Page 153 of Hades

Six in the morning and the farmhouse was already alive with movement.

I’d been up since four. Hadn’t slept much anyway. Just held Lettie through the dark hours while her breathing stayed shallow and restless against my chest. When dawn broke, I slipped out of bed and headed downstairs.

The truck was already backed up to the porch. Lettie had done that the night before. Smart. Efficient. Ready.

I started loading crates, the heavy ones first. The wooden boxes filled with jars and bottles and products she’d spent weeks preparing. Cerberus watched from the porch, his massive head resting on his paws. Alert but calm. He knew the routine. Knew he wasn’t coming with us today.

I heard the back door open behind me.

Turned.

And froze.

Lettie’s mother stood in the doorway. Dressed. Hair fixed. Makeup applied. She looked more put together than I’d ever seen her. More alive. More present.

And that made every instinct I had scream danger.

She didn’t acknowledge me. Just walked past like I wasn’t there, moving toward the truck with purpose. Then she climbed into the passenger seat without a word.

I watched her through the windshield. The way she sat straighter than usual. The way her eyes scanned the driveway and the road beyond with an intensity that made my gut clench.

She was waiting for something.

Anticipating something.

And whatever it was, it was tied to today.

Lettie appeared in the doorway a moment later. Long skirt and a soft gray sweater. Hair pulled back in a loose braid. Beautiful. Guarded. Afraid.

Her eyes found mine immediately.

“She’s already in the truck,” I said quietly.

Lettie nodded. Like she’d expected it. Like this was part of the pattern she’d been trying to decode for days.

“I need to grab the last few things,” she said.

“I’ll finish loading.”

She disappeared back inside. I secured the final crates, making sure everything was tied down and stable.

Pegasus and Memnon pulled up on their bikes a few minutes later. Right on time. I’d called them last night and told them to be here at six. They’d follow us into town to help with setup and stay close.

Because I wasn’t letting Lettie out of my sight today.

Not with her mother acting like this.

Not with the dread sitting heavy in my chest.

Lettie came back out carrying a basket of smaller items. I took it from her hands and set it carefully in the truck bed beside the crates.

“That’s everything,” she said.

I turned to face her and pulled her close. My hands found her waist as her body pressed against mine.

“You ready for this?” I asked.

“No.”