Hunter: The Reckoning

Chapter 12

"Why are you going back there?" Zane was the first to form words. "Did you hit your head at any point today?"

I threw half of the pomegranate remnants at him. "Possibly, it would explain why you are all still here."

"And how do you think you're getting back there?" Hades asks.

"You're taking me." I hand him over a new bottle of whisky. "Please? You can even wait outside the gates."

Hades looked like he might actually consider it as he unscrewed the lid.

"Why?" Cain asked, snatching the bottle before Hades got a drink.

"Why what?" His gaze hardened before he took a gulp, wincing slightly as he handed it back to Hades with a look of smug satisfaction sent my way. "Asshole."

"Don't play dumb, Elle. Why are you wanting to go back to Tartarus?"

"Because the mention of the big guy scared Uranus. Also, Hades, you may be the only one able to answer this question without me bringing up past-trauma for Hermes. The King of Banishments over here never actually banished anyone more than out of this room, so how exactly does someone get sent to Tartarus?"

Cain groaned. "Kingdom. It wasn't only out of this room. It was away, far away."

"Sure it was, honey. Big scary Dark King and his banishments. Heard all about it." I winked, turning back to Hades. "So?"

Hades sat down. "I'm not entirely sure."

"You sent the creepy soul chair down there though."

"Chair? Oh. That. Technically, it was Hecate."

"What?"

"Well once your little show ended, I took it back to the Underworld. It isn't something that your people should have in their possession." He shrugged. "Then after the main event, we noticed some changes to the energy it was giving off. Hecate advised keeping it could become problematic, and since we couldn't destroy it, she sent it somewhere it would be safe."

"I destroyed it."

"Of course you did."

"What fiasco?" Zane frowned.

"You were on the beach, Guardian." Hades kept his tone flat. "I can't remember if you were at the Coven. Were you?"

Zane flinched as the memory came back. "No. I heard about it from Apollo and, others. May have read a report or two."

"Great little walk down memory lane, but what I am mostly hearing is you don't know how to send things there?" I point out.

"No."

I look at Cain who shakes his head and then Zane. "And I'm not even going to ask if you do."

"What if he's expecting you to work it out yourself?" Zane asks. "I mean, this is a big detail to forget to mention. Maybe it was intentional, because he wants you to go back or is setting you up to fail."

"I doubt he wants her to go back. You know how annoying she is." Hades chuckles to himself.

"He might have a point." Cain mused, looking annoyingly thoughtful before Hades' chuckle turned into much louder laughing. "Zane might have a point. About Tartarus."

"Nice save." I roll my eyes, and end up sitting on the table but it's not as comfortable as I had hoped.

All three just stare as a fit ball appears and sinking into it, I dare Cain to comment now. I roll back and forth, trying not to feel too happy about how good it feels as I idly rub my belly thinking about what Zane said.