Nether: Hidden Book Five

by Colleen Vanderlinden

  "You can't control the things that happened after I gave birth to you, Mollis," she said, reading my thoughts. "Neither of us would take it back. Even now, with him gone…" Her voice broke, and she took a moment to calm herself. "Even now, I wouldn't trade the time I've had with you, the time he had with you, for anything. We love you. And the woman you've become honors us. He loved that his daughter was so feared."

  I laughed a little.

  "And I've always loved that my daughter is respected," she added. "Sleep now. Tomorrow will be long and terrible."

  I spent the day with my mom and Persephone, mostly in silence. Persephone looked just as lost as my mother, and they mostly sat holding each other's hands and staring off into nothingness.

  It made me want my husband by my side.

  As it got closer to time for the funeral, there was more activity in the castle. Demons started preparing the large hall, setting out food and wine. I asked Persephone where it all came from, expecting something magical, and she said, "Grocery stores." I just let it go, because really, what more could you say about that?

  I left my mother and Persephone and went into a separate room. Demons had set out a fresh set of clothing, the typical uniform of the Furies. I knew I'd be wearing it a lot more often. I would judge the dead, and sometimes I'd punish them, too.

  But I would use Hades' ability in my own way, as well.

  I pulled on the form-fitting black pants, the knee-high black leather boots, the long-sleeved tunic with its built-in corset. I grimaced as I tightened the laces. The corset was more than a fashion statement (though I did have to admit it looked kind of amazing). It was reinforced with metallic black chainmail, protecting the gut, since that was one of our more vulnerable areas. Really, I wished I'd been wearing something like it the several times I'd been shot or stabbed in the stomach over the years. Self-healing is great, but if you can prevent the injury in the first place, even better.

  I braided my hair in a long rope over my shoulder, the same way my aunt and mother always did. I straightened any errant wing feathers.

  I looked at the dresser, where whoever had set out my clothing had placed the black circlet my father had worn when he was working in his throne room. It was simple, all black stone that dipped down into a point in the center of the forehead. I picked it up with a deep sigh and placed it on my head.

  It was heavier than it looked.

  I stared down at my hands, which were still shaking a little. Too much emotion since Hades had fallen. And too much time away from my mate, when I needed the comfort he could give me. The hematite band on my left hand gleamed, as did the silver and hematite invisibility ring on the other hand. The wing necklace my parents had given me hung at my throat, and I ran my fingertips over it, remembering the surprise birthday party they'd helped put together.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  "My lady?" a demon asked.

  "Yes?"

  "It is time."

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and headed out, nodding to the demon as I did. I could feel the presence of many, many beings. Immortals and mortals. I walked out into the courtyard where my father had died. Rows of chairs were set up there, inhabited by my friends and family. The stars in the amethyst sky seemed almost obscenely bright, and my father's body on its stone slab was situated at the front. My mother and aunt and Persephone sat in the front row. I saw Nain and Zoe sitting with Brennan and Sean and E, and I went to them. Nain handed Zoe to E, stood up, and I went into his arms. He held me tight.

  "Missed you," I managed, because fuck it all, I'd started crying again.

  "Same," he said. "I love you." He leaned down, still holding me tight, and nuzzled the side of my neck.

  "Love you more."

  "You keep saying that. It isn't possible to love someone more than I love you," he said, standing up straight and meeting my eyes.

  "I'm so grateful we got a second chance, Bael," I said, thinking of my mother's grief, and how she wouldn't get one.

  He took my chin in his hand, his fingers gently caressing my jawline. So gentle, only for me. "We're going to make good use of it," he promised me, and I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me again, then released me reluctantly. I took Zoe from E, kissed her forehead and nuzzled her soft skin. She'd been fussy for E and Nain, and she settled in my arms.

  "How the hell do you do that?" Nain asked, and I smiled down at Zoe. She seemed more peaceful than she normally did, even in my arms. I looked up at the sky, then sensed for Zoe again. She felt safe and relaxed. Calm.

  Interesting.

  "I'll hold her. I need to try to hold it together here, and she helps," I told Nain, and he nodded, then ran his hand up and down my back. I nodded to Brennan and Artemis, then headed toward the front of the assembly. I was about to sit next to my mother, but she shook her head. I looked at her dumbly.

  She gestured to the left, at the front of the seats, off to the side of where my father's body was.

  I looked that way and saw a dais there with a simple ebony stone throne upon it.

  I shook my head fervently, and she gave me a steely glare.

  Do this, Mollis. You are the Lady of the Dead. Honor your father by taking your place.

  I gritted my teeth. For today, I'd do this. Thrones are not my thing. Never have been, never will be.

  I took Zoe up to the dais, ignoring all of the bowing. I settled myself onto the cold, hard seat, and nestled Zoe close to me.

  Once I was seated, it began. Gaia rose, and she talked. Mostly, she ran through a series of Hades' deeds: battles he'd won, opponents he'd defeated. She included my birth in his list of great achievements, and I wanted to disappear. She recounted the high points of his long existence, and ended with her own thoughts on Hades.

  "He was a phenomenal blowhard, but I respected him," she said, and then she sat down to muffled laughter from many of the assembled immortals.

  Others got up to speak. Hephaestus talked mostly about how Hades' existence had not been an easy one, that what he'd done was mostly a thankless, but entirely necessary, job.

  His dark gaze flitted to me. "He did the thing none of us were able to. He judged the dead, and ensured, along with his wife and her sister, and, later, his daughter, that those who had harmed others would pay in full for their crimes. He gave no escape to evil. If he was cold, if he was impatient, I understand now, better than ever, why that was. And now, his daughter, one of my best friends, shoulders that burden." He broke his gaze with me, let it settle on various members of the audience. "I appreciate what she gives up to take up her father's mantle. She deserves the respect, fealty, and assistance of everyone gathered here, whether you consider yourself Aether or Nether or mortal or whatever. I don't care. And it no longer matters, does it? Here we are, all jumbled together. I know I'd like to see us all continue to work together under Mollis Eth-Hades' leadership." He paused. "It's what he would have wanted." He glanced at me again, then stepped down.

  Others spoke. Megaera, on behalf of the Furies, since my mother could not be expected to speak. Asclepias, Athena, and Poseidon, who, to my shock, had left his oceans to attend Hades' funeral. He had only good words for Hades, and was genuinely sad over his death.

  Gaia got up and gestured to me, and I was about to shake my head, but then I stopped.

  I stood up, trying not to freak out over all of the beings watching me.

  "I don't have a lot to say right now. My heart is broken over the loss of a father I feel like I barely had a chance to know. In the time I had with him, he was coarse, rude, bossy, and irritating." I smiled, happy to see my mom give a little laugh. "He was also so much stronger than I realized. Physically imposing, with power that dwarfed nearly everything around him. But emotionally strong, too. I live now with his abilities, and I am awed that he lived with it for thousands of years without ending up completely mad. If he was coarse and irritating, I understand why. And yet, when I needed my father to be understanding, when I needed him to be supportive,
he tried to be. He was able to set aside the constant barrage of vileness that comes with being Lord of the Dead, and he found it in himself to focus on me. On my mother. On my daughter, who he named," I said, looking down at Zoe. "I think it's easy to believe someone is all one thing or another. Hades was all bastard or all benevolent. In reality, he was a benevolent bastard," I said, and the assembled immortals laughed, even though many had tears in their eyes. "There is light in darkness, and darkness in light, and that's what makes existence interesting."

  I paused. "I mourn, alongside the two women he loved most in his life, my mother and Persephone," I heard a sob then, from Persephone, and I had to fight back the emotions rising in me. "He is missed. But he would expect us to go on. He would expect me and my family to continue his work. And it will be done," I said. "To Hades," I finished, and it was met with a chorus of "to Hades" from the assembled supernaturals.

  When I finished talking, a gong sounded, and Gaia approached with a torch. I went to my mother and aunt and Persephone then, and took my mother's hand in mine.

  We watched as Gaia slowly lowered the flames to his wrappings.

  We sat in silence as my father's body was reduced to nothing.

  And when it was done, we sat in silence, each with our own memories of the god we'd known as Hades.

  As the crowd started dispersing, finally, E came up to me and pulled me aside.

  "How are you holding up, my friend?"

  "I'm okay. He would have wanted me to be," I said, and she smiled.

  "I'm proud of you. I'm so glad we became friends, that I didn't stay as aloof as my sisters. I'm glad I trusted my gut and got to know you. It has been a pleasure, devil girl."

  I studied E, my heart sinking. "Why does this feel like goodbye?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

  "It's not goodbye. Not forever. You have found your place, Mollis, and it is time for me to find mine."

  "Where will you go?"

  She shrugged and gave me one of her small smiles. "I am not sure. All I know is that without my former role, without my sisters to assist me, I don't know what to do with myself. Helping you has eased that, for a time, but I need to figure this out for myself now, and we've reached a point at which you no longer need me."

  "I'll always need you, E," I said, and she smiled. "But I understand."

  She nodded. "I don't know who I am anymore, or what my purpose is. I've never had a reason to learn it. I can become lost, or I can go out and find myself somewhere out there. I am just sorry to do it now, with everything else that has happened."

  I held back tears. She'd seen me through the worst times of my life. I knew she needed this. To say that the past few years of E's existence had been tumultuous would be an understatement.

  "I'll miss you so much, E," I said, hugging her.

  She hugged me back, hard. "And I will miss you, my friend, my sister, my lady. If you need me, I will be here. Know that."

  I nodded, and we stood hugging each other for a few moments longer. When I released her, I didn't want to.

  She smiled and bowed her head, just a little, to me.

  And then she rose into the air and I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I stood in the press room at the Fisher Building for the last time, looking out at the rows of reporters and cameras. Brennan was behind me, and Nain was at the back of the crowd, watching and waiting for me. Once this was done, we'd finish moving back into the loft.

  Seeing my husband hanging Wonder Woman curtains in Zoe's new nursery had been the highlight of the morning, and I couldn't wait to settle in again.

  I got the signal, and I focused, looking into the cameras.

  "Thank you," I began. "As you've undoubtedly heard, there was quite the mess here on Thanksgiving Day, caused by a being who was after me and my family. He said things about me that made many of you wonder whose side I'm really on. I'm on the same side I've always been on. Yours. I lived much of my life in the shadows, protecting you in secret, because I'm more comfortable there."

  "The things he said are…" I smiled, shook my head. "Well. They're unbelievable, right? But one thing he may have been right about is the fact that I bring additional strife to this city. Maybe I am a beacon for troublemakers." I shrugged. "It's possible. We can't really know that. What I do know, however, is that I agreed to let my life become more public because supernaturals were no longer hidden. You were faced with the fact that beings with crazy powers lived alongside you, and had for a very long time. It was terrifying, and believe me, I understand that. But I have to say that I'm proud of this city, and the rest of the nation as well, for how well you've adapted to this. Have there been issues? Of course. But our government, our local authorities, now have the tools they need to keep you safe and ensure that human and supernatural relations continue to develop in a positive way."

  I paused. "I'm no longer necessary. I've organized and talked myself out of a job here."

  Several of the reporters laughed, and I gave them a small smile. "I've never been comfortable in this position, or in the spotlight at all. So I'm here for the last time today to announce my official resignation from any involvement in the supernatural law enforcement community. I'm here to resign my position as a spokesperson for our government, because they don't need me. They've got this, and you're no longer shocked by craziness. You're pros at crazy by now."

  Another round of laughter, accompanied by the flashes of cameras.

  "So I'm done. I'm retired from this role, and it's a relief for me, and, I know, for many of you. If you're wondering whether I'll be here if you need me, don't worry. This city made me. This city is my home. If there's trouble, I will protect it. Just watch the shadows, because that's where I'm happiest. Thank you."

  There was a mad flash of cameras, and a barrage of questions, which I just shook my head at. I turned to Brennan, and he gave me a small smile and gestured toward Nain.

  Meet you downstairs, Nain thought at me.

  I'll beat you there, I bet.

  Showoff, he answered, and then he headed toward the elevators. I went into the nearest office and I focused on rematerializing downstairs, after spinning my invisibility ring so I wouldn't be seen. When Nain walked off of the elevator, I knew he could sense me. I touched his arm, and we walked out toward the street. He opened the driver's side door of his truck and I climbed in, scooted across the seat, and he followed, slamming the door behind him.

  "Let me see you," he said, and I turned the ring again. "Better," he said, leaning over and claiming my lips. I sighed happily against him as he kissed me and tangled my fingers in his hair. When he pulled back, I was breathless. He nipped my lower lip, then smiled at me. "Ready to go home, Molls?"

  I nodded, leaned forward and pressed another kiss to his lips. He settled his big hand on my thigh and pulled out of the parking space, and we drove home, where the rest of our crazy family was waiting for us.

  When we got to the loft, the Supremes were blasting from the kitchen radio and Heph and Asclepias were arguing over where the best place for the new big screen television would be. Artemis was holding a panther stuffed animal up and then lowering it, tickling Zoe's nose gently with it as Sean ran and shouted through the mostly-empty loft, reveling in the echoes he was making. Demeter, Meaghan, and Gaia were putting dishes in the kitchen cabinets and talking about greenhouses. Meaghan's baby bump was just starting to show, and she was radiant. Bash and Dahael and my dogs patrolled, and every once in a while, I'd see them on the ledge outside the windows. Stone and Ada had just gotten back, and Ada already had her sewing machine up, making a quilt for Zoe. She'd nearly died of happiness to discover a baby girl in the house when they'd arrived at home.

  Brennan came home a while later, and my team, my family, spent the rest of the day moving back into the only place many of them felt at home.

  By nightfall, we were fully moved back in. I came out of my bedroom, still pulling at the ties on my Fury u
niform. The television was on, and Nain, Brennan, and Stone were sitting on the couches and chairs in the living room. Zoe was snuggled into the crook of Nain's arm, and Sean was finally asleep, sprawled on the couch beside Brennan.

  No one had the energy or desire to move him.

  I glanced at the television, where the evening news was on. I was there, telling everyone I was retiring. The debate seemed to be, had I really meant that I would be there to protect them, or was I just saying it to make everyone feel better?

  Most people seemed to believe I'd left for good, that the government or whoever had forced me out, and they were pretty evenly split between being happy and sad over the thought. The camera cut to a young woman who was shaking her head.

  "I don't believe for a minute that she's gone. I can't believe it. I don't think we'll see her again. I don't think she wants us to. But do I believe she's still out there, protecting us, being the Angel we need so badly? Yeah, I do. Do I believe she cares about us enough to keep her word? Yeah. She gave a lot of us something to believe in when we had nothing else. I can't imagine this city without her in it, and I don't think we need to."

  Nain had turned his head, and was watching me. I met his gaze.

  "Time to go to work," I said.

  He stood up, careful to avoid jostling Zoe. "Kick ass, baby," he rumbled, leaning in to kiss me.

  "You know I will."

  "It's what you do," he agreed.

  I looked at my husband and daughter, and I nodded. I gave Nain a small smile, and then I headed up the stairs to the roof.

  I flew through the cold December air toward the Netherwoods, the lights of my city sparkling below. There, I'd judge and punish the dead.

  And then I would come back, and use Hades' ability to protect the living. It was amazing how much good you could do when you could see every single sin in a person's soul. Unlike my father, I had no compunction about using my powers in the world of the living. I smiled to myself. The Detroit Police Department was about to have an unprecedented number of criminals coming in to confess, and then plead guilty, to their crimes.