A Touch of Ruin (Hades & Persephone #2) - Scarlett St. Clair Page 0,109
don’t know. I felt her anguish and came as soon as possible.”
Hades answer incensed her.
Felt her anguish? He had seen it! Why was he acting like he wasn’t the traitor here?
Persephone’s rage continued. She fought hard against Hades and Hecate. Combined, their magic was like an impossible weight. The more she pushed against it, the more drained she felt, but she wasn’t just exhausted physically.
Inside, her rage was turning to despair.
Inside, she was broken.
“My dear.” It was like Hecate was right beside her, speaking into her ear though she stood on the other side of the cavern. “Tell me.”
Persephone’s eyes blurred with tears and she shook her head.
“Persephone, tell me what happened.”
Tears slid down Persephone’s face as the memory that unleashed her terror welled to the surface, unbidden. If Persephone could, she would have repressed it for the rest of her life, but, at Hecate’s words, she relived the terror of discovering Hades inside Leuce. Seeing the pleasure on her face made her want to vomit.
This time, instead of inspiring the anger that fueled her power, the memory exhausted her. She felt unstable on the inside, defeated, and sick. The power rushing through her body died, and she swayed. Hecate caught her in her arms just as she vomited.
Slowly, the goddess helped her to the ground, and Persephone rested in her arms. She brushed her hair from her face, soothing, “It wasn’t real my dear, my love, my sweet.”
Persephone sobbed, turning her head into Hecate’s chest. “I cannot unsee it. I cannot live with it.”
“Shh. You will, my dear. Rest.”
Then she was embraced by darkness.
***
Persephone woke in the queen’s suite, her face felt swollen and her head hurt. Plush blankets cradled her weak body, and bright light filtered in through the windows. It took her a moment to recall how she’d gotten here, but soon the memories returned, flooding her mind like a living nightmare. Tears formed in her eyes and slid down the side of her face.
“Do not cry, my sweet.” Hecate said.
Persephone turned her head and found the goddess sitting beside the bed. Persephone rubbed her eyes, trying to make the tears disappear, but she just sobbed harder.
Hecate took Persephone’s hand. “Breathe, my dear. What you saw wasn’t real.”
Persephone took several deep breaths and looked at her friend. “What are you saying?”
“You walked through the Forest of Despair, Persephone. What you saw was a manifestation of your greatest fear.”
Persephone was quiet for a moment, trying to grasp what Hecate was saying, but the terror of those memories were embedded in her mind.
Hecate sighed. “And I see the enchantment hasn’t worn off yet.”
“Enchantment?”
“We think that’s how you ended up in the forest,” she said.
The goddess offered a small smile, but there was nothing humorous about it. “Hades is on the hunt.”
She shivered. She could just imagine what that meant, recalling how he’d looked in the forest after she’d drained it of life. Still, she couldn’t help hoping he found whoever had done this, because what she had seen last night was torture.
Persephone sat up, leaning against the headboard, her head spun. “Why would Hades have such a horrible place in the Underworld?”
“Well, it is an extension of Tartarus,” Hecate said. “And you weren’t meant to be there.”
Persephone pushed the covers away and tried to stand up, but she felt so weak.
“I’d like to go outside,” she said.
Hecate helped her stand and they stepped outside. It was late afternoon and Persephone was relieved when she strode onto the balcony and saw that the Underworld was lush and green.
Suddenly, she was frantic. “The souls! Did I—”
She used so much power, she’d shaken the ground and cracked the sky, giving no thought to the people she might have hurt.
“Everyone is fine, Persephone,” Hecate assured her. “Hades has restored order.”
Persephone closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
Thank gods, she thought.
They entered the garden and found a spot to sit beneath the purple wisteria.
“You demonstrated great power in the forest, Persephone,” Hecate said. She couldn’t place the tone of the goddess’s voice, but she sensed a mix of admiration and fear.
She looked at the goddess. “Are you...afraid?”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said. “I’m afraid for you.”
Persephone’s brows drew together, and Hecate sighed, looking down at her hands. “It was a fear I had from the moment I met you, that you would be powerful...terribly so.”
Persephone shook her head. “I...don’t understand. I’m not…”
“You halted Hades’ magic. You used his magic against him, Persephone. He is