Chapter 21 Kaira #2
"Every year." Hades started speaking as I slowly lifted my hand, letting him sniff me, before dragging my fingers between his ears.
"On October 31st, the veil around this island starts thinning," he added.
"And every year, the creatures that are not bound to this land by the blood of the Ancients are allowed to step out and visit the mainland.
" I could see Hades moving closer from the periphery of my eyes, yet I didn't want to look away from the dog lying in my lap.
"To visit the descendants of those they used to be close to.
To visit the children carrying Ancient blood without really knowing about it.
They are the protectors, the guardians, sticking to the shadows.
" The dog in my lap got even closer, setting his entire head on my thigh and closing his eyes.
"His name is Grimm," Hades said, making me look at him.
The other two dogs were looking at us, whining as they stared at my hand on top of Grimm's head.
They looked almost identical, with only one difference—the one on Hades's left had a scar right above his right eye, but other than that, I could've sworn they were twins.
"You may know all three of them by a different name.
" Hades chuckled, standing up. "A slightly more sinister name. "
"Cerberus," I whispered. Grimm suddenly stood up and sat right in front of me just as the other two ran toward me. "They are Cerberus."
"They are," Hades confirmed. "The three-headed monster guarding the gates of the Underworld."
"But…" I frowned, looking at the three dogs. "How? How are they—"
"Separate?" He walked toward us, standing just behind the dogs.
I remembered it then, all the stories I had heard over the course of the years. My mother seldom spoke of Hades, unlike the other Gods, and I now wondered why. Why did she avoid the stories about him?
But the stories I heard and the drawings I saw could never capture the true essence of this man, this God, or the dogs that guarded his dominion.
"This is Nox." He placed his hand on top of the head of the one with the scar. "And this," he looked at the other one, "is Vesper."
"But only Grimm was there the night of the accident."
"Correct."
"How…" I started as I stood up. Grimm followed, standing with me. "How did he save me? I was…" I was half dead by the time he pulled me out. I was one hundred percent sure my body was shutting down. "I was dying."
A tic in Hades's cheek appeared this time, those dark green eyes dropping to the dogs. "I know, but he found you. He sensed you even before the accident." Grimm looked up at him and I could swear he was communicating with him.
"He fed me something, didn't he?"
"Yes," Hades confirmed. "He fed you the pomegranate from my garden." Those emerald green orbs connected with mine, freezing me to the spot. "He was the one that had awakened your immortality, Kaira."
I wanted to deny the truth of those words, but I could no longer lie to myself. I could no longer ignore the humming power coursing through my veins.
"You're not human anymore," Hades continued. "You're not a full God either. Not like me, not like Zeus or Poseidon, but you are immortal now. And because of your father, because of the power he wielded, you're almost as strong as all of us. But you're also more dangerous."
"Because I don't know my power," I stated.
"Yes and no," he said, making me frown. "It's because you don't know who you truly are."
Footsteps sounded somewhere behind us, and as if on cue, Grimm, Nox, and Vesper circled around us, baring their teeth at the newcomer. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as Hades pushed me behind him, widening his legs much like how Lysander and I did during our fight.
Grimm walked farther to the front, the fur at his back rising up as his head lowered.
Just stay back with him. We got this, suddenly echoed in my head, making me stumble backwards.
"H-he—"
"He does that sometimes," came from the direction of the trees in front of us, and as the footsteps came closer, so did the hissing of snakes.
Elandra appeared in front of us, smiling widely as if this entire day wasn't a complete shit show and as if I didn't almost kill poor Lysander.
Or at least I assume I had almost killed him.
"Hey, Grimm," she greeted him, passing by him as if he wasn't growling at her.
"Always the friendliest of the bunch, I see. "
"Medusa," Hades gritted out, pushing me farther behind him. "Nice of you to come back."
"What?" She laughed. "As if you didn't enjoy staying here with her, all alone, exploring the—"
"Shut up, Medusa," he thundered, his entire body stiffening. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" she mocked as I stepped aside, facing her. "Well, I'm glad you didn't try to kill anyone else, Kaira."
I almost wished I could at least knock her out.
Feeling is entirely mutual, came again, and as I looked down at Grimm I saw those eyes burning into mine.
So I wasn't imagining it.
"Right." Elandra looked down at Grimm and then at me. "As much as I would love for us to stay here and chat, we actually have bigger fish to fry and shit to get on with. So, get your asses moving."
"No." I stepped forward toward her. "I am not moving my ass anywhere until you actually tell me the full truth. The real fucking truth, Elandra. And what in the actual fuck were you thinking by letting me attack someone like that? What the fuck were you thinking?"
She swiveled around, those snakes hissing at me just as all three dogs stepped right in front of me, baring their teeth at her.
"What was I thinking?" she exclaimed, completely ignoring my three guardians in front of me.
"I was thinking I needed to see what you were made of.
" She took a step closer. "I was thinking I had to see if the stories were true or if this was just a wild dream we all had.
I had to fucking see if you'd be able to handle yourself against a God, considering there's almost an army of Gods and monsters gathering on the other side of this island, getting ready to march over here to take you, to kill you, or to use you for their own agenda.
" Her eyes blazed with fury, clashing with my own.
"I was fucking thinking that you maybe weren't ready for the full truth, so I had to see with my own eyes what capabilities you had and what we were working with!
" Her voice boomed across the meadow, shaking everything around us as those snakes narrowed their eyes at me, hissing uncontrollably.
"I was thinking that the niece of the woman I love is either a lost cause or the savior we were all waiting for. That's what I was thinking."
"You could have said something!" I bellowed. "You could've fucking talked to me, instead of letting me attack Lysander."
"He'll survive."
"That's not the fucking point and you know it."
She quieted down suddenly, placing her hands on her hips. "I know," she murmured. "And I am sorry, but I'm not going to apologize for actually forcing you to see what you're capable of."
"I still have no idea what I'm capable of," I exclaimed.
"And you'll find out," she bit back. "Come with me now, and you'll get answers. Stay here, and you'll just get angrier. The choice is entirely yours."
She didn't wait for my answer. She turned and marched back toward the forest, leaving the rest of us behind.