Page 13 of Hades

She’d given me life, even if she’d resented every moment of it. Even if she’d made damn sure I knew I was unwanted, unloved, a burden she’d never asked for.

And I wasn’t ready to cross that line.

Not yet.

I ran my forearm across my forehead, wiping away the sweat and hair that clung to my face, damp and sticky in the suffocating heat. After quickly washing my hands and scrubbing away the dirt and plant matter, I grabbed a towel and headed toward my mother’s room.

I stood in the doorway, and before I could even ask what she needed, she barked, “Is dinner ready?”

“No, Mother. It’s only four o’clock. Dinner isn’t until five-thirty. Like always.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Then you’re welcome to come to the kitchen and get a snack.”

“Bring me something to eat.”

I leaned against the doorframe, my arms hanging loosely in front of me, the towel twisting in my hands. “No. We have a schedule. Anything you want outside that schedule, you can get up and get yourself.”

“Violet,” she warned, her voice taking on that edge. The one that used to make me flinch when I was a child. The one that promised punishment if I didn’t obey.

“What, Mother? What are you going to do?”

We stared at each other, both unwilling to budge. The difference was, it would have thrilled me if she’d gotten up from that chair to come after me. It would have meant she still had some fight left in her. Some spark of the woman she must have been before life beat it out of her. Before whatever happened to make her this bitter, broken thing sitting in a recliner, waiting to die.

But she didn’t move. She just sat there, glaring at me with impotent rage. All bark and no bite. All threat and no follow-through.

“You are not an invalid, Mother. There’s nothing wrong with your body.”

“I was at your beck and call for eighteen years. You owe me!”

I took a step forward, my hands fisting at my sides, nails digging into my palms. “I don’t owe you shit!” I snapped, my voice cold and controlled despite the anger burning in my chest. “I didn’t ask to be born. That was a choice you made.” I pointed at her, my finger steady and unwavering. “And you stopped taking care of me when I was ten years old. I’m twenty-five. I’ve been taking care of you for a hell of a lot longer than you ever took care of me.”

I straightened my back and took a deep breath, forcing the anger back down where it belonged. Locked away. Ready to be weaponized when needed.

“Now, I’m going back to making dinner. If you’re hungry, come into the kitchen and get something to eat.”

I pivoted and left her room without another word, closing the door behind me with a soft click. Not a slam, not a bang, just a quiet dismissal.

The voice in my head whispered again: She’s your mother.

But the voice was getting quieter every day.

CHAPTER FIVE

Hades

Diamond Creek, Nebraska...

The hospital corridor was quiet except for the thump of my boots as I made my way to his room. Apollo had just woken up and was asking questions Perseus didn’t have permission to answer.

It was late and visiting hours were almost over, but Patch, the Silver Shadows’ doctor, had secured authorization for me to stay as long as I needed.

“Go get Zeus,” Apollo hissed.

“I can’t leave you unprotected.”

“I’m in a fucking hospital,” he argued.