For the remainder of her time at Hogwarts before the holidays, Elspeth found herself more than happy because everything was running smoothly. However, it also left her highly suspicious because things seemed too good. With the unspoken sense that something was bound to go wrong eventually, Elspeth went to turn to Hades and Persephone, but if she didn't know any better, she would say they were avoiding her. Whenever she would venture to the Underworld, one of them would be off somewhere and the other would claim to be busy before hurrying away. She kept telling herself that she was just being paranoid and to just enjoy the more time she had in the company of her friends.
And speaking of friends, she thought she had been seeing things, but it seemed James and Lily were starting to finally get along. Enough that the two of them could be in the same room as each other without arguing or insulting one another. It made Elspeth squeal in delight internally, knowing that she was growing tired of having to monitor James' behaviour because just in recent times, she had a dream where she was clearly kicking James' arse.
He looked absolutely terrified in the dream where she loomed over him, and his voice was shaky as he begged her to calm down. More than likely it was her subconscious just telling her that she was done with James' shit. Thankfully, it seemed like they were getting passed the hard part with a friendship at least blossoming between him and Lily.
Settling in the compartment in the Hogwarts Express, Elspeth smiled as she sat next to Sirius, noting that all of her friends were crammed into the compartment. With Remus and Peter scooting over to make room for Lily and Marlene that sat with them, Elspeth exchanged a look with Sirius that only could mean "finally." And as the trip got underway, there was only the sound of conversation taking place.
It only left her mind to wander for a few moments as she looked out the window, thinking over the latest letter she had gotten from her parents. It was unusual to receive a letter from them so close to her leaving Hogwarts because usually, they would just wait until she was at home. However, there seemed to be a serious tone to the letter that asked Elspeth to keep her conversations at the train station short with her friends because there were important matters that needed tending to when she arrived.
The last time her parents had expressed such urgency, it was when she was going to learn of the Hayes family secret.
Perhaps there was another secret she was about to uncover, maybe that's why Hades and Persephone were avoiding her. Suddenly, it made sense, they were probably all waiting for her to get home to make an announcement, although Elspeth was going to have to remind all of them that they were all easily able to go to the Underworld and talk with one another.
"Something on your mind?"
Sirius' voice dragged Elspeth out of her thoughts and when she looked over, she could see that everyone was looking in her direction.
"Oh, uh," she cleared her throat, " I was just thinking about my birthday. My parents told me to think of things that I wanted but I couldn't think of anything. Maybe I can ask them about you all coming over for a party? I mean, it's my seventeenth birthday, that would be a big enough deal to celebrate."
Suddenly, the conversation turned into the discussion of Elspeth's birthday but Sirius didn't look convinced, knowing there had to be something else on her mind, she probably just didn't want to say it in front of everyone. However, rather than calling her out in front of everyone in the compartment, he only grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
When they arrived at King's Cross Station, Elspeth told her friends that she couldn't linger around, giving Sirius a kiss on the cheek and then another on his lips before hurrying off to find her parents. She promised that she would send them all an owl and then vanished. And it wasn't long before she found her father at the barrier.
"Dad," she called out to Caelan, " where's Mum?"
"She's back at the house," Caelan said as he pulled her into the hug, " we have guests, so she decided to stay behind."
"Guests," Elspeth repeated, " do they have to do with the reason as to why we have to get back there so soon?"
Caelan nodded his head and during those moments as she was looking at him, Elspeth would say that he looked so tired. There were dark bags under his eyes and it seemed he was even struggling to smile at that point. She knew that he could look intimidating head-on when he wanted to, but usually, he was so cheery and excited to see her, especially around the holidays.
Reaching out before they could depart, Elspeth grabbed the sleeve of her father's robe. "Dad, are you alright? Is everything okay at work?"
With a light chuckle, Caelan pulled Elspeth into a hug and seemed to hold onto her extra tight for a moment.
"Everything is fine at work, El, don't you worry about that, " he said, " let's just get home. The sooner, the better. There is a lot we need to go over."
Of course, with the assistance of side-apparition, it didn't take the two long to get home at all. As they arrived on the doorstep, Elspeth watched as her father seemed hesitant to even open the door. And no matter how many times he reassured her that everything was alright, she was already beyond nervous, especially as she wondered who their guests were.
Rather than waiting on Caelan to open it, Elspeth turned the knob and walked in, hearing voices coming from the sitting room. She nearly ran inside, curiosity holding a strong grip on her, as she practically burst inside the room to discover who the guests were. But as she rounded the corner, she came to a sudden stop.
"Hades? Persephone?"
There was a visible sigh of relief that escaped Elspeth instantly. She had originally anticipated it to be them but since her father had been acting so suspicious at the train station she had thought otherwise.
"Oh thank Merlin, it's you two," she said before looking over her shoulder, " Dad, you made it sound like something serious was happening! You could have told me that it was Hades and Persephone!"
Oblivious to the tone of the room, Elspeth entered the sitting room and plopped into her father's large armchair with a grin.
"Finally," Elspeth began, " I feel like it's been ages since I've seen the two of you together. Every time I head to the Underworld, it's only one of you and you've been so busy as of late. But I guess it makes sense. Mum and Dad said we had something important to discuss, so I'm assuming it has to do with you two and some Underworld business? Am I learning about a new ability? Oooh! Am I meeting another god or goddess? Oooh! I hope it's Athena, I've heard great things about her. Or maybe Hermes! I-"
"El," Hades suddenly cut her off, "please, if you could allow us to talk first. We do have important matters to discuss with you. It does involve the Underworld and a goddess but not in the way that you're thinking."
Elspeth's eyes narrowed in confusion as Sorcha entered the sitting room and sat on the arm of the chair that Elspeth sat in. She greeted her daughter with a kiss placed on the top of her head before motioning Caelan to come over. With the solemn expression from before, Caelan made his way over and sat on the other arm of the chair. It left the three of them to sit across from where Hades and Persephone were seated.
She could see that Hades bore no smile and Persephone wouldn't even look at her as she only stared at her hands that remained in her lap. It was so quiet in the house that Elspeth swore if a moth farted they would all be able to hear it.
"Can someone say something? Tell me what's going on," she whispered, " why do you all look so sad? Did someone die?"
"No, no, no," Sorcha shook her head, " it's nothing of the sort, sweetheart. We're not sad, we're just unsure of how you're going to take the news we're about to give you. But before we get started, I just want to remind you that your father and I love you very much. Everyone in this room loves and cares for you greatly. We only want the best for you in life. "
Elspeth could hear her heart pounding in her chest and while Sorcha attempted to reassure her, it only made things worse as Elspeth was terrified as to what was coming next.
"Okay, can one of you just tell me what it is then? Because I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack over here!"
"Elspeth, you are so incredibly special to all of us," Persephone started, " but there is no easy way to start off this conversation. Mainly because we all should have sat down with you years ago to discuss this. But to start, you should know that Hades and I have been involved in your life a lot longer than you realise."
Tilting her head to the side, Elspeth didn't think it sounded like such a bad thing. "Well, I kinda assumed that when Hades said he disguised me from Remus and you've known my parents since they were practically my age, so I'm assuming you've been around me since birth. Maybe not involved but there, right?"
"Well, you see, we were there for your birth, "Persephone said, " because you were born in the Underworld."
All the adults anticipated for Elspeth to lose her shit right then and there, but it was obvious as Elspeth turned to Sorcha with a smile that things didn't click in the way they were supposed to.
"Mum, you gave birth in the Underworld?!" Elspeth exclaimed. "That's way more badarse than delivering in St Mungo's. Oh Merlin, I could just see Thanatos losing his shit and running around like a chicken with his head chopped off."
"Elspeth-"
"Right, sorry, language, I know, but-"
"Elspeth-"
"You have to admit, it's a funny mental image-"
"ELSPETH HAYES!"
It was Hades' booming voice that brought Elspeth to fall silent immediately. She remained wide-eyed as she peered over at him.
Rubbing his hands over his face before running them through his hair, Hades looked directly at her. He reached out one of his large hands, motioning her to come over to him. Elspeth pushed herself up from the chair, feeling the lingering touch of her parents before she approached him. She grabbed his hand and he sat her down between him and Persephone.
"It has been the greatest joy in my life watching you grow up and becoming the person you are now," Hades' became soft, "and I know you wouldn't have turned out this way, had it not been for the love and care of Sorcha and Caelan. They came to us, wanting nothing than a child and you have been their greatest gift. And Persephone and I have been thankful to be included as much as possible because the Underworld was no place for a child to be raised."
Holding her breath, Elspeth stole a glance in the direction of Sorcha and Caelan to see that her father was practically in tears, while her mother consoled him. When she looked back to Hades and Persephone, they appeared anxious as they waited on her reaction.
"You mean to tell me that my parents adopted me from the Underworld, but not only that, they adopted me from you two? You two are my birth parents? But if that's true....that would mean...it would mean..."
Hades, Persephone, Caelan, and Sorcha all remained silent as Elspeth processed everything, while Elspeth suddenly felt overwhelmed by the strangest wave of Déjà vu.
"I'm a fucking goddess."