Page 197 of Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1)

‘Tell Her, River Goddess’

I turned to see Charon glowering

at both my uncle and aunt.

No one had heard him arrive

but there he stood, storm-eyed.

‘I warned you she would find out.’

His words had a hard edge to them

that I had never heard before.

‘Tell her, or I will.’

Pallas took a warning step towards

Charon. ‘This is a matter for family—’

Thanatos shook his head.

‘You know we are all family.’

It was true. Thanatos and Charon

were brothers, sons of Nyx.

Titans too, just like me, Styx and Pallas.

The same wretched, broken

family that kept secrets, lied

and warred with each other.

I was shaking with anger.

‘Your father, Hekate—’ started Charon,

but Pallas stopped him.

‘I will tell her,’ he growled.

Then he looked at me. ‘Your father,

Hekate, was my brother.

We grew up together

and he was my dearest friend.

So when the war came,

Of course I chose his side.

But then… we were losing…

and Styx and I had four young children.’

He hesitated and looked at Styx.

My stomach clenched.

‘Styx went to Asteria.

They shared a childhood, and were

dear to each other once. She asked her,

begged her to talk to your father.

If he had surrendered,

his punishment would not have been

quite so harsh. But your mother

refused to listen. So… we…

We had no choice left.

We had to turn to Zeus.’

The sickness of these words

spread like ivy through my mind.

‘You… you both betrayed my parents?

For Zeus and the Olympians?! ’

Styx had betrayed my mother.

Styx had betrayed my mother.

All this time I thought it was just Pallas,

but no. It was Styx too.

No wonder this palace never felt

as though it was home.

It was built of guilt and betrayals

so large they could not be forgiven.

Styx called my name and stepped

around the table towards me

but I stumbled back from her

and ran .