[ graphic: @me]

a jar of secrets
16 | i will keep you safe

I open my eyes to see that we're standing right outside the vehicle, it's still dark out so I don't see much else.

What do you know... magic, it really does exist.

"Can you open the door for me Hermes?" Hades asks still holding me as Hermes runs around the side of the car, opening the passenger door for him.

Hades places me in gently, making sure not to hurt my leg, as he pulls the seat belt on around me before closing the door and rushing around to the drivers side.

"Where did we come from?" I ask Hermes who's already in the back seat.

"The dark blue building over there," he points to the building a few car lengths away from us.

"Are we all in?" Hades mumbles starting the car up. I look over at him just as I see a dark silhouette through his tinted window.

"Hades!" I yell just as the figure punches the window, shards of glass going flying everywhere.

The man lands a good punch to a stunned Hades and grabs a handful of his jacket, going to pull him out of the window.

"Leave him alone!" Hermes cries trying to undo his seatbelt but it's stuck.

I undo mine and lean over an unconscious Hades, slapping the man's hand that has a grip on him.

"Don't make me hurt you girl!" I hear the man's warning but take no notice of it as I try to get him to let go of Hades jacket.

I sure hope he's okay.

"Let him go!" I yell using all my might to punch him in the face, I miss as the man easily ducks letting go off Hades. I use the rest of my strength to drag Hades back into the vehicle, Hermes leaning over to help me.

"I told you to butt out of it girl!" The man appears at the broken window again, glaring across at me.

"And I told you to... Let. Him. Go." I scream watching as the man looks at me in surprise, he glares at me as goes to open the car door. Before he can though, something grabs his foot however and he cries out as he falls down onto the cement.

"Let me go, you stupid thing!" I hear him shout angry. Frowning I go to look out the window when the man in front of me appears there again, upside down and he's got a bleeding cut along his cheek.

I watch on open mouth as something wraps around his legs, a rope maybe... no wait, it's a rose branch with its thorns digging into the man's legs.

"Call it off!" The older man cries out to me, real panic in his dark eyes as he looks at me.

I don't know what he's talking about and before I can fully comprehend what's happening, the rope like plant takes its victim, dragging him along the concrete and towards a dark alleyway.

I hear the man's screams as he goes, not being about to get himself out of its thorny grip.

"That was so cool!" Hermes say from the backseat amazed, reminding me that I'm not alone. "Your powers are starting to come back it appears."

I turn to face him, petrified. I look down at my hands, only to see there's nothing there not even any redness or blood from where I had cut myself off the glass shards.

"Don't tell anyone..." I tell him still shocked as I look back towards where the plant had taken the man.

"But this is good news Persephone, it means you're getting your powers and memory back-"

I turn around and glare at him.

"I just..." I didn't want to say it. "Killed a man? Somehow..." I trail off shaking.

Hermes frowns as he watches me, shaking his head.

"I don't want these powers if they're even real, if that just really happened... They're dangerous, I'm dangerous!"

"No you're not, you didn't kill him Per-"

"You should've seen him Hermes, he was terrified of me," I tell him remembering his eyes, the look he gave me as the branch dragged him away.

I'm evil, I'm the bad guy... I had to be.

"Oh god, my head hurts like hell!" Hades mumbles stirring. I give Hermes my best 'if you say anything, you're dead' look before turning back in my seat. "What happened?" he asks Hermes shaking his head as he opens his eyes.

"Just the usual, bad guy tried to kill you and I saved the day," Hermes mumbles relaxing back into his seat behind us, not looking at me.

"Are you okay Persephone? They didn't try to hurt you, did they?" Hades asks turning to face me quickly, looking worried. I shake my head.

No, but I hurt him.

Hades starts the car up again and slowly reverses it out onto the main road.

When the blue building we had been staying in suddenly bursts into flames behind us creating a loud bang. I don't even flinch.

❦

"Hermes, can you go and check on the others?" I hear Hades ask eight hours later.

We'd been on the road ever since we left the other place, since I somehow created a thorn rope that probably dragged a man to his death. Hermes hasn't said anything about it to Hades thankfully, although I can tell he's not happy about it.

"Yeah sure, whatever. I'll be back soon," Hermes mumbles back before disappearing from view.

"I know you haven't been sleeping the whole time Persephone, what's going on?"

I open one of my eyes to spot Hades looking across at me, he's not smiling. I thought that if I pretended I was asleep, they wouldn't talk to me. I guess I'm not very good at pretending.

"Nothing... I'm just tired," I mumble looking away from him.

"If you were truly tired, you would've been actually sleeping rather then pretending to be," he tells me.

I shrug looking out the window.

"Persephone. Achilles and Patroclus are good fighters, they'll be alright."

So that's what he thinks this is all about, me being worried about them. Well I mean I guess I am a little worried but more about the whole I might've killed someone. I want to tell him the truth but I don't know how.

'Hey Hades while you were unconscious, I kind of somehow made this thorn branch come alive and drag the man that attacked you into a dark alley, probably to his death oh but hey you're still with us so it's all good.'

Or.

'I might've killed someone so does that make me evil?'

Or.

'Hey Hades, you know how you said you're not exactly a good guy which means you might be a bad guy... well yeah I think I'm a bad guy too.'  

"I know."

"But it's not about them, is it? Talk to me Persephone, so I can help you," Hades sighs pulling the car into a spare park.

I glance around us to see that we've reached another small town, this one by the water.

"I don't know if you can..." I mumble glancing down at my hands that are in my lap.

"What do you mean?" I hear him take his seat belt off, then I feel his hand gently lift my chin up to face his.

"I think I killed a man, but I didn't mean to. I was so worried that he was going to really hurt you and I-" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

I stop as I feel Hades rest his lips against my forehead, they leave a soft lingering kiss there as he lifts his head to look down at me, a smile lighting his face up.

"You're not supposed to be smiling about this, I basically just confessed to murder Hades!"

"You didn't kill anyone sweetheart."

I frown.

"Whenever you get scared for you or others, your powers feel it as well. They both work together I guess you can say, but you won't hurt people I promise you that. It's not in your nature so it's not in your powers nature to harm anyone, just to protect you."

"But it dragged him away Hades, he screamed and... and he was so frightened of me," I say trying to stay strong but really I'm freaking out.

"He was frightened of you because they didn't know you're getting your powers back, they were expecting a scared little girl not a fierce young woman who can protect herself."

I think I could've kissed him right there and then, but Hermes had better ideas.

"Oh! Are we all friends again?" he asks appearing outside Hades side door, smiling across at us.

I roll my eyes but nod.

"How is everyone? Did anyone get hurt in the explosion?" I ask as Hades hops out his side.

"They're all good, the baddies honestly didn't stand a chance... If anything, Patroclus thought it was more of a distraction than storming in to kill."

"Are they always going to be coming after me?" I ask them, they share a dark look between them.

"We'll keep you safe Persephone," Hades tells me leaving it at that.

"Where are we going anyways?" I ask as I follow the guys through town.

"We're going to a bookstore so we can get you up to speed with-" Hermes looks around us before whispering the rest. "Our world."

"I thought you said it wasn't a mortal book?" I say.

"It isn't," he laughs.

"Then why are we going to a mortal book store in the middle of nowhere to look for a... this book?"

"Oh it isn't a mortal book store, well not really."

I raise an eyebrow at that but let it go as we come to stand in front of a small white brick building called Anetha's. There's two tables filled high with old books at the front, and I notice a freshly planted myrtle flowers near the door. 

Myrtle flowers? I don't know how I possibly know the name of them because I'm not a huge plant lover but somehow I do.

"It looks like a normal bookstore to me," I mumble as we walk in, following Hades.

"That's what she wants you to see, wait until you see inside," Hermes tells me laughing.

Upon walking into the shop, it looks relatively normal to me. That is until I see the rows and rows of books that go up and up until they touch the ceiling which in itself is metres high. Outside the building looks tiny, but in here... the room seems to grow bigger and bigger still.

"Welcome to Anehta's, how can I help you three today?"

I turn to see a young lady not much older than me walk up to us; she's wearing a cream coloured sweater and a few little mythology looking rings on her fingers. I notice a barn owl appear out of nowhere to land on her right shoulder, and she smiles as she rubs it's little beak.

"Do I really need a reason to visit one of my nieces?" asks Hades laughing as the woman rushes forwards to hug her uncle.

"How many siblings does this guy have?" I ask Hermes in a whisper who laughs too.

"Our family tree is a little... weird to say the least, you'll see what I mean when you start reading the book."

"Uncle Hades, it's so good to see you but what are you doing here?" she asks pulling back from him. "If He founds out you're down here..."

There's He again, who is this he fellow I wonder.

"Athena, you remember Persephone right?"

I blink at hearing my name being said as the girl, Athena looks me up and down with a smile.

"Of course I do, it's good to see you again Persephone," she turns back to her uncle. "But how did you find her? Her mother made sure no one would be able to possibly find her-"

"My mother? You know her?" I ask leaping forwards to stand beside them both.

Athena looks from me to Hades, her dark eyes narrowing at him.

"So you haven't told her everything than."

They stare at each other for a few minutes, I notice Hermes has gone missing so it's up to me to settle the peace again.

"I like how you did the stores name!" They both turn and look at me, surprised. "I mean... because it's your name but you changed it around..." I trail off feeling stupid as they just stare at me.

"She's smart this one." Athena says, suddenly smiling. "It won't be long till she does figure everything out Uncle."

Hades face goes blank but nods his head before turning to look outside.

"I'm going to go across the street and get us another vehicle, can you give Persephone the book please."

Athena nods her head as we watch him turn around and head out the doors without another word.

"Wow! I honestly thought he'd neither leave," she laughs putting her hand through mine as she leads me somewhere. "He still really likes you, you do know that right?"

It's then that I realise that Athena kind of reminds me of Liv, and not having Liv here with me makes me sad.

"Who, Hades?" I ask glancing her way, she nods.

"Who else. I mean ever since he first saw you, it's been like a Romeo and Juliet moment. Except no one dies of course cause we're immortal."

I crack a smile at that.

That's when we find Ares casually lounging on one of the many comfortable looking armchairs on our way through the maze of bookshelves - reading a book.

"Oh, what a surprise! I wouldn't have expected to see you here with a book, what are you reading?" Athena asks him, he smiles wickedly. I realise the book is upside down and I hold in my laugh as Athena realises it too.

Her eyes narrow at him as she sighs.

"Why do you have a book and what do you want? I'm a little busy here."

"Hephaestus burned your library down." He closes the book dramatically as he holds it out towards her. "I saved this one for you, so you owe me a favour I believe."

"I don't owe you anything," she says letting go of my arm and grabbing the book off him, only to slap Ares with it. "You should've saved the whole library," she huffs as she places the book on the coffee table.

"Well since you're pissy, I'm going to go home and finish my novel," Ares informs us unaffected by the book attack on him.

"You're writing a novel?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow. Writing a novel and fighting doesn't really go together too well.

"No, I'm eating one!"

I roll my eyes as Athena looks at him with intense disgust.

"I'm going to call it-" he lifts his arms out above him. "War and Peace, it's a super tough novel."

"Get lost you idiot!" Athena tells him as she takes my arm again, linking hers through it. "Or I'll kick you out the next time you want any help from me."

I turn my head to see Ares smile before he disappears like Hermes does.

"Can all Gods and Goddesses do that?" I ask her as we continue through the maze.

"What? Disappearing and reappearing somewhere else?" I nod my head.

"Oh yeah of course, it's a power we all share alike. We call it travelling through the speed of light, although most mortals nowadays just call it 'transportation'," she explains as we come to stop in front of a golden bookshelf.

"That's cool to know..." I wonder when I'll be able to do it.

"You'll find everything else you need to know-" she skins across the shelves until she smiles, taking out an old book with golden lettering on the front. "In here."

I can't make out the wording as its in another language I'm unfamiliar with.

"What does it say?"

"Oh!" She looks surprised I've asked but then she nods. "That's right you wouldn't have been old enough to remember our language, and the curse wouldn't have done you any favours," she gives me a sad smile. "It's an old form of Greek, it reads 'Guardians of the Mortals.' Most of it should be translated to the English you're more familiar with, but if not I'm sure Hades can you help with it until you remember the language."

Athena hands the book over to me and I'm surprised at how heavy it is.

"Thank you for the help," I say as she gives me a friendly side hug.

"You're most welcome," she tells me, leading me back to the front entrance. "Oh and Persephone."

I turn back to face her, smiling but her smile has been replaced with a look of fear.

"Please be careful... it's coming near."

I frown but nod my head as I walk out of the store, the book tucked firmly underneath my arm.

"Did you have fun?" Hades asks me, Hermes by his side holding a can of Pepsi Max out for me. I take it with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, she's super awesome!" I manage to say but as the boys walk off ahead of me again, I can't help but think of the warning.

What did she mean by it's coming near? What's coming near?