Kate could feel the anger and despair rushing through her body, her veins were on fire. She could sense Hekate trying to control her power, where she was usually so in control the thought of losing her home seemed to be too much for her. Her hands had flames flickering about her fingertips, the wind had picked up and was whipping her hair around her face, and when Kate was able to look through her own eyes she saw the river starting to rise.
"Who?" Hekate growled, sounding more animalistic than Kate had ever heard before. Persephone stood calmly but she was confused.
"Who what Hekate?" she asked innocently.
"You know exactly what I am asking," Hekate said the fire jumping higher.
"Did you think no one would come for him Hekate?" she asked, "You angered half the Olympians, and you know who his mother is. You and I both know she was going to come for him eventually."
Hekate didn't respond, and Kate could feel the wheels in her mind turning, then something seemed to click and her eyes narrowed in on Persephone, "It was you."
Persephone sneered not bothering to deny it, "I did not let him go Hekate, his mother did."
"But someone had to let her in, and Hades can't stand his sister, so it had to be you," she took a step towards her, "You let that bitch into my home, you let her release Ares, and you are the reason my life and the life of this mortal are in danger," the flames whooshed into balls in the palms of her hands and she stepped even closer to Persephone, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't burn your pretty little face to a crisp."
Persephone's smile grew and she glanced from Cerberus to the river, "Well I think you're going to have your hands full." Hekate looked away from Persephone and at the river, without realizing she had done it she had raised the water to the point it was lapping onto the edge of the cave floor, the water wasn't the issue though, the problem was with the souls pulling themselves from its depths. The sight of them made Kate's stomach drop. Each one was in a different state of decay, some were skeletons with bits of skin and tendons hanging from them, others had skin so taut they may as well have been nothing but skeletons.
"What the hell are we supposed to do about them?" she yelled as loudly as she could in her mind. Her eyes focused on the large dog who had stood back up and all three of his heads had focused on them, his large pointed teeth bared and snarling. Persephone patted one of his legs and sauntered away whistling for him to follow. Hekate watched her leave, Kate could feel her desperate urge to chase her down but as she was about to take a step she felt the pointy fingers of a soul reach out and scrape her legs. Instead of sending the ball of fire at the other goddess, she threw it at the being, it let out a strangled scream as it disintegrated into a wisp of smoke. She looked up realizing that the river had grown and was now licking the bottoms of her boots, but the water wasn't the problem the souls making their way toward her, however.
With a hiss there was a fire in her palms again and she let it shoot out towards them, with each connection there was a hiss and a terrible scream, but when one fell another took its place.
"I don't think the fire is working," Kate was struggling to hide the worry from her voice, she searched around them her eyes falling on the water, another wave of despair swept through her and the water rose another few inches. "You have to calm yourself Hekate, you're connected to the river unless you calm down it's only going to keep rising."
Hekates head whipped up toward the river, she saw what Kate was saying but the despair of losing her home, and her animals was so much she was drowning in it.
"I understand, I do, but if you can't control yourself then we aren't going to be leaving this cave, at least I won't since I'm not, you know, immortal." She could feel the Mother wavering she knew she had to let go, she just didn't know how to. Her poor babies, she never should have left them.
"We did what we had to do, if they had come with us they would have been dead a few hundred times over," the Crone said, Kate could feel her sadness but the Crone knew what would happen if they couldn't find the strength to overcome her sadness.
Hekate closed her eyes, she could still feel the water lapping at her feet, the fingers of the spirits pulling and scraping against her clothes and skin. Behind her closed lids, she saw flashes of Eleni and Aithan as puppies rolling and playing in the fields around her, licking her face and nipping at her fingers when they wanted treats. She could hear their howls as they grew older realizing they had beautiful strong voices, a tear rolled down her cheeks, she always thought she would see them again someday, it was the entire reason she had left them home. Taking a deep breath she let it out and released the water magick she had been clinging to. The souls screamed as they were pulled back to the river along with the water.
Suddenly there was silence, she opened her eyes, nothing, the river was just as it had been before and the souls were trapped inside once more. Her head whipped in the direction Persephone had gone in, "That bitch!" She took off after her, and as she passed through the entrance she stopped short. Beyond the entrance were three pathways and of course she had no idea which one to take. A wave of dizziness overcame her and she had to hold on to the walls to steady herself.
"It's been too long, we have to let the mortal take over," the Crone said. Hekate shook her head, "No it's too dangerous, she doesn't have enough control," another wave overcame her, and she rested her forehead against the stone, its cool touch soothing the rising heat.
"You really don't have a choice Mother," the Maiden said, "You can either step back willingly and still be able to help her from here or you can wait until you are ejected and can't be of a help to anyone." The Mother groaned, "Fine, but if she can't handle it-"
"You all know I'm right here right, I can hear all of you. I can handle this, just let me have my body back and we will find her and get answers," Kate said with more bravado than she felt. Suddenly there was a sucking sensation and then Kate was looking through her own eyes and controlling her own body.
She stood still and took a couple of deep breaths, with each inhale she tasted, dirt, decay, and cold. Once she got her bearings she looked around. Her boots scraped the ground as she investigated each of the entrances. She studied the depths of the dark, straining her eyes for signs of anything. Not seeing anything she traced her hands on the sides of the entrances trying to feel any scapes or missing bits that might show her Cerbus had been through it. Nothing, she huffed and stepped back her eyes searching for anything at all. Still seeing nothing she knelt and studied the ground, she would have started there but she assumed that Persephone would have been smart enough to erase any tracks they would have left, she was wrong.
"That little brat was always so arrogant," the Crone said amusement in her voice. There on the ground were the largest paw prints she had ever seen leading directly down the center entrance.
"I don't think she expected us to survive the river," Kate mumbled as she entered and followed the pathway. With each step the air became colder and crisper until Kate was able to see her breath in front of her.
"We are close to the center of Hades, be careful Kate, Persephone has a way of twisting the King of the Underworld to her will," the Mother said.
"Really? You would think him being such a powerful god he wouldn't be so susceptible to her feminine wiles," she said looking around her. After a few more steps she began to see a soft blue glow emanating in front of her. Slowing her pace she inched her way to the exit, sitting a few feet away was a large obsidian table, sitting in the high-backed chair was a man. He was riffling through pages on the table trying to find something. His strong fingers flipped through the pages, his dark eyes fixated on their words, his broad shoulders bunching under his loose shirt. Behind him Persephone was lounging on Cerberus as though he was a fancy couch, popping pieces of fruit lazily into her mouth. Kate's eyes locked onto her and she felt Hekates ire rise again.
"Calm down, if we go charging in there we won't do anything but start a fight," Kate said taking a small step away from the entrance. She needed to remember what she had read about Hades, she knew he was said to be very mysterious but she also knew he loved his wife. How his wife felt about him changed according to the stories she had read.
"It depends on the day really, Hades has always loved Persephone but she took some convincing. Especially when she comes back from visiting her mother. Once she's been here awhile she eases up on the guilt trip, but Hades has always been hard on himself," the Maiden's voice had started snarky but towards the end, Kate swore she heard pity leak in.
"Not pity, I just never really liked how he was treated by his own family. We have known him his whole life, he was unwanted by his parents and unloved by his brothers and sisters, someone had to look out for him."
"Okay, so what's the plan here, we need Persephone to answer our questions and I very much doubt Hades is going to let us do it the way the Mother had intended." No one answered and she huffed, "Seriously, didn't you just say you knew him? So tell me what we should do." A soft breeze moved her hair with it came the smell of rotting flesh, she turned and came face to face with a large canine tooth. Her element of surprise was ruined.
"I know you are there Hekate, just come out already," Hades sounded bored, as though he had better things to do than deal with her. Kate sighed and stepped hesitantly around Ceberus and through the entrance. Persephone was standing with her arm draped around his shoulders and was smiling sweetly at her. The Mother's ire began to bubble up again making Kate stand a little taller as she felt a wave of heat envelop her.
"We aren't going to get anywhere by fighting with them," Kate told her, "Just try to calm down and let me lead on this." She cleared her throat and took another step closer to them.
"Why are you back Hekate?" Hades asked not bothering to look up from his papers.
She arched her brow, "I am not Hekate, at least not at the moment, my name is Kate and I am almost positive your bride there has filled you in on why we are here so can we just cut through the crap."
A snort echoed in her head, "What happened to staying calm dear?" the Crone said a smile in her voice.
"I am calm, but I am not an immortal and I don't have time for games," she countered.
Hades still hadn't looked up from his papers but Persephone was smiling at her as she twirled a small lock of his dark hair through her fingers.
When he continued to keep working she huffed under her breath and approached the desk, "Hi, could you maybe stop working for a second and explain to me what happened to Hekate's home?"
He paused for a moment, Kate saw his hesitation and took advantage of it, "Look I know you know what happened, if not you then Persephone does and she deserves some answers." He went back to his papers, Kate had had enough of being ignored, she walked right up to the desk and in one sweep she pushed everything off of it. Hades didn't react at first, he just froze staring at the empty space in front of him, then he rose and his dark eyes locked on hers. Persephone smiled impishly and stepped back, she knew her husband and Kate was guessing that may not have been her best move.
"You think? You know there is a reason most people avoid pissing off the God of the Dead right?" the Maiden said her voice a little shaky, "I mean we do have a little more power than him but we are still in his domain."
Kate took a small step back not out of fear, but because the god was so tall she had to crane her neck to look directly at him. She wasn't afraid of him, she could see the look in his eyes, he was irritated but there was more there, a curiosity that he was unable to hide.
"Little mortal girl, you are not in a position to demand anything from me," his gruff voice rubbed against her ears.
Smiling she leaned down and picked up a particularly beautiful pen, it was onyx and had rivers of amethyst and ruby reds running through it. She twisted it between her fingers, "You know you're probably right but at this particular moment I don't care what you can do to me, the pain Hekate is filling me with is worse than any punishment you could think to bestow on me." He studied her for a moment more before his face relaxed and he turned to his wife and took her hand pulling her close to him.
"What do you want to know?" he asked.
Kate raised her brow at them, but instead of cringing she just set the pen on his desk and stepped back.
"What happened to Hekate's realm?" she asked simply looking between the two of them.
"What do you think happened mortal girl?" he asked, his name for her grated roughly on her nerves, she knew she was mortal he did not need to keep reminding her.
"I think someone led Hera and Aphrodite to Ares and when he was released he lost his temper, surprise, and let it lose on her home."
Hades nodded, "If you know all that why do you ask us to answer our questions?"
She gritted her teeth, he knew there was more to it than that, was he trying to piss her off or protect his wife?
"Possibly both, but he could honestly not know, as we said Persephone doesn't always like her husband and has been known to keep secrets from him," the Mother replied.
"I ask because we want to know who let them into her home, and where her wolves are," she said looking directly at Persephone. She was hoping that she might give her some hint, one clue was all she needed to accuse her of freeing a mad god. She didn't know if it would do any good or not but she was certain the goddess knew something.
"You may go to her realm, I will allow you to get there through my kingdom, Persephone will lead you there."
"I am sure Hekate remembers the way, an escort is not needed," she grabbed her bag and turned to leave but before she could take a step the ground reached up and wrapped itself around her ankles holding her firmly in place. Her heart beat quicker and she turned as much as was possible back toward him.
"What the hell?" her tone bit into the air.
He had risen to his feet and his hands were outstretched as though he was physically holding her there. "I have not given you leave to wander my realm alone, no mortal has ever had that freedom and I will not allow any to. Persephone will lead you to Hekate's realm or you will not go and you will be lucky to leave here." His stone eyes bore into hers he was deadly serious and a shiver shook her spine.
"Is there any other option?" she asked Hekate.
"In his realm, we do not control the earth, do as he says, it may be to our advantage. Persephone might give something away."
She bowed her head to him, "Fine, Hekate is okay with it, so I will be too."
Persephone smiled bitterly sweetly at her, leaned over, and kissed her husband deeply before rising and approaching her. The stone released her and she steadied herself. Persephone glided past her not leaving her much choice but to follow. Hades didn't say anything, sat down, and continued his work.