Emma decided that she couldn't stay put now. Her mother had already mustered the courage to face her fears, so she tried to look up to her and do the same. She picked up the hook, gently as if it was about to break in two, and went into the bathroom. The more she looked at it though, the more her despair grew. The red colour everywhere in the Underworld air distorted all colours so she couldn't really distinguish how much blood there actually was on it.
God, blood on it… his blood…
She grabbed the edge of the sink with one hand as the other held on to the hook. She breathed and swallowed hard, not sure of what might come out if she kept thinking about it. When was the last time she ate anything anyway?
She raised her gaze and looked into the mirror. She couldn't cry again, she had to be strong for the family that had followed her here, for the man who was waiting for her to save him, for herself who just wanted to get over it with.
She looked down at the hook again and turned on the tap. She started rubbing at the metal as water ran down on it but only the least bit of blood was cleaned away, staining her fingertips. No matter how hard she rubbed or how much soap she poured on it, most of the red stains stayed there as if they were permanent.
No.
She turned off the tap and set the hook on the counter. She didn't even know how to take blood stains off of metal, and what kind of metal was it anyway? Did the laws of nature and chemistry still exist in the Underworld?
She sighed and closed her eyes to stop tears from spilling. She opened them after a few seconds and washed her hands. She shouldn't run away from it, but she needed to put her thoughts in order. And with a panicked girl in the living room, her mom out there fighting her own demons, and a wild beast probably coming at them at any moment, it really wasn't an easy task.
She had to leave the hook behind when Cerberus attacked and she hated every moment of it.
Emma followed her parents as they entered the loft hand in hand. One last look at the smiles on their faces was enough to push her forward. She entered the bathroom, the hook still lying on the counter right where she'd left it. She picked it up, gently but this time with more confidence, and swiped her free hand over it. Her magic glowed around it and within seconds all the blood was gone. It looked good as new.
She held it up and smiled. She was going to find him, and whatever state he was in, he had enough fight left in him to hope. She felt it herself. She was going to find him.
She held the metal with both hands for a few moments before carefully stashing it in her back pocket and joining the others in the living room.