I looked up at the twisted, barren branches that stretched overhead. They glittered in the dim light, the ice like a coating of diamonds.
From behind, I could hear the wolves still fighting, protecting me.
Hurry.
I drew a deep breath and reached for my magic, feeling it deep within the tree. The heartbeat of it matched my own. The glow grew stronger, a warm, bright red.
“Come to me,” I murmured.
The magic flared, and I smiled, pulling it toward me. I could feel it like it was my own, and as I called to it, the glow moved closer to the surface of the tree. The ice around the branches began to melt, dripping coldly onto my head. The snow around me turned to slush.
Despite the freezing water, I didn’t move. The magic came closer and closer, the tree slowly thawing.
Excitement thrummed in me as I watched the glow rise from the base of the tree and move into my chest. I gasped, the power making me go stiff. It felt like a whirlwind inside me. A tornado.
Pain surged, fierce and bright, like the new magic was going to tear me apart.
Just like Hades said.
But I was strong enough. He’d taught me how to control this.
Aching, I drew a shuddery breath and focused on the magic that threatened to tear me apart. It surged within me, but I got ahold of it, forcing it deep down inside myself. I remembered Hades’ hand on my shoulder, his power guiding me, and I used it to control of the new power that raced through my veins.
Shaking, I leaned against the tree, sweat dripping down my spine.
Though the tree had thawed, it still felt dead beneath my hands.
That wouldn’t do.
I straightened, the magic now mostly under control, and pressed my palms to the rough bark. This tree had kept my magic safe for years, until I was strong enough to handle it. I owed it.
Carefully, I fed my magic into the tree, bringing it back to life. Green buds appeared at the tips of the branches, then transformed into leaves. All around, the snow had melted. Spring had come.
When the tree looked hale and healthy, I stood on shaky legs and turned around.
The Night Wolves watched me, each one standing in a line. They’d defeated the shadows, which were nowhere to be seen, and the pine trees that soared overhead were green and bright, no longer covered by snow.
“I think I’m done here,” I said.
As soon as the words escaped my lips, I was pulled back through the ether. When I arrived in my mother’s temple in Cyprus, I was still wet and cold.
But I had my magic.
She smiled. “Well done, daughter.”
“Thank you.”
She nodded. “I have given you all you need to defeat Chronos. It is up to you, now.”
I nodded toward Hades. “And him.”
“Yes. And him. Though you will fight against him as much as you fight alongside one another.”
“As long as we end up on the same side in the end.”
“That would be ideal, yes. But don’t think you are finished. You have your magic, but it is not yet settled inside you.”
“I feel that.” My chest felt like it was full of Pop Rocks.
“You started something in the Underworld, did you not?”
“I planted some plants, if that’s what you mean.”
“Precisely. Return there and finish what you started. That act will unite your magic inside you.”
“Why the Underworld?”
“You are Persephone, daughter. The Underworld is as much a part of you as the green plants you create.”
I couldn’t help but look at Hades then, who stood frozen on the other side of the room.
She was right.
He was a part of me. And so was his realm. I still needed to get him to turn to the light. Perhaps bringing a bit of light to his realm would help.
I turned back to Demeter. “I can do that.” Briefly, I hesitated, then asked. “Will I see you again?”
“Yes, if you like. Your grandmother raised you. She was the mother of your father, and I understand that she fulfilled my role admirably. But still, I would like to know you.”
Warmth surged through me. “Me, too.”
She smiled. “You may visit me here, once everything is said and done.”
With that, she disappeared.
The magic in the air broke, and Hades was able to move. He was at my side a moment later, his brow creased, his eyes shadowed with concern. “Are you all right?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He touched my shoulder, and the warmth of his hand made me shiver. “You have your power.”
“I do. But we need to go to the Underworld for me to finish the process.”
“My realm? Why?”
“It’s part of me.” Just saying it felt strange. But also, oddly true.
11
Hades
Seraphia’s words echoed in my mind. It’s part of me.
My realm was part of her.
A low wave of pleasure rolled through me. I liked the sound of that. I wanted to be part of her, the way she was part of me. Somehow, part of her had taken up residence inside my soul.
Fates, what the hell was I thinking? The thought was insane. For someone who’d lived without emotion for millennia, I was full of it now. I was losing my mind.
“We must go.” I took her hand. She stiffened slightly but did not pull away. I strode from the temple, all but dragging her with me.
As we stepped over the threshold, the city around us sparked with magic, returning to its original state. The buildings and columns no longer towered around us. Rather, they lay scattered as rubble, the ruins returned.
“That was quick,” Seraphia murmured.
“Were you satisfied?” I couldn’t pretend to know what she felt when facing a lost parent, but from what little I understood of people, it would have been a fraught experience. I found I wanted her happiness.
She looked up at me, eyes bright. “Yes. I was pleased.” A small frown crossed her face. “But you…you don’t have that, do you? No parents, no friends, no family.”
“Correct.” There was Lucifer, but I’d never thought of him as a friend. Never treated him as such.
“I knew that, of course. But it’s only hitting me now how much that must suck for you. It must have been so lonely. No wonder you’re so…”
“Such a bastard?” Was it really because I had no one?
No.
It was my purpose. What I’d been created for.
Just thinking about it made me uncomfortable. The whole conversation felt wrong. Did she… pity me?
“Come.” I gently gripped her arms and called upon my magic, taking us back to Guild City. The ether sucked us in and spun us through space, depositing us in front of her library.
She gasped, stumbling away from me. “The city.”
I turned in a circle, taking it all in. Nearly all the plaster and wood Tudor buildings had been covered in a thin layer of ice. Only the door to the library was unfrozen, likely because of the tiny glowing gems that surrounded it.
“The witches did that,” Seraphia said. “I recognize their magic.”
“They kept it so I could return home?”
She nodded. “They’re bright, those witches. I have a feeling my friends spoke to them.” She frowned. “Can they come to the Underworld? We’ll need to speak to them.”