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Fuck, he had never hated someone so much in his life.

“Of course, Hades,” Sybil said as if she had not heard Ben or Hades’s reply. She chose a bottle from the many cluttering the counter and offered the whole thing. “You’ll probably need it.”

He smiled at her, as warmly as he could. “Thank you, Sybil,” he said, already loosening the cap to drink straight from the bottle.

“So how did you meet Ben?” Persephone asked as Sybil poured her a glass of wine.

Hades considered answering for her—the fucker was a stalker—but before she could even get a word out, Ben spoke.

“We met at Four Olives where I work. It was love at first sight for me.”

Persephone made a strange sound as she choked on her wine, though Hades had to admit he was pleased with himself.

He hadn’t been wrong.

Sybil gave them both a desperate look. It was evident she had tried to put this mortal where he belonged. The issue was she thought she could make him a friend, but he didn’t even belong in that zone.

He belonged in jail.

Or Tartarus.

Hades would take either one.

A knock interrupted the awful silence.

“Thank the gods,” Sybil said, darting to the door.

Hades imagined she was eager to fill the house with other people to drown out Ben’s annoying voice.

“I know she isn’t convinced yet,” Ben said when they were alone. “But it’s only a matter of time.”

“What makes you so sure?” Persephone asked, and while Hades could hear the revulsion in her voice, the mortal did not seem to notice.

Instead, he preened, squaring his shoulders and lifting his head in pride.

Hades was already rolling his eyes.

“I’m an oracle.”

“Oh fuck,” he said, unamused.

Persephone elbowed him, but it wasn’t as if Ben was deterred. He had no ability to sense emotion beyond pride in himself.

Still, Hades could not take much more of this. He needed distance from this fucker who he refused to call by name.

“If you’ll excuse me.”

He glanced at Persephone as he left the kitchen and wandered into the adjacent living room, sipping from the whiskey Sybil had so kindly given him. His only wish was that he could get drunk because tonight, he needed it.

He could still hear Ben from across the room as he leaned toward Persephone—an action that made Hades want to rip his head off. Hades let himself imagine it, what it would be like and feel like, just to calm down.

“I don’t think he likes me,” Ben said.

Persephone arched a brow, replying unenthusiastically, “Whatever gave you that idea?”

Hades tuned them out for a moment as he observed Sybil’s space. It was cozy but sparse—evident that she was starting over. Despite the fact that they were gathering tonight to celebrate her new chapter, Hades knew none of them were completely happy, well aware that the reason they were all here was because one of them was gone.

Lexa’s death had changed everything.