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Hades was still thinking about the five nymphs an hour later when Ilias returned. He expected the satyr to inform him that the work was finished and to inquire after a visit to Nereus, but his expression communicated something far more concerning.

“Persephone has been revealed as a goddess,” he said.

Hades brows lowered. “What?”

“New Athens News,” he said, unable to verbalize much else. “It’s their top story.”

Fucking Helen.

Hades rose from his seat. Together, they headed downstairs to the main floor of Nevernight and switched on a television. The top headline was about Persephone.

Woman Outed as the Daughter of Demeter

The anchor on television reported, “The woman, Persephone Rossi, who is engaged to Hades, the God of the Dead, assumed an identity as a mortal journalist. She made headlines earlier this year by writing critiques about the Divine.”

“Do you think she’s prepared for this?” Ilias asked.

“To be outed as goddess to the world?” Hades asked. “No.”

Persephone had only started to come to terms with her own divinity. Now, the world would be even more interested in her than they were before when they assumed he’d fallen in love with a mortal woman, even those who were angry at her for her so-called deception. She would face obsession and hate—ultimately all of it was worship which meant her power would only grow in strength…the power she could barely control.

As they watched, the broadcast shifted suddenly, and the anchor announced breaking news.

“We are receiving reports of an avalanche near Sparta and Thebes. The cities are buried under several feet of snow. Rescue workers have been dispatched.”

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck.

That meant thousands of souls were about to flood the Underworld—but not just mortals, animals, too, and it was all because of Demeter’s fucking snowstorm.

Persephone would be devastated and he wondered what she would do when she discovered the horror her mother had inflicted upon the world.

Though he did not have to wait long to find out because he felt Persephone’s power erupted, far stronger than ever before. It felt anguished and angry and it shook him to the soul.

Fucking Fates.

“I have to go to Persephone,” he said.

He knew her capabilities when she was pushed too far and this time, it get the attention of Olympus.

He let his magic unfurl, seeking the energy of the stones in her ring, and when he latched on to it, he went to her, finding her at the center of eight Olympians. Apollo and Hermes stood slightly in front of Persephone, blocking her from the others.

Hades placed a possessive hand on her stomach and drew her against him.

“Angry, darling?” he asked, his lips near her ear.

“A little,” she replied.

Despite their casual exchange, Hades’s heart was racing. He glared at Zeus, who stood directly across from them with Hera on one side and Poseidon on the other. The rest of the Olympians fell in line.

Demeter was noticeably absent.

“That was quite a display of power, little goddess,” said Zeus.

“Call me little one more time,” Persephone said, her body tensing beneath Hades’s hand.

Zeus chuckled.