Chapter Eighteen
Eight Months Later...
"Absolutely fucking not. Out of the question."
"What the fuck! It's been a fucking year! It's just a trip to town!"
"No means no. I already have to deal with you and River sneaking around behind my back and you and Cain getting into fist fights every time you cross paths."
"That has nothing to do with this!"
"It has everything to do with it. Now fuck off so I can get some actual work done, brat."
"Ugh!"
The door to Hades's office slammed shut behind me. I cursed and whipped around to glare at the gold gilded doors made up of stupid gay swirly designs that Lucy insisted was called Rococo. Yeah, now I was positive the asshole was making up words to confuse me.
"You can't keep me here for the rest of my life!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the doors.
"We'll see about that," came Hades's snide response and then he turned on his playlist so all I could hear now was AC/DC's T.N.T. blaring through the doors. I narrowed my eyes, debating just punching another hole in his office door, but last time I'd done that, the asshole had confined me to my room for two days and I was already feeling stir crazy. Having my space narrowed down like that would drive me insane.
Gods, that guy was an asshole.
I'd officially been living in Hacian for about a year now, and that still hadn't changed. Even when I finally started doing all the shit they told me to do to get stronger. I ate whatever the fuck they gave me and did whatever the fuck they wanted me to do. I'd gained back some weight and now looked relatively normal, or at least, to everyone else. I still thought I was a skinny bitch, but according to Hades, I was the ideal weight for my size or whatever. So fine. Progress, I guess.
I continued lifting weights and exercising within my means. I even went outside and played fucking dodgeball and hide and seek and whatever the hell else the brothers could come up with to keep me fit, but even after all of that, one little trip to town was out of the question.
Fine.
Plan B.
I made my way down the hallway to Lucy's office. Sure enough, his door was slightly cracked open, which was his way of saying that I could come bother him whenever the fuck I wanted.
"Lucy, your butt buddy's being an asshole," I barked, throwing the door open. Lucy jumped in his seat, a pen flying out of his hand and landing on the floor. He stared at me for a moment, then reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose before he looked at me pointedly now.
"Stop calling me that. And, no, he's just concerned about your wellbeing," he said dryly, rising to his feet to fetch the pen and I walked over to take my chance to plop down in his seat, making him straighten and stare at me, "What happened to playing hide and seek with Theo and Adonis?" I rolled my eyes as I spun in his chair to face his computer screen, frowning at all the gobbledygook that made sense to him.
"No," I grunted, leaning forward on the desk and wiggling the mouse to get rid of the annoying screensaver of all Lucy's kids, including Hades's brood, "I hate playing hide and seek with them. They always hide together and end up making out or whatever. It's gross." Lucy smiled thinly and took my hand off his mouse and turned my seat so I was facing him.
"Perhaps you could find your own future husband and occupy him?" He asked. I wrinkled my nose.
"River's in Inferi with his dad, something about shopping for outfits for this wedding ceremony you guys keep going on about," I said, then pushed myself up to my feet and Lucy stepped back to raise an eyebrow, "Hades hasn't even said yes yet, so I don't know what they're doing shopping for shit. I'm not even sure if I'm ready for it myself." Lucy cocked his head as I walked over to start poking around his bookshelves that were littered with an array of family photos, collector's items, and dumb books that meant nothing to me.
"If you're not ready for it, why did you tell River you were?" Lucy asked.
"Because if I'm going to cut the Mother's head off and feed it to the Source, I need an army," I said disinterestedly, picking up a picture frame with a picture of Lucy and Hades in some kind of snowy place. For once, Hades's scowl looked softened. I'd never seen his face like that. He was always scowling, or growling, or yelling, or throwing shit. Clearly I wasn't privy to the nice Hades, not that it mattered to me. All I needed was for that fucker to say I could marry River and that would be one problem off my plate.
I didn't understand why I needed his permission to begin with. I told River I'd be down for marriage, but he insisted Hades needed to confirm the union in order for it to go forward. Apparently the whole fucking world needed to see it happen in order for it to matter, and if I wanted to make an army, it had to matter.
Typical.
Nothing around here was easy.
"You have an army without marriage," Lucy pointed out, coming over to take the picture frame out of my hands and putting it back on the shelf, so I moved on down the line, picking up an hourglass, which Lucy quickly took out of my hands and very gently placed on the shelf.
"I have a bunch of idiots," I corrected, picking up an old book and studying its old pages, the lettering meaning absolutely nothing to me, so I went to toss it back on the shelf, but Lucy snatched it and carefully placed it back in its place, "Not an army. I need trained soldiers. You guys think you can use the power of love and family to bring the Mother down? Please. The bitch invented that shit. I need people who aren't afraid to kill her."
"And you think we can't do that ourselves?" Lucy asked, following me around the office.
"I don't think Hades can," I replied swiftly, turning to face him and he stopped abruptly before he could smash into me, stepping back to frown, "I think Hades is a pussy when it comes to his family, and unfortunately for all of us, Hera's the big guy's baby sister. You honestly expect me to believe he'll lop her head off when the time comes?" Lucy blinked, then averted his eyes, pressing his lips into a grim line.
Because he knew I was right.
I learned a lot living in Hacian, despite all the fucking restrictions.
Like the fact that Zeus had tortured Hades for centuries and instead of putting his ass in the ground where it belonged, he actually fucking made up with the asshole and they went on lunch dates.
Yes, hi, I abused you for centuries, but here's a ham sandwich. We good?
Fucking idiots.
No way in Hell was Hades going to do what needed to be done. And a good talking to and a ham sandwich wasn't going to make the Mother back down. The bitch raised me on blood, sweat, and tears. She was salivating for Hades's blood. He may not be able to kill her, but the Mother was itching to kill him, if not torture him. And while I could see the appeal, she needed to be stopped. As soon as possible. By any means necessary.
No matter what Hades said.
"Hades knows what he's doing," Lucy said after a moment with a confidence I did not share. If anything, his words made me laugh.
"Sure he does. Just like he did when the Titans escaped under his nose, when the Atlanteans launched their attack to take over the universe, and when the Shifter nearly ended the very fabric of time and space thanks to his help?" I asked. Lucy closed his eyes for a moment and did that thing he always did with his hands; he'd spread his hands out in front of himself, take a few deep breaths, then return to the usual monk he pretended to be.
I wasn't stupid, of course.
I knew about Lucy's curse, about the monster that lay bubbling just under the surface of his big happy smiles and white leather getup. When it came to it, would Lucy be willing to kill someone to protect his family? Fuck yeah. Lucy would bulldoze the shit out of anyone who so much as looked at Hades the wrong way.
I had way more confidence in Lucy than fucking Hades.
So honestly? Fuck Hades.
"He's not as bad as all that," Lucy said after a moment, making me roll my eyes as I turned away to head toward the doors, "You have to trust him."
"Yeah, not happening. So I take it you're not gonna let me go into town either? Even if I'm surrounded by babysitters?" I asked. Lucy frowned.
"No--"
"Kay, byeee," I said, dragging out the word longer when he tried to talk again. I slammed the door shut behind me and sighed in frustration, feeling a muscle twitch in my brow. I could feel the tension rising and prickling the back of my neck. I shuddered and shook my head, heading for the stairs. I took them two steps at a time, jumped down four steps to land on the bottom, then hit the corridor out the front door to go for my millionth walk around the property.
As long as I stayed within the property lines, I was fine. Once I got near, apparently a signal was sent to alert Hades and he was right there to grab my ass, toss me over his shoulder caveman style, and cart me back to the palace. He didn't need to fucking do that. He could send someone else to do it or he could just have a hole open up in the ground cartoon style and swallow me, but nooo. The asshole had to drop everything he was doing and come get me himself.
It was really tempting to do it several times in a row.
But I'd already done that and it got boring real quick, especially when Hades started locking me in my room as a result.
I walked down the dirt path, sneakers squishing in the wet forest dirt. I paused to look up through the towering redwood trees, listening to the leaves rustle and the sun peek in between them to shine down on my face. I closed my eyes to savor it for a moment. Who knew the sun could be so fucking amazing?
I turned away and headed down the path to Eumelia's bench. I plopped down on it and rubbed the sides of it.
"I'm back," I greeted, even though I knew the lady probably couldn't hear me, but for some reason it was strangely therapeutic, "Your ex is an asshole, you know that? But you probably already do since you were in love with him, or whatever that means." I liked Eumelia, or what little I knew about her. I'd asked Zelios a few times and every time, he seemed so surprised. He didn't know much since he was little when she died, but what little he did know of her was nice to hear. He said she liked to sing and dance for him and she told him stories and while he didn't remember the stories, he remembered her soft lilting accent when she talked to him, the warmth of her voice.
I wondered what that was like, to have a mother, or even a father.
Sure, Hades and Lucy touted all this family bullshit, but neither of them felt like what Zelios had. Neither of them were sweet and soft, and neither of them knew how to sing or dance. Lucy pretended he could dance, but if waltzing was what he called dancing, then fuck no.
Of course, the only mother I knew was the Mother and from what I'd read, she was the exact opposite of what a mother should be. She wasn't loving or caring or any of that stuff. Not that I was entirely sure what any of that meant anyway. No matter how many books I read on love and affection, none of it made sense to me. It was all foreign.
How could you give everything to someone and not expect something in return? How could you endlessly think and hope for someone who hadn't done anything in particular for you except just be there?
I think the closest thing to that I could think of was Bait, but I didn't love him. Not like that. Maybe it was more like... mutual gratification? Was that the right word?
"Fuck, I really need to carry a dictionary or thesaurus around with me," I muttered, then shook my head and got up, "See ya later, Eumelia." I headed down the path that took me around the palace and to the back gardens, which were all wrapped up for the season, so it was kind of sad actually. No more lush green plants and bees flying everywhere, or squirrels fucking behind the bushes or ducks frolicking in the fountains.
I came around the corner to head back towards the other side of the house where the training area was, only to pull up short when I saw a guy I didn't recognize in a floppy hat and gray overalls. I frowned as I came around some statues over to where the guy was tightening a rope on a statue covered in a burlap bag.
"Who the fuck are you?" I asked. The guy jumped almost five feet in the air, then spun around to stare at me, his mouth opening and closing for a moment before he dropped down in a bow, taking his hat off.
"My lord, my deepest and sincerest apologies. I had no idea you would be out at this hour. You're usually in having your lunch and I was trying to hurry--"
"Huh?"
"My name is Onzo," he managed, straightening and clutching his hat to his chest, "I'm his Majesties' gardener."
"Oh," I frowned, giving him a quick once over, "I didn't know he had a gardener."
"Well, I'm required to vacate the premises if you should be outside," he admitted sheepishly, making me frown more.
"Why?"
"His Majesties don't wish for me to disturb you, so I do apologize. I'm just finishing up and I swear I won't be a nuisance," he added nervously, glancing up toward where Hades's office window was. I glanced up there, then back down at Onzo.
"Uh, no, it's whatever. I don't really give a shit," I replied, then cocked my head, "That's rude. Why am I not allowed to meet the gardener? What are you, an incubus or something?" Onzo blushed.
"Oh, n-no, my lord, surely you joke. I'm... uhm... an imp hybrid," he practically whispered it, which made sense since, despite the fact that imps had been freed from slavery for years now, the racism towards them hadn't dwindled in the slightest. In my opinion, that was fucking garbage. All the imps I'd met were great, and kicked ass. Literally. The first time I'd met Dorean, uh, some kind of uncle twice removed or some shit, and opened my big mouth to insult him, he'd put me on my ass flat and did it smiling the whole time... and then he made me cupcakes, so all was forgiven.
Niki had also punched me a few times. Once in the mouth, twice in the side, and once in the head. The head one was an accident and only because I swung first and it was honestly deserved, so whatever.
"Cool," I answered Onzo, who blinked in surprise, "Don't get why Hades tried to hide you, but whatever. Are you, uh, winterizing things? Is that what that's called?" Onzo looked surprised, then recovered quickly.
"Y-Yes, my lord. His Majesties requested I winterize so it's easier to clean in the spring. I, uh, the garden is to be in tiptop shape come springtime when you are... to wed, I assume?" He asked hesitantly. I nodded.
"Yeah, that's the plan anyway," I said with a shrug, "Don't know what gardens have to do with weddings. You guys have weird customs around here, but I guess that's what River's teaching me anyway." A weird look came across Onzo's face as he averted his eyes, his little fang going to his lip and tongue darting across the sore spot. He was anxious.
"What? Not a big wedding guy either?" I asked. Onzo blushed.
"Oh, no, no, my lord. Uh, I don't think I've ever been to a wedding," he admitted, "Just... very surprised to find you're wedding Lord River is all." I frowned.
"Well, I mean, he's kinda hot and he's rich and he's got everything I need to form an army, so I don't see what else would be important," I said, but Onzo didn't answer and just gave the statue ropes a few more tugs and bent down to his bag, making me raise an eyebrow at his odd silence, "What? Is he cheating on me already?" Onzo shot upright.
"Oh! N-No, no, of course not, my lord," he stammered, "That is absolutely not what I meant at all, I am so sorry, I didn't..."
"Nah, it's good," I answered, cocking my head, "Just. Curious. Nobody talks in detail about River's background. I just know his family's old and rich." Onzo averted his eyes for a moment, squirming like he was uncomfortable before he reluctantly let out a nervous sigh.
"It's just... I don't want my lord to make any rash decisions, is all. You have brought a lot of brightness to the palace recently and I very much enjoy seeing his Majesties happy," he said slowly, then paused and I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest impatiently and he cleared his throat, "It's... I suppose I feel Lord River isn't good enough for someone like you, my prince." I frowned.
"He's an aristo, though, isn't he? So why not?" I asked. Onzo swallowed nervously.
"Well. That's what they say."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just," Onzo paused again, making me narrow my eyes and he cleared his throat, "He's not... blue blooded, my lord. From what I've gathered, Lord River isn't even Windstorm's son. Rumors say he's a bastard born to a harlot on the streets and Windstorm was blackmailed into taking him under his wing after his mother died. He's not... really royalty, my lord. He's just..."
"A normal person," I said, and Onzo just stared at me until I snorted and he took a step back like he was afraid I'd whack him, "Well, thank fuck for that. I'd hate to think I was marrying some rich asshole who doesn't know what real life is like. Rich people make my skin crawl."
"O-Oh? B-But, surely if his Majesties knew--"
"Oh, no, see, River could be the fucking Source itself and Hades still wouldn't want me to marry him, but I'm not marrying River cuz he's rich necessarily or for Hades's benefit. I'm marrying him because I need a strong army to kill the Mother. Also, he's kind of hot. I mentioned that, right?"
"Y-Yes--"
"Four!" I looked up at the sound of River's voice.
"Over here! I was just..." My voice trailed when I turned to say something to Onzo, but the little guy was fucking gone. Like, zoom. Outta sight. As if he'd never been standing there. I scowled, turning just as River approached.
He seemed a bit different at that moment and I wasn't sure if it was because of what Onzo said or because he looked strangely bright for once instead of somber and quiet. His dark hair was swept back from his face, but there was a slight curl to the ends, like he couldn't get them to lay down flat enough, his fiery orange eyes were directed down at some papers in his hands. And, once again, he went on a boring trip to town and had to make sure he was dressed up to the extreme with a five-piece fucking suit that featured steel gray and a silver and blue brocade vest. A pair of black heeled boots finished off his outfit.
Look at me, recognizing actual layers of clothing.
River looked up for a moment, looked back down at his papers, then looked back up. He cleared his throat, wiping that dumb happy look off his face right away.
"What's wrong? You look displeased," he said, immediately furrowing his brow. I scowled.
"Don't make that face. You look gross when you do," I replied. River furrowed his brow harder before he sighed, rolling his eyes and looking away.
"I asked you first," he responded. I paid note to his accent. Onzo said River wasn't from the aristocracy, but he sure fucking sounded like it. Even when he got relaxed around me, it was almost like he was trying to make sure to maintain some semblance of formality.
"I met the gardener today. Why wouldn't Hades let me meet the gardener?" I asked. River immediately frowned.
"Gardener? You mean Blaine?"
"Blaine? No, I mean the imp. Think he said his name was Onzo?" I mused. River paled.
"What?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, or... well, he said he was an imp hybrid--"
"What did he look like?" River demanded sternly. I arched a brow.
"No please?" I asked mockingly. River glared.
"No, what did he look like?" He repeated. I studied him for a moment, then shrugged as I looked back at the spot where Onzo had been standing and pictured him there in his overalls and hat.
"I dunno, like a gardener? He was smaller than me, but not by much. Dark hair, sun blistered tanned skin. His eyes were dark, but I don't think they were brown. Maybe blue?" I mused, trying to remember and River made a noise that made me look at him. He scrambled for his pocket and took his phone out, making me scowl.
"What? Why, what's wrong? Did I miss something?" I asked. River glared at me.
"Hades and Lucifer do not have gardeners. Blaine comes here twice a year to prepare the garden for the season and visits weekly to maintain everything, but he's already been here this week."
"Oh. So who's Onzo then?" I asked, but River ignored me as he put the phone to his ear.
"Father, it's me-- Yes, yes. No. No, please, we don't have time. Onzo has visited the palace--" No sooner had River finished the sentence did the air ripple next to us. There was a brief moment, probably Hades making sure it was just Cypress, and a second later, Cypress was standing with us, equally as overdressed as his son, but looking a bit shaken by this latest news.
"My prince, are you alright? Are you safe?" He demanded, reaching for me, then seeming to think better of it. I was a little surprised, considering Cypress was usually a goofy ass guy. He was always dressed in plush bathrobes or pajamas around the house, drinking fancy coffees and teas, milling around the pool room, pretty much making himself right at home.
"Uh, yeah, but someone want to explain to me what's going on or should I just go ask Hades--"
"No!" River and Cypress blurted at once. I stared at them and they stared back for the longest time before Cypress reached up to rub his face stressfully before he looked at me.
"No, no, you're right," he said after a moment, "If anyone can keep you safe, both of you, it's Hades." River looked at his father.
"Hades won't protect me, father, you know this--"
"The fuck he won't," I said dryly, "In case you're forgetting, we're a team now, asshole, you don't get to duck out and run. If I'm fucked, you're fucked. If you're fucked, I'm fucked. Together, we're super fucked." River groaned and Cypress shook his head and gripped River's shoulder firmly, making him look at him.
"He's right, River, this is the safest place for both of you right now," he said grimly, "But it won't be if we don't explain the situation to Hades..." But he still looked hesitant, which made me frown. Cypress was awfully loyal to Hades, I noted. He was always seeking Hades out, always asking questions and driving him up the walls. It was honestly pretty fucking hilarious, but the one time he needed to see Hades ASAP, he was suddenly chickening out, which was curious.
"Okay, I have an idea," I said, making them look at me, "How about you tell me what's going on right now and we can figure out if telling Hades is the best thing after that, huh?" River grimaced, but Cypress seemed to honestly be considering it. The big guy averted his eyes for a moment, rubbed at his chin thoughtfully, then nodded.
"I think that would be the best course of action," he decided, "After all, you will be my son-in-law someday and surely you deserve to know the truth before Hades." I didn't say anything as Cypress seemed to be struggling to find words.
"Would this have anything to do with the fact that River is like some other person's kid or something?" I asked. Cypress stiffened and River seemed to turn to stone for a moment, everything about him freezing up before he looked woefully at his father.
"River is my son," Cypress said after a moment, "He's just... not..."
"I'm a whoreson," River said flatly. Cypress glared at him.
"Do not speak about Magdalena that way," he snapped, which was surprising because Cypress never got pissy, ever. He stopped, took a deep breath, then looked at me.
"I assure you that River's blood is royal, if that's what bothers you--"
"What? Why would that bother me? Knowing he's an actual person and not a stuffy aristo is great news for me. I thought I'd have to get used to being married to someone with a stick up his ass, a stick that's not even mine," I added in exclamation. River huffed indignantly, but surprisingly, Cypress laughed, then covered his mouth for a moment as he composed himself and River glared at him.
"Don't encourage him," River warned. Cypress shook his head.
"No, my apologies," he said, then cleared his throat as he sobered, "River's mother was not of the aristocracy, no. She was not of my clan, not of my class. She was a foreigner... a succubus, from what is now Columbia."
"That's... what, in the mortal realm, right?" I asked, trying to remember what I was being forced against my will to learn. As if I'd ever venture into the mortal realm. There was chaos and then there was whatever the fuck was happening over there. No thanks.
"Yes," Cypress replied in a murmur, and I frowned watching his eyes darken, "Magdalena was a beautiful and kind female. She was fleeing her homeland, and she couldn't produce the papers and the lineages she needed in order to get citizenship here in Hades. She applied for asylum and... we met at one of the government buildings in Inferi. One thing led to another and before we knew it, River was born."
"I don't see how any of this is a bad thing," I deadpanned. Cypress smiled sadly.
"Exactly. None of it was wrong. None of it was bad... It was simply not accepted here in Hades at that time, or at least, not by my clan. When my father found out I'd slept with not only a foreigner, but a succubus, he was infuriated. He demanded her head."
"I don't get it. What's wrong with all of that that he'd want her dead? Sounds like overkill."
"It was. But the Windstorm clan is very old and very patriarchal. In their eyes, I had been seduced by the evil wiles of a female and was being led astray. I was the next head of the clan. I couldn't put a toe out of line or else our legacy would die. And I wasn't about to let them kill the love of my life and my child," Cypress sighed, looking at River, who frowned at him, "I hid Magdalena and River for as long as I could, which unfortunately was not long enough. When River was eight months old, my father sent his spy into Magdalena's home and killed her. The only reason River was spared was because he was male born and carried my blood."
"Fuck," I said after a moment, "So... Then the person who broke in last year, who tried to kill me..."
"Onzo," Cypress murmured, "My father's most loyal spy... and his most loyal lover. When my father passed, he must have left a dying wish with Onzo and Onzo being ever loyal to my father is attempting to carry it out now."
"But why spare River just to kill him?" I asked.
"Because, while River may be male and next in line to inherit the Windstorm clan, he also carries the blood of a foreign succubus. The concept of someone with tainted blood leading the clan would've been too much for him to bear. He cannot let River live to succeed the throne, or at the very least... cannot allow him to marry," Cypress added. I frowned.
"But it's not like we can have kids, though," I pointed out.
"No," Cypress said slowly, "But it's still not a risk they're willing to take. It's difficult to put into words the stupidity that fuels the aristocracy sometimes." I studied him for a moment, long and hard, before it dawned on me.
"That's why you want River to marry me," I murmured, "Because if he was married to a prince, then Onzo wouldn't be able to touch him. Doesn't matter how loyal he is to your dad, he can't kill a prince and once River marries me, he's automatically a prince."
"I offer my deepest apologies," Cypress answered softly as he studied my face, "It was never, ever my intention to bring harm to you, my prince. My loyalty to Hades and his family knows no bounds. He has done more for me and my family than he could ever possibly know. This decision was not made with light of heart, I assure you, but you see... River is all I have left of my Magdalena. He is the very image of her. Not only that, but he is my son. My only son. I love him more than anything in the universe and he is the only thing that tethers me to this world. Without him, without Magdalena, I have no place here.
"So," Cypress said, making me step back when he slowly got down on his knees in the dirt, making River's eyes widen in surprise, "I humbly ask that you protect my son, my prince. Please marry him and treat him well and protect him from the vermin that I once called family. Please. Please."