from her again.”
“I get I can talk to animals because of you. Why can I talk to Kimon, Tryphon, Pavlina, and Demos when they are trapped in their monster forms?”
“Quite simple. There are several realms, River. The Olympians are powerful, but not even they can create something from nothing. They created all the monsters here from something. You can’t talk to all the monsters. Just the ones who were created from animals.”
“I’m not that basic, and I had parents,” Demos growled.
“We all do,” Kimon said.
“I don’t,” Tryphon pointed out.
“The originals of your line were created by merging an animal with a human and using one of the elements,” Hades said.
Cerberus was sitting at my feet. I had been slipping him table scraps. I stroked one of his heads.
“What about him?”
“Cerberus was a regular dog. I just upgraded him.”
“I’m the best dog ever now,” Cerberus said.
“Yes, you are,” I said, scratching him behind his ear.
Barbatos cocked an eyebrow at me.
“You have a little more in common with your monsters than you know. My demonic form is just a man. You should have one too, and it could be anything since I’m fire born.”
“Explain.”
“Most demons are born, but sometimes, demons are spat from the fires of Hell. They call us fire born, and we are always Hell royalty. Fire born all have a demonic form. You should have one too.”
Pavlina bat her eyelashes at me.
“Show us your monster, beautiful.”
“I’d like to see that too, baby bird.”
“Out with it, my pet.”
Even Demos, who had seemed so afraid of my fire, looked intrigued.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself.”
“What are the possibilities, and how do I access it?”
My father just grinned at me.
“The possibilities are endless. I’ll have to work with you to access it. My legions are just waiting to come to help free the Underworld of Demeter’s influence. My general is trying to get the kings to permit more dukes to get involved. Amduscias wants to come. Now that I’m here, I’ve got your back, River.”
That was oddly comforting.
Chapter 2
Kimon
S
o, my baby bird might have a little monster form like the rest of us. I think that just made me like her more. I didn’t enjoy sitting this far away from her at the dinner table, but we had taken our usual seats when we dined with Hades and Persephone. Sometimes, we ate with them, and sometimes, we stood just outside the door guarding them.
It was always lovely to be invited, and I had a feeling River wouldn’t have taken no for an answer if Hades tried to leave us out. Her father seemed nice. He wasn’t some snob that demanded we leave the table. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. He would have been meeting his daughter for the first time. I think if I found out I had a secret daughter, I wouldn’t have wanted to have our first meeting with an audience.
Then again, I didn’t go around sleeping with women and stealing their pets. I understood why he took the Hellhound after seeing Lis in action, but if Barbatos and River could both talk to her and give her the promise of bringing her home, I had a feeling she’d be turning on Demeter in a hot minute.
I didn’t understand much about being fire born or Hell politics. I tried to pay attention because it was a part of her. We’d moved on to something I both did and didn’t want to talk about. Barbatos promised his legions and the promise of help from Hell. Once we had that, we could get Demeter in the pits of Tartarus, and River had no reason to stay here. If she was some kind of royalty in Hell, why would she stay in the Underworld with us?
I had this idea in my head of wooing her until she was mine. I wouldn’t keep her in the Underworld if she didn’t want to stay. I thought maybe Hades would grant me the ability to go back home with her. I loved my minotaur, and I thought she did too, but I could keep him at bay if it meant being with her.
That was probably all out the window now. River was a powerful woman, and she wasn’t afraid to go up against Hades and Demeter. She didn’t strike me as a materialistic woman. Still, the pull of family and being with those like you were strong.
My father was the first minotaur. He took a human wife who died in childbirth with me.