Betrothed to Jack Frost: Fire's Fury **SOON TO BE PUBLISHED**

3)Hidden Protectors

Elle nodded and stared at the weathered wood floor beneath her boots. It felt strange trusting Kane solely because he hadn't killed her, but Hermes made a good point. Kane could have harmed her, and no one would have been there to protect her. Hermes drummed his thin fingers against the fabric of the recliner. "It bothers me that I didn't know about his existence, though."

"Is there a reason you wouldn't?"

"Nothing alarming or negative. it just means that this Kane is a lower-level deity who doesn't wish to be involved in major events such as balls, weddings, and gatherings," said Hermes. "He must be a below-the-radar entity. To my knowledge your only living sibling has been..." Hermes trailed off as if saying Macaria's name was a taboo topic. Elle instantly felt she knew why he was avoiding speaking of her immortal half-sister.

"You don't have to avoid saying her name. I know she escaped from hell," Elle asserted, her voice steady despite the tumult of emotions swirling within her.

"Hells bells," Hermes murmured, his reaction tinged with a mix of surprise and frustration as he abruptly stood from his seat. "Who told you?! I know it wasn't Apollo because he has a few issues he has to take care of...Artemis?" His glare bore into Elle, a flicker of annoyance evident in his expression. Strangely, he seemed more bothered by Elle's discovery of Macaria's release from hell than the news itself.

"Hermes!" Elle chastised; her tone edged with a growl of frustration. She began to pace the living room, her hands instinctively reaching up to grasp the back of her dark head. "None of you thought I deserved to know that my big sister, who wants me dead, escaped hell? Don't you think that's something I should know, given it's my head she's after?!" Her words echoed with a potent mix of anger and hurt.

"To be quite fair, she didn't escape," Hermes explained diplomatically, his tone measured as he settled into Elle's grandfather's favorite recliner. Folding his hands together, he continued, "Loki released her. Major difference."

"Same results," Elle scoffed, her frustration evident in her tone. "None of you thought it was fair to tell me?"

"He didn't want us to."
Elle halted her pacing, her muscles tensing. She knew instinctively that he was speaking of Jack, though his name remained unspoken. The mention of him tugged at her heartstrings, but this time, Elle wasn't consumed by the familiar ache of heartbreak.

"So, he knew that my mysterious half-sister, who wants me dead, was released from hell, but he didn't think it was my place to know?" Elle's voice crackled with indignation, her frustration boiling over at the realization of being kept in the dark about such a pivotal threat to her safety.

"Precisely."

"I wasn't aware that the Olympic gods respect the authority of Jack Frost," she remarked icily, her words laced with bitterness and disbelief.

Hermes appeared visibly apologetic, his gaze falling to the carpeted floor in a gesture of contrition. "It wasn't a command given by Jack per se, just one he agreed with. The situation was voted upon by the Olympic council not to involve demigods or humans. We don't want anyone to panic."

Elle balked at his words, her frustration reaching its boiling point. "I think right about now is the PERFECT time to panic!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and righteous anger.

"It was an order given directly by my father," said Hermes apologetically. "This issue was supposed to be resolved as quietly as possible and not involving anyone not immortal." Elle wanted to argue this point but thought better of it. Hermes father was Zeus, the literal King of the Gods. In Greek mythology not many were bold or dumb enough to go against the command of Zeus. The majority of the time, the few that did were either killed or received a horribly horrific punishment for doing so. No one would dare to go against Zeus's authority and Elle couldn't chastise her friend and godfather for not doing such. Instead, she recalled her conversation with Kane. It deeply annoyed her that she only found out about Macaria given his warning.