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“I don’t blame you.” There’s understanding on his face.

“I want to ask you something,” I begin. “She’s like me. The symbols.”

“I was afraid of that.” He comes around the front of his desk and leans against it.

“The box has the same symbols,” I continue.

“It does.”

“Why?”

He avoids my piercing gaze. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Try.”

“I stole the box.”

“No, the box was stolen,” I correct him.

“Depending on who you ask, I stole it first,” he sighs. “I was forbidden to be with your mother by Gaia. I was young, angry, and stupid. Like me, Gaia liked to keep things. Secrets. Objects…People. I stole the the box, kidnapped your mother, and fled here.”

“What happened?” I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“The Remnant and witches were already here at the time. The war with my father and the other Titans was ending in Olympus. Gaia was throwing them here as punishment and closing the gates. Complete and total chaos broke loose. That was when the Burning began alongside a war. I don’t know who she was, but there was a witch. She said if I gave her the box that she would end the turmoil. I was young, naive, and tired of fighting, so I agreed. I met Cerberus through her, and he assisted in dragging the Titans into Tartarus.”

My stomach drops. “Your father started the Burning?”

“No, he was blood thirsty. Didn’t give a fuck about Magic. I don’t know who went after the Remnant. I didn’t want them to die. It all happened so fast. I tried to stop it, but by the time I created order, the witches had been burned, the Titans were in Tartarus, and the Remnant had hidden themselves away in their own territory. That was when they created the Republic. They saw me as the one who brought the Titans.”

“How did Gaia acquire the box?”

“I don’t know, but I should have known better. That’s why they hate me. They believe that I stole it from them, murdered them, and took the Underworld and drained it of Magic. If I had known how important it was, I would have never given it away. They think I tried to kill them over it.”

“What does any of this have to do with me?”

“One day, the witch who I gave the box to, arrived asking me for a favor. She gave it back to me and asked that I keep it safe along with you. You were injured and in a coma. I was nervous at first. I even considered killing you after everything that had transpired, but Persephone immediately took a liking to you. You fulfilled that part of her that always wanted a child, and you didn’t seem like a threat. I couldn’t say no.”

His shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath before he continues. “I got curious and tried to open the damned thing, but it wouldn’t budge. That was when I began my deep dive trying to learn Remnant history, but there really isn't much on the subject. I put it in the vault, hoping to hold onto it until I could find answers.”

“And then someone stole it.”

He nods. “Yes, then someone stole it.”

I swallow several times and dread creeps up my spine. My mouth is dry. I didn’t know that a woman brought me here. Who was she? My mother? Are Josie and I both products of witches? Were we once in the same place? Did we know each other? It certainly feels that way. It would make sense why we were so drawn to each other. The box has something to do with that. I’m not sure of what to make of that other than to acquire it. We have to tread carefully. Someone on the black market wants it, too, and we know very little of how it operates.

“What about Josie?”

“Beautiful name.”

“What does this have to do with Josie?” I demand. My heart is pounding.

“Do you know where she came from?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. She said she had an accident and drowned. I know it wasn’t an accident. There is no such thing as coincidence. Not anymore. “The Republic.”

We stare at each other. Hades looks grim, and he’s white as a sheet.

“Is she a Rem?” His question is full of indecision.