by Bree Despain
“I know you don’t remember your former life. I know you don’t know who you are—but I do.” I reach out and grab one of Shady’s leathery hands and step close to him so he can’t escape. I press the staff against his palm and wrap his gangly fingers around it. “Take your Kronolithe, Hades. Let me restore you to your realm.”
I let go of his hand and take a step back, leaving him standing in front of me with the staff clutched in his hand. He starts to say something, but then his whole body seizes. He shakes and trembles as a bright, ethereal light bursts out from the Key like it did when I first uncovered it in the grove. The light encircles his body, blinding him from my sight.
I lift my hand, shielding my eyes from the brightness. That’s why I don’t see the Keres that swoops down on top of me. Blackness wraps around me, encasing me in shadow. My body convulses, and I can feel the Keres trying to drain my life out of chest. I hear my friends screaming. I hear them shouting for me to sing so they can destroy the beast. But there is nothing I can do. I am paralyzed in its cocoon.
“ENOUGH!” A booming voice echoes through the ravine, and the Keres releases me.
I look up to see a large man towering over me. He must be at least seven feet tall. His long black hair flaps in the wind behind him and his face is lined with a black beard. He’s cloaked in an ebony robe and golden armor—and holds the Key of Hades in his large hand. It glows with a green light, pulsing with power.
He holds it aloft in his mighty grasp, pointing it at the swarming Keres. “Enough!” his voice booms once more. The Keres stop, pulling back into a large cloud-like mass. “Return to the Pits from whence you came,” he commands, sounding like a parent who has truly had enough from his petulant children. He slams the end of the staff against the ground—the sound of which echoes like a cannon blast through the ravine. Bright green rays of light shoot off the prongs of the bident, chasing the retreating Keres from the beach.
When the beasts are gone, the ravine falls completely silent. It’s so still that I almost jump when the man leans down and offers me his hand. I take it and he pulls me to my feet. Then he turns toward the ravine where the last remaining people of the Underrealm wait. They fall to their knees, Haden, Dax, and Ren included, paying homage to their god.
chapter fifty
haden
I fall to my knees, my fist shoved into the ground. I cannot believe my eyes.
“Uh . . . who’s that guy?” Tobin asks from where he stands behind me. “And why is everyone bowing?”
Tobin is one of the few people in the ravine still on his feet. The other citizens of my realm kneel before our god.
“Hades,” I say with reverence.
“For real?” Tobin says.
“For real.”
Tobin looks around and then awkwardly bows like he’s not sure if he’s supposed to or not.
I did not understand what Daphne was doing when she took the Key. For a moment, I thought she had decided to choose a path different than what she always wanted. Different from what I chose when I refused to take the Key for myself.
Hades approaches, leading Daphne by the hand.
“You have all fought bravely,” Hades says, addressing his people. His voice echoes ethereally around him. “You were all willing to sacrifice yourselves to save this realm even though I have been forced to watch from afar the atrocities the Underlords have put you through since I was taken from your presence. For your courage, I grant you all release from this realm. You are welcome to leave and live out normal mortal lives, or if you choose to stay and help me rebuild this world, you may live in my palace with me as equals. The choice is yours. Your destinies are in all of your own hands.” A murmur filters through the women and the servants in the group. Hades turns to Daphne, who stands at his side. “That offer stands for you as well, Kore. This realm needs someone like you. Someone who embodies compassion and determination. I need someone who can help me care for the dead.”
Daphne looks up at Hades. She clasps her fingers around the pomegranate pendant that sits above her heart. She truly would make a prefect queen of the dead. I hold my breath waiting for her answer. Perhaps she still will choose a different path than the one I chose for myself.
A different destiny than me.
“You do need someone,” Daphne says. “But that someone isn’t me. You need the real Kore. The real Persephone.” She pulls the pomegranate necklace from around her neck and places it in Hades’s hand that he holds out to her. “You need her the way I need someone else. I’ve fulfilled my destiny by restoring you—and as you said, the rest of our futures are in our own hands, and I know where mine belongs.”
She leaves Hades and stands beside me. She holds out her hand and smiles in a way that makes me unable to breathe for a whole different reason. I stand and take her outstretched hand, entwining my fingers with hers.
“Are you certain?” Hades asks. There’s a loneliness that clings to his words. “You can be my queen without being my bride. We are . . . friends . . . And Persephone is lost . . .”
“I promised you we would find her and return her to you. I believe she is still out there, somewhere, and I intend to keep looking for her until I keep that promise.” Daphne looks up at me with a question in her eyes. I nod, confirming that I will help her in her search. “But for now, I just want to go home.”
“Very well,” Hades says, pocketing the pomegranate necklace. He looks over his shoulder out of the ravine. “I must go,” he says. “The Keres must be locked away, and there is much work to be done.”
I am about to question him as to why he wants to lock away the Keres again rather than destroy them, but then I realize the audacity of questioning my god’s decisions. I suppose since the Keres were his first creation, his first children, he would not take the idea of destroying them lightly.
Hades looks out over the refugees. “If you are choosing to stay, then follow me now and I will transport you to the palace.”
More people than I expect stand and follow him. Even Link’s mother with her two boys. She must see the question on my face because she says, “This is my boys’ world. This is where we belong.” Link hugs both Daphne and me around the knees at the same time. “Do you think I’ll get to be a real Underlord now?” he asks.
I nod. “I think so. But will you look after the owls for me? They’ll need a lot of care to rebuild their nests.”
Link smiles and runs off to join his mother and the others who follow Hades. My father clasps my shoulder and then joins the group as well. He fought so bravely, with no regard for his own personal safety, and then humbled himself by offering me the Key. I know now that even though he made mistakes and was a terrible father, deep down he has always wanted the best for the Underrealm. I believe he can become a good man under Hades’s guidance. He will be useful in rebuilding this realm.
Jonathan approaches Daphne. Ethan walks at his side. “I am staying as well,” he says. “Psyche’s soul is here. I can’t bear leaving her behind again. I’m going to follow her to Elysium.”
“Jonathan?” Daphne asks, tears prickling in her eyes. “You can’t.”
“I can,” he says. “I’ve lived a long life. Longer than most. It’s time to pass my mantle to someone else.”
Jonathan holds his bow out to Ethan.
“Father?”
“Do well with it,” Jonathan says. “The realms have been without Eros for far too long. They could use a lot more love.”
Ethan hugs his father and then accepts the bow. A golden light swirls around him and then a moment later, Ethan sprouts wings.
“That’s an nice look on you, Ethan Bowman,” Jessica says a little too enthusiastically, and then catches herself. “I mean, Captain Bowman.”
Ethan gives her a quick smile and flaps his new wings.
“I will leave the gate open,” Hades calls from the edge of the ravine. “You and the others are free to come and go as you please. I intend to hold you to your word, Daphne of Olympus Hills.�
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Daphne nods, and then Hades and his followers vanish from the ravine.
Only a dozen women and a couple of children remain with us—preparing to enter the mortal realm through Persephone’s Gate—but they are still more than I know what to do with.
“What are we going to do with them?” I ask Daphne.
She shakes her head.
“I have an idea,” Tobin says. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
Daphne squeezes my hand. “Let’s go home.”
“Yes,” I say. “Home.”
chapter fifty-one
tobin
My mother is more than surprised when I show up at our doorstep with a dozen Underrealm refugees.
The rest of town has been evacuated, but I find her sitting on our porch. Her clothes are rumpled and her hair is a mess, and she looks like she hasn’t slept in days.
“Tobin?” she says, blinking at me in disbelief. “Tobin, what happened to you?”
“A lot of things. First I was in a boat wreck, then I was a prisoner, and then I was bait, then I very briefly became immortal . . . It’s kind of a long story.”
She stands. “And Abbie is back too?” she says, taking in the sight of her daughter behind me where she stands with Dax.
“Don’t worry,” Abbie says. “I won’t be moving back in.”
“Wha . . . Where will you go?”
“With my fiancé,” Abbie says.
“With Ethan?” I ask, remembering the two are betrothed.
“No,” Abbie says. “With Dax. We had a lot of time to talk in the Skylord prison, and we decided we’re both still quite fond of each other. We’re getting married as soon as possible.”
“Kalash!” Haden says and claps a beaming Dax on the shoulder.
I narrow my eyes at Dax and hold my fists up like I want to punch him. “I just got my sister back and you’re already taking her away from me?”
Dax’s smile falters. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think of it that way . . . And we’re not leaving town . . . I mean Haden still needs a guide to this world and the school needs its Mr. Drol . . . I swear I’m not stealing her from you . . .”
“Relax,” Abbie says. “Tobin’s messing with you. His ears get all hot when he’s trying to pull a fast one.”
“They do not,” I say, rubbing my burning ear.
“Who are all of these people?” Mom asks, speaking as if in some sort of daze as she takes in the sights of the Underrealm women and children.
“They’re the ones who will be moving in,” Abbie says.
“Or at least into town,” I add. “They’re refugees from the Underrealm, and you’re going to find places for them to stay until you can help them get back on their feet or reconnect with their families. I imagine there are some empty dorms at the school, and I am sure you have enough political pull to get them jobs. It’s the least you can do after being complicit in handing over some of them to the Underrealm.”
Mom takes a step back. “You know?”
“Yes, I know. I’ve known for three months.”
“You have to know, Tobin. I did this for you,” she says frantically. “For you and your brother, Sage . . .”
My ears burn hot again but not because I’m lying, I’m angry. “No you didn’t, Mom. You did what you did for you. Don’t you dare try to make me feel guilty or responsible for your actions. The blame is yours and yours alone.”
It feels so good to finally say all this. I’d had to hide my knowledge of her involvement in the Underrealm’s plot to steal away young women for so long it had practically made me crazy with anger. Having to sit in the house and share a table with her and pretend to be none the wiser of her evil ways had been nearly impossible. Letting her make me feel like she made all of her choices because of me and my brother made me feel sick. Well, I wasn’t having any of that anymore.
“You’re taking these people in, and you’re going to make things right with them, with me, and with Abbie. If you ever want to see me again, that is.” I look back at Dax and Abbie. My sister smiles at me with pride. “Um, can I live with you guys in the meantime?” I feel like the biggest cock-blocker in the world asking to live with a soon-to-be-married couple, but the idea of sharing the same roof with my mother is one I can’t even fathom at the moment.
The couple nod their heads and then I turn back to my mother. “So what’s it going to be?” I ask.
“Yes,” she stammers. “I’ll do it.”
We leave my mother to sort out arrangements for the refugees and then go with Daphne to the hospital to check on Joe. We’re all anxious to see how he’s doing. The doctors say we can’t go in yet because Joe is still in surgery. We join Crux in the waiting room. He looks so strange, a big hulking man dressed in bronze armor, sitting in a too-small chair with a tiny cup of coffee.
“My brother?” he asks, standing when he sees us.
Daphne shakes her head. “Aris died in the battle,” she says.
Crux bows his head. “He died with honor then. That is what matters.”
After a while Crux, Ethan, and Jessica take their leave in order to go smooth things over in the Skyrealm. I wonder how the Sky King will take the news about Hades’s return. Daphne begins to pace the room, and her anxiety over Joe is infectious. I start bouncing my knee and playing with the brim of my fedora. I can’t believe this thing has traveled to hell and back and is still mostly intact. I can’t believe the same about myself.
“Tobin?” says a gasping voice from the doorway. A thrill runs up my spine and my cheeks blush hot. I’d know that voice anywhere. I place my hat back on my head and look up as Lexie practically flies in my direction. I am barely standing when she throws herself into my arms. At first I am so shocked, I am not sure how to respond. Then I remember what a hero is supposed to do—I dip Lexie in my arms and kiss her.
And she kisses me back.
“Way to go, little bro,” Dax says and then whistles. “Snagging the most popular girl in school!”
The others clap and cheer until I’m sufficiently embarrassed. I pull away from Lexie. She almost looks a little sheepish—which is a super weird expression on Lexie Simmons—and then she pecks my cheek with her lips. “Welcome home,” she whispers.
“I can’t believe you’re back,” Daphne’s mother says from the doorway. Daphne stops pacing and runs to her.
Demi embraces Daphne. “I am so glad you’re okay, little sprout. We turned back as soon as the hospital called. How’s Joe?”
Daphne shakes her head that is still buried in her mother’s shoulder. “I don’t know. He was still in surgery when we got here.”
A small knock sounds on the open door to the waiting room. Daphne looks up. A nurse with a clipboard asks her to come with her. Daphne holds her hand out to Haden and the two leave us behind, holding our collective breath.
chapter fifty-two
daphne
The nurse leads us to a small recovery room. “You can have a few minutes with your father now,” she says, pushing the door open. “I must warn you, he’s been through quite the ordeal and he’s still pretty groggy. He keeps going on about fighting angels of death in the underworld or something like that.”
“Huh, weird,” I say and feign a shrug.
She leaves, and I find myself standing outside the door until Haden squeezes my hand. “I’ll wait out here and give you some time alone with him,” he says. I nod and finally enter the room.
I find Joe lying in a hospital bed. His head is bandaged and his face is black and blue, but he still manages to smile at me.
“‘Ello, Daphne. Is it morning already?” he says, reminding me of the first day we’d spent together after I’d come to live with him. Though he hadn’t been so enthused then to be woken up. His British accent is especially thick in his groggy state.
“It’s afternoon already,” I say, echoing what I said then. My voice catches and tears fill my eyes. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you in one piece!”
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nbsp; “Well, not exactly one piece,” he says, lifting his bandaged arm and I realize the doctor had been dead serious when he said he didn’t think they would be able to save his hand. “Say ’ello to Stumpy!” Joe says far too cheerily as he holds out his handless arm as if he wants me to shake it.
“Hello, Stumpy,” I say, but refrain from touching his bandage. The tears only come harder now. “That’s your strumming hand,” I say, thinking of how my father the great musician will never be able to play guitar again. Or the grand piano in his studio. Or any of the instruments that he prides himself on.
“Don’t fret,” he says. “Heheh. Get it? Fret. Like a guitar fret?”
I playfully roll my tear-filled eyes. Even the Joe Vince isn’t immune to dad jokes—but it does make me crack a small smile.
“Maybe they’ll give me a hook and I can get an eye patch and change up my whole act. Arrg, the band’ll be Joe Vince and the Pirates!” he says in a terrible pirate accent.
I give a little laugh. This seems to make him happy.
“Seeing you here, smiling, means the sacrifice was worth it,” he says.
“I love you,” I say and rest my head on his chest.
He strokes my hair with his good—I mean, only—hand. “I love you too, Daph.” After a minute he yawns and his eyes grow sleepy. “Now what are you doing hanging around here for? You should be out celebrating your victory!” He sits up a little bit. “Wait, we won, right?”
“Yes, we won.”
“Then get out of here,” he insists. “Go party. Go celebrate. Let this old pirate rest and come see me tomorrow. You can give me the play-by-play then.”
“Okay,” I say. I give him a kiss on the cheek and rejoin Haden in the hallway.
“Are you okay?” Haden asks, giving me a mournful smile. I nod and then fold myself into his outstretched arms and let him hold me. We survived. Joe is going to be okay. And the world is safe. I let the shock of it all wash through me until I can smile again.
