The Promise of Hades (The Hades Trials #3) - Eliza Raine Page 0,15

has to offer in comparison.' I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice. A smug smile flashed across Zeus' face and my vision clouded. My monster was crawling its way up my chest, straining to get out.

'She loves you, Hades. If she wins the Trials this will be the best outcome you could have possibly hoped for,' Hera said.

'Unless she remembers what she did and loses her shit again,' added Zeus.

'Don't you dare,' I hissed. 'Her memories and the River Lethe are out of bounds for these Trials,' I spat, and I felt the temperature in the room plummet around me as I channeled my power.

'Agreed,' said Poseidon loudly.

'Agreed,' echoed Athena, Hermes and Dionysus. Relief tempered my anger a little. Zeus couldn't go against everyone. He shrugged diffidently.

'I wasn't suggesting that we did.'

My eyes flicked over the gods who had remained silent. I hadn't had any idea this damned Trial was happening, but in the short time I'd been alone I had been able to reach one vital conclusion.

Whoever was behind the macabre gifts Persephone had been getting must know what she had done before she drank from the river Lethe. And they must also be able to control the minds of the humans they were using to make up this Spring Undead faction. If they were also responsible for her unexpected trip to Tartarus then they knew about Cronos, which severely limited the list of suspects.

To the eleven gods in front of me.

All of them stared back, able to see through my smoke facade. Who would want to release the world’s worst monster, Cronos, and start a new war, ending Olympian rule? Who would want to destroy Virgo? It made no sense. It had taken an age to build Olympus as it was now, countless fights and mistakes finally culminating in something they all benefited from.

I saw no reason why any of them would want to destroy it all. My gaze settled on Ares. Was he angry enough? Desperate for war enough? He glared back at me through the slits in his helmet.

The only thing I was sure of was that it wasn't either of my brothers. They had the most to lose.

'If you're not going to rant and rage and entertain me, then I'm leaving,' said Zeus, and before I could open my mouth he had gone. The others stood, Hermes and Aphrodite the only ones to nod at me politely before vanishing too. But one god stayed behind.

'How's Persy doing?' Dionysus asked.

'Why?' I snapped, suspicion filling me.

'Chill out, man, you know I care about her.' The wine god swiveled in his throne, kicking his leg up over the arm.

'You know exactly how she's doing, the kobaloi is keeping you well informed, I have no doubt.'

'Hmm,' grunted Dionysus, a goblet of wine appearing in his hand. 'Fancy a drink?'

'No.'

'Naked nymphs, you're dull. Get your ass over to one of my parties one day,' he said, and drained his goblet in one.

'I have work to do here, unlike the rest of you.'

'Hades, you have underlings. Share the load. You do not need to spend your whole life in a fucking cave. And nor does she,' he said.

'Coming from a god who lives in a tree,' I snorted.

'It's a very nice tree,' he said, standing up and stretching. 'And it's where she grew up. The first time.'

'What's your point, Dionysus? I am busy.'

'My point is that she doesn't have to live here for you two to be together.'

I scowled at him.

'You're saying she could live with you?'

'Yeah. She did before.'

'No.' The word had left my mouth before I had even considered the notion.

'She likes trees, man, she'd be happy-'

'I said no.'

The wine god’s face hardened.

'It's not up to you. It's up to her.'

'Persephone is mine.' The words came out as a snarl, and blue light burst to life around me.

'Ease up, man, I know she is. I'm just trying to help,' Dionysus said, holding his hands up. But the fierce look in his eyes belied the casual words. 'Think about it,' he said, then disappeared.

As little as I wanted to, I found that I couldn't help thinking about what Dionysus had said. Persephone would love living on Taurus. It was nature and madness combined, a limitless island covered in giant plants and wild creatures. It was perfect for her. That's why Demeter had left her there.

I stopped by her room to make sure she was alright, but her brother was there, along with the kobaloi spy. In some ways I