he boomed. “She murdered our son.”
“I didn’t,” Cass snapped and lunged forwards, desperate for him to believe her.
“She did not,” Persephone said and touched his cheek again, her caress like black magic, more powerful than anything Cass had at her disposal.
The god softened again, looked unsure for the first time but it was there and gone in the blink of an eye.
“I felt him die,” Hades growled and lifted the bident to Cass’s throat again, forcing her to lean back.
“He’s alive. He’s fighting right now to protect the gate. If you’d just listen for five seconds and let me explain.” She held her hands up when his eyes darkened, his handsome face twisting in a thunderous look.
Perhaps demanding a god-king listen to her and ordering him around had been a bad idea.
“Let the witch speak, my love.” Persephone worked her magic again, stroking his cheek, softening the hard edges of his expression.
When Hades didn’t try to kill Cass and didn’t speak, she took it as a chance to tell her side of the story.
“Esher was called for penitence and Daimon went. He didn’t come back though. I was worried about him.” She rushed each word out, unsure how long she was going to be given before Hades decided to go ahead and kill her. Now was not the time for lengthy and detailed explanations. Now was the time for speed. “The brothers… your sons… we feared the enemy had him. The Erinyes know which gate is bound to who so we went to New York, and I used a spell to track Daimon. When I found him, he had encased himself in ice. He was almost dead when Ares got him free, and I used…”
She hesitated. Was it wise to tell a god-king that you used necromancy to save his dying son?
Hades gave her a look that demanded she continue, his bident backing him up as he pressed it forwards, prodding her throat with the sharp tips.
“I used a healing spell and the basic theory of necromancy to—”
“Necromancy?” he barked and she leaned back as he pressed forwards.
Persephone gently placed a hand on his arm and lowered the bident from Cass’s throat. “It would explain the sensation of death you felt.”
Hades cast her a withering look, one that made it abundantly clear he wanted to argue with her.
Yet he didn’t.
He huffed and eased back, scowling at Cass. “Continue.”
“Well, he’s alive now and he confirmed what we had suspected. Nemesis is involved in this.” Cass froze up when Hades’s eyes blazed so brightly she was surprised she didn’t get burned.
“Nemesis,” he growled, and Cass really hoped that murderous look in his eyes was for the traitorous goddess now.
“Why would she?” Persephone looked worried as she gazed at her husband.
“Many reasons,” Hades snarled, his deep voice rolling across the land like thunder. “Power. Revenge. She believes I forced her into a life of servitude here after the last rebellion, when the roles of the gods and goddesses in these lands altered. I had her replace the Erinyes as punishment for her disobedience.”
“Disobedience?” Cass couldn’t hold back that question.
Hades narrowed his crimson eyes on her. “I sent a summons to Nemesis but she refused to answer. Rumours spread that she had sided with my enemy, but when we found her, she was bound and caged, and said that she had been captured by the enemy when she had tried to come to aid me.”
Hades growled, the sound a vicious black snarl as his lips peeled back off his fangs.
“You believed her?” Cass said what he wouldn’t, because she needed to know what had happened.
He nodded. “The rebellion had been crushed and the realm was safe, but I wanted someone to punish any who would attempt to break one of my rules. I moved her into a position I thought would suit her, allowing her to dispense justice. My justice. At first, she seemed to enjoy it, but then I noticed things. Small things. I began to feel she wasn’t satisfied and when I approached her, she spoke of how her small realm felt like another cage. Wanting my people to be happy, I gave her more freedom, allowing her to come and go from that realm as she pleased.”
Well, Cass could see why Nemesis hadn’t exactly been happy about her new station. Putting someone who had been held captive in a cage into a realm she couldn’t leave was just moving her into a new cage.
“Do you think now that the rumours had