Deimos was looking a lot better than he had a couple of days ago. If I hadn't known everything that happened, the lingering shadow under his eyes didn't give a lot away. I had looked worse than he did for days thanks to a killer hangover and it wasn't as if he would willingly show how bad he was feeling anyway. He had assured me he was fine, it was only Kara's non-stop pestering that was an issue now and with the new moon tomorrow night, I believed he was over the worst of it.

"Sometimes the wonders of your realm never stop surprising me." He mumbled, admiring Blueberry with a similar kind of awe that Cain still had on his face tonight. "Thank you for sharing this. I wondered what had him in such a good mood."

I find Cain, who is looking over something Kara had found in the records. "We have a few reasons to be. You talking to me now is one of them."

"Have I mentioned how thankful I am for that?"

"Only once or twice." I shrug. "Tell me again if you like."

"Thank you, Elise." Deimos put a hand on my shoulder and gave a little squeeze, before going over to the other two.

Kara looks up at him as he joins them, her smile instantly appearing as she moves the chair out beside her for him to sit down. I stay on the throne, watching the three of them, soon four as Artemis appears, and soon enough Hermes too.

"Sitting in the Queen's chair, with your shoes still on." Apollo clicks his tongue. "Hera would be cursing your name from whatever region of Hell she's been tucked away into."

"Pretty sure she would be doing that anyway after the way we ended things." I shrug. "Good thing the Queen who matters doesn't care what I do."

"So what are we in for tonight?" He leans against the arm of the chair, and I wiggle slightly to face him, keeping my legs tucked up underneath me.

"Murder, mystery and mayhem." I shrug. "You know, the usual. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. You?"

"Good. We had the scan yesterday, did you want to see it?" I ask cautiously, knowing the others will be talking about it and wanted to give him a heads up.

I see him hesitate, but he slowly nods so I hand over the photo. Apollo looks at it for what feels like an eternity before he hands it back.

"I didn't expect it to be so human-looking already. How is everything, are you feeling better now you know it's definitely happening?"

"It still feels pretty surreal, but seeing him has helped a lot." But also made everything else harder.

"Not sure I'm buying that, Bunny."

"There's still a lot of other things that need to be dealt with before I can relax," I told him.

"We nearly stopped the Furies and they did have the advantage. Next time it will be different." I loved Apollo's hopefulness but Matt's vision made it impossible for me to believe him so I forced a smile and prayed he bought it.

"You're right. I'm just tired. It'll be fine." His eyes met mine and I could feel the hundreds of questions he wanted to ask. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Thankfully he follows with no further discussion required, and we find a seat as he goes left and I go right so now we're opposite each other as we go to sit. I don't want him staring at me the whole time, so I change seats, and he does the same.

"What are you doing?" I cross my arms, glaring at him.

"Nothing."

I move again and he continues to copy me. "Nothing?"

"Nothing." He confirms.

"It doesn't feel like nothing."

"I agree, so you want to tell me what's really going on?" Apollo folds his arms over his chest as Hades appears.

"Sorry I'm late, I was trying to decide if I was going to come tonight or not." He mutters, flopping down in the nearest chair before looking between me and Apollo. "I am already regretting my decision. What is happening here?"

"Nothing." Artemis throws in, smirking as she did so.

"I don't know, he's being weird." I point at Apollo.

"I'm not being weird. I want to know what's going on. Do you forget how well I know you? I am getting classic Elise warning bells, which generally means your hiding something and as soon as we turn around, you're going to go and do something stupid." He scolds, talking down to me as if I'm a three-year-old who just took the last cookie from the cookie jar.

"If nothing else, she's predictable," Hermes mumbles under his breath.

"I am not up to anything." I glare at him.

"Yeah, sure you aren't." He argued.

"Back off," Cain warned.

"I've got this." I stop him, shaking my head at Apollo. "I don't think you know me as well as you think you do. I'm not about to do anything, other than sit my ass down on this chair and listen to what Kara has to say. How about you do the same and then we can all get out of here and enjoy the rest of our night."

"And on that note, now that everyone is here, thank you Hades, we can get started." Kara pushes forward whatever it was she and Cain had been looking at as we all took a seat. "Since Deimos insists he is fine, he's been going through our records rather than staying on bed rest. He's checked all the old texts and documents for anything that may be helpful and came across this. It's an old map of where the Furies used to reside. Known locations. They were tracked like this when they first broke away from Cronus so they couldn't be tipped off that they were being watched."

"Clever." For once in his life, Hermes doesn't sound sarcastic. "So where do we go first?"

"We aren't going anywhere. They will be able to sense our closeness and either surprise us first or leave. Artemis, can you send some of your huntresses to these nearby locations to see what remains, if anything?" Kara asked.

"Of course, I'll send them immediately." Artemis clearly meant it as she vanished with the map.

"It's not a lot, but it's a start. I kept the others out until we know more, and I think for now it's best if we keep Blue- the baby on a need to know basis." Kara continued, and everyone mumbled their agreement. "I just wish we had more to go on, and why did they even come back? Lycaon seemed to think they were awakened, and I am at a loss as to why. Cronus passing?"

"Lies regarding certain deceased ex rulers?" Hermes ads. "Though we do know they want the girl so where to start with that?"

"Hermes," Cain warned.

He holds his hands up innocently as Artemis reappears. "Merely making an observation."

"It's done," Artemis tells Kara. "What are you observing?"

"Why the Furies are after the girl." He tells her.

"They never did say why, did they?" She frowns. "And you really have no idea?"

"No she doesn't and it's no fault of anyone's. Long term, the why isn't what's important. They are a risk to all of us." Kara answers for me.

"What if they weren't? Like, what if they get what they want and then they just go back to wherever it was they came from?" I wonder.

"Don't be ridiculous." Hades scoffs as if he'd never heard something so stupid before. "They are judge, jury and executioner. If they kept things fair, they would never be an issue in the first place."

"Is that what you've been thinking, even now? I knew you were up to something." Apollo is quick to jump on the I told you so train and I just roll my eyes.

"We made you all think Cain was dead. Clearly, not dead." I point out.

"It would never work. They'd know instantly. They reach for your soul, it's unlike anything I've experienced before." Deimos answers quietly, and all around me everyone shivers or shifts uncomfortably in their chair. "Did you not feel it when they infected you with their poison?"

"No. I never felt like they did anything to me."

"I guess you didn't get to see how it went down when you, incapacitated." Hermes gave Deimos a look of sympathy. "She just walked right up to them. Faced Perseus's shield and survived that too."

"I heard, I just presumed it was no different to when she had faced me and Phobos."

"Sure I'm messed up, but I don't think they even tried to use their powers on me." I admit.

"I should have done more, and then this whole mess would be over." Kara sighed.

"You did plenty. Kara, you fought the three of them, alone, and it was amazing." I was so damn proud of her.

"But it wasn't enough. Unless the Huntresses come back with news, we're no better off than we were before the map!"

"You're quiet." Hades looked at Cain, who had been silent, simply sitting back and observing.

"That's not entirely true, Kara." He said now. "Elise got a call from the artistic Seer, Matthew, the night before last."

"I thought he retired?" Artemis frowned, looking between us.

"It wasn't as optional as he thought," I explained. "He's been getting visions again."

"And you didn't think to tell us until now?" Apollo didn't hide how angry this made him.

"I called you all here when I was told. It would have been sooner but we had a complication last night that made that difficult, and so here we are now." Kara snapped. "I thought it best if we did all find out together, only then we found the map and-"

"We should have been told immediately. What were his visions?" He demanded, glaring at Kara.

"Watch your tone," Deimos warned. "She may be a friend, but she's still your Queen."

"We know. You won't let us forget it."

"What were the visions?" Artemis asked cautiously, putting a hand on Apollo's arm as if that alone would calm him down.

"There were bits and pieces everywhere, but he saw Nieve, we think alone, summoning them in the mountains" I shared, staring at my hands as I told them to avoid the eyes I could feel on me. "I'm not a hundred per cent on the why, but we have the who."

"Oh," Artemis said a second later.

"We do, she practically told us why that night they came," Cain spoke up. "She's doing this as punishment."

"I get you all have a love-hate thing going on, but isn't that extreme? Even for her?" Apollo sounded confused. "And why not just do it herself? The Fates are the ultimate beings. They literally hold all of our lives in their hands."

"They've never been able to see Elise clearly, and they've definitely never had control of her. Since we pissed them off so badly by being together, I've been questioning everything they do and looked for the logic behind their threats before I realised they actually don't know much and have no real power." Cain told them.

"Hecate told you they fear what they can not see," Hades added, thinking this over.

"What will they think about the baby?" Artemis frowned.

"We don't even know if they know." I look at Cain which makes him reach out and take my hand. "And it's not just about us, it's about me. She had a big Apollo moment the night you all went to the mountain, telling me all the things I had done wrong, and what I was supposed to have done instead. She's still pissed off that I'm not the third. She wants vengeance."

"Seriously?" Apollo groaned.

"She makes a point. Do you hear yourself talk?" Hermes taunted him. "Even I want to slap you sometimes."

"The Fates and the Furies have worked together before. I vaguely remember a story about it, but I think they were one and the same." Hades thought about it. "I don't know. I think underestimating their power would be a mistake."

"I don't," Cain answered simply.

"If they are all-powerful and all-knowing, they wouldn't need the Furies doing their dirty work." Deimos added.

"We're still here. They've made no move against us, except for this and again, it's not direct from their hand. I have threatened and nearly killed all of them at some point, and not once had they even attempted to stop me. They are weak and even now they have a third, it hasn't given them back the power they had."

"That's a big claim." Apollo didn't look like he was buying any of it.

"It's always been that they are most powerful when there are three. It's why the third is cursed as their enemies seek to take out the weakest of them." Artemis frowned. "I remember Zeus ranting about it after you had killed the Maiden, Cain."

"He never killed her." I say before Cain got a chance to answer her. "It was Hera."

"Either way, Zeus was angry. Whatever he had been in the process of plotting with them required them to be at their best. She had been the third for some time, and had established herself as the Maiden. Losing them had ruined their plans." Artemis smirked. "Maybe Hera knew exactly what she was doing after all."

"Jealousy was the only thing that drove that woman. She'd never go against Zeus like that, or be smart enough to pull off her own schemes." Hermes scoffed.

"It doesn't matter, and they will never be at their full power whether there are two or three of them. We believe there was once a fourth." Cain revealed.

Everyone froze, the room eerily silent as they looked at Cain as if he'd completely lost his mind.

"A fourth?" Hades asked slowly, trying to hide how ridiculous he thought that was. "There have always been three."

"But what if there wasn't? We saw the Wheel of Fortune, and-" I start.

"The what?" Hermes sounded as though he believed us as much as Hades did.

"Wheel of Fortune." Deimos repeated. "I heard a rumour, a long, long time ago. The Spartans were thought to hold it. They only went into battle if it spun in their favour, which it often did."

"Nonsense!" Artemis rolled her eyes, seeming offended by this.

"We all know you were to thank for their blessings." Hermes said to calm her. "Even if Ares often claimed it to be his doing."

"It doesn't exist. If you were tricked into thinking that was what you saw then the more foolish you are!" She huffed.

"We saw it." Cain confirmed, his tone not leaving room for any argument. "I held it in my hands."

"Where could you have possibly seen it?" Apollo demanded.

"Medusa." I met his gaze, daring him to keep going and instead his mouth fell open as all three of them seemed to rethink how impossible it was for us to have seen it.

"If there was such an item, of course that would be where it has been hidden away." Hades sighed. "But what has this got to do with the fourth?"

"When I first started to work with Portia, she told me of its power. We searched for years, thinking it would break my banishment only we never found it. It was an item of myth. One of the stories attached to it, was that the fourth used it to spin the thread of life, and-" Cain explained.

"What nonsense." Hermes dismissed it.

"Then explain this." I decide, closing my eyes and using every inch of my ability to summon the giant pot into the room. "This is the second piece of evidence we have that there was once a Fourth."

Hades was the first to move, then Kara. Circling the artifact as if it was about to attack them, they both stopped at the damaged figure. Kara knelt before it, her finger running over the word Summer as she inspected it closer.

"Who is she?" She asked.

"No idea." I head over to stand beside Hades. "The last time I saw Portia, she thought the only reason why the third was cursed was because they trusted the Maiden and the Crone. By following their rules and doing what was asked, it only led to their deaths. Inana left her a vision, and she knew there was another way, that the path they followed was not the only option."

"But she still died." Kara frowned.

"Inana knew she would and was prepared to die so it could all happen." I explained, not fully grasping it all myself. "But now we know what Nieve has done, and I haven't seen Portia since. I'm not sure if it was another trick or if I should be worried about her."

"Where did this come from?" Hades asked.

"A storage facility in my realm."

Cain joined us holding some papers. "It was retrieved from an ice cave near the Scandinavian Peninsula in the early nineteen hundreds. The rumour around it was that it once held the tree of life."

"This is old Greek, and that was once the North's territory when they roamed the Earth." Kara pointed out. "What was it doing there and why would they think that?"

"No idea." Cain read over the documents in his hand. "It was on the remnants of a ship, so who knows."

"I think you're right. There was once a fourth." Hades decided. "This changes everything."

"Do you have it, can we see it?" Apollo asked, coming over. "The Wheel?"

"No. You do not take anything from the Gorgon's Lair unless you were gifted it. Medusa claimed it was already hidden within the caves when she found it." Cain explained.

"Then what good is it? We have a dead Fourth and a mythical item we can't touch." Artemis pouted.

"Perhaps in time, it will be revealed." Deimos answered rather cryptically.

"And the Seer had no other visions?" Hermes asked. "A clue about this fourth perhaps?"

"No." The way Cain said it, sounded like a command and Hermes simply nodded, lingering beside Artemis who took her turn at inspecting the carvings.

"I don't believe that." Apollo challenged. I turned to him, silently begging for him to drop it, which of course he didn't. "I know you're either hiding or planning something. What aren't you saying?"

"Apollo," Artemis moved closer to him, and he shook his head.

"We're all here, prepared to do what we have to stop the Furies and yet again, help Elise. We have a right to know all the facts, not just what these three are choosing to tell us." He motioned to Kara, Cain and I. "What else has Matt seen?"

"Kara doesn't know everything either." I admit. "I went to see Matt when he called, and there was a lot of nothing. Things that had already happened, Nieve in the mountains, our visit with Medusa."

I hesitated, and Kara's eyes widened slightly as she pushed past Apollo to stand in front of me as Cain moved beside me.

"What else did he see?" She asked cautiously, taking my hand in hers.

"Elle," Cain put his arm around my waist and held me against his side as if that was going to protect me from the memory that had been haunting me since the second I saw it.

"The Furies win."

"What?" She drops my hand as she takes a step back, looking between us as she tries to work out if I'm serious. Even Apollo looks like he regrets asking now.

"You're right, you do deserve to know, I just don't know how to talk about it yet." I stare at my boots, the silence of the big room presses down on all of us, so loud it may as well be someone screaming in my ears from the way it hurts. "You were in the picture, Kara. Not too far from me. Alfie too. There were others, but I didn't see their faces or anything that gave away who they were. Cain was the only one who faced them and he was on his own and wasn't looking great either."

"How do you know they won? We could just be about to help him?" Artemis' voice was like a whisper.

"We weren't." I shook my head. " We couldn't. We were all dead."

"What?" Kara gasped.

"Fuck." Apollo groaned. "Well, now we know."

"I wish I didn't." Hermes mumbled.

"Let's see what the Huntresses come back with. We can stop it, before it even happens." Kara decided. "Visions change all the time, and we haven't even found Hecate yet."

"What if she doesn't want to be found?" Hades shrugged.

"It was in the note she left to Elise. It means something, and we will find her." Kara argued. "Do we know when, or where, or even how much time until this happens?"

"About this much." I move my hand over an imaginary bump, which has Artemis slapping a hand over her mouth and Kara closes her eyes. "I feel like the Fourth means something important, and hopefully Hecate can help with that."

"We're putting a lot of faith in that witch." Crossing his arms, Hermes didn't look happy about this. "Someone should be monitoring his kingdom with a little more care. Who knows who else has escaped."

Hades glared at him. "Her debt of a soul was paid. Hecate came to my world by her own choice. She obeyed my laws, and honoured the agreement we made."

"Until she left." Hermes huffed.

"She clearly fulfilled her purpose." I felt him looking at me, and glancing up, I wasn't disappointed. "I will make another agreement, if you are willing. Come back to the Underworld with me. I give you my word no harm shall come to you, or your babe."

"That worked out so well last time." Hermes crossed the line as he mumbled to himself, and he realised the second Hades fist was thrown his way.

The thump as contact was made vibrated through all of us, and Hermes fell instantly.

"I am tired from your constant mumblings. You who would not even be alive if not for me, for him," He pointed at Cain. "You speak only when you are spoken to, and even then only when we deem it to be necessary!"

Hermes groaned, rolling onto his back as Artemis went to help him. Hades stopped her, his power snapping out like a shield to stop her, and the look she served him was murderous. It disappeared the second she faced him properly, and dipping her head, she made no other move to help Hermes.

"Do you understand?" Hades roared, and somehow Hermes managed to nod. "Contact me only if something useful occurs, or if you want to take me up on my offer of refuge."

He's gone and Artemis drops down to help Hermes. She looks at Apollo, and he only shakes his head.

"He had it coming."

"So do you, but I'd still help!" She snapped.

Kara turned back to the pot as Apollo reluctantly bent down to help Hermes, and I left them to it, unable to feel even an inch of empathy for the asshole. Apollo was right, he did have it coming and wrapping my around Cain, I held him tight.

"I'm not hiding in the Underworld, again."

"I wasn't going to ask you to." He hesitated. "Not yet anyway."

"I don't understand how something this huge could have been kept so secret?" Kara sighed, leaning against it as she looked inside.

"Someone would have gone to a lot of effort to hide the truth." Deimos agreed.

"Probably The Fates." Apollo decided, looking at the damaged side. "Who else?"

Kara nodded. "We have to find Hecate."

"Well you can all find her yourselves." Hermes shouted, rolling his neck as he pushed Artemis away. "I am fucking done with all this. How dare he-"

"Did you not just learn your lesson?" Cain stepped around me, glaring at Hermes who stopped talking instantly.

Hermes visibly swallowed, his rage simmering beneath the surface as he curled his hands into fists at his side.

"Fuck you, all of you," He growled. "I have nothing to be sorry for. I refuse to be treated this way!"

"Hermes," Kara started in her most diplomatic voice, which did nothing now.

"No!" He continued.

"You're acting like a child." Artemis whispered. "Calm yourself."

"How you stand by this is beyond me. I am done. I deserve respect!" He actually stomped his foot. "Do not try and change my mind. I am done!"

And then he was gone.

"Let him calm down, and I'll speak to him." Artemis seemed set on apologising for Hermes. "Hades was out of line."

"No he wasn't." Deimos threw in. "Hermes went too far."

Artemis knew this, I could tell from how passively she just stood there, but instead of doing anything more she just shrugged. "We all have our moments. If that's all, I'm going to go. Once my girls return, I will be in touch."

"Dismissed." Kara sighed, looking at Apollo. "You too."

"You should think about Hades' offer." He said instead.

"I have. It can be Plan C."

"Knowing the outcome, are you willing to risk everything because of her stubbornness?" Apollo looked at Cain completely confused

Cain glared at him before his gaze softened slightly. "I would lock her way into the furthest corner of the universe if I thought it could fix everything, but I know it won't. If the past has taught me anything, it's that we are better together. I do not need to protect her, she can do that for herself, but I want to, and I will always do whatever I can, while standing at her side."

Apollo shook his head, clearly having big issues with that while I felt like my heart might explode then and there. "Until next time then."

He disappeared and as I practically tackled Cain, planting a big, teary kiss on his cheek Kara gasped.

"I know where Hecate might be."

"What?" I forgot Cain as I turned to face her. "Where?"

"Where the wild women run, has to mean the Valkyrie. What wilder women are there?" She said excitedly.

"Wouldn't Frigg know if she was there?" I didn't quite catch her excitement, and as I said that Deimos nodded.

"No, she doesn't have much to do with the ones I am talking about. Frigg has those from Odin's army, and her own advisors, but there are tribes all through the lands. It has to be with them!"

"Why have I not heard of these creatures?" Deimos asked.

"They are another myth, legends of my people. The ones who Odin could not break," She exclaimed dreamily. "When we rebelled, they were the ones who were the first to guide us."

"When do we go?" I feel that strange sensation again blooming in the pit of my gut; hope.

"Tomorrow. I'll need to get a few things ready, and check in with some old allies." Kara smiles. "We will find her Elise, I know we will."

I wanted to believe her, but I wasn't there yet.

"We can rest tonight, Deimos my friend, you look tired." Cain patted Deimos on the back a couple of times and he nodded.

"Tomorrow then." He agrees.

"Go, I'll check on you later." Kara smiles at him, and then he's gone. "Do not say it Elise."

"What?" I fake my innocence.

"I can see it all over your face. We're friends." She warns.

"Find me when you're done here." Cain whispers in my ear before he's gone too.

"He could have died."

"But he didn't," Kara sighs. "He knows how I feel, and understands the position I'm in."

"Aren't you just a little tempted though?"

"Yes!" She groaned. "And the way he looks at me sometimes, I just, there's no point in discussing it any further. It's not going to happen."

"I'm sorry. I want you both to be happy, and all this feels like is torture for both of you."

"Speaking of torture, how's things with you and Apollo?"

"I'm speaking from love, and you're just being a bitch." I roll my eyes. "We're getting there, I think. He and Cain can be in the same room together so that's progress."

"Thanks to Hermes stealing the spotlight for assholeness today."

"Sometimes I think he's not so bad, you know. He's an onion, with lots of layers. Other times, I'm annoyed Hades got to hit him and not me." I shrug. "Maybe we're all just onions."

"Can I be one of those purple ones?" She smiles.

"Only if I can be too." We hugged. "I am going to go and the only torture I'll be enduring tonight will be the kind I enjoy."

"Too much detail." She frowns. "I'm going to check on Deimos for the torture I don't enjoy."

"You have the power to fix that." I point out.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She's gone and focusing on Cain, I'm not at all where I expected to be. Looking around the Underworld, I can hear his voice, and Hades and quickly leave, letting them have their moment. It's been a big few days and I crawl into bed, staring out into the inky blackness of the ocean which calms my mind enough that when I look at it next, Cain's tugging me closer against him as he curls around me.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." He kisses my neck, then my shoulder as I hold his hand tight against my stomach. "You came down to the Underworld?"

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to find you there and left instantly." I feel him nod as he snuggles closer.

"I just wanted to check on him, I thought you and Kara would be longer."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah. I showed him the ultrasound photo, and it blew his mind too. It's hard for him, and I know he will do whatever he can to keep you both safe." I felt him tense. "He's worried about me too, what would happen if. Hades is our strongest ally."

"And Kara. They've both experienced loss." I rolled over to face him, needing to see his face as I traced the outline of his jaw. "We have all gone through too much to get here and have earned the right to be happy. I'm not hiding, and we will keep fighting because they are not going to win."

"I thought I was losing you, but it's good to have my girl back." His kiss is light, a feather across my lips.

"I love you." It felt good, easy, and so powerful to say it to him which made me say it again. "I love you. We love you."

"I love you more, Elle." There wasn't anything gentle about the way he kissed me this time, and I loved him even more for it.