Chapter Sixteen

The silence that followed Ra's disclosure was deafening. One could hear a pin drop. For a split second, panic rose in me because Hades was now in even more danger than he was before. Following that, my panic rose when I watched everyone turn to Rowan, who stood as stoic and stiffly as possible.

"Hold up," Theo spoke first, putting his hands up for a physical emphasis to his command, "Wait. Last I checked, Hades was born to Rhea and Cronus, Lord and Lady of Douchebaggery and Childhood Scarring." Ambrosius didn't say anything, simply lowered his eyes and Thorn cleared his throat, looking away from everyone now as he stood close to Ambrosius. I wasn't entirely sure how these two had figured out Rowan was Hades's father, but I wouldn't put it past myself to have slipped up, or Hades.

It wasn't that we didn't want to tell the children.

We just didn't think of it. After all, Hades himself was having difficulty coping with the news himself. He refused to acknowledge Rowan as his father. Jokes and witty quips aside anyway. Addressing him formally was something Hades wasn't going to do. Thus, we'd not thought of telling the children.

Of course, now the cat was out of the bag.

"Rowan created Hades," Ra replied calmly, as if he didn't realize the gigantic nuclear bomb he'd just dropped on the kids, that or he simply didn't care, "It is a lengthy tale that is not for my telling. You can discuss it with your father when the time is right."

"And when the hell would that be?" Cain demanded incredulously.

"Yeah, I'd like to know when you guys would've thought it a good time to fucking tell us that Rowan's our," Cerberus stopped and grimaced, "I mean, like, we're related." He clearly wasn't comfortable calling him grandfather, and Rowan looked entirely uncomfortable with that as well as he averted his eyes.

"You're wigged out," Theo exclaimed incredulously, then looked at Rowan before his cheeks turned pink and he shuddered, rubbing at his arms, "Oh fuck, I am so Greek it fucking hurts. I need to burn my skin off. Or pour acid in my ass. Or down my throat. Oh Jesus Christ-- I mean, ah, fuck it, you know what I mean." He cast Yhwhwa a look of disdain, then moved away from Rowan to keep rubbing at his arms while his siblings scowled in confusion. I wasn't sure what his behavior was about, but whatever it was made Rowan give Theo a deadpan stare.

"For the record, I come from a time when such things were not unheard of," he said flatly, making Theo choke, "Also, you were the one who came onto me."

"Oh my god," Cain shouted, covering his ears with his hands. Abel scowled and Nikias rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.

"Why are you of all people wigged out by incest?" He asked. Cain growled at him and gave him a shove, which Nikias returned, only for Cerberus to step between them and put his hands on their heads to shove them apart quite roughly.

"We can deal with the fact that Theo will fuck anything with a heartbeat later," he said, making Theo sputter indignantly, "Right now, we need to figure out where the fuck Hades went if the shadows are after him."

"Did he mention where he was going?" Zelios asked, turning to Ra, who frowned. He looked to Yhwhwa, who shook his head slowly.

"He simply claimed he was searching for proper shades," he answered. Cerberus cursed under his breath and Jaques glanced at him, then at Yhwhwa.

"Did he fight before he left?" He asked. Yhwhwa inclined his head.

"Most of this damage is his," he admitted grimly, "The shadows came for Hades and killed anyone in their path. Unfortunately, their entry into the prison triggered violence among the prisoners, a riot. Mortals and shadows were attacking one another and the rest of us. Hades killed most of the guards."

"No shit," Ambrosius deadpanned, glancing over at a guard's body that was laying bent over one of the railings, "Humans are trigger happy ingrates. Bullets don't do garbage to us, except irritate, and Hades is easily irritated."

"I'll say," Dania whistled, walking over to nudge a body with her foot, "I can tell Hades got this guy because his innards are hanging all the way down to the next level."

"We are causing disruption the longer we stay here," Ra stated, looking through the group toward a window that was revealing the rising sun, "The humans will want to know what happened here and we should not be around to give them ideas."

"We need to go back to Hades to figure out our next step. Maybe there'll be a clue there as to where he went," I said. Nobody argued with that as we teleported as a group from the prison back to Hades's palace in Hell. Of course, upon arrival, we were greeted by a bloodbath. Servants had been slaughtered and tossed about, and a few others were fighting to the death against shadows, who turned on us the moment we arrived.

"Protect Lucifer," Jaques barked, whirling around to suckerpunch a shadow in the face so hard, I could hear the creature's skull crack open. As if they had some sort of planned formation for such an occasion, my children took up position around me, catching me off guard. Not only did I have nowhere to go, but the shadows were put up against a wall. And no sooner did they move, did Hades's children also join them, along with Rowan, Yhwhwa, and Ra.

I watched, stunned as the shadows engaged those around me. One went sprinting for me, only for Cerberus to bulldoze the creature, grab him up by his skull, and fling him down into the marble flooring, cracking the stone so bits and pieces flew up. Theo caught one around the waist, threw him up into the air, where Nikias slit the creature's throat and Cain cut open his abdomen. Jaques twirled around one shadow, slitting his throat, and leaving Dania to rip into the creature's throat to make sure it stayed down.

Abel ducked an attack from an oncoming shadow and Zelios came in with flames bubbling in his palms that he used to clap on either side of the shadow's head so it exploded. Charon covered Raven, who ducked and rolled from an attacker, only to split up and whirl around with his back to mine so he could catch the attempted blow of another shadow. Ambrosius and Thorn worked back to back, slashing and blasting creatures into the walls and ceilings.

I glanced over to see Rowan easily taking down the shadows without really breaking a sweat. The same could be said for Ra and Yhwhwa, though, where my children and Rowan took the shadows down in sprays of blood and gore, Ra and Yhwhwa seemed to only put them out of commission.

It took a good two hours before the shadows were subdued, and everyone was left breathless and in disbelief.

"Holy shit on a disco stick," Theo panted, squishing his boot down on a shadow's head, "I think I actually pulled a fucking muscle with that shit. Is it just me or are these guys just getting harder to deal with?"

"Their stamina is stronger than ours," Jaques wheezed, patting at his chest and shaking his head.

"Or you're just getting old," Alaric said, clapping Jaques on the back and Jaques grunted before casting Alaric a look of displeasure. Cerberus shook his head at them, then looked over where Abel was tending a wound on Cain's back.

"You okay, sparky?" Cerberus asked, leaning over to examine the damage. Cain grunted, wincing as Abel finished healing him.

"I'm fucking dandy. And where's the corpse of the fucker that cut me? I'm going to fucking disembowel him."

"Too late," Raven deadpanned, putting his hands on his hips, "Your granddaddy literally made him implode. Like, he's all over the walls. And on the ceiling." Cain blushed, shuddering at the term and casting a glare toward Rowan, who remained silent as he scanned the disaster in the main hall where we'd entered.

"There are people still alive here," Ra murmured, cocking his head as if listening for something the rest of us couldn't hear, "There are six people in the kitchens. We will gather them here for healing."

"What about the bastards who are still alive? I say we just cut their throats and be done with it," Malachi said, moving toward a shadow at Yhwhwa's feet. Yhwhwa surprised him by stepping over the shadow's unmoving body, facing him with a stern expression.

"No more killing," Yhwhwa stated, making Malachi pull up short to look at him in disbelief, "It must end somewhere."

"And where is that," Theo demanded, shooting him a nasty glare, "When all of us are fucking dead? These fuckers came into our lands and killed our people. They want to rip the wings off your fucking kids and pin them to their walls like a butterfly collection. And they want to kill my dad. So fucking excuse me if I don't find any mercy left in me."

"Theo's right," Cain agreed, getting up and moving away from Abel, who sighed, "Fuck off with your hippie bullshit. These things are fucking rancid with evil."

"And I could say the same of you," Yhwhwa said, making Cain's nostrils flare and his eyes flame with hatred, "Yet I cannot because you have been redeemed. Surely these creatures can also find salvation. It is as Hades said; they are infected. And infected with a powerful strain of hatred. These are people as much as you and I."

"You're kidding me, right," Dania demanded, putting her hands on her hips, "These things are heartless!"

"They're trying to kill us!" Alaric agreed in disbelief.

"What of Rowan," Yhwhwa demanded, gesturing to Rowan, who averted his eyes, "Or Theo? Or Death? Xiphrus? Think you I am naive? They, too, were infected. Yet, they have been healed and cured. These creatures can also seek salvation."

"I don't have time to play Dr. fucking Phil with these assholes," Theo snarled, "And for your information, I don't like being used to make a point, so fuck whether you're some big oh popular god. Fuck your bullshit excuses. I'm gonna kill every last one of these fuckers until I'm bathing in their blood." Yhwhwa was tensed. I could see his frustration, his sorrow, his agony. I could feel it as if it were my own.

And yet, at the same time, I felt a surge of anger. Salvation? Redemption? Who the fuck was he to preach such virtues?

"So now you believe in salvation," I heard myself say, making everyone look at me, including Yhwhwa, who pressed his lips together in a tight line, "Now you believe in redemption? In second chances? I begged you for years to let me return. Even after I'd owned my own realm, even after I tried to prove to you that I was worthy, you ignored me. You never answered my prayers. You never once went out of your way to see me or even my children. You did nothing when Michael cursed me, and you did nothing when Michael nearly killed one of my children. You stand there and you preach of redemption, of second chances, of hope, and yet you're the sole reason I lost everything I fucking had." Yhwhwa said nothing, and his silence infuriated me.

"And now that I have thrust your hypocrisy upon you, you fall silent once more, because as much as you want to talk of redemption, there is something cold and dark and sick inside of you that won't truly accept it... I loved you," I managed, clenching my jaw hard for a moment before speaking, "I loved you and everything about you. You are my father. You are my God. You are my Grace and my Holiness. You gave me life and love and happiness. And because I dared to speak out among my brothers and sisters, you spat upon me. You ignored my warnings about the humans. You ignored my warnings about what would fall upon Heaven. You ignored everything that went against your dreams and you lashed out at me. You turned my brother against me. You turned all of my brothers, my sisters, against me."

"I lost everything because of you. I lost my dearest brother. I lost my family! I lost my home! My fucking wings! My fucking titles! I lost my father! I lost my faith and my hope and my love! I lost everything I fucking had and I was forced to rebuild it again, without you! Do you have any fucking idea how hard it was? How hard it was to keep going and not simply kill myself? It finally took a demon, the creatures you hated so much, to show me that the world wasn't as dark and cold and empty as you made it! I befriended Joxeia! I had my first child with the first woman to own my heart and soul! I had many loves and children after, and fucking damn you and Michael, for ruining every lover I had because of that fucking curse!"

"You took everything from me and I will be fucking damned if you take it from me once more! I'd tell you to go to Hell, but my realm is too good and too full of hope to have you sully its streets! So fucking rot in the depths of the Source!"

My body shook as I spun around, taking fast strides out of the main hall to avoid any further conversation.

I didn't want to hear what he had to say. I didn't want to hear what lies he had prepared to make up for what he'd done to me. I especially did not want to hear his apology, because goddamn my fragile heart, I would fucking forgive him and I didn't want to forgive him. Not after everything he'd put me through, and for what? Expressing my opinion? Why had he given me free will, yet turned around and condemned me when I had acted upon it?

I found myself storming to Hades's room where I slammed the door shut behind me. And the moment I did, a wave of loneliness and fear crashed over me as I stood there in his room alone. I sucked in a sharp breath, inhaling the ashy scent of him in the air. I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting so desperately to have Hades back in my arms again. My body seemed to physically ache for him to be back with me. I wanted to feel his arms around me, his beautiful deep voice telling me I had every right to be angry, that it was okay to be angry... but to not let it consume me.

"Don't let it poison you, Lucy," Hades had once told me after a fit I'd had over the incident that had happened between Alaric and Stanton, "Look at me. I get that you're pissed. I'm fucking pissed too. And you have every right; that's your fucking son. But take it from someone who knows, it's just gonna make your kid hate you. It's just gonna make you hate yourself. And that's not you, Luc. You're not like me. You're not cold and empty. Why the hell do you think I've been with you so long? Because of your shampoo? Cuz that is part of it, but the rest of it is because of who you are."

I felt my lips tremble in a smile, reaching up to press a fist against my heart that seemed to split in half. I sucked in a shuddering breath.

"Gods, Hades, please be okay. Please. Without you, I'm nothing and I can't try anymore," I whispered, opening my hand up and staring down at the ring on my finger, "I can't keep losing people and without you... I can't. I just can't." I blinked hard a few times, sniffing hard, and taking a deep breath once more to try and steady my thoughts from returning to the cold dark place they'd dwelled for so long.

I cleared my throat and looked around the room.

"Alright, Hades. Where the fuck are you? Where did you go?" I demanded, looking around the room that had been destroyed by the shadows. Anger tingled through me at the thought of someone coming in here and destroying his sanctuary. Not only his clothing was tossed about careless, but so was mine, and gods, the door to the nursery had also been torn off the hinges. I wandered through the short hallway that led into the nursery and I spit a curse as my anger took off.

Sons of bitches. All of them.

The nursery had been torn to shreds. Everything Hades had done to decorate it and design it to be comfortable for his grandchildren was ruined. The cribs were broken, the decorations torn off the walls, toys smashed to bits. Even worse, the picture of Keros and Holly laying on the sofa with Hades, who was fast asleep in the photo, was broken and partially burned on the floor.

I stormed over to the photo and snatched it up. Blaine had been the one to take it. He and Cerberus had come home from one of their dates to find Hades had fallen asleep with the twins tucked in against him. Keros was also asleep, snuggled under Hades's arm and Holly had laid awake with her head on Hades's chest. When Blaine had asked Holly why she wasn't asleep, she'd informed them it was her duty to protect her family.

I wiped the smears off the photo, shook it, and tucked it into my back pocket, vowing that the next shadow that dared confront me was going to find its fucking heart shoved down its throat.

I looked around the nursery a little more and decided to leave. There was nothing useful here or in his room. As I came out of the bedroom, I slowed when I saw Rowan standing in the hallway. I frowned as he looked at me with his usual poker face.

"The others are checking in with their families. They'll return shortly. Yhwhwa and Ra are healing the injured and I've secured the living shadows down in the dungeons. I figured, perhaps we could see what they know," he informed. I eyed him warily.

"I do believe that is the most I've ever heard you say that didn't require me to solve a riddle," I muttered, brushing past him to head for the dungeons. Rowan followed me with ease, his long legs carrying him to my side in a breeze.

"I know how to speak, I just choose when it's necessary," he replied. I glared at him out the corner of my eye.

"Is speaking to Hades unnecessary to you?" I asked. Rowan pressed his lips together, but didn't answer. Not that I expected him to.

We continued in silence, heading to the passage in the laboratory that took us down to the dungeons. It had gotten an upgrade, much like the rest of the castle. After all, Hades loved to keep things up-to-date and high-tech, so a fingerprint scanner was required to enter, which thankfully had mine already encoded within its database. Steel doors slid open to reveal a corridor with concrete floors and sleek white subway tiles and a row of fluorescent lighting overhead. There was something cold and clinical about the place.

Another set of steel doors, another fingerprint scanner, plus a password that changed monthly and if I recalled correctly, this month's password was Theo and Cain and Abel's birthdays combined, plus Zelios's mother's name. I input the details and we came into yet another similar corridor to the last one, only this was the one that contained the cells. Each cell was fingerprint encoded with a digital panel that informed us of the current occupant and their information. The cells were small and narrow with only a pallet on the floor for sleeping and a drain in the middle of the room, plus hoses that came down from panels in the ceiling when it was time to clean up any messes.

The first three cells were occupied by shadows. Two of them were still unconscious and strapped down with restraints reinforced with Alexion's god restraints as a precaution. The third shadow was alive, standing at the bars with a curled lip of disgust. Judging from the electrical burns on his hands and face, the poor fucker had tried to escape, only to discover there was an electrical forcefield, plus Viviana had given the cells a special little tweak to ensure no shadows could get out.

"What is your name?" I asked, turning on the panel by the cell. The shadow sneered.

"I already told your mother last night while I was facefucking her in a ditch," he threw at me. I gave him a deadpan stare.

"I have no mother."

"I'm no dirty assfucker," the shadow snarled, attempting to goad me. I glanced at Rowan, who cocked his head as he studied the shadow before looking at me.

"His name is Drekari. He's a werewolf from Lebanon. A little over a thousand-years-old," he responded. I inclined my head and put the information in, allowing Hades's state of the art cameras to take several photos of Drekari from multiple angles without the shadow knowing. This was more for Hades than it was for me. I just wanted to get to the interrogation part of this, but I knew Hades would hand me my ass if I didn't take the information down.

"Traitor," Drekari spat at Rowan, "And all because you got fucked by an ancient. Should've fucking known. You faggots will do anything for a quick fuck, even if it means selling out your cause." Rowan gave him a bored stare.

"Is this the part where I apologize and beg for forgiveness? Ah, no, actually, this is the part where I say-- worth it," he said, making me arch a brow at his taunt that made Drekari's face redden with anger and embarrassment at the declaration, "Also, second, I'm ready to get this started." He looked at me and I inclined my head, finishing up the information input before I turned to the cell and hit another button on the digital touch pad.

Drekari scowled for a moment, then flinched before screaming and clamping his hands over his ears to a sound that neither Rowan and I could pick up on, but Drekari heard clear as day. Or rather, as if someone were blowing a high pitched whistle in his ear.

"You're not going to break me, you stupid sons of whores," Drekari shouted over the sound, his nose already dripping blood down over his lips, "I was tortured by fucking Nergal, you cocksuckers! Bring it on!" Despite his encouragements, he still shrieked in agony, blood oozing from his ears. I arched a brow at the mention of the Sumerian god of war and devastation. Last I'd heard, he'd been locked away for being a cruel monstrosity. But he was about to become nothing more than a bunny in comparison to what I was prepared to do to this shadow.

"Now let's start simply... Where the fuck is Hades?"