Medea's finger tapped an anxious rhythm against the armrest of her chair, eyes fixed straight ahead. She didn't see what was in front of her, yet her gaze was still intense. The magical glow in her irises showed her an image far away, approaching our castle.

I reached over and gently took her hand. "Are you okay?"

"She will know." Medea said, lips thinning into a line. "With the domains of her divinity, I cannot hide it from her. She will know I am not her daughter. I do not know how she will react. It is possible she will attempt to remove the stain against her daughter's memory. If that happens, we will need–"

"Medea," I interjected gently. "She's your mother."

Medea shook her head. "She is not my mother just as I am not her daughter. It's impossible to guess how she will react to me. There will be similarities, but…" Her voice cracked. She ceased speaking. This was tearing her up. I could see it. She wanted so desperately for this woman who she'd just said wasn't her mother to be her mother, but she was forcing that hope down.

"Do you want me to tell her to leave?"

Medea's gaze snapped up to meet mine, looking past the scrying spell she was still focusing on. "I… No. I need to know."

"Okay. I'll be right here with you."

Medea focused back on her spell, watching a goddess walk through our lands through the eyes of her familiars.

I didn't know much about Idyia prior to her sudden appearance in my lands. That alone told me a little bit about her. She hadn't announced her intentions to visit my lands and I'd received no warning of any kind. If I had to guess, I'd be willing to bet that she hadn't cleared her presence in the Underworld at all. That spat in the face of a bunch of treaties between the Greek pantheon and Hell, but the goddess evidently didn't care. I wouldn't be surprised if the Greeks didn't know she was here either. From what Medea told me, this world's Idyia had been missing for thousands of years now. The goddess was presumed dead. It seemed she'd come back to life and immediately traveled to the Underworld to knock on my door.

Medea had given me a brief summary of her mother's powers as I alerted my peerage to the situation and put them all on standby. As far as combat potential went, Idyia was not overly impressive on the divine scale. She was still a goddess with all the power of one, but she was a minor goddess whose domains and power were more focused towards other areas. Idyia was referred to as 'The Knowing Goddess'. That apparently translated into some inherent power that let her understand the world and its inhabitants, but I didn't have much detail on how exactly it worked.

We were in a castle whose every brick was built to act as a defensive measure against attackers. I was confident in our ability to defend ourselves if Idyia decided to strike, but I was more concerned for wounds that cut deeper than physical ones.

Save for anxiously tapping her chair, Medea was stiff as a statue. She did not move. She barely breathed. My Queen had been shaken from the moment she noticed Idyia's approach. I don't think she ever expected to see her mother again, let alone an entirely separate version of her mother in a different reality. She was terrified of this encounter, but I could see the faintest trace of hope in her eyes.

I really wanted this to go well for her. If Idyia made my Queen cry, I don't know what I'd do.

"She is approaching the castle." Medea said.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm right here with you."

Medea squeezed my hand tight like it was her only lifeline. She rose from her chair. "Thank you."

We walked in silence to the great double doors at the main entrance to our castle. Violet skeletons and animated mithril armors moved around us. None were positioned in a hostile manner, but their presence was noteworthy; a precaution Medea had insisted on. It was as if she was expecting hostility, like she was burying any hope of a pleasant reunion with this goddess who was yet was not her mother.

The doors lurched open, slowly swinging wide.

A woman of ethereal beauty stood at the threshold of the door. Her hair was dark like a stone splashed with sea water. The white dress she wore seemed to be barely there, the material so light and thin that it billowed with her every movement. She was barefoot. A shadowy raven was perched on the fingers of her right hand; the familiar Medea had sent to guide the goddess to our castle.

The raven let out a shrieking caw, flapping its wings and flying away from the woman's hand. It swooped through the air. Diving down, the raven was absorbed into the shadows of Medea's robe.

Medea's eyes met those of our guest. Both women froze. Time seemed to stand still as no one so much as breathed. The moment stretched.

I decided to try to help Medea get through the initial meeting. I stepped forward and said, "Welcome to the House of Abaddon. My name is–" That was as far as I got before the woman moved.

She did not run. It was as if she levitated forward without moving any of her limbs. White, spectral afterimages were left in the goddess's wake as she rapidly crossed the space and appeared in front of my Queen. I nearly summoned a Hole to pull Medea to safety when I saw what had happened.

The woman's arms were wound tight around Medea in a crushing hug. Her eyes were squeezed shut; tears leaked through the corners of her eyelids.

Medea stood ramrod straight, arms fixed to her sides as her mouth opened and closed. "I… You… We…" She tried multiple times to speak, but her words continuously failed her.

Idyia pulled back just enough to look down at Medea. She was several inches taller than her daughter. She gently lifted Medea's chin so the witch would meet her eyes. "You… You are not the daughter I lost. You are an echo, a summation of her greatest triumphs and her worst failings; made manifest to serve another's purpose." A change passed over the goddess. Her eyes drifted over Medea's shoulder until they found me. I felt murder in the air as the goddess glared at me. It was as if I was lost at sea in the midst of a thunderstorm with nought but a raft. "Did he…?" The oppressive atmosphere was gone as soon as it had arrived. "No. I see now." Her attention returned to her daughter. She smiled, leaning forward.

Medea's breath caught as Idyia kissed her forehead. "I…but…"

"The Fates have seen fit to return my daughter to me. You are not the Medea I lost, but I would have you in my life. If… If you would accept me in it?" Idyia said, suddenly nervous. Somehow, the goddess looked small, like a frightened rabbit huddling away from a fox.

"I…" Medea threw her arms around Idyia, burying her head into the taller woman's shoulder.

Idyia held Medea close as the witch began to weep. She slowly lowered Medea to the ground, cradling the back of her head and gently rocking her back and forth, whispering sweet assurances.

I felt very out of place. I stood awkwardly to the side as the two had their moment, doing my best not to intrude.

As if purely to give me an excuse to give them some space, my phone started ringing. Looking at the caller ID, I saw it was Serafall. I really shouldn't ignore a call from Satan.

"Medea, Serafall's calling. Will you be okay if I talk to her? I can put her through to voicemail if–"

"It's okay." Medea said, voice quiet, lacking its usual power and confidence. She was still hugging Idyia close. "We're okay."

"Call if you need me." I said, walking towards the hall as I answered the call, giving them space and finding a clear room so I could speak to Serafall privately.

"Hello?"

"Where are you right now, Bal?" Serafall asked the second the call connected.

"Um… I'm at home. What's going on?" She sounded serious. It was a little concerning.

"I just had several reports come across my desk. They're not painting a great picture. I've got people watching the church. Remiel apparently came down from Heaven a little while ago and has been asking about you."

"…Should I know who that is?" She'd said the name like it was important, but I didn't know many angels outside of the big ones. Michael, Gabriel, Azriel, Metatron – anyone whose name wasn't common knowledge in my first life didn't really mean anything to me. That was a bit of a weakness now that I thought about it. I'd need to do some more in depth research on the angels once this Idyia situation was dealt with. Maybe I'd be able to find a local peerage recruit? Doubtful, but possible.

"He's important and powerful. That's all you really need to know right now. I can fill you in more later. The point is that something's happening. Sirzechs's people alerted him that someone just blew through one of our checkpoints to enter the Underworld. They said that whoever she is, she had divine backing. It's probably nothing, but keep your eyes peeled for any angel or priestess types sniffing around your lands."

"Umm… This individual wouldn't happen to have black hair would she? Kinda tall? Wearing a white dress?"

"…How do you know that?"

"She walked into my castle like two minutes ago."

"Are you safe?" I heard the shift in Serafall's tone. This had gone from a head's up call to a potential fight.

"Woah! We're good. Everything's fine… I think. We still need to talk a bit, but it's not anything that you need to involve yourself with. Just a…spontaneous family matter."

"Bal, please don't tell me this priestess is your long-lost mother or some other bullshit like that."

"What? No. Totally not my mom. I'm pretty sure my mom's dead. Actually, now that I think about it, I never did get the full story about how I came to be."

"Focus please. Who is she and what does she want? Do you need me to stop by to scare her off?"

"No. We're good. In the spirit of keeping you informed and letting you prepare yourself for potential fallout though, I do need to share some details with you."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

"She may not be my long-lost mother, but she might be Medea's."

There was silence on the other end of the call.

"Serafall?"

"Are you telling me that Idyia, a goddess thought to have died several thousand years ago, just turned up on your doorstep unannounced to see her daughter?"

"That pretty much sums it up, yeah."

The silence stretched.

"Serafall? You still there?"

"It is a really good thing that I like you and you gave me a really nice present. If you were anyone else, I wouldn't put up with this shit anymore."

"Speaking of, how is Ingvild adjusting?"

"She's adjusting fine. I'm going to… I need to…" Serafall sighed dramatically. "Keep your phone near you. I may or may not show up in person to meet with the dead Greek goddess that decided to illegally enter the Underworld. Call me the second anything goes wrong." The line went dead before I could say goodbye.

Now that I'd given Serafall another aneurysm, I figured it would probably be best to get back to Medea. It felt like I'd been intruding on a very personal moment when I'd left the room. That being said, there was still a foreign god I'd never met before alone with my Queen. I didn't think Idyia came here to try anything nefarious and I had a platoon of adamantine armors watching Medea, but it was probably better if I rejoined them.

When I stepped back into the hall I noticed Medea and Idyia were no longer present. A suit of animated armor walked towards me and pointed down an adjoining hall. I followed the wordless directions of various animated suits of armor until I came to a small dining area. Medea had designed the castle to have several different dining areas so we could accommodate different sized groups. This was the smallest of them, meant to accommodate no more than four people at once.

Inside, a purple skeleton carried a tray laden with drinks and scones between two seats. Medea and Idyia were sitting side-by-side. The seats across from them were empty.

The tears that were present before were gone. Both women had bright smiles on their faces as they conversed quietly. I was considering whether or not entering would interrupt whatever discussion they were having when Medea noticed me.

"Bal! We were waiting for you. The skeletons are already preparing lunch. What did Serafall want?"

"She was giving me a heads up about an angel looking into us. I'll tell you more later." I said as I sat down across from my Queen, leaving out the part where Serafall had panicked thinking that Idyia was one of Remiel's agents who had illegally broken into the Underworld. I didn't want to make Idyia think I was accusing her of anything. She was cordial enough now, but she'd spent all of the time she'd been here with Medea. I didn't know her long term plans for coming here or if they involved trying to take Medea back to Greece.

…Would Medea want to go back to Greece – or Colchis – if her mother asked her to?

"My daughter has been informing me of recent events that transpired in her life." the goddess herself pulled me from my thoughts.

I smiled cordially at her. "Things have been rather eventful recently."

"Events beginning with you reaching across worlds to save her from certain death. 'Eventful' indeed."

My smile slipped slightly as I held eye-contact with the goddess. Knowledge was her primary divine domain and Medea was her daughter to boot. It made sense she was able to figure out more about my Queen than anyone else we'd come across so far. I still didn't know what to make of her casually admitting to knowing one of my most closely guarded secrets – my ability to reach between worlds.

"Do you have an issue with how I recruited her?" I asked, deciding being direct was my best course of action here. If Idyia had an issue with me, I wanted to sort it out as soon as possible. Having a goddess from the Greek pantheon passive aggressively messing with me did not sound like a good time.

"No. You are a devil. It is in your nature to be self-serving. My daughter has made it clear to me that she is satisfied, nay, pleased with this arrangement. That is the most important factor in my reckoning."

"Mother," Medea said, frowning slightly. "Please do not turn this into an interrogation."

Idyia chuckled softly. "That was not my intent. I merely wish to ascertain the measure of the man now claiming to be your King. He is…acceptable. Tell me, Viscount Balthazar Abaddon, what is my daughter to you? Just another devil chess piece?"

"Mother!" Medea hissed, now openly glaring at Idyia. Idyia didn't acknowledge her protest. The goddess's eyes were fixed on me. Her ocean blue orbs bore into mine. I swore I could see flowing waves reflected in her irises.

"I love your daughter." I said honestly. Medea tensed, blushing furiously before fleeing into the hood of her robes.

"And your intentions?" the goddess continued. "Both towards Medea and the future?"

"I don't have great ambitions. I want to rebuild my house to respectable standing and ensure myself and my friends can live comfortably. Outside of that, my only goal is to make sure no one can take away what I plan to build. Medea…" I looked at my Queen. Her face was hidden in the shadow of her hood, likely by a minor charm she cast while I wasn't looking. I could still see her eyes, peering through the dark with violet intensity, watching my every move.

"I love her." I repeated. "I will never force her to do anything she is not willing to do. I will assist her in accomplishing her own ambitions. I want to live with her by my side."

"Will you take her as your wife?" Idyia asked.

A skeleton had entered with soups on a tray. The skeleton froze mid-step. The armored golems surrounding us had been fidgeting slightly. They froze too. The heart of the castle we sat in seemed to cease beating in the wake of Idyia's question as if waiting to hear my answer.

I didn't look at Idyia. She was asking the question, but she wasn't important right now. My gaze were locked on the glowing purple eyes glaring out from Medea's hood.

"I would never press her into anything she wasn't ready for. We have not been together long. But if she would have me, yes. I will. And it would make me the happiest devil to ever live."

A tremor passed through the castle. Brief, barely there, but impactful nonetheless. Motion resumed. The skeleton laid a soup in front of each of us before departing.

Idyia nodded, focused now on the soup in front of her. "I am satisfied. Thank you for indulging my questions, and for indulging my unannounced visit. I realize I have intruded upon your territory. When I learned my daughter lived, I wasted no time. I had to ensure she was whole and treated well. I have satisfied that goal. If you wish compensation for my rudeness, I shall pay it."

"That's not necessary." I said, relaxing slightly as I felt the tension in the room slowly bleed away. "I'm glad to facilitate Medea reuniting with her mother."

"Balthazar…" Medea trailed off, her eyes narrowing. She pulled her hood back. She was frowning in irritation, like she'd been interrupted. "Serafall Leviathan just arrived. She is approaching the front gate of the castle."

"The Satan of Foreign Affairs?" Idyia asked. "She is likely here for me. I did not submit myself to the proper channels when I journeyed here. Their procedures would have required me to wait for weeks. I did not wait. Seeing my child was far too important. I am sorry to cause you more trouble."

"Don't worry about it." I said. "Serafall and I are on good terms."

"Serafall is requesting entry." Medea announced, a magical glow covering her eyes.

"Would you be willing to meet with her?" I asked Idyia.

"Yes. In fact, it would be better if we spoke." the goddess replied.

"She's coming in. I'll have the golems direct her to us." Medea said.

The three of us sat in silence, sipping our soup as we waited for Satan to join us. Another skeleton entered the room and set a drink and a fourth soup bowl down at the empty seat next to me before promptly leaving. Serafall entered soon after.

The Satan of Foreign affairs wore a black skirt suit with a white undershirt, calculating eyes flicking around the room as she stood on the threshold. No one spoke.

"Would you like to sit?" I asked her, more to break the tension than anything. "We have soup."

Serafall nodded. "Thank you." She sat down next to me, but left her soup alone. She stared across the table at the goddess sitting across from her.

Idyia didn't meet Serafall's eyes, unbothered by the Satan's glare. She enjoyed her soup with a content smile on her face.

"Idyia, the Knowing Goddess." Serafall said.

"That is my name and title." Idyia confirmed, finally meeting Serafall's gaze. "You have my apologies for bypassing your entrance procedures. They would have taken far too long."

"That's not the part that worries me." Serafall said. "As far as anyone knows, you're dead. Were the Greeks hiding you away for something? Am I about to get an unwelcome visit from Zeus demanding I return you to him?"

"Should he make such demands, you may inform him that I told him to fornicate with a farm animal. Zeus and his Olympians hold no authority over me. I divested them of their ability to call on me after the abuse they instigated against my daughter. Though it would be unlikely that any of them will come looking for me. They do not know I am here."

Serafall's eyebrows furrowed. "You left without telling them."

"No." Idyia's eyes unfocused, looking at something far away. "I slept for many years; far more than I intended. Once my eyes closed, I never found a reason to open them. My absence led many to believe I had perished. I did not learn of this until rejoining the world. Correcting this misunderstanding lacked precedence. I needed to see my daughter first."

"So the Greeks think you're dead too?" Serafall asked, expression turning considering.

"I cannot know for certain without seeking them out, but it is likely." Idyia confirmed. "My haven was well-warded. Few knew where to find me. Only my closest sisters and the witch who helped me ward the cavern were privy to my whereabouts."

"Circe," Medea said suddenly.

Idyia nodded. "It was she who informed me of your return. Had she not, I would likely still be asleep."

"You said you wanted to see your daughter," Serafall said, looking pointedly at Medea. "Now that you've seen her, what do you plan to do next?"

"Medea and I discussed that prior to your arrival." Idyia frowned. "Though I will need the approval of Lord Abaddon."

I blinked, surprised to suddenly be the center of attention. "What do you need from me…ma'am?" I didn't know exactly how to address a minor goddess like her. I settled with respectful but not reverent. I probably should've asked Medea prior to meeting her. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

"You may call me by my name." Idyia said almost offhand before continuing. "There is nothing left for me in Greece. I left my home to be with my husband and my family. My husband passed from this world many years ago. Colchis is no more. Even were it still standing, those who made it home no longer reside there. I am in need of a new home. With your blessing, Lord Abaddon, I intend to make a new home for myself here. I will not intrude upon my daughter's castle , but I would like to construct my own domicile in your territory. Medea showed me a small pond several leagues north of this castle. I intend to expand it into a lake and make my home there."

There was a lot to unpack there. Idyia had shown up less than an hour ago and was already asking me to let her live on my land? A goddess was asking to live in my territory? I could understand wanting to be close to your only living family, but wouldn't a member of the Greek pantheon living in the Underworld cause problems? Actually, Serafall was capable, she could sort that out.

Another point of interest was Idyia's intent to expand the pond. Water was scarce in Hell being that it was…Hell. I had some small lakes and minor streams in my territory, but nothing large enough to support a settlement. Bodies of water like that were held by the Pillars, increasing their influence and wealth. If Idyia could really just make more water… There was some potential there that I could explore later if this all actually worked out.

That wasn't even mentioning the statement I would be sending to the Underworld if I let Idyia move in. I would have an actual Goddess living in my lands. On top of what the rest of the Underworld had already seen from me, this would cement into their minds that I was not to be messed with.

I looked across the table at Medea, trying to gauge her opinion on Idyia's request. She gave me a sharp nod that I returned.

"Provided you treat my people and territory with respect I don't foresee any issues with allowing you to live here." I said to Idyia. "You're welcome to stay in the castle until we're able to plan and construct a separate living space for you."

"Thank you, Lord Abaddon."

"Just call me Balthazar or Bal. You're Medea's mom. It feels weird for you to call me lord."

Serafall had been watching our exchange with intense interest. "Are you planning to keep the fact that you're alive a secret?"

Idyia shook her head. "That was never my intent to begin with. Others made incorrect assumptions. I will not hide my presence, but nor will I advertise it."

Serafall pursed her lips. "You'll need to keep out of sight for at least a week. There's a lot of paperwork I need to do to get ahead of this."

Idyia nodded. "That is a simple enough request to fulfill."

"Good." Serafall said. She drained the wineglass in front of her in one go and stood, adjusting her suit. "Bal, I'll call you when everything's put together. This is going to be a major pain in my ass. It's a good thing I like you."

"I appreciate it, Serafall." I said, genuine. "I…might have an idea for another present for you. Once this whole thing is sorted out, clear out a day in your schedule so we can talk. Be prepared. Things'll get…weird." Medea and I had talked at length about various issues. We kept coming back to the problem of needed strong allies when someone inevitably tried something against us. Serafall was by far our most powerful ally, and she'd proven to be trustworthy and willing to work with us if for no other reason than to solidify her own position. It might be time to show her exactly how strong of an ally I could be for her.

Serafall's eyes narrowed, reading something in my expression. She sighed. "Balthazar, you are simultaneously the greatest thing to happen to me in the last hundred years and the single most aggravating problem I have ever dealt with. I'll be in touch." She left without any fanfare.

"That was a lovely conversation." Idyia said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. She was the only one of us who had finished their soup. "Now! I believe I was promised a tour of this castle you built, Medea. I want to see everything." Idyia stood up, pulling Medea to her feet behind her. The two walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

I watched the skeletons robotically gather the dishes and file out of the room. I was sitting there, just trying to absorb the absurdity that my life was becoming. I was going to be next-door neighbors with a literal goddess who may or may not become my mother-in-law.

"Balthazar,"

I turned around in my chair to see who'd called my name.

Medea's head was poking around the corner of the door. Her hood was down. There was a light dusting of red to her cheeks. Her eyes refused to meet mine. Softly, she said, "Ask me properly. Make it special." She was gone the next moment, vanished in a blur of purple hair.

I stared at the space she'd vacated for several seconds, processing the words she'd said, running them through my mind over and over, hoping they meant what I thought they meant.

I relaxed in my seat, smiling happily as I stared at the ceiling.

Ask her properly? Make it special? It might take a little while, but I could do that.