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When I said that, a pang of sorrow shot into my chest. More than anything, I wished for Hades to return to Earth. I wanted to see more of him, to talk him.
I couldn’t help but feel like him staying away was partly my fault. But there wasn’t much I could do about it. If Hades intended to be scarce, I’d have to wait for him to come back.
If he ever did.
“Just give him time,” Heracles said. “The downside of being alive for eternity is not really having a concept of time. Give him what he needs, and I think he’ll return.”
My throat grew scratchy. I hoped he would. I didn’t say so out loud. Instead, I picked up my scythe. “Have you seen me work with this?” I asked. “I’m pretty decent with it.”
Heracles chuckled. “I haven’t, but I bet you’re going to show me.”
And I did.
Heracles and I trained for six hours straight before he finally told me he had to go.
“I have to go see my dad,” he explained.
“You’re meeting with Zeus a lot lately,” I pointed out.
His lips pressed together in a light grimace, and that worried me. “We have a lot to discuss. Maybe one day, I’ll tell you what it’s about. But I can share this—he’s proud of who you’ve become.”
It would have been great if Zeus came and told me himself. In the beginning, when I’d been unsure about who I was, he visited me. But now he remained on Mount Olympus, and I had to trudge through my self-doubt alone.
Although I wasn’t truly my own. I had Apollo, Ares, and Poseidon—and from Heracles, who was, and always would be a great hero.
“Will I see you tomorrow for another workout?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I have to go out of town. But I’ll send Ares. I hear you two get along just fine.” He winked at me.
I smiled and my cheeks heated, which was so unlike me. But there was no denying my reaction or his words. It was true, Ares and I made a great team. Who else did a fighter need but the God of War to practice with? Plus, we always got down to some different kind of exercise when we were finished. And I became hot just thinking about our time together.
“Well, I’ll see you around.” But I hesitated and instead of walking away, I approached Heracles and hugged him. I looped my arms around his solid torso, resting my cheek against his chest.
He stiffened at first, then embraced me in return and chuckled. “What’s this all about?”
“Life’s short. I don’t want to regret anything.”
He rubbed my back, and I pulled away. “See you later.” And I left the center while he remained behind, doing God-knew-what.
I climbed in my car and drove to Catina’s place. Since she’d returned, she’d taken a few days off work, and Tina allowed it. I told Catina I’d reported her as a missing person, and she was dealing with her boss and the local journalists insisting on hearing her story. Of course, she turned them all down and stuck with the story of not remembering who abducted her and that he must have released her one day because she woke up in the woods.
With Apollo’s approval, I gifted her with his necklace. The essence of the moon shone light in the darkest of times and repelled X in a way. So maybe it would offer Catina a few extra moments for escape or to call me if the monster returned.
When I knocked on her door, I called out, “It’s me.”
Since X had taken Catina, even though he had simply appeared in the room, she was nervous about everyone who knocked on her door. It was understandable; being kidnapped was traumatic in and of itself. Being abducted by some kind of immortal God, demon, or whatever made it much worse.
Catina opened the door and hugged me, her body slightly shaky. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was starting to get lonely. I don’t like being alone these days.”
“I had to finish working out with Heracles.” It felt amazing to use his real name, rather than keep secrets from my friend.
Since Catina realized I wasn’t exactly human, I’d told her everything. That my mentor wasn’t just any old personal coach, but Heracles, son of Zeus himself. That the four men I’d been involved with were gods.
“Did Apollo pop over earlier as I promised?” I asked, wanting her to know someone was always looking out for her, and she didn’t have to live in fear.
She sighed loudly, fingering Apollo’s pendant around her neck. “He’s eaten nearly half the food in the fridge. How much does he eat?”
I laughed.
