Nether: Hidden Book Five

by Colleen Vanderlinden

  I carefully slid out from under Nain's body and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. I went out to the living room to check on Zoe. Kurt and Courtney were stationed right where we'd told them to be: next to Zoe's crib.

  "Good demon dogs," I murmured, and they both thumped their tails on the floor a few times in response. Zoe was sleeping soundly, and the last thing I wanted to do was wake her up.

  There was a light tap on our door, and I checked the peephole. E was standing on the other side, and I opened the door for her. She was dressed in pajamas as well, her normally sleek hair tousled as if she'd been trying to sleep.

  "You can't sleep either, devil girl?" she asked quietly, and I nodded.

  "I have hot chocolate," I said.

  "Why do you think I came up here?" she asked with a smile.

  I waved her into our apartment and we went to the kitchen, where I quietly made two cups of hot cocoa, E's with plenty of marshmallows, mine with none. I set the mugs on the kitchen table, and we both sat in silence for a few minutes, blowing on the cocoa and tentatively tasting it.

  "It's always either too hot or too cool," I said.

  "One of the trials of modern life," she said with a wry smile. "Have you heard from our vamp friend? How's Zero?"

  I could have kissed E just then. The last thing I wanted to talk about was Hyperion and the parade, and she knew it. I grabbed a package of Oreo cookies from the counter, ripped them open and set them in the middle of the table. As I'd known she would, E snagged three immediately. "I called her yesterday in between baby crying fits," I said.

  "Your crying fits, or theirs?" E asked with a smirk.

  "Both, smartass," I answered, and she laughed. I joined her. "Anyway. She said he's adjusting really well, and I guess Rayna and Ronan are both impressed with how well he's controlling himself. She said they're mostly just kind of staying in their rooms while he adjusts to his new senses, but he's already itching to get out and hunt things at vampire strength."

  E laughed. "He is perfect for her. Shanti has already done a lot toward securing Rayna's kingdom for her. With both of them at her side, I don't foresee many problems for our vampire queen."

  I nodded. "Which is good for us. The fewer crazed vampires we have to deal with, the better."

  "Don't worry. There will be some other nuisances who will rise and take their place. You'll never be bored," she added, and I got a sense from her, almost like longing. I studied my friend.

  E was one of the people I was most grateful to have in my life. Not just because she was a huge help in every way, but because she was honest and straightforward, and she saw through my bullshit almost as well as Nain did. She'd seen me at my worst, and she'd never been fazed by it. She was the sister I'd never had.

  And she was at odds with herself. I could feel that, every time she was around. Not about her role in our team and family. She enjoyed that. It was bigger than that.

  "Have you been to the Netherwoods yet?" I asked her.

  She nodded. "It's the same as the old one, and not. It's weaker than the old one. I'm guessing because the new Nether is missing Nether herself. There is no Tartarus, obviously. The place where they keep the souls for punishment is just called the Pit now. The souls and the demons who get captured for crimes all mingle there."

  "How is it guarded?"

  "Demons, mostly. And some of your mother's and your aunt's power as well."

  I nodded. We drank our cocoa for a bit.

  "You fear it," E said, taking a bite of her last cookie.

  "I know it's stupid. I still have nightmares about being trapped in the old Nether. Both in my grave and out of it. I just can't make myself go in and relive all that just now. I know my parents are there, and Zoe's there almost every day with them… I just don't want to face it right now."

  "Fear definitely has nothing to do with logic, does it?" she asked with a small smile. "You do remember that it was Nether herself who was trying to keep you there, yes? And when she couldn't do that, she just gave up and transferred the rest of her energy into your soul."

  "Logically, I know that," I said. "Like I said, I know it's stupid. Do you like it there?"

  "It does comfort me, to be there. And in some ways, it makes me angry. But mostly, it reminds me of a time when I knew what my life was meant to look like." She was looking into her cup, swirling the last bits of marshmallow around in the chocolate.

  "Would you be happier making your home there? You know my parents would be thrilled to have you in their household."

  "Trying to get rid of me, my friend?" she asked with a smile.

  I put my hand over hers. "Never, E. It doesn't take a genius to see that you're restless and frustrated here."

  "It's just hitting me, I suppose. When my sisters betrayed your family, I was mostly angry. And then I was busy figuring out how to live in this world, and it was exciting being part of the team, having friends. Life is never monotonous with you, devil girl."

  "I could take a bit of boring."

  She let out a small laugh, like the tinkling of bells. "I'm with you there. But more than that, I suppose I am finally realizing that being the last of my kind, being obsolete… it wears on me. I feel at odds with myself and everything around me. As I've watched you grow into the woman you were obviously meant to be, it's left me wondering what this life has in store for me." Then she brightened. "Let's stop talking about that, though. I have discovered a television show about superheroes!"

  And then she proceeded to tell me all about the old Heroes TV show, and I let myself relax and talk about things that were not about life and death for a little while.

  Chapter Twelve

  I stood outside the Netherwoods, holding Zoe, waiting for my mom to come out and pick her up. I looked through the black branches, recalling my conversation with E the night before. All the logic in the world wasn't enough against the way my stomach twisted and the way my hands started sweating at even the thought of setting foot in there. The amethyst sky that I'd once found so beautiful haunted me now. Same for the black trees, let alone all that stone.

  I bounced Zoe just a little, and I focused for a moment on the armband around my biceps. The stone in it was made of Nether stone, and I could still feel the angry souls imprisoned in it. I'd stopped wearing it for a while, but I was realizing once again that I'd need as much power as I could get to deal with Hyperion and Nether.

  Nether. Had she really spilled everything to Hyperion? It was the only thing that made sense, yet I had a hard time picturing her sitting there gossiping happily with the golden asshole.

  Zoe started getting fussy, so I rocked her in my arms, starting singing. I didn't really know any lullabies, so I ended up singing an old Smashing Pumpkins song. She didn't seem to mind the fact that I was utterly clueless.

  I felt a presence nearby, and looked up to see my mom emerging from the Netherwoods, dressed as usual in the black uniform of the Furies.

  "Are you working today?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

  "I'm taking a break to give this little darling my undivided attention. Megaera has some rage issues to work off, so she's handling it today."

  I nodded. My family is insane. This is where I get it from. We talk about punishing souls as if it's just another day at the office, because it is.

  "Thanks for watching her so much. I hope things settle down soon," I said, placing Zoe in my mom's arms.

  "You are needed. It is a pleasure to spend time with her. And she likes us!" she said, smiling. "So few are genuinely pleased to spend time around our kind."

  I nodded.

  She looked up at me, reached out and took my hand as she cradled Zoe in her other arm. "I am proud of you, Mollis. Don't let what happened yesterday get to you."

  "Things are a mess."

  "You can't control everything. This has been a danger since the moment you allowed the world to see what you are."

  "Is Dad still pissed about Nether?" I shook my head. "What do you thi
nk of that whole thing? Do you still think I'm too soft?"

  "I think Nether told him. I believe you were right about that. But I don't know that you could have done anything differently with Nether. We don't know how her mind works, Mollis." She'd mostly stopped with the "you're being weak about Nether" speeches, seeming to get that it wasn't helping. My dad was another story, and I didn't doubt that this had only affirmed what he'd been saying. And I didn't disagree with him about that.

  "Don't you think it was weird that she didn't show up yesterday? I mean, she showed up when Hyperion attacked me and Dad before. Why not now?"

  Tisiphone shrugged, a concerned look on her face. "Well. If they were working together, it's possible that they had it worked out so only he would be there. Hyperion has always craved attention."

  "I'm going to kill him, mom. I promise."

  She gave a small smile. "I don't doubt you, my love."

  I nodded, then bent and kissed Zoe's forehead, then hugged my mom.

  Next stop: check in with Heph and his family, then stop in and see Jamie.

  When I arrived at Heph's house on the West Side, it looked almost unrecognizable. In the time he'd lived there alone, Heph's old brick bungalow had had a ramshackle, run-down look. It was ironic, really, that our repair genius had lived in the most run-down of all of our houses, but he'd always been too busy with his own projects and the team to put any time into the house and lots he'd claimed as his own. As I walked up the front walk, Meaghan's hand was evident. The shutters, which had once hung askew, or been missing entirely, were painted a deep green and now hung straight. The front door was a vibrant red, and the porch, which had been on the verge of collapse, was now fixed and sturdy. Two large planters with small boxwood topiaries flanked the front steps, and a bittersweet wreath adorned the door. Behind the house, I could see two large, almost commercial-sized, greenhouses. I smiled to myself. Heph had mentioned the greenhouses, how he'd wanted to ensure that Meaghan could grow her plants even in the dead of winter. And he'd gone on and on about solar-powered heaters and a worm composter he'd built and he'd eventually lost me.

  But his joy in making things for the woman he'd fallen hard for had been evident. Every time my friend talked about Meaghan, his face lit up and an irrepressible smile formed on his lips. And, to my delight, Meaghan was the same way about Heph.

  My friends were disgustingly happy together, and I was determined to see them stay that way.

  I knocked on the front door, and felt Gaia's power swirling nearby. A moment later, she pulled the front door open and ushered me inside.

  "Meaghan just went to rest. Sick as a dog," she said, shaking her head.

  "Can you do anything for her?"

  "Asclepias was here. He brewed her one of his teas and sent her to bed. And her moron of a mate keeps hovering over her and she needs to rest," she finished.

  "He's worried about her. Give Heph a break," I said, sitting on the sofa. The interior of the house, too, was a vast improvement. The walls were freshly painted, the wood floors gleamed, and the house was now furnished with comfortable furniture, both new pieces and items that looked a little worn and well-loved, which were probably from Meaghan's old house. There were still many of Heph's projects lying around, and the windowsills overflowed with lush plants, but now there was some order to the chaos.

  "How are you liking it here?" I asked, hoping she would say everything was dandy so I wouldn't have to relocate her.

  "Don't even think of moving me, Fury," she snapped. "I like it here just fine, and there's never been a girl alive who needed some mothering more than that one," she said, pointing up the stairs. "I'm staying right here, unless you want another irritated Titan on your hands."

  I hid a grin. "If you insist," I said.

  "I do. No upstart Olympian is going to separate me from my girls. Persephone and Demeter are here all the time. We spend almost all day in the greenhouses," she paused. "He's an idiot, but he did manage to make nice places to allow for the Earth-witch to garden."

  I nodded, not wanting to point out that Heph was far from an idiot. It seemed like he'd ended up with the mother-in-law figure from hell. I'd have to apologize. Sensing for the Titan, though, it became clear that despite her words, she actually liked and respected Hephaestus.

  Well, she had good taste. And she was devoted to protecting Meaghan and her child. All points in her favor. I took a breath, feeling some of the tension leave my body.

  "Hyperion has always been one for dramatics," she said, watching me. "I should have seen something like that coming. He seems to know a lot about you, Fury."

  I nodded. "He does."

  "How?"

  "I have my suspicions," I answered.

  She was watching me, those bright blue eyes not missing a thing. "Nether."

  "I think so. She's the only one who knew a lot of the things he said. That, or I have another enemy out there."

  "I doubt it. You've killed just about everyone who has been a danger to you."

  I sensed for her. She was calm, but tense. "And what do you think of that?" I asked quietly, not even knowing why I cared what she thought. She didn't know me.

  "I think some don't deserve the life Nyx gave them," she said slowly. "You are doing what your line does. I'm not a fan of Hades, necessarily, and I could never live the way he and your mother and aunt do, but I recognize that they serve an important role. I am not sitting in judgment of you, Fury."

  I smiled. "Well, you'd be the first, Gaia."

  She let out a soft chuckle. "I am too old to care. One thing I know is that none of us truly knows the mind or heart of another. We can fool ourselves, let ourselves believe that we know better. The truth of the matter is that none of us, barring maybe your father, knows what is in another's heart. It would be so easy to believe you a power-hungry menace. And maybe you are," she shrugged. "But you have given me no reason to believe that. I have no issue with you, Mollis," she said. "Unless you decide to try to move me out of Meaghan's home. Then we may have a problem."

  "Understood," I said. "As long as she and Heph still want you here."

  "Of course they do. My presence is a blessing and protection all its own. A gift, truly."

  "I need some of your self-confidence, Gaia," I said, standing up.

  "Live a few thousand more years. You'll get there," she said sweetly. I shook my head and opened the front door, told her I'd check in on Meaghan another time. I focused on the building downtown where the federal office for supernatural affairs was located. Time to go see Jamie.

  I'd been in Brennan's office once or twice, so it was easy to rematerialize there. Jamie was his assistant, so she actually spent more time in the office than Bren did. He was usually out on calls or in meetings. When I rematerialized, Jamie was sitting in the chair behind the desk, dressed in the typical dark suit everyone in the department wore. She jumped a little, but relaxed when she saw it was me.

  "Hey. Sorry I startled you. I didn't want anyone else to see me," I said.

  "No problem," she said, smiling and gesturing to one of the other chairs. "Take a load off. What can I do for you?"

  I sat, then took a look around Brennan's office. There were framed photos of Sean on the desk, amid all the other papers and folders.

  "His desk is almost as messy as mine," I said.

  "Messy desk is the sign of an active mind. At least, my dad always said so," she said, smiling a little.

  "Your dad was a smart man," I said, and she nodded in agreement.

  "I miss him."

  "I don't doubt it. I'm sorry."

  "You have nothing to apologize for," she said. I bowed my head. Jamie was one of those people who, for whatever reason, had a really high opinion of me. I didn't understand why, and I fully expected it to turn to hatred after her father was killed fighting assholes from my home realm.

  "Being affiliated with me is not exactly being regarded kindly these days," I said slowly.

  She was silent for a moment. "No. But
it never was, really. I mean, my dad allied himself with you, but he knew that it could come back to bite him in the ass. The thing was, he really didn't care. He believed in what you were doing."

  "And you?" I asked, meeting her eyes.

  She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "I believe in you even more than he did. I'm not going anywhere. And if people get pissed at me for being one of yours, they can fuck right off. I have family members alive today because of you."

  "You have family members dead, too," I said.

  "No. I have family members dead because of murderous gods who didn't have the guts or honor to fight my father face to face. You avenged him, and I will never, ever forget that."

  I nodded, touched by her words. My eyes settled on the desk, and there was a manila file with my name on the tab. Or, not my name. "The Angel."

  "Is that my file?" I asked.

  She glanced at it. "Yeah."

  "The one Brennan was keeping on me?" I asked, and she nodded again.

  "If you want to look at it, go ahead. It's about you, after all," she said, closing the document she'd been working on. "Just don't tell anyone I let you do that shit."

  "Thanks," I murmured.

  I picked up the thin file and steeled myself, expecting to find everything from what color underwear I wore to my favorite sex positions, since he knew many of them. I flipped it open. The top piece of paper was a color photograph of me. Old-time me, before the glowing eyes. It was probably from around the time Nain brought me into the team. Below the photograph, written in Brennan's handwriting, were my vitals. My age (approximate, he'd noted), height, weight, eye color, hair color. In the section labelled "powers" he'd written "telepathy, super strength, fire." Name: Molly; surname, unknown.