Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,16

going home.

6

Hades

I watched the emotions play over Seraphia’s face, captivated. She’d been enraptured while in her trance, and the joy had glowed from her. Seeing her grandmother—even if only in a vision—made her so happy that she could light a room with it.

I wanted to make her feel that happy.

I shook my head. What the hell was I thinking?

That wasn’t my place. Nor my goal.

She reached up to grip the gem, her eyes glinting.

“Are you ready to leave?” I asked.

She stood and nodded. “Yes.”

Eve gestured to the door. “You’ll want to go out to the street. This entire alley is warded against transporting.”

“Ah, that’s why you chose it,” Mac said. “Easier to keep your kit safe.”

Eve nodded.

“Thank you for the assistance,” I said, then turned toward the door.

Seraphia embraced her friends, then followed me out of the flat. We made our way quickly down the stairs and onto the main street. Ice had crept farther down the road, but a trio of witches stood in front of it. The three directed their power toward the ice, and their magic roared like a tornado as it drove the miserable stuff backward.

“They’re forcing it to retreat,” Seraphia said.

“How long can they last, though?”

“I don’t know, but the Witches Guild is strong. And Mary, Beth, and Coraline are three of the strongest.”

“Good. Can you tell me where we are going so that I can take us there?”

“We’re going to nearly the same place where we released Chronos. My family lives close by.”

I nodded and reached for her hand. She slipped her palm into mine and gripped hard. I drew in a steadying breath, enjoying the touch even through my thin leather gloves.

I called upon the ether, envisioning us arriving on the beach in Cyprus. It sucked us in and spun us through space, spitting us out on the rocky shore. The sun beat warmly on my face, and a cool ocean breeze blew my cloak back from my shoulders. I blinked blindly, shielding my eyes. Sea birds shrieked, filling the air with their cries as waves crashed below.

Seraphia removed her hand from mine and drew back. “You haven’t seen the sun before, have you?”

Shade fell over my face, and I withdrew my arm, looking upward. Clouds had covered the sun, casting us in shadow.

“That happened too quickly,” Seraphia said. “Did your presence drive it away?”

“Yes.” I turned, taking in our surroundings. An impossibly blue sea shifted to teal as it neared the rocky shore. Sparsely vegetated hills rose behind us, leading toward the spot where Chronos had climbed out of Tartarus.

“I sealed the pit to Tartarus,” I said. “It is no longer there.”

She nodded. “Is the land repaired as well? The life returned to it?”

“Only the part that you revived. Otherwise, it is barren.”

Guilt flickered across her face, and irritation surged through me.

“Do not despair,” I demanded. “It is the way of things.”

“The way of things for you. Killing the earth is the exact opposite of what I’m meant to do.”

I shook my head, then turned. There was no point arguing with her now. We would continue along our path, and once I wore the crown and saved her life, she would agree with me. “Come. Take me to your family.”

Her hand gripped my arm to stop me, and I turned back to look at her.

“First, I have questions for you,” she said.

Confusion flickered through me. “What can I answer that I have not?”

“The myths say that my parents are Zeus and Demeter. Is that true?”

“No.” Part of this I knew for certain. “Your father is not Zeus. He has not created nearly the number of children that the myths say.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Good. What about my mother?”

“That, I do not know.”

“So it could be Demeter, goddess of the harvest? Have you met her?”

“No. She is a goddess of the earth. As I never came here, we had no reason to cross paths. Whether or not she is your mother… I do not know.”

“Okay.” She turned and began to climb. “My aunt and uncle don’t live too far from here.”

“Are they on your mother or father’s side?”

“I do not know. Nana would never tell me.”

Were they even her blood relations? Did she have blood relations, or was she like me, a product of magic?

No, she wasn’t like me. There was nothing in her that was like me. She was all warmth, kindness, and generosity. I was none of those things.

I looked over at her, trying to read her thoughts from her expressions. “Would