"It has been a pleasure, brother." Hades gave a nod to the gods and goddesses in the room. "Let us not have these reunions to often."
Before there was a response, Hades snaked an arm around my waist and took us from the room. We were back in the woods near my mother's fields.
"This is the closest entrance from Olympus," Hades nodded toward the chariot and horses that waited patiently nearby. "There is a direct line from Olympus to the Underworld but only Hermes can use that for errands and business of the gods.
I nodded and boarded the chariot.
The trip would have been pleasurable, if I did not have a horrible dread invading my mind. I did appreciate Hades' hold on my waist. From his spread hand, so did he.
We reached the palace just as Thanatos stepped out to greet us. There was not a smile on his face, though. Then I realized her was wearing a cloth over his face.
"Report," Hades barked, ever the conversationalist.
"Thanatos, what is wrong? What happened?" I stepped out of the chariot after Hades and took the cloth Thanatos offered. "The shadows were gone from Olympus."
"Mother called them to her." Thanatos never called Lady Nyx mother like that. There was desperation in his voice, barely contained by his years of this job. "Even though they are not technically part of the night, they love her and listen to her."
"Why are we wearing clothes over our faces," Hades asked as me marched quickly after Thanatos. He was leading us inside.
"There is a disease, or …." Thanatos lead us to the great hall. "We are not sure what it is but it is so powerful, it …"
Hades reached for my hand just as I reached for his. Here, where I had had my wedding not a week ago was filled with bodies.
Thanatos did not have to finish his sentence. There were about a dozen bodies lining the walls, dead. This was the Underworld, land of the dead. But these were deities. Minor godlings. Immortals.
"How is this possible?" I surged forward but was stopped by Thanatos.
"Please, my lady," Thanatos pleaded. "We do not know anything. Only a day ago they were ill. Deities becoming ill, had you heard such a thing? They went to sleep, then they never woke up."
"They are kept here to keep it from spreading," Hades jerked his head. He looked as unnerved as I felt.
"Yes," Thanatos motioned toward the clothes on our faces. "We do not know what causes it, or how it moves, so we take every precaution. Mother called her shadows to keep all deities that were not in the palace away and safe."
"The palace is closed off," I nodded approving. "How many are trapped inside?" we were one of them now, but this was our place.
"All of the guests from the wedding," Thanatos said softly.
So many. I shook my head.
"Order all the guests to the third floor and the floors above." I calculated the rooms and space. "Only the ones that look completely healthy. They will be scared but keep them calm. Take any ill to the north wing on the second floor. The dead remain on the ground floor, here."
"Make sure none eat or drink anything. No matter how much they beg, deities do not need to eat." Hades secured the doors of the great hall closed.
"The shades, Hades," I reminded him.
"They are dead," Hades shook his head. "They will be fine, but they will stay away from the above floors, we do not know if they are assisting this … disease."
Thanatos nodded and left to carry out our orders.
I looked to Hades then, allowing all the fear that I felt show.
Gods could not die, they were immortal. They could be broken and punished, contained and imprisoned, sometimes they faded over the centuries, but they did not die. That they were gods of the Underworld was even stranger. Most of the gods here could not even be considered fully alive.
Hades took my hand and squeezed it. He knew all that. He was worried too.
"Will those gods come back as shades?" I asked, death was confusing here.
"I do not know," He said, and I could see not knowing worried him above all else.
"I need to study them," I told him.
"No," He shook his head. "We do not know what this is, you could become ill. Thanatos has most likely had them checked-"
"My magic is different," I interrupted. I could only see his grey eyes above the cloth. "I bring life, not death, like the gods here. I will be careful."
He was truly afraid, I could see that. He took me by the waist and pulled me close. He touched his forehead to mine and I closed my eyes. I drank in his scent, his cool touch.
"Go," He stepped away from the doors and I stepped past him, into the room of dead gods.
I recognized the first god, a small god of misfortunes of riches. I checked him, leaning in close. He was still, as he had never been in life. He had made up his short stature with endless energy. I ventured to touch him, using the skirt of my dress as to not touch directly.
He was stiff, but I noticed his veins popping out, a dark green color, webbing from a central point. I frowned at that, and twisted to the neighboring victim.
She was one of the spirits of manslaughter. The best behaved of them had been at my wedding. I remembered this one had stuck out her forked tongue at me at some point. Not out of disrespect, but in an accepting nature.
Her skin was rusty, like that of red clay, but she too was stiff and her neck showed the same reaction as the previous god.
I looked through them, one by one. I checked their skin and nails, their hair and smell. They were all similar. I began using my magic to study them by the third one, specifically the raised veins on their necks. Their lungs.
By the ninth, I yanked of the cloth on my face. I could not breath.
This was not a disease.
Ingested poison.
I happened to glance at the remaining bodies.
Who?...
Golden hair spread peacefully around her. Her face still, as if she were asleep.
Cyane.
Panic rose to my throat.
No.
I scrambled to her side. She did not move or react.
No.
I took her in my arms and a cry bubbled up. Vile and nasty.
No.
My beautiful friend was stiff, the ugly veins webbing, breaking her perfect skin. She had begged to be dead, cried at the feet of the Lord of the Underworld. Then she had stayed with me, faithful and loyal, my beautiful friend.
I cried into her hair. Sadness twisting inside of me with more viciousness then I had ever felt before. When I had hurt from unrequited love, I thought there could be no pain greater. But I was wrong. This, to have my beloved friend dead in my arms, was worse by a thousand times.
"Cyane," I cried aloud.
I was not sure how long I stayed there, but slowly, ever so slowly. My mind cleared a bit. Poison. Someone had poisoned my perfect friend. Someone killed her.
Anger took over and I laid Cyane gently back to the floor before I hurt her body with the power the was raging wildly inside of me. It clawed my insides, furious. I looked at the other dead. My people, my subjects and my guests.
I barely heard the doors slam as I burst from the great hall. A shade scuttled away, no doubt to report to Hades I was done. I could not wait for him though.
Thanatos had done his job quickly, and I had to travel to the third floor to find anyone.
"WHERE?!" I demanded when I found some of the gods in a sitting room. They all jumped to their feet, bowing, but I kept looking for my prey and tried the next room.
The longer I looked the more livid I became.
I felt Hades come to my side but I could not explain myself. I could barely form intelligent thoughts.
Cyane was gone. Her blue eyes were closed forever. She had done nothing in her life but love and care for others. She had wanted to die from how much she gave away. She had given me so much. She had stayed with me, my loyal friend.
I saw Alcippe, she stepped into my path. Tears rained from her pretty eyes.
"Lady Persephone! Thank the gods, you are back," She rushed to me. "Cyane-"
It was the use of her name that made me rage, and I blasted the nymph back, knocking her unconscious.
Electra was more ready.
"Lady Persephone! How-" She looked to her companion, a mask of fear and concern on her face. "What happened?!"
I sent a whip of power toward her, but she was more prepared. She sidestepped the blow, shooting back some of her own.
It barely reached halfway between us before I dissolved it.
"I-" Electra began. With another lash, I sent her into a heap beside her companion.
My magic was too riled to bring in, so I used it to blast open the door the nymphs had been standing in front of.
"Lady Persephone!" Lady Hecate rose to her feet in the private sitting room she was in. "Are you alright? Why-"
"The castor oil plant. Ricin." I seethed. "You killed her."