Present day

San Diego, California

Set during Fear the Darkness.

What had become of my life?

In her condo, Mintha lay on her round hanging hammock bed, looking at the moon through her sun roof. It took her back to a time when she was younger. She was blissfully ignorant and her life belonged to her. She wasn't as analytical as she was now. She took things in strides and moved on. She could do just that. Accept her life for what it was and forget. The problem was that she didn't want to forget.

In the beginning, Mintha had asked Hades to help find her missing body. He agreed but on one condition. Mintha had to remain in Melinoe's body and masquerade as her for Persephone's sake. Mintha didn't want to do it but she had no choice. She couldn't have expected Hades' assistance without an exchange. This was the only thing she could give him and Persephone.

Hades told Persephone that Melinoe's had to be kept a secret. He claimed that Melinoe's memories were temporary lost and her physical injuries were a result of the Chthonian's punishment. None of them knew what the truth was. He was only speculating. This explanation was so Persephone wouldn't mind if Mintha acted differently from Melinoe. Persephone was so overjoyed about her daughter's resurrection that she believed everything he told her.

Melinoe approved of Mintha borrowing her body and thanked her for easing her parents' pain. The two of them became fast friends whenever Mintha visited Melinoe in the demon realm.

Mintha played her role as Melinoe, which mainly consisted of her being bedridden because of her injuries. She only had to lie to Persephone for a few short months throughout the year due to Persephone having to go back to her mother, Demeter. During Mintha's residence in Melinoe's body, it was discovered that Melinoe's body was capable of healing but at a slower rate. It was not noticeable in the beginning because she was healing internally, the different body parts were merging into one. The healing process completed with no trace of scars or discoloration from the patches of skin. Melinoe's body had also aged, stopping at twenty-one. She was a brand new person. Hades theorized that this alteration was caused by the addition of demon blood.

It took a while but Hades located the area where Mintha and Melinoe's fate collided. Unfortunately, the tree housing Mintha's body was also missing. Hades asked Helios, god of the sun, if he saw anything. Helios said an unidentifiable man had uprooted the tree right after Hera left. Helios shared the vision of the stranger to Hades, who in turn shared it with Mintha. The person who took the tree was a large shadowy figure, one that Mintha recognized and yet not. He felt familiar but she could not place where she had seen him or who he was. It was a mystery they weren't able to solve to this day.

Mintha was not given up hope that she'd return to her original body. It was out there somewhere. She'll find it. In the mean time she was going to right some wrongs. The first wrongs of many were Hades and Persephone.

All those years ago, after Melinoe's sentence ended, she returned to claim her body from Mintha. Mintha returned it without hesitation but since her body hadn't been recovered, a substitute was created in its place for her to inhabit. Persephone admitted to being aware of the deception after a year of knowing Mintha. She played along because she wanted to live with the lie that Melinoe was still with her. She thanked Mintha for her kindness and said that she viewed Mintha as another addition to the family.

Persephone was kind to Mintha but mainly absent. Hades was neutral and kept a polite distance. Melinoe and Mintha spent more time together and developed an unbreakable bond. Mintha saw Melinoe as a mother figure because she was Mintha's everything. She taught her how to live among society and teach her about life. Melinoe, who never so much as imagined she would have a child, accepted the role as a mother and adopted Mintha.

Tragedy struck during their trip in Sumer, Melinoe vanished without a trace and was presumed dead. Mintha was unconscious at the time of Melinoe's disappearance. She felt lost without Melinoe and fell into deep depression. It was to the point that she desired to leave the Underworld. Hades and Persephone had other plans. They wanted her as a substitute for Melinoe again but this time permanently. Mintha was brain-washed and made to believe that she was Melinoe. She was told that Mintha had disappeared to explain the empty void she felt in her heart. They picked apart and edited a particular memory that belonged to Melinoe to explain the reason Mintha had to constantly switch into a new body.

To limit confusion, Hades and Persephone changed the newly brain-washed Mintha's name to Leuce or Lacy as she was later nicknamed. Hades told Leuce everything about Melinoe's life, claiming it belonged to her. With Mintha's memories gone she completely believed Hades. How could she not when he played the role of a doting father so well? When anyone saw Mintha, Hades would introduce her as Leuce. He never clarified their relationship or gave an explanation as to who she really was. Rumors spread that Leuce was his second daughter with a mistress. No one believed that she was Persephone's daughter because they had not heard or saw Persephone being pregnant other than with Melinoe.

For three thousand years, Mintha lived as Leuce. She was an unfortunate being who got her life stolen from her. She thought she was Leuce, body and soul. She believed that Hades and Persephone were her parents. She thought they loved her and she loved them. It was devastating to discover that nothing she had was hers. Not her life, not her parents, and not their love.

Leuce was the perfect daughter, a character that Hades and Persephone created. Any reminisce of Mintha was buried under memories of Melinoe that had been cut and pasted together, accompanied with the deceptive words of her false parents.

The small part that was Mintha clawed her way out and fought for her identity. The real Mintha manifested as a little eight year old child that clung on to Leuce's back for years. Leuce was oblivious in the beginning because little Mintha's powers were weak. Over time her powers increased, she became more visible and began interacting with her surroundings. Mintha's original life was not as lavished as Melinoe or as vibrant as Leuce. Mintha had a simple and solitary existence. It was an existence she wanted back. She kept trying to make Leuce remember who she was and revert back into her original self. She ultimately succeeded.

Leuce underwent the painful process of recovering her true memories of being Mintha. She accepted the truth and fused back together with little Mintha.

Hades and Persephone materialized next to Mintha. Mintha knew they were there but didn't acknowledge them. She had lifted the force field surrounding her condo, allowing them permission to enter. This let them know that she had simmered down. Hades remained still as a statue. Persephone tentatively stepped forward. Both were closely watching Mintha and waiting for her reaction.

Mintha exploded at them when the truth came out. She had seen how Hera and Zeus were. Why did she expect Hades and Persephone to be different? They were gods who didn't care about who they hurt as long as they achieved their selfish goals. Hades wanted her as a stand in for Melinoe to keep Persephone sane. Persephone also admitted that she knew about it about a couple hundred years prior. She continued with the lie as she did the first time because she knew Hades didn't just do this for her benefit. He did it to keep himself sane as well. Melinoe was her parent's heart. Both of them couldn't handle losing her.

Blinded by fury, Mintha lashed out. She wanted revenge but the moment her hand gripped Persephone's neck, a memory played before her eyes. While Melinoe was under the influence of demon blood, she had once attacked Persephone. Melinoe's fangs sunk into the flesh of Persephone palm. Persephone was in tremendous pain but cared little for her injury. All she worried about was Melinoe's condition. Just like how she was worried about Mintha. Regardless of what they did, Mintha saw and felt the love her fake parents had for her.

Mintha threw Persephone down and warned her and Hades to stay away before she flashed to her condo. She needed time to calm her nerves before she did something she'd regret.

Six months had pasted since that incident.

"Do you hate us?" asked Persephone.

"Do you even like me?" Mintha asked her back with an unreadable tone and expression. They could not tell if she was still angry at them.

"We love you." confessed Hades. This was the first time he said these words directly to Mintha and not while she was in the guise of Melinoe or Leuce.

"We love you like we love Melinoe." said Persephone.

"But you'll always love Melinoe more." After all they did to her that fact can't be denied.

"Melinoe was our child. We will always love her a bit more than you." Hades told her truthfully.

"And I love Melinoe. She is the reason why I don't fully hate you two."

Persephone absorbed Mintha's words. "You don't fully hate us?" she said with a bit of cheer. "That's a good start. We can start from there."

"I forgive you two." Mintha said after a long pause.

They were wrong for what they did but she understood their reasons.

Hades and Persephone relaxed an inch. They joined her on the hammock and sat on either side of her. Persephone hugged Mintha. She was happy that their cold war had ended.

"I'm sorry for what I did." said Hades.

"And I'm sorry for allowing it to happen and continue for this long." added Persephone.

"My mind is cluttered with my memories of me as Mintha and Leuce. Leuce has memories from your perspective, Hades. Some of them are incorrect. Mintha has the correct memories and she knows that you two are hiding more secrets."

The couple shared a guilty look over Mintha's head. Mintha waited for them to confess on their own. Persephone's lips quivered and Hades sent her a hard stare. Both remained quiet.

Mintha pulled away from them and stood up. "Fine, don't tell me."

Persephone was the first to cave in. "It's not that we don't want to tell you. We can't." and she said no more.

"The truth will come out sooner or later. When it's revealed, don't expect me to always be forgiving. I have my limits." Mintha said without looking at them and vanished.

Mintha flashed into the house that Nick once shared with his mother. He wasn't home most days. He was off plotting murder and mayhem with whoever offered him the best deal. She took advantage of his absence by going into his bedroom and sleeping on his bed. Being in his bedroom comfort her. It gave her security and soothed her while she divided the identities, Mintha and Leuce. Although Leuce was originally a fabrication, she had existed for three thousand years and deserved her own identity.

All that was Leuce manifested beside Mintha on the bed in a non-corporeal lifeform. Mintha was too disoriented to take care of everything that she had too. She needed advice from a professional like Leuce who was skilled in psychotherapy. The two beings turned on their sides to face each other.

"Your heart is too distressed. It's hindering you from making proper decisions. You must find an even balanced between your heart and mind." said Leuce.

"If my heart is holding me back, I'll just separate it from my mind." said Mintha.

"It can be done but not for too long because without the heart the mind will become emotionless."

"I can go without emotions for a while. Dream gods have been living without emotions for thousands of years, so can we."

Mintha willed her heart, the entity that housed her emotions, out. It manifest into a red orb. Leuce took hold of her orb and vanished, off to guard their heart. Mintha lay on her back and breathed in Nick's scent before she closed her eyes and slept.

Arriving home, Nick took off his jacket and threw it aside. He went on his bed to lie down. He crossed his arms on the back of his head and stared at the ceiling. Unbeknownst to him, Mintha was sitting on the foot of the bed, curiously observing him. Nick turned his gaze from the ceiling and stretched. He developed a sudden, desperate need to be here but now that he was here he felt restless. The air around him was suffocating him, he itched all over. Something was irritating him but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Nick sat up and his eyes went to the foot of his bed, meeting Mintha's eye level yet she remained invisible to him. Mintha reached out and touched his face. Nick blinked. He thought he felt something on his face. Mintha removed her hand and Nick caught it.

"Who is there?" He demanded.

Mintha pulled her hand out of his grip and slapped him hard enough to send him flying off his bed and hit the floor.

"What the fuck?!" Nick hissed to himself. He rubbed his burning cheek, tasting blood. He was in pain but he didn't know why he had an instant boner from it. He looked at the bed. There was someone definitely there. He carefully got up and looked around. He couldn't sense anything. Whatever that person was, he or she left.

Nick suspected that someone had been coming to his home while he was gone. The other day he saw a half-empty Coke bottle on the side table of his mother's room. His mother had never touched regular Coke, only Diet and he would never have dared left a drink in her secret sanctum. And not to mention the newspaper he found with the recent date printed on it. Someone was in his house. The oddest part was they did not steal anything. The person seems to be living there and if that slap told him anything about the squatter, it was definitely a woman. A man would have punched him. He inspected the other rooms to see if the squatter left more clues. There appears to be nothing else out of the ordinary.

Mintha flashed back to her home in San Diego. She threw herself on her round hanging hammock bed, letting it swing in crazy spirals. Her thought process was cleared but the down side was that she felt nothing. There was no anger and no sadness.

Hades appeared. He grabbed the ropes holding her bed to stop it from spinning. He knew the only reason she was brooding like this. It was always after she went to see Nick.

Persephone appeared. "Oh..." she said assessing the scene, "did she walk in on Nick having sex again with some random tart again?"

Mintha's head whipped to Persephone in bewilderment. She should be angry but was not. This was what she wanted but it was starting to concern her. She was starting to regret her decision. Could she truly make rational decisions without her heart?

Hades signed while Persephone put her hands over her mouth.

"Sorry, baby." Persephone said quickly. "Let's go shopping. I am going to find us some matching mommy and me outfits. We are going to braid your hair." she stopped talking and waited for Mintha to respond to her plans.

"I want to see Melinoe." she said. She had to test herself.

Persephone's face dropped as Hades flashed all three of them to Mintha's bedroom in the Underworld. Mintha went to Melinoe's sarcophagus. Mintha opened the lid to reveal Melinoe's corpse. She didn't even look dead. She appeared more like she was sleeping. As Mintha had suspected, seeing her adopted mother brought emotions out of her. She maybe heartless but love has not escaped her. Removing her heart didn't fully take away her emotions but diminished it, which was a relief.

Persephone was suppressing her tears, remembering the last time she saw Melinoe. Hades took her hand to comfort her. As before, he shook his head to signal her to remain quiet about their secret.

"I'm going to see Hera." Mintha told them.

Persephone and Hera had always vined for Melinoe's affection. Did she have to share Mintha with her too? Persephone never thought it was odd how Hera doted on Melinoe until Demeter remarked on it. Hera openly showed that she favored Melinoe. Hades believed the reason was because Melinoe bared a resemblance to Hera's dead daughter, who was also named Melinoe. Their names were intentional. Hera was present when Persephone gave birth to her daughter. She stared attentively at the newborn through the cleaning process. Everyone tensed when the goddess took the baby from the midwife.

Due to Hera's temperament, they worried that she would harm the newborn. To everyone's shock, Hera smiled down at the newborn with love in her eyes. She asked the couple to name their daughter Melinoe. It was not the name Hades and Persephone had in mind for their child but they agreed. Unbeknownst to them, Hera had her own reasons for adoring Melinoe.

Mintha flashed in Hera's temple. Hera stood upon see her and ordered her servants to leave.

"Mintha? Where have you been?" Hera said, slowly walking to her and hugged her.

"Never mind that. Melinoe is gone again."

Hera's eyes widen in shock but then she relaxed. "Don't joke like that. Melinoe can't be missing, again. She's probably in the demon realm."

"I haven't looked." Mintha admitted. "I'm going to check her house there. Good to see you. We'll hang out later. Okay."

Mintha flashed to Melinoe's home in the demon realm and found it empty. Melinoe's physical body resides on the Underworld but her Shade was missing. Mintha had no idea where it might be. She thought Hera might be able to help her locate Melinoe but she decided to not seek the goddess' help. Hera has a habit of using unorthodox methods when it comes to Melinoe. They usually don't turn out well for Melinoe. Mintha wanted Melinoe back but not at the expense of Melinoe's safety.