They landed just outside the main palace and she helped him inside.
As they made their way towards his father’s bedchamber, he grew aware of something.
The building was eerily quiet.
He focused his senses, frowned when he felt only Enyo on them.
“Something isn’t right,” Enyo whispered.
He glanced at her. “Where is everyone?”
A shiver trickled down his spine as he tried again and sensed only Enyo. Even the guards who were normally stationed around the grounds were gone. A sense of foreboding filled him, had him moving faster as they neared the bedchamber. He shoved the door open and stilled.
It was empty.
He seized hold of Enyo’s wrist and stepped, was walking as they came out of the teleport in front of his own home. His pace picked up, his heart thundering as he stretched his senses outwards and that same eerie stillness greeted him.
Enyo slipped her hand into his as they rushed into his palace and through it, checking everywhere.
Finding no one.
Had something happened while he had been absent?
His gaze shot to Enyo. “When was the last time Mother visited?”
She pulled a thoughtful face. “A few hours ago. Maybe five.”
A lot could happen in five hours.
He spun on his heel, went to a window and desperately scoured the grounds, seeking a sign of life.
What if Eris had managed to escape Tartarus?
Horrific images filled his mind, chilling his heart.
He mustered his strength and stepped again.
Landed in the grounds of his brother Ares’s palace, fearing what he might find.
He stopped dead when a female bellowed, the sound pure agony.
Keras grabbed Enyo and rushed towards the palace, dragging her along behind him as his heart thundered, adrenaline spiking, and the darkness surged.
Another piercing scream cut through the tense silence as he entered the vestibule.
His head jerked up to his right and he ran in that direction, his shadows racing ahead of him. He mounted the stairs two at a time and sprinted towards the end of the corridor.
Towards his brother’s master bedroom.
He shouldered the door open, his shadows at the ready to strike down whoever was attacking his family.
Froze.
It wasn’t quite the bloodbath he had expected.
Persephone, Aiko and Cassandra all turned to look at him.
Every single one of them looking ready to hit him for bursting into the room.
Ares stood with his back to him just in front of him, obscuring his view of the bed.
As his brother turned towards him, a shiver tripped down Keras’s spine.
There, tucked in his brother’s thickly muscled arms, was a tiny, squirming bundle wrapped in pink cloth spotted with flowers.
“I thought—” Keras swallowed hard, couldn’t take his eyes off the squalling babe as she wriggled, fighting her father’s tender hold.
“Yeah, she’s a little early. Mother says stress induced it. Feel like a bit of a dick now.” Ares’s eyes misted up, but there was worry in their dark depths.
Keras couldn’t help but join him. He had meant to say that he had thought something terrible had happened when he hadn’t been able to find anyone, but he didn’t have the heart to tell his brother that now, not when Ares looked so worried as he gazed down at his daughter. Keras couldn’t imagine the fear Ares must have felt when Megan had gone into labour almost three weeks early.
His brother looked as if someone had put him through hell in the last twenty-four hours, his face pale and drawn, and his overlong tawny hair mussed, as if he had repeatedly stabbed his fingers through it. Keras felt partly to blame for his brother’s condition. Ares had probably been worrying about him, and then Megan had gone into labour.
“Not a dick.” Megan sounded tired, her voice drifting from behind his brother. “Just… maybe try not to worry me next time.”
Ares looked over his shoulder at her. “Next time?”
Megan didn’t answer that.
“He was not the only one to blame for this. Healing Hades did not help.” Persephone glanced at Hades where he leaned against the wall near the corner of the room.
He blended with the black paint in his tunic and trousers, his long legs crossed at his ankles and his arms folded over his chest. His onyx hair was wild, as messy as Ares’s, and his blue eyes held a worried edge as they remained fixed on the baby in his son’s arms.
“But I am glad you healed him for me. I am eternally grateful to you, Megan.” Persephone smiled at her and then came to Ares and checked the baby, lightly running her fingers over her from head to toe. Both Hades and Ares watched her like a hawk, fear mounting in their eyes. When she lifted her gaze from the baby to Ares, she smiled softly again. “She is strong. She will be fine.”
Palpable relief flowed around Keras and the air in the room instantly lightened.
Cassandra went to the doorway and leaned out into the hallway. “She’s here!”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as everyone rushed into it, pushing past him and Enyo, their murmured words of congratulations distant in Keras’s ears as he stared at the baby. Enyo squeezed his hand and he managed to drag his eyes away from the little girl, looked at her and smiled as all the fear rushed out of him.
Ares turned away from everyone and stepped back, revealing Megan where she sat on the large bed, her face pale and dark hair slick with sweat. She beamed, her tired chocolate eyes brightening as they landed on Ares and he went to her and held the baby out to her, gently placed their daughter in her waiting arms.
Megan cooed at her, stroked her face with one finger and smiled as tears slipped down her cheeks.
Ares sank onto the bed beside her and wrapped one arm around her and one around the baby she held. “You were amazing, sweetheart. Look at her.”
Megan lifted her eyes from the baby and beamed again, causing more tears to fall. “Look at what we made.”
He smiled. “Gods, you’re amazing. Wonderful. I can’t stop looking at her. Sweetheart… this is the most incredible gift… I love you both.”
He dropped a kiss on her sweat dotted brow.
Hades finally pushed away from the wall, drawing to a halt near the foot of the bed, his blue eyes fixed on the wriggling baby. Persephone went to him and took hold of his hand, stroked it lightly as he stood immobile, as frozen by the sight of the child as Keras was.
Enyo caressed the back of his hand too and he looked at her again, lifted her hand and kissed it.
Her eyes widened slightly. “Stay right there. I have something I have to do.”
She released his hand and he watched her as she went to Megan and Ares.
“May I?” she said.
Ares nodded and made room for her.
She kneeled on the bed, took hold of the baby’s hand, and looked at Megan. “Her name?”
“We went through a million… but the moment I saw her, I knew the right one.” Megan smiled softly. “Theodora.”
Ares grinned like an idiot.
“Adora.” He gazed at his daughter as he shortened her name. “My precious gift.”
“Our precious gift.” Megan turned her smile on his brother. “Our little Adora.”
Ares teared up again.
Enyo leaned over Theodora and pressed a kiss to her hand, whispered words against it and then withdrew. A small sword and shield appeared on her hand by her thumb. Enyo’s favour. A bond that would tie them together for the rest of their lives and give Theodora strength and courage.