Chapter Twenty-Four
Despite everything that just happened, it feels like the moment we touch down in my bedroom in the Underworld, only then does reality set in. And when I say it set in, I mean it really set in; like a hard kick to the guts that leaves me reeling and gasping for breath. So, in childish stubbornness, I decide to bury my head in the sand, and keep my arms wrapped tightly around my father for as long as I can, a small part of me hoping that that one action will somehow help me to figure out what the hell just happened.
Also, I may have missed him more than I'd care to admit.
After a few seconds of me refusing to relinquish my hold, I feel my father chuckle, tilting his head to look down at me.
"Ellie?"
"Yes?"
"Usually people would let go after a hug has lasted for this duration of time."
"You're just saying that because you don't like hugs." I mutter into his chest.
"I have never said that."
I pull back to look up at him, smiling a little. "You have never had to."
Before he has the chance to respond, I hear a low gasp from behind me. "Ellie?"
My head perks up at the familiar voice, and I turn around to see my mother standing in my bedroom doorway behind me. A big smile starts to spread across her lips.
"Hey there kid—hang on." She pauses, her eyes narrowing. I eye her warily, a little nervous by the look on her face. "When the hell did you dye your hair?"
I blink. "What?"
"Your hair is blue." She walks forward, pointing at my hair. "Unless you've spontaneously developed the ability to grow blue hair, you've dyed it since I last saw you."
"I..." I stare at her, so bewildered that I'm lost for words. "It was dyed last time you saw me, Mum."
"It was?" She shakes her head, narrowing her eyes again. "Well then why didn't you mention it to me? Don't you think that's kind of an important development to inform me of?"
"I assumed you saw it." I reply slowly, and she raises an eyebrow at me. "You do have eyes, Mum."
"Well, I don't like it." She declares. "What the hell made you think you could dye your hair in the first place? Just because we let you up on the surface doesn't mean that—"
I hear a soft noise from behind me, and when I glance over my shoulder, my father's barely stifling a laugh at the tirade my mother's going off on. When he realises I'm looking at him he winks, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips. My mother's voice increases in pitch, drawing my attention back to her.
"—should probably blame Spencer, he's been a terrible influence ever since I met him; he even convinced me to get a tattoo when I was eighteen, so I doubt him being able to convince you to dye your hair was even that difficult for him—"
"Mum." I interrupt her with a laugh, putting my hands on her shoulders and looking her deep in the eyes. "Would you stop ranting, please?"
"No!" She exclaims. "I'm still not finished with telling you how not okay I am with you dying your hair!"
"But Dad's okay with it."
"What? No he is most certainly not." She looks over my shoulder and gives him a look. "Tell her how you're not okay with it."
He shrugs slightly. "I like it."
"What?" She exclaims, looking so personally offended that my father actually cracks up laughing. Her eyes narrow into slits, and she punches him. "What the hell Hades? You're supposed to back me up on this; how can you be okay with it enough to like it?"
"Because she's your daughter." My father says simply once he's managed to compose himself enough to answer.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She retorts, slamming her hands down on her hips.
"It means that you have done things much worse, and I have made peace with those decisions." He replies. She huffs, looking unconvinced. "We all make decisions that other people don't agree with sometimes, agápi mou. Ellie is old enough now that we cannot fault her for making her own decisions."
"Yes we can." She mumbles childishly, folding her arms over her chest stubbornly. "We can totally fault her for making decision that we know are terrible."
"Really?" He raises an eyebrow at her. "And you expect her to listen to us? Because if I remember correctly, you made some decisions that I thought were terrible, but that did not seem to hinder you at all."
She wrinkles up her nose, scowling at him. "I hate it when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Be morally correct. It's annoying as hell." She retorts, and I can't keep down the laugh that bubbles up inside me. My mother glances over at me at the noise and rolls her eyes with a small smile. "Fine. I guess I can make peace with you dying your hair."
"Are you sure?" I ask innocently, pressing my lips together to hide my smile.
"Yes, I'm sure. Don't give me that attitude, child. I don't think I'll be able to survive if both you and your father start sassing me." She replies dryly, and I grin. She holds her arms out. "Now come here and give me a hug already, Smurfette."
My grin grows into a beam, and I dart across the room to attack her with a fierce hug without another word.
"Geez, El." She laughs, wrapping her arms around me tightly in response. "I missed you too."
I don't respond to her quip, mumbling instead to my father, "See. You might like my blue hair, but she likes hugs."
"Yeah Hades, you hug-a-phobe." My mother retorts, never missing an opportunity to poke fun at my father. "See, this is why I'm the better parent. What kind of father doesn't like to give his daughter hugs?"
"I never said I don't like that."
"Yes you have." My mother nods. "Absolutely. Numerous times. So many times I've lost count. Shameful."
I smile into her shoulder. I never realised how much I missed them until now.
When I finally pull away, my father is giving my mother a look. "Evie, that is not important in the scheme of things."
"That's what a hug-a-phobe would say." She accuses, and his look grows even more pointed. She sighs, rolling her eyes, and looks over at me. Just like a switch flipping, her expression changes, from one of playful teasing to somber seriousness. "What happened, Ellie?"
I stiffen, the smile slipping off my face. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Yeah, see, on any normal parent, that kind of reply would work, because we'd just be able to chalk it up to teenage moodiness and ask you about it later. But we both know that's not the case here." She retorts. "Especially because we're not normal parents, and you're not a normal teenager. So start talking kiddo."
I know she's only trying to help — they both are — but her blunt tones are like acid on a wound that's not even twenty-four hours old yet. I swallow, the sting of Eric's betrayal bringing fresh tears to my eyes. "I— I can't."
"You can't or you won't?" She asks, raising her eyebrows at me. I don't respond, lowering my gaze.
Both.
"Elliana, do not think we do not realise the severity of the situation." My father speaks up quietly, watching me with his usual impassive expression. I can see the concern shining out of his eyes, though. "We know that you did not want to return to the Underworld unless something dire happened, so the fact that you called for us is no trifling matter. We cannot help you if you do not divulge what caused your mind to change so abruptly."
"Does it have anything to do with the prophecy?" My mother adds on, asking the one question I know they're both secretly burning to bring up. I only need to meet their gazes for a mere second for them to get their answer. They both suck in a sharp breath and start speaking at the same time.
"Ellie—"
"Please don't ask me what happened." I cut in before they can ask anything further, my voice pleading. "I just... I don't want to talk about it."
"Yeah, if you thought that was even a remote option before, it definitely isn't now." My mother replies sternly, folding her arms over her chest. I bite my lip, my gaze flickering over to the doorway. "And don't even think about turning invisible and high-tailing it out of here, because if you do, we're locking you up in your room Rapunzel style for the rest of eternity; for real, this time. Got it?"
My shoulders slump in defeat. "Fine."
"Good answer." She says stoutly. "Now spill."
I sigh, pulling the sleeves of my jersey over my fingers. "One of my friends, she... she was killed. And everyone else, they all thought I killed her. Everyone."
My parents both freeze at the same time, my statement having a much more obvious effect on them than I anticipated.
"What?" My mother asks in a low voice. "What do you mean, they thought you killed her?"
"They accused me of murdering her. They all turned on me, all of them. Even Eric." I swallow, glancing up to meet their gazes. "But it wasn't me; I didn't kill her. The person who knew about the prophecy, they did this. They killed Otti, and then made it look like it was me."
My parents share a look, and after a few seconds of complete silence, my mother nods gravely.
"Go." She tells him quietly, and he nods once in response, before disappearing from sight. I startle, a little alarmed by his abrupt disappearance.
"Where did he go?" I ask after a moment's pause, looking over at my mother. She sighs and walks over to sit on my bed, patting the spot next to here.
"C'mere."
I eye her warily for a few seconds before following suit, slowly sitting down next to her. "What's going on? Where did Dad go?"
"He went to go talk to his brother."
"Zeus?" I clarify, and she nods. "Why?"
"To do damage control." She replies quietly. I frown in confusion.
"Why?"
"What the nymphs did wasn't just a trivial accusation, Ellie." She tells me, and the worry creasing her soft features scares me. "To accuse someone, anyone of murdering another supernatural being is the worst accusation there is; murdering another super, tipping the balance of the scales that is keeping our world in harmony with the rest of the universe, is quite possibly the worst thing you could do. And if Zeus finds anyone guilty of murdering another supernatural being, then he has the power to strip them of their powers completely and render them mortal."
"But I didn't kill her. That's the point!" I cry. "Otti was my friend, Mum. No matter what they say, no matter what evidence they think they have against me, I didn't kill her. You have to believe me."
"Of course I believe you Ellie!" She reassures, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. "Your father and I have never, ever doubted you. That's why he left to do damage control, before Zeus finds out what happened and everything spirals out of control."
"I wish everyone else believed me that easily too." I whisper, leaning my head against her shoulder. "All of my friends, all of them turned against me, just like that; they didn't even stop to consider that it may not have been me." I swallow, glancing up at her fearfully. "What if this is it? What if, after everything I've done to avoid the prophecy, this has unraveled everything completely? What if this is me starting the civil war?"
"Don't say that, El. Don't even consider it." She says, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly. "We'll cross that bridge if we ever get to it; and that's if we ever do get to it."
"You didn't see the way they looked at me, Mum. It was like I was some kind of abhorrent monster to them; like they didn't even recognise me. And Eric, he..." I shake my head, cutting myself off before the tears start again. "Well. I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
"Of course it matters Ellie." She replies softly. "Don't think that, not for one second. It always, always matters."
"I'm not so sure." I shrug loosely, my lips twisting up into a small bitter smile. "Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me its a lost cause. This many things can't go wrong and still produce a happy ending."
"Are you kidding me?" She leans back purely so I can see how high she's raising her eyebrows at me. "Kid, don't even get me started on that. Oh, all the stories I could tell you about things going wrong; and I still like to think I'm happy with your father. Most of the time, anyway; I will admit there are still several occasions where I'm tempted to strangle him with that damn trench coat he treasures so much." Then she smiles a little, reaching down to squeeze my hand. "But that's the funny thing about love; if its real, it'll survive through Hell and back. Metaphorically, for you, anyway."
"Love?" I still, hesitantly glancing up at her. "Do you... do you think I'm in love with him?"
"I'm your mother Ellie; I'm not blind. Of course I do." She scoffs, shaking her head. Then she catches sight of my bewildered expression, and her mirth dies down a little. "You don't?"
"I... I don't know."
"Ellie." She clicks her tongue, her expression sympathetic. "Would you really be as upset as you are right now by his betrayal if you weren't?"
I don't respond for several long seconds, mulling over her words. How am I supposed to know after everything that has happened? "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." She nods.
"When did you realise you were in love with Dad?"
My mother pauses, studying me curiously. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." I mumble non-committedly. She arches a disbelieving eyebrow, and I reluctantly elaborate. "I guess I've always just wondered; after everything he put you through, after he lied and deceived you, how did you still find it in yourself to love him?"
Okay, so maybe there's a slight reason I ask.
"Geez, Ellie. Little ray of sunshine, you are." She replies wryly, shaking her head at me. I shrug loosely, glancing down at my fingertips, and her expression softens. "It wasn't as bad as you're making it out to seem, you know. Yes, he may have lied to me at the start, but I understand why he did; and in the end, he was only trying to protect himself. He had been through so much by the time he met me, so I guess it shouldn't really come as a surprise that he was a little reserved at first; anyone would have been, had they been through what he did. Hell, I know I would have been much worse. But the more I got to know him, the more I realised that his icy exterior was just a front he put up to protect himself. And I don't know, once I realised that, I became very good at knocking down those walls." She laughs, grinning slightly as she reminisces. "After that, it wasn't that long before I fell for the person he hid away from the world. He's an amazing person, your father; he might seem quiet, and reserved, and aloof at times, but in reality he's sweet, and kind, and the most passionate and protective person I've ever met. And I think the moment I realised that was the moment that I realised I loved him."
"When was that?" I ask.
"About seven, eight months after I first came down to the Underworld? I think it was also the first time I got actually, properly mad at him, because he tried to protect me by pushing me away. He regretted that." She chuckles, and her laugh brings a small smile to my face. I can only imagine how furious she was with him back then; even now, he still tries to protect her by all but shoving her behind him and putting himself in harm's way first, and I can tell you, she has an absolute field day with that. I think the only times I've ever seen them properly fight is when she's yelling at him for, and I quote, "still thinking I'm a precious glass bunny or some crap'. "He'd been gone for a few days, off trying to stop Cronus from escaping Tartarus, and when he got back, he'd been cut up pretty bad."
"Is that when he got the scar on his cheek?" I question, and she nods.
"He was so worried about me getting hurt that he actually tried to protect me by pushing me away and pretending he didn't care about me. I was so mad at him; at first I thought it was because I was furious he was back to being his stubbornly thick self, because he was still trying to protect me in the most ridiculous ways he could, despite the fact I was a goddess instead of just a mortal human. But then I realised it was because I didn't want to imagine a life without him in it. It was because I had completely fallen for him, and the thought of having to live without him was more painful than the thought of dying. That was the moment I realised I was in love with him."
"But what about after that? After he betrayed you and completely turned against you when he lost his memories?"
"Like I told you before El, that's the funny thing about love. If its real, if its true, it'll survive, no matter what. And I honestly think deep down, even though he forgot who I was for a while and we seriously tested one another's patience, I don't think he ever stopped loving me. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters, because we regretted everything we did or said that hurt one another, and we loved each other so much that we found it in ourselves to forgive each other. I mean, he did have to work extremely hard to earn my forgiveness, but hey, that's not the moral of the story. The moral of the story is, all actions can be forgiven if you love a person enough, and more often than not, a betrayal may turn out to be poorly misguided actions of love." She stops, watching my reaction. "Does that make sense?"
"I think so." I nod slowly, my mind racing at all the information she's just given me.
"Where's all this coming from, El?" She asks me softly. "I know you're upset because of what happened, but it's not like you to be even this negative. Or, if I'm completely honest, this interested in your father and I either."
I sigh, letting my head fall on her shoulder once again. "I guess I just need some reassurance that love isn't completely hopeless."
"I kind of figured as much." She replies, and even though her tones are wry, she keeps rubbing my shoulder in a show of silent reassurance. "But what makes you think that love is hopeless in the first place?"
"Because the only other person I know associated with love kind of stabbed me in the back, Mum. With a machete." I retort. "After all my other friends turned on me and accused me of murdering one of my best friends. Have you not been listening at all?"
"Oh sweetie." She sighs, completely ignoring my sarcasm and pulling me into another hug. I bury my face in the crook of her neck, winding my arms around her and relishing in her motherly embrace. I've missed this so much. "I'm so sorry you got caught up in all of this. It isn't fair to you."
The guilt and resignation plaguing her tones shatters the skeleton of the dam I'd only just managed to construct, and my emotions come bubbling back up to the surface again. I blink back tears, swallowing several times before I'm able to find my voice.
"I'm scared, Mum. I don't want this to be the way I start the civil war."
Her grip tightens, like she believes that will protect me from all the demons bombarding me like invisible torturous missiles. "I know."
"Why didn't they believe me?" I whisper, my voice thick. "Why didn't he believe me? I thought, after everything we'd been through, that he would trust me, that he wouldn't..." I trail off, unable to finish the sentence.
"I don't know, Ellie. I hate not knowing." She replies, resting her head on top of mine. "But believe you me, I'll be finding out. Very shortly."
"What do you mean?" I pull back, frowning slightly at her. "Mum, you're not going to—"
A quiet noise from behind me stops me in my tracks, and when I twist around, I see my father standing behind us with a sombre expression.
That was quick. That was too quick.
Something's wrong.
My father's next statement confirms my dread. "She means that we will be returning to the surface very shortly."
"What?" I stare at him. "Why?"
Don't play the fool, Ellie. You know exactly why.
"Because my brother has summoned us for a hearing." My father replies, and my mouth dries. No. "He wants to find out exactly what happened."
"Even if that wasn't the case, I'd still storm up there and demand what the hell is going on. The surface is his realm, he's supposed to keep everyone in check up there. And alive." My mother mutters darkly. "As it is, I still might ask Zeus that question anyway; actually no, scratch that, I will. Maybe for once Mr-High-And-Mighty might actually have an answer for me."
My heart just about stops in my chest. I swallow hard, trying my hardest to keep my terror from filtering into my expression.
It has begun.