I looked into the fire of the Greek Underworld through the transparent-brown of Hades' irises, and remembered who he was. I knew Hades; he was my friend. I trusted him, and I knew there was no way he would ever betray Persephone. But if I didn't give him a chance, she definitely wouldn't.
I stepped aside.
Hades nodded gratefully to me and stepped up to his wife. “Persephone, I have never loved another woman as I love you. Nyx didn't stand a chance against our love. She knew that, and I believe that she manipulated things so that you'd walk in on us at the perfect moment to be misled.”
Persephone blinked her swollen eyes and seemed to consider this.
“Nyx told me she had a surprise for me,” Persephone murmured.
“I'll bet she did,” Hades snarled. “Bunny-Nose, I tossed Nyx out on her scrawny ass and warded all of the Underworld against her. If she wants to go home to Tartarus, she'll have to trace straight there; no more jaunts through my territory for her. I swear that Nyx will never come between us again.”
“You have a child with her,” Sephy whispered. “I thought that might be why you...”
“We could have a child if we wanted to; we just haven't gotten around to it.” Hades shrugged. “Persephone, you know me well enough by now to tell when I'm lying. Now, look at me.”
Persephone looked straight into those blazing eyes.
“I did not touch that woman willingly,” Hades said calmly. “She forced herself on me.”
Persephone inhaled sharply.
“Sweetheart, Nyx is a goddess of the night,” Hades said gently. “I already dwell in darkness; night is not what I crave. I need your light to drive away my shadows. You are my eternal Spring; I am reborn every time I hold you. Without you, I would grow cold and die.”
“She tricked me,” Sephy whispered.
“She did,” Hades confirmed. “But that will be the last time.”
“You're damn straight it is!” Persephone shouted. “Because I'm going to kill that bitch!”
Persephone started to storm off, but Hades swung her around into a passionate embrace. As they kissed, I waved everyone away. I was relieved beyond measure that my friends weren't breaking up, but I didn't have to witness any more of their making up. This moment should belong to them alone.
Still, I couldn't help glancing over as we took the elevator upstairs, and a soft smile spread across my face.
“Well, that's a relief,” Azrael said. “The last thing we need is another death god angry with us.”
I glanced at Azrael in irritation—about to say something about his selfish priorities—when I remembered that we needed to be investigating death gods.
“Does anyone else find it odd that Nyx would show up and pull this stunt with Hades now, of all times?” I asked.
“Her daughter is visiting,” Odin noted. “Maybe Nyx used it as an opportunity to get Hades back.”
“I've never even heard Hades mention Nyx before,” I said. “And now, here she is, wanting him back? This feels weird. Who is Erebus? Wait; I know who Erebus is; that's Morpheus' grandpa.”
“Yeah; Morph called Mac his aunt, remember?” Azrael reminded me.
“Right; Hypnos was Erebus' son,” I went on. “Which means that he was Nyx's son too.”
“Yeah,” Az said. “So?”
“So, I killed Hypnos,” Toby said. “You don't think this is some elaborate plan for payback, do you?”
“I don't know.” I scowled. “But the connections are bothering me. What is Erebus the god of?”
“Darkness, I think,” Odin said. “Like you, Toby.”
“So much darkness,” I whispered, thinking of Lia and Rowan. “But I've grown to love the dark.” I smiled at Toby. “No; we're not after gods of darkness; we're looking for deities associated with death.”
“Well, there's always Thanatos,” Azrael murmured.
We all looked at him in question.
“Thanatos,” Azrael said again, as if it would make sense if he repeated it enough.
The elevator door opened and we all got out; still wearing confused expressions.
“Who's Thanatos?” I asked as we headed into the bedroom.
“Thanatos is Hypnos' twin brother,” Azrael said. “And he's also a god of death; in particular, a reaper.”
“And you're just now mentioning this?” I asked with irritation.
“Someone brought Thanatos up earlier, but I didn't think it could be him.” Azrael shrugged. “Mac and I talked about Thanatos, and she said he's a really easy going guy; that he completely supports my retirement.”
“But what if this has nothing to do with you?” I blinked in shock. “What if this is actually about Toby?”
We all looked at Toby.
“Surely there are easier ways to get to me,” Toby pointed out.
“Valid,” I agreed. “But we can't ignore this strange coincidence.”
“Which is why I brought him up,” Az said. “Thanatos is the Greek God of Non-Violent Death, but that doesn't mean he can't cause some violent death himself. I think we should look into him.”
“I agree,” I said. “And I think we need to call in the Squad again.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“So, if Macaria is your aunt, does that makes Hades your grand-uncle?” I asked Morpheus.
We were meeting on the veranda for a change of scenery.
“No, Auntie Mac is my father's half-sister, and that half is from Nyx, not Hades,” Morph explained.
“In such a large pantheon, our connection is notable,” Hades said. “But not enough to label it.”
“There's no blood binding them,” Macaria said. “And blood is always the most important bond of all.”
Hades had brought Mac along again; this time by request—Azrael's request, not mine. I didn't want her involved in the Squad, but Az thought she might be able to help us with Thanatos. We compromised (score one for Neala) and agreed that Mac could stay for the talk on Thanatos, and then Azrael and her could have a visit—in another part of the
