As soon as I stepped out of the portal, I was met with welcoming arms. I unconsciously melted into them as their warm embrace kissed my remanding nerves away.

"Kye?" Liam asked. "Are you alright?"

I looked up at him. He looked worried, and there were bags under his eyes.

Just how long were we there?

"I'm fine. Hungry, actually." The words seemed to shock him, and they shocked me too. I've never been one to be hungry, but now I felt empty. My midsection felt like it was going to cave in on itself if I didn't eat something.

Maybe I'll be able to enjoy food the way Zine wanted me to.

I wonder how he's doing.

"Do you know how long you were down there?" Liam asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I scrunched my eyebrows and shook my head.

"You were gone for quite a while. A couple of days." Liam hugged me a bit tighter before letting me go to arm's length. "You also smelled a little like someone else, but I just fixed that." He gave me a cheeky smile.

Xavier stood up from the bed. It took me a second to realize that we were back in the room I was in before I went to The Underworld. Xavier walked a bit to my right, and he looked just as tired as Liam.

"According to Nicole, we were gone for two days down there. And when we were shoved back," Xavier glanced at someone behind me. I looked, and it was Ember, enjoying a lollipop, with a blasé expression. "It took two days for both of you to come back. Liam and I decided to sit and wait for you."

"I was willing to wait up for as long as I needed to." Liam smiled with his eyes. He looked to Ember, and his expression dropped. "We could've stayed, though."

"And let Hades catch you?" Ember waved a hand in front of his face. "Kye was interrogated harshly- and he's a demon. It would've been harder to explain why the two of you were down there."

"Wait- Hades?" Xavier asked.

Ember narrowed his eyes. "Yes, Hades. He said he sensed something weird at the entrance. It was you two who he sensed. If he would have caught you, then you'd still be stuck down there."

"Why didn't the other guy keep us down there then?" Liam asked.

"Oh, Charon?" Ember took his lollipop out and sighed. "He won't hurt anything or anyone unless they strike first. No offense, but a boulder is more menacing than the two of you."

"This kid has gotten a little too friendly," Xavier said, while his right eyebrow twitched. Liam nodded and let go of me for a bit. He led me to the bed and gestured for me to sit down.

"I'll go make you some food. Just wait for me here." Liam stated. He had his hands out like he was telling me to stay.

"He's not leaving, dude. Just go get some food already." Ember said. He offered me a lollipop, which I took and slid in my mouth. A spicy flavor attacked my dull hunger and left a smokey taste in my mouth.

44. I like cinnamon.

Liam huffed. "You're right, Xavier. That kid is getting a little too friendly." Liam walked out of the room, and Xavier looked at the door.

Once Liam's footfalls grew quiet, Xavier sighed. "With that being said, you did look after Kye when Liam and I couldn't. For that, I thank you."

Ember blinked at him before he slightly puffed up his chest. "Well, I did make a pact with him. He's not getting harmed when I'm around."

Xavier smiled softly. "I'm glad." He turned to look at me. "Now, what did Hades ask you?"

"He asked me what I was and what I was doing in The Underworld." It finally dawned on me that Charon told me not to tell him my name or what I was. I mentally thanked that whoever was answering followed his directions in my state of panic.

Xavier's eyes widened. "Please tell me you didn't tell him you were a Harpy. If what Ember said was true, then I'm surprised you managed to-"

"If? What I said about Harpies came straight from Charon!" Ember sighed and sat right next to me on the bed. "I wouldn't have let Kye say he was a Harpy either, but he answered something different."

"You did?" Xavier stood in front of Ember and Kye, with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

"I told him that I was an Angel hybrid." My wings twitched slightly.

Xavier looked at me with impressed eyes. "Wow! I didn't know you could think that quick on your feet, Kye."

I looked at the floor. "Well, in all honesty, I wasn't the one answering him."

Silence played a chord before Xavier spoke.

"What?"

I took the lollipop out of my mouth and rolled the stick around in my hands. "It felt like I just opened my mouth and words came out, but I didn't think or say them. Standing in front of Hades was enough to make me want to run and hide." I grabbed the bottom of my shorts as my hair fell in front of my face.

Some hair got on the lollipop, but I didn't care.

Flashbacks to Hades staring down at me with his soulless eyes haunted my sight.

Hades' demeanor when he was asking me questions, scared me. When I'm with Liam, Xavier, Ember, or the others- I feel safe and loved. In that one moment, Hades felt cold and dark. It reminded me of a dead body that was forgotten. It made me lose all coherent thought and I-

I wanted to go back to the cage.

Xavier's hand on my now balled up fists pulled me out of thought. My lollipop dropped onto the floor at some point, and it was surrounded by small droplets of water. I brought a hand to my face and felt wetness.

"Calm down, Kye. You're back with us now. We'll make sure you won't see him again."

I looked up at him, and he gave me another soft smile. He brushed the tear residue from my cheeks while I sniffed. I felt a pat on my head and realized it came from Ember. I looked at him and he gave me a thumbs up.

"Chill out, Kye. Tears don't suit you."

That made me laugh a little. "And what suits me?"

The front door banged open. "Food!"