Chapter Three:

"Pass the pepper, please."

Hades stood, laying his book down on the dining table as he grabbed the canister, passing it to me. "You've been dodging my questions all afternoon, Emma."

"No," I said, pointing the ladle at him. "I have nothing to say in response, which is different than avoiding the topic."

We both glanced across the living room towards a still-smoking pile of ashes and he sighed heavily, pouring himself a glass of wine.

"If I hadn't decided to stop by your place at just the right moment, that could be you."

I yanked plates from the cupboard, slamming the doors shut for good measure. "What do you want, huh? An apology? I'm sorry, Hades, for trying to protect myself, but I'm grateful that you saved my life. Oh yeah, and dinner is ready."

"Please be more careful in the future. That Fury came for you because you still refuse to acknowledge the spirit world, something I've told you, again and again, would happen and you didn't believe me. This is the consequence."

"I just want to live my life, have a couple of decent friends, go to a museum without becoming part of the history, and maybe even get a boyfriend who I won't have to hide things from. You know, normal stuff. Is that too much to ask?"

"You've never been normal, Emma, not from the stories your Grandma has told about you. Don't start now."

"You know what I mean."

"I do," he said, taking his plate as I sat opposite him. "And I would love to tell you that all of that is possible, but I won't lie to you. Because of who you are and what you can do, nobody will ever understand you. Not like I do. I can help you if you'd let me."

"Oh, no, I know you want to, but I'm not going to let some nasty-ass spirits uproot my life here. This is all I know, and where my family lives. Abandoning them because I have issues with things they can't see isn't fair."

"So, what do you want me to do, then? You're the first person I've ever known who can communicate with the spirit world and bring plants back to life. But if you let the souls continue to use your energy like a rechargeable battery pack, you could be seriously hurt in the process. I'm asking you to trust me and trust that I have actual answers to this problem. But I can't keep coming to Portland. I have responsibilities in the Underworld."

I glared at him as he broke crackers into his soup, listening to the sound of the rain tapping against the living room windows and, very faintly, the moaning of several souls I knew waited in the parking lot, lined up like a firing squad.

"According to Grandma, you make deals. That's what you're known for, right?"

His lips twitched. "Among other things, yes."

"So, if I wanted to make one with you, how does that work?"

He set his spoon aside, folding his hands in front of him. "That depends. What do you propose?"

"I get that you want to help me, but if I let you barge into my life whenever it's convenient for you, it'll probably drive me insane. Which is why I need you to let me know when you want to come see me, in case I don't feel like company."

"You're making demands. I thought this was a negotiation."

"It still is, with conditions. Deep down, Hades, you know it makes the most sense."

"What about the proposition I made yesterday?"

"Apprenticing myself to Persephone? I doubt the Goddess of Spring wants an annoying human following her around everywhere."

"It was her idea."

Well, poop. "Fine, I'll consider it."

"If I were to agree to your deal, I want a promise from you in return."

Oh, gods. I know where this is headed. "Which is...?"

"That you'll open yourself up to the souls who need to move on, like I do."

"Like a death deity."

"Like an apprentice death deity," he corrected. "One who helps the souls I'm too busy to catch."

"You know why I don't want to do that."

"Do it, and I'll agree to your terms."

"All of them?"

He nodded.

Goodbye life, friends and potential Chris-Hemsworth-look-alike boyfriend.

"Fine." I took a deep breath, centered myself and addressed the nearest soul. "I'll agree to help you, but don't take my energy," I said, grimacing as he turned towards me, eyes pinning me to my chair with an intensity that took my breath away.

My tiny apartment was suddenly annoyingly busy as soul after soul appeared, forming a line that stretched the length of the living room and down the hallway into my bedroom. I sighed heavily, depositing my dishes in the sink as Bailey, my little Yorkie mix, skirted under the couch, trembling.

Hades smiled and dipped the spoon into his bowl again. "The soup is good, by the way."

"I hate you so much right now."

He met my frustrated gaze as he licked a drop of liquid from his lip. "I know, and I'm sorry. But this is for the best."

***

I grabbed the loofah, squirting some soap onto it as I massaged it around my shoulders and neck, Pandora blaring in the background as I tried to block out the sound of two men arguing outside the bathroom door.

"I need to talk to her!"

"Pal, I've been holding this line for an hour and a half. Move to the back. Go on now, before I hurt you."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were murdered in your sleep," the first man mumbled, and I heard mocking laughter in response.

"Close to it."

Ugh. "Alexa, read Pieces of Me," I said, waiting as the program found my book before leaning my forehead against the cold tile of the shower.

I may have promised Hades that I would help the souls, but that didn't include my bedroom or bathroom, and it sure as hell didn't mean that I wanted to be pestered twenty-four-seven by angry, irritated people who didn't understand the term 'personal space'. I almost threw my shields back up, but knew if I did that, I'd have an angry death god to deal with, and I'd already had enough of him to last me a lifetime.

"I just wanted to take a shower," I whispered, feeling tears prickling the corners of my eyes.

"Can I join you?"

"Oh my god, what the hell, man?" I jerked the water off, reaching blindly for my towel as I tried to avert my eyes from the naked man standing behind me. "Don't you have any clothes?"

"Nope," he said, mouth popping on the 'p'. I flattened myself against the wall. "I sleep in the nude and, well, now I'm dead."

"Yes, I can see that, but why are you here? Specifically, in my shower?"

"The spirits in the hall said that you'd be in here and, well, this is kind of time-sensitive."

"Didn't you see the line of people waiting to see me? I highly doubt they'll like either of us if you cut it."

"You need to be careful," he said, drawing lazily on the steamed-up glass. "Some of the people out there aren't around because they need your help."

"And you know this because...?"

"Oh, I listen. I'm actually a pretty nosy guy when I want to be."

"Well, thanks for the warning, but can I...?" I reached for the shower door and he stepped to the side. "Did you need me to send you somewhere, or resolve any issues?"

"Not now, thanks. I'm mostly just wasting time before I jump into my next body."

My hand squealed on the glass door as I spun around, facing him. "I'm sorry, but did you just say what I think you did?"

"Body jumping, eternal reincarnation, yup, that covers the basics."

"Does Hades know about you?"

"Yeah, Mr. Fiery-Pants and I have seen each other a few times over the centuries. Tell him I said 'hi'. The name is Kyle, by the way. Kyle Matthews. It's weird because I always end up named 'Kyle' unless I'm female, then it's 'Kylie'. Don't ask me how that's possible."

I stood there, blinking slowly back at him like a deer in headlights for several seconds as he shifted in place. "It's nice to meet you and all, but I think it's time for you to get out of my bathroom."

"Just think about what I said, yeah? About the souls? I know you're new to this whole process, but if you're not careful, they'll try to take advantage of you. Right. Well, see you."

He disappeared, and I felt strangely unhinged, right on the edge of either hysteria or deep, unrelenting denial. I voted for the latter, trying to decide if it was worth it to contact Hades and tell him about Kyle, or leave it be and hope that he found his way to wherever it is he needed to go.

In the end, the choice was simple. I had so much to do and little time to do it in. Last time I counted, there were fifteen souls to help and one snarky, wayward individual wasn't going to manipulate my alone time, dang it.

"Chapter Two: The Great Unknown."

"Alexa, stop reading."

***

"Kyle came to see you." Hades leaned back against the couch cushions as I slid a couple of books into my overnight bag.

"Yeah, he did, and I didn't tell you about it because I figured it wasn't worth mentioning."

"He usually comes straight to me when he's done with his current form, so I'm a little surprised that it didn't happen this time. He must like you."

"Hades, there's no way Furies can pretend to be new souls, right?"

"Why would you ask-oh, no, what happened?"

"Nothing yet. I was just thinking about something Kyle said."

He sighed, visibly relaxing. "No, they can't. You would know."

"And, are all the souls honest about why they're coming to see me?"

His eyes narrowed, taking in my bit lip, and the way I was nervously wrapping a piece of hair around my finger. "If you're asking if they're capable of lying, of course, they're human, just like you."

"And, suppose that they weren't Furies, but still wanted to hurt me. Is that possible, too?"

"Is it worth it to ask you, again, what happened? If nothing else than to stop this helpless feeling currently swirling through my gut? I'm not accustomed to it."

"You've never cared about someone else enough to worry about them?"

"I've never had to, except once when Persephone visited my father in Tartarus. But that was more than a millennium ago."

"Kyle said that not all souls find me because they need help. Is that true?"

"I think Kyle needs to watch what he tells you," Hades said, stroking Bailey's head in thought.

"So, he's right?"

"Does it matter?"

"Um, yeah," I said as he glanced up at me. "It's dishonest and insulting to think that the only reason they're bothering me is so they can, well, bother me. I'm not some side-show freak they can toy with. Yesterday, I had a little dead girl following me around the grocery store, and when I asked her what she wanted, she poofed into nothing and I haven't seen her since."

"Did she have red, curly hair?"

"Yes."

"That's Emily," he said, a smile lifting his lips as Bailey snuggled into his lap. "She came to me last night and I helped her move on."

"What the hell, Hades?"

"Persephone helps with the souls on occasion, but it's not good for her because she's the goddess of Spring, and the dead would drain her. The fact that you're another option for them is attractive."

"Well, apparently they don't trust me enough to let me help them."

"They don't know you. You've had your walls up for so long that it's going to take the spirit world a bit of time before they know that you're not going to block them out again. Just be patient. Are you ready to leave?"

I looped my arms through the bag, switching off the lights as I walked to the front door. "Yes, I am. Though, just so we're clear, one week of training in the Underworld and you'll bring me back afterward, right?"

"I gave you my word, Emma, and I won't break it."

"You're going to teach me how to handle the spirit world as I help Persephone with the re-growth...whatever that is, and when I pass everything with flying colors, you'll bring me back here."

"Absolutely."

I eyed him for a minute more. "I'm not a huge fan of tests, just so you know," I said as I locked the front door behind us, balancing Bailey's kennel in one hand as he took my bags from me. "And a week is not enough time to be as comfortable around the souls as you probably expect me to be."

He smiled. "Is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest, or can we leave?"

"No, no, I'm good. Where's your car?"

I scanned the parking lot as he rolled his eyes, hauling me up against his side. I fought for a second, but he squeezed my closer, stilling my motions. "Close your eyes."

"Why do I need to-"

"Just do it, please."

I let my eyelids droop, stifling a surprised screech a moment later when the world gave way under my feet, Hades catapulting us through space and time.