She won't suspect that the bond is anything more than it is, and you won't be constantly worried about telling her the truth.

I picked apart a piece of bagel, eyes down as he cut into his pancake pile.

Except that she could order me to stay in Portland long-term to spend more time with you.

Is that really so bad? You haven't made it a secret how much you loathe being here, so I thought you'd welcome this change of leadership, no matter how misleading it is.

We should just tell her about us.

Absolutely not, unless it's a necessity. It's the last-case scenario that I hope we never have to use.

Ouch. So, according to him, it was better that she stayed in the dark about our connection, because he didn't want to lose her, despite the cost to me...

You know that's not what I meant, Emma.

Really? How else was I supposed to read that decision?

My fate with Persephone was decided a long time ago. It was a choice I made because I never thought I'd find you.

So, we'll be friends with benefits for as long as I live? Nice.

'Divorce' is a human construct that the gods don't abide by. Persephone is back now, and that complicates things, but it doesn't mean that we can't still be close.

Sure, we'll just cuddle by the fire, hold hands as we sort the souls, and make out in plain sight of everyone here, including Persephone. Sounds peachy. You know that won't happen.

YOU try staying with the same person millennium after millennium and tell me that you wouldn't get bored and restless, especially if your soulmate lived with you and your spouse. I have absolutely no idea how to handle this, but I'll find a way, because I can't lose you, or the connection we have.

I don't know, you might have competition with Poseidon. I meant it as a joke, flinching when I felt him stiffen, jaw clenched.

He...flirted with you?

Gods, Hades, I've told you several times over how often he tries to seduce me. It's not my fault that you don't listen.

Do you like him in return? He can be charming when he wants to be.

I laughed aloud, choking on a bite of apple as Persephone glanced over, turning the next page in her book. "I'm fine," I wheezed, gulping down some water and she smiled, shaking her head as she looked away again.

You're joking, right? That's like asking if I like moldy lasagna.

His lips twitched. Good.

It hasn't escaped my notice that you're allowed to like whoever you damn well please, but the second another guy glances at me, you're up in arms.

You're too good for them.

Uh-huh. That excuse is pathetic, just so you know.

"Well, I'm off to Portland," Persephone said, laying her book aside. "Emma, care to give me a lift?"

"I don't know how to do it yet without someone scaring me, and seeing as Hermes disappeared..."

"I have faith in you. You can do this. And, as you're now tied to me, I'm commanding you to try."

I made a face as I stood, drinking long and deep from my cup. "You're going to abuse that power, I can already tell."

She shoved me playfully, giving Hades a quick peck on the lips before joining me. "You'll enjoy every second of it, I promise." She looped her arm through mine and I swallowed the self-doubt, breathing deeply through my nose a few times as I thought Portland - put real emotion behind it this time - and felt a cool breeze whisper across my face. "Good job, Emma!" She said, dancing away from me as I squeaked my eyes open again.

We stood on the landing just outside my apartment, half-moon circles dotting my palms as I slowly relaxed my fists.

"Okay, now when I'm ready to return to the Underworld, I'll text you from this number," she said, fishing around in her pockets for a business card, handing it to me.

"Persephone, the goddess of spring, has a cellphone."

"I know, it's wild, right? Enjoy your time with your family, and you know where I'll be if you need me." She spun around, walking down the staircase and I followed, checking my mailbox. Bills, bills and, surprise to no one, more bills.

Perfect.

I wasn't exactly poor, but I hadn't had a solid job in over four years, and whatever savings I had before I got tangled up in the gods' mess was now scant.

Asking Hades for help, though I knew he'd give it, wasn't an option, either, because I'll never live it down. I'd owe him forever. But I was his soulmate, and it was better than not having electricity or running water...

I jumped when my phone buzzed, letting me know that I had a text from my bank. It was a balance notification, which informed me that a deposit had recently been made in the amount of $5,000.

Oh, no he didn't.

I did. You're welcome.

Hades, I can't ask you to save my butt every time I'm in financial trouble. I'm a big girl, and I eventually have to act like it.

What's mine is yours, etcetera.

How do you have access to my bank information in the first place?

Do you honestly want to know the answer to that question? How do I know which financial institution your car payment is through, how many times per week you shop at Whole Foods, or where your parents and siblings live?

I ground my teeth together, knowing the answer and hating him for it at the same time. You had me followed.

Yes, I did. And before you start throwing things around in retaliation, let me remind you that you've been nearly killed three times and literally murdered once. It's for your protection.

Tell them to back off this trip.

Emma...

I have Persephone with me here in the city. If I get into trouble, she'll be the first person I run to, alright? I can't stand the thought of you knowing everything about me, and where I go. It's too personal. This trip is for me just as much as it is for Persephone, so don't interfere.

This goes against everything I believe.

But it won't kill you.

He was silent for a solid minute as I flipped some music on, starting to unload the dishwasher.

Be careful, please, for me.

I smiled and shimmied in time to the music, feeling a single, frustrated growl shudder through the bond.