“Damn it.” Disappointment echoed in her voice.
“It worked, though. Partially. Otherwise it would not have glowed.” But why not entirely? Her blood had worked to return the city to life, so why not here?
Two halves of a whole.
Lachesis’s words echoed in my mind.
Was that it? Did it need my blood as well? Was I here as more than an escort?
I drew my own blade from my pocket.
“What are you doing?” Seraphia asked.
“Fate says that we are two halves of a whole, light and dark. Two different types of magic and yet bound together. Perhaps I must do the same.”
I drew the dagger over my fingertip and let the blood drip onto the stone. Breath held, I watched it soak into the gem. The blue glowed brightly, and magic sparked. A roaring wind filled the room, and I gripped Seraphia’s hand, drawing her to her feet and stepping back from the center of the mosaic.
My cloak whipped around us as I drew her against my side, protecting her from the gale that circled around us. Glittering lights swirled within the wind, and the scent of a fresh field filled my nose.
“It’s her!” Excitement echoed in Seraphia’s voice, and I couldn't help but feel it for her.
For my entire life, the concept of family had eluded me. I’d understood the theory, but not the emotion. To this day, I couldn't understand the obsession people had with their parents or children.
But recently, I’d learned of another type of obsession.
Seraphia.
If being with her—that strange comfort and warmth—was what it meant to have family, then I understood her desire to find her mother.
As the wind died down, a figure appeared in front of us. Tall and slender, she was dressed in the ancient white robes of a god. Her golden hair fell around her shoulders, and her green eyes warmed as she saw Seraphia.
Then her eyes landed on me.
I’d never seen Demeter before, but if the anger in her eyes was any indication, she recognized me.
She thrust out a hand, and her magic gripped me tight. She swept her hand to the right, and I was torn away from Seraphia, my body flying across the room to slam into the wall.
Pain flared, followed by anger, and I tore myself from the grip of her magic and whirled toward her. She glared at me, her face set in lines of anger. Next to her, Seraphia looked at me, horrified. Worried.
Understanding dawned.
She didn’t want me to hurt her mother.
I drew in a shuddering breath and stared at them, mind whirring. I’d never let another commit such an assault against me without punishment.
But this was…different.
I ground my teeth and nodded. “I will wait here.”
Relief flashed in Seraphia’s eyes, and I was satisfied that I’d done the correct thing.
Demeter waved a hand, and everything went silent.
Seraphia
I stared at my mother, my heart pounding so loudly I thought I might go deaf.
She looked like me. Fairer, but just like me. I hadn’t expected that. I should have. But I hadn’t. I’d meant it when I’d told Hades that I didn’t have expectations of this. It was a survival mechanism, and it had gotten me a long way. Anyway, I had Nana. She’d provided all the love and warmth I needed growing up.
This would just be a bonus.
Still, I was nervous as hell and wanted her to like me.
When she didn’t speak, I spit out the words, “So, you are Demeter, and I am your daughter.”
Demeter nodded. “I am. Your father was a supernatural from a line of seers.”
That would explain my grandmother. “Is he still alive?”
“He is not. He died before you were born.”
“Damn.”
“He watches over you, as I do.” A smile cracked her face. “You are beautiful, Persephone. And powerful. I am pleased.”
Her words warmed me. I’d come here expecting little, but I did like that she approved of me. I liked it a whole hell of a lot. “Thank you.” I looked at Hades, who stood near the wall. “Can he hear us?”
She shook her head. “I have prevented that.”
It was for the best. “Have you been waiting for me? Could you not have sought me out?”
She shook her head. “All of this was meant to happen in due time, fated since before you were born. If I had interfered, horrible things could have happened.”
“That’s why I never met you?”
“Precisely. You never met me because my presence would trigger your godly magic to rise, and that would lead Chronos to you.”
“Not Hades,” I said, remembering what Aurelia had told me. “I was hidden to keep me from Chronos, not Hades as I thought.”
She shook her head, her gaze going briefly to him. “Not Hades. You were always meant to meet him. Meeting him would set everything in motion—you finding your powers, releasing Chronos, everything.”
“So Hades and I were fated.”
“Yes. But how fated is up to you. Are you fated to be together for a short time, or eternity?”
My heart thundered. Eternity was a damned long time. Not that it mattered if he stayed on the course he was on. That would drive us apart. “But I can’t change him. I’ve tried.”
“You do not need to change him, but he does need to find his way.”
“He thinks that taking the Crown of Destiny will save me from Tartarus. Is he right?”
Demeter shrugged, but concern shadowed her eyes. “That, I do not know. If I could tell you, I would.”
“Am I really immortal?” The worry tugged at me. I knew I needed to get to the questions about my bound magic, but I had to ask. “I don’t want to be alive forever and watch all my friends die.” I looked at Hades. Immortality had not treated him well. He’d been alone so long that it had really screwed him up.
“You are a goddess. Of course you are immortal.” She raised a placating hand. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it does. Yes, immortality can be a curse. But not to a goddess who can visit underworlds. When your friends die, you can visit them wherever they go.”
Surprise flashed through me, but I supposed she was right. “So it’s kind of a…blessing?”
“It could be. As long as you don’t end up in Tartarus.”
“Help me avoid that. Please. How do I do it?”
“I can’t tell you exactly how because I do not know. But the first step will be unbinding your magic. Without it, you don’t stand a chance.”
“You know of that?”
“Of course. I bound it.”
Shock made my stomach drop. “Really?”
She nodded. “You couldn’t be allowed to come into your full power before you met Hades. Before you practiced it. Otherwise, it would have destroyed you. Or Chronos would have found you, drawn by the dark power you wielded.”
“Dark?”
She nodded. “There is darkness inside you, the same way it is inside Hades. You turned away from it, but it was there.”
“And if I’d had all my magic, I might not have.”
“It would have called more strongly to you, and you might not have had the strength to resist. But Hades also helped turn you to the light. The contrast with him—your desire to save him—helped you cling to the light side of your magic.”