Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 26. Ian

“It ends today, Caelus. I will take you again. I will carry you back for judgment. With good behavior, your sentence may only be a few more thousand years.”

Caelus screamed, his voice echoing across the rocks. He charged towards Phoebe. A blade of dark energy formed in his hand. Phoebe threw up her own blade to stop him. The two blades flashed as they struck. Phoebe stumbled back from the blow.

Hidden from view by his own illusion, Ian looked down at his hands. Phoebe knew exactly what she needed of him. But he wasn’t sure he could do it again. He still remembered Doppelganger. He still remembered how good it felt as he sucked the kidnapper’s life away. He wasn’t sure he could contain himself, not against someone with Caelus’s levels of power.

I don’t have a choice, he told himself, but he knew it wasn’t true. Phoebe said they could not stand against Caelus any other way, but he knew he could do nothing. He could slip away, walk from the fight. He could leave Cyrus, Marilyn, Alli and the others to death at Caelus’s hands. He really didn’t know them that well. He could just find his way out, back to the world. Other men or women could stop Caelus.

I can’t leave them to die. The thought hit Ian like a brick. He felt like he should be able to go. He should be able to abandon anyone. That something inside him was used to doing just that. Maybe it was a memory of the past or just some kind of sense memory. He wasn’t sure, but he knew it was wrong.

I have to stay and fight. I have to help. Even if it costs me everything.

He took a deep breath and remembered Phoebe’s plan. He silently counted to three. Then he ran, but not away. He charged straight towards Caelus.

As he leapt into the air, Ian only had one thought.

I sure hope this works.

He landed against Caelus’s back. He threw his hands around the freak’s neck and head. He felt the energy below the Godkiller’s skin. He felt it surging through Caelus’s veins. Every ounce of his body craved it.

Ian closed his eyes and let it all flow into him. It screamed through his frame like lightning. Beautiful perfect lightning. It burned his veins, ignited every nerve ending. He loved it, never felt more alive. He couldn’t imagine a high ever as great as this one. No orgasm, no thrill and no drug could ever compare.

Ian let the illusion fade around him. The desert of Elsewhere faded into the ether Ian pulled it from. He didn’t need it anymore. He had everything he needed draining into his veins.

“Ian, get ahold of yourself and get away!”

Phoebe’s words broke him from his revelry. His eyes shot open. He could feel the halo of energy around his skin. It surged around him, strengthened him and intoxicated him. But he remembered the plan. He couldn’t take any more of Caelus’s power.

He released the Godkiller and dropped back to the ground.

“No!” Caelus screamed. “It will not end this way!”

He turned his attention to Ian. Ian met the Godkiller’s eyes. He could tell Caelus knew his energy levels waned. The Godkiller knew what Ian had done. But the sudden drain of his energy was purposeful.

Caelus raised his blade, ready to strike down Ian and regain his power.

He never even saw it coming. Ian watched the slice of blue energy rip out of Caelus’s heart. The Godkiller’s eyes widened. The blue faded.

Ian only had time to roll out of the way before the body dropped to the ground.

Ian pulled himself to his feet. His body still surged with power. But the power made him afraid. He backed away from the others as they closed around Caelus.

“Is he dead?” Marilyn’s words echoed across the emptiness of Hades. Ian still couldn’t quite believe they were in some mythical hell, but the army of the undead and the unconscious death god made it seem clear.

“He’s left this body,” Phoebe said. “But I wasn’t able to contain him. The spirit of Caelus cannot be killed, not by any means known to this galaxy. He’s out there somewhere and he will strike again.”

“If he’s not a fool, it won’t be here.” Cyrus’s words echoed across the field. He turned to the other woman there, the one Ian could only guess was Persephone. “Mother, will father be alright?”

The goddess bent down by the still body of her husband. She rested a hand on his shoulder. “He is greatly weakened, but he will live. But his control over this realm is already dangerously shattered.”

Phoebe looked at Ian. “His power is not lost, only moved. Caelus tried to leech it away, but we’ve taken back from him.”

Ian could see the grim expression on Marilyn’s face as she turned to him. He could feel her judgment. I killed again. For good or bad, they see me as just a murderer.

Phoebe walked to him and took Ian by the hand. He tried to pull away from her, but she held him fast.

“You won’t hurt me, Ian. But you can help me. You just need to trust me.”

She led him over to the prone body of Pluto and the goddess next to him. Phoebe bent down. Ian leaned over next to her. He watched her put her hand beneath Pluto’s dark cloak.

His body suddenly shook against his will. He could feel his muscles spasm as the power was pulled from them. He didn’t know how, but Phoebe was pulling the energy he took from Caelus back into the god.

In just a matter of seconds, it was over. Pluto’s glowing yellow eyes were open and Ian could barely keep his feet under him. Phoebe bent over to support him.

“Lord Hades,” she said. “It is good to see you well. Now can you free us from this death realm?”

He rose suddenly from his prone position. And with one swipe of his arm, the land of the dead faded around them.

Ian’s vision blurred at the sudden change of scenery. He was used to his own illusions, but this was entirely different. This was a shift from one realm to another. He began to think this was becoming far too common in his life. Teleporting, dimension hopping, escaping intergalactic prisons: it seemed a strange way to live life.

Pluto walked to his wife’s side as the manor lawn appeared all around him. Phoebe took a moment to make sure the world met her approval. Then she turned her attention to the prone Alli. She bent over her still body and placed a hand on her neck.

“Her breathing is steady. She’s went through trauma, but whatever hold her captor had over her is gone. With a little stimulation—” Her hand glowed blue for just a second. Alli slowly blinked her eyes open.

Alli stared up into Phoebe’s eyes. She seemed confused. Ian figured she remembered the attack on her, but Phoebe’s warm smile didn’t fit the monster that turned on them not that long ago.

Marilyn rushed to her fallen lover’s side. Alli’s eyes were drawn away from Phoebe as Marilyn reached her side. They quickly embraced. They mumbled thankful expressions to one another as they held each other tight.

The staff retinue rushed in on them, dozens of them. Several took Melinoe’s still prone form and rushed her away.

“Cyrus, come,” Persephone said. “Bring your human friends. We have much to talk about and I suspect the dining room will be far more accommodating.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 21. Cyrus

Pluto and Persephone stood over them at the height of the tower before them. Cyrus could not help but feel there was no need for this trial. The judgment was already passed in the gods’ eyes. He was already guilty.

And so is Marilyn, he thought. All because I was a fool.

“Cyrus, son of Pluto, you stand accused before your regal father, charged with the betrayal of the pantheon. You turned against your own family, worked against us, even struck your own blessed sister. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty,” Cyrus said.

“We will see, Cyrus. You make a poor choice by dragging out these proceedings Your father might have been lenient if you would have admitted your guilt.”

“I would have to be guilty of something for that, mother. Yet I feel no guilt here.” Cyrus stood tall in the face of his mother and looming father. Pluto merely stared down at his son. But Persephone looked annoyed at her son’s rejection of her words.

“You have chosen to continue this trial,” Persephone said. “Let the record reflect the arrogance you show in doing so.”

“Call it what you will, mother.”

Persephone turned to her daughter. “Melinoe, you stand as prosecutor to Cyrus. Tell us your experience with his crime.”

“Of course, my queen.” Melinoe turned and gave her brother a smirk as she spoke. “I remember the time well. You had left for your annual pilgrimage to stay with the honored Demeter. Cyrus and I both remained behind to serve watch over Hades House. Father showed little interest in the house’s day to day affairs as is often the case when you are away.”

This brought a smile to Persephone’s face. Mother always liked to hear stories about Pluto’s mad love for her.

“However, Cyrus proved to have no interest in his godly duty. As soon as he was free of his parents’ oversight, his attention turned to the human world.”

“I object. We live in the human world. Why are we even pretending otherwise?”

“You have no right to speak at this time,” Persephone said. “You will get your chance to defend your actions, Cyrus. Now is not that time.”

Cyrus crossed his arms as Melinoe continued. He would listen to his sister’s words, but he didn’t have to like it.

“Dear Cyrus immediately started packing. He wanted to leave and he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way. He would not be dissuaded, not even when one of his dearest friends tried to stop him.”

I don’t like where this is going, Cyrus thought. None of this makes sense. I just left. I didn’t talk to anyone. I don’t know what Melinoe is playing at.

Marilyn squeezed his hand. He gave her a nod as Melinoe continued.

“It was horrific. Patreus grew up alongside Cyrus. He was nothing but a human grandson of Zeus, yet another of a thousand bastard children. But Patreus came to us when he was young. He grew alongside Cyrus. And Cyrus killed him.”

Patreus is dead! No, it can’t be. That cannot be right. He—I should never have left here. Cyrus buried his head in his hand.

“I watched it all,” Melinoe said. “My brother did not think I was near, but I stumbled upon him when he tried to leave. He argued with Patraeus. I thought at first it was some kind of lover’s quarrel, but I never knew the two to be so intimate. Patraeus seemed distraught.”

None of this happened. I simply told Patraeus I couldn’t stay. He tried to convince me to stay, but we didn’t yell. We didn’t fight. She’s lying.

“Cyrus pushed Patraeus. Patraeus fought back, even though he knew he had no chance of victory against a true child of a god. With no reason or recourse, Cyrus decided to use his powers against the poor young man. It wasn’t loud, not like I expected. But it was a low steady hum. I could feel the force of the vibrations even from across the house. I watched as Cyrus’s powers flayed the skin from his dearest friend.”

“No!”

Marilyn’s words broke up the affair. She pulled away from Cyrus as she said it, but her words were directed towards Melinoe. “It isn’t true!”

“Silence, mortal!” Persephone’s words rang through the room. “Another outburst and I will pass judgment on you now. You are a fly before us. Do not forget that.”

Persephone turned to her daughter. “Finish your story, daughter.”

That’s all it is, Cyrus thought. A story, a piece of fiction. I thought I was to face a few decades of confinement. But this is a frame up, a con job. I didn’t think even Melinoe could want me dead.

“I have little use for mortals as you well know,” Melinoe said. “But I also know that demigods are protected under Olympian law. Cyrus didn’t care. He wanted his freedom and would not let anyone stand in his way. He didn’t even seem troubled by his crime. I watched him take his bag and walk over the blasted corpse of his friend. Little more than a skeleton was left of the boy.”

“Is this all of your testimony, Melinoe?”

“It is, mother.”

“What do you accuse your brother of?”

“I accuse him of the murder of a child of Zeus. He willfully killed a child of Olympus. And he did it to abandon his sacred duties.”

Persephone turned to Cyrus. She peered down at him as Pluto stood silently beside him.

“You have heard the charges against you, my son. These are dire charges. You know that they could lead to your death or your exile to the lower realms. These actions are indefensible, but you have time to speak, son. I suggest you make the best of your remaining few minutes. Let it not be said that your father does not know mercy.”

The room fell silent. Cyrus could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He knew his mother expected him to fall to his knees. He knew she wouldn’t really listen to any of his words. He could save himself by pleading and begging. But none of it mattered. It wouldn’t save Marilyn. She would be punished one way or another. A hundred years in confinement here would be a pain for him ,but it would mean her death. He couldn’t have that burden on his soul.

“Melinoe is lying. I didn’t even know that Petraeus was dead. I spoke to him before I left. He tried to convince me to listen to you and stay. But I didn’t do that. I left. I freely admit to that crime. I thought that was the crime I stood trial for today. But I have never taken another man’s life. I’m still trying to believe that my friend is dead.”

Melinoe shook her head. Persephone joined her. Cyrus could feel his chances sinking. He would fight if need be. He wouldn’t let them frame him for a crime he did not commit.

“Your words sadden me, son. I suspected truth from the son of death. Instead, you make excuses. You deny the sworn word of my blessed daughter. You turn against the gods words and then have the gall to deny your guilt.”

“I deny nothing!” Cyrus’s voice echoed off the walls as he raised it. “I admit I left Hades House. I admit that I hid to keep from returning. I admit that I grow tired of horrible standoffish behavior of this family. Our era is a thousand years past. Maybe it's because I never saw the heyday of our era, but I see that fact clearly. The age of the Olympians is dead. I wanted to see the world and understand humanity. Not hide from it.”

“We don’t hide from the world. The world belongs to us!”

Cyrus shook his head. “You are so deluded you cannot see what is before you. You think mortals so lowly that you could think I would kill a friend. I loved Petraeus. He meant more to me than anyone else in this room. But he was a lowly to you despite his grandfather. You are so lost in your world that you truly cannot believe that I looked at Petraeus as an equal. I could never kill him.”

“Enough! You will say no more!” His mother’s fury echoed through the room. Her eyes seemed to flare as she spoke.

Cyrus rose up to his full height. He breathed in deeply. “I will not be silent! Not anymore!”

“You will not speak!” Persephone’s rage shook the room. “This is my court, not yours!”

Pluto’s hand reached out and rested on his wife’s shoulder. His head moved slow as his wife and everyone in the room turned to look at him. But the nod was obvious.

“He—”

Pluto said nothing. He only looked at his wife.

She turned and threw a hand into the air. “Fine. Speak.”

Cyrus felt all eyes on him.

“I did not kill Petraeus. I didn’t even know he was dead. I—it’s still hard for me to think that my friend is dead. I do not know what motivates her, but Melinoe’s story is a fabrication. I left Hades House. Petraeus and I spoke before I left. He tried to persuade me to speak with you before I did. But I knew that conversation would be pointless. I knew you didn’t want the connection to humanity that I want. I’m tired of pretending we’re somehow better than them just because we live forever and have some power. Thousands of them can say the same thing.”

He shook his head. “I love you, but I cannot be like you. So I said goodbye to Petraeus and left.”

“How dare you!” Melinoe’s words echoed through the room. “I am not a liar. You are a murderer and a false witness!”

“I don’t know what happened to Petraeus,” Cyrus said. “But now that I do, I will bring his killer to justice. Find me guilty or innocent but his death will not go unavenged.”

He met Melinoe’s eyes as he finished his threat. Cyrus turned back to his mother and father.

“I left you under my own volition, mother and father. Punish me for that if you see fit. But I have not killed my friend.” He looked to Marilyn. “Mortals are far more important to me than you could ever imagine.”

No one said anything for a very long moment. They don’t trust me, Cyrus thought. But they don’t fully trust Melinoe either.

Persephone looked between her two children. “You challenge your sister’s word. But you also admit to your own wrongdoing. Her word does not give us reason for question. But yours do. You willingly stepped away from your duties as a god of Olympus. I do not—”

“I have no duties as a god of Olympus. Ancient Greece is three thousand years dead. The last of the Romans gave up on us more than a millenium go. We survive on the power provided by a few outlying worshipers. Beyond that Olympus is just a myth. The humans look on us as a story. They don’t even know I exist.”

“That would have changed, Cyrus. You would have rose to be a great force in Olympus. You could have—”

“I could have done nothing, mother. You hold on to a dream that no longer exists. You had your followers. Petraeus would have followed you both anywhere. But I am not the person for that. I no longer see myself as some god. I am a man, a gifted man, but just a man.”

Persephone’s eyes widened in shock. “Sacrilege!”

“No, mother. It is the truth. We can no longer live above them. We are already forced to live among them. Let’s not play games with what that means.”

“How dare you? This is your way of life! You cannot just say no and walk away. That is not the way of our people. You may not live in Olympus, but you are an Olympian. You are a god and you must learn to act like one.”

“I know very well how to act like one,” Cyrus said. “And I don’t want to do it anymore. I won’t do it anymore. So make your judgement, but do not pretend this is anything but a farce. My friend was murdered and I’m being aimed as the patsy.”

Cyrus turned to Marilyn. He spoke in hushed tones. “I’m sorry. I wish you never got involved in this. I was afraid you would just be forced to grow old next to me. But they want more than that.”

“How much more?”

“My sister wants me dead, Marilyn. I don’t know why, but she’s murdered my friend.”

“How can you be sure? How do you know this Petraeus is even dead?”

Cyrus stopped short. She was right. The gods were fickle if nothing else. It wouldn’t be unlike Melinoe to simply lie about Petraeus’s fate. A missing demigod could be as good as a murdered one if her story was right.

“I demand to see the evidence held against me.”

“What?”

“I want to see the body of my friend, mother. It is the least you could do if you accuse me of his murder. I only have the words of those around me that he is even dead. I will not be condemned for a crime that I didn’t even know happened. Not without seeing the proof.”

“No,” Melinoe said. “No, you cannot let him do that, mother. It is too terrible! He—”

“Enough, Melinoe. He speaks truth. He does have the right to see the body.” She turned to her husband. Pluto nodded. The courtroom began to shift again.

Beneath their feet, the floor shifted downward. Marilyn grabbed on to Cyrus. He wrapped a comforting arm around her. He knew she wasn’t used to the behaviors of Hades House. Trapped between two planes, the Estate was set at the whims of Pluto.

“It will be fine. Just watch and wait.”

“I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff in my life,” Marilyn said. “But this might be a new record.”

“I’m afraid we’re only just getting started. Brace yourself for some real oddities. This isn’t a normal world. There’s a reason why I left.”

The floor continued to drop directly beneath them, even as the rest of the courtroom opened. Persephone and Pluto lowered down next to Cyrus and Marilyn. His father was still passive. Persephone showed no emotion, but Cyrus couldn’t help but feel the doubt she felt.

Melinoe sat high above, still in her booth. The fact that Pluto didn’t bring her down also made Cyrus wonder if they didn’t trust her either.

Something was off about this whole affair. Petraeus’s death made no sense. Melinoe had no reason to kill him, not that he could grasp.

The floor came to a stop a full two stories beneath the surface. Cyrus knew his parents could take them down much farther, but the underworld had no real answers for them. Instead, they would just travel to the crypt, a simple stone crypt for the honored dead. Petraeus would rest there until his grandfather Zeus gave an answer to his final resting place. But that could not happen until the trial was complete.

The room shifted behind Persephone and Pluto. The moving walls opened to expose the crypt. Cyrus had only visited the tomb once before, when a demigod in the service of Apollo was killed by a messenger of Hermes. He didn’t remember it to be a pleasant experience.

Pluto turned and yanked on the large stone door. It opened with ease.

Marilyn squeezed in closer to him. She didn’t really seem afraid. But she did seem to need some kind of comfort. He was happy to provide it as they moved to follow his parents into the tomb.

It was black inside the crypt. Persephone brought the torches to life with a wave of her hand. “This way.”

They walked through another door inside the massive crypt, which Pluto opened as easily as the first. As soon as they entered, Cyrus saw him. He lay in perfect state atop a stone slab. Petraeus was still and white. His body had been cleaned up and cleansed. His corpse was perfect, clean and still.

Cyrus pulled away from Marilyn and stepped towards the body. “Oh, Petraeus. I’m so sorry, my friend.”

He stared down at his dead friend. For the first time the loss felt palpable. For the first time he truly regretted leaving his parent’s home. He couldn’t help but feel that his friend would still be alive had he remained.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you,” Cyrus said. “I’m so sorry.”

Petreaus’s bright blue eyes shot open. “Don’t be sad, godling. I’ve been waiting millennia to meet you all.”

A sly grin filled the face of Petraeus. But Cyrus knew this wasn’t his friend. It was something else. Something old. Something very, very evil.

“What are you?”

Petraeus sat up, still smiling. “Don’t you recognize your old friend, Cyrus? It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

“You’re not Petraeus.”

Pluto stepped forward. His hand came up. Energy crackled through the room. For the first time in forever, Cyrus saw an emotion on his father’s face. It was fear.

Petraeus—or whatever he was—raised a hand. A burst of power struck Pluto head on. Cyrus watched his father suddenly consumed by energy as dark as his own.

Pluto fell to his knees. Persephone moved to her husband’s side as crumpled face first to the floor. She bent over him, even as Pluto shook from whatever strange energy fell over him.

Cyrus stepped between his parents and the monster in his friend’s corpse. “Who are you? What are you?”

Petraeus’s body smiled. “You would never hope to recognize me, little human. I am greater than this tiny demigod body. I am greater than the gods that sit before you. I am the darkness, the universe from which this world was formed. I am Caelus and after a thousand, thousand years, I am free.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 17. Marilyn

They all sat in silence as the meal continued. Marilyn figured it was for the best. Melinoe seemed to just want to pick at her and her relationship with Cyrus. It seemed odd to her that gods seemed so concerned with relationships. From every story she remembered, they didn’t seem so involved in healthy relationships themselves. Even Melinoe was a bastard, born to Pluto’s brother.

She couldn’t quite understand why they thought Cyrus and her were anything serious. She certainly didn’t look at it that way. She doubted he did either.

Maybe it was their low opinion of her and all “humans”. She also found that amusing. She still wasn’t even sure if she was human. She could look like one, but she could just as easily be a monkey or a bear.

She took the last bite of her dessert, a simple chocolate mousse topped with freshly whipped cream. It was quite delicious and unlike anything she expected to eat in the house of Hades. Of course, up until a few hours ago she never even considered the house of Hades as anything that existed.

She looked to Cyrus. He stared at the dessert in front of him. She could see the gleam of sweat on his forehead. For the first time, she realized how terrified he was. She told him how the trial would go—how he hoped to talk his way free—but this was the first time she really could tell how worried he was that he would fail.

That terrified her in return.

“You should finish your mousse,” Persephone said to her son. “Your trial will start whether you eat it or not. Why not go to your fate with a full belly?”

Cyrus pushed it away. “I don’t think I’m hungry anymore, mother. I thank you for your hospitality but I would rather get on with it.”

“So be it. Let the trial begin.” Persephone’s words seemed to echo through the room. Marilyn could feel their weight. Melinoe simply smiled at them.

Cyrus reached out and took her hand under the table. She gave it a light squeeze, all the comfort she knowed how to bring him right now. She wasn’t the kind of person that formed deep emotional bonds. She didn’t know how to soothe his pain—not with her clothes on at least.

The room seemed to shift around her. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. But it didn’t change what she saw. The room truly was shifting and changing around them.

The table slowly split and receded towards the wall. The back of the room seemed to rise up as Persephone and Melinoe’s seats slowly shifted back and upwards.

Within a minute, the change was complete. Persephone sat high above the room. She loomed in a high bench, clearly one of the judges before them. Melinoe sat in another seat to her side. It was lower, something of a witness stand next to the judge.

They both sat yards away from her. Cyrus still gripped her hand, but they were now looked down upon by the gods that held them captive.

Marilyn could feel the tension in the air. She knew it was only beginning.

“Are you ready to stand your trial, Cyrus?”

“Ready as I will ever be,” Cyrus said to his mother.

“And does the human—does Marilyn understand what is at stake for her?”

Cyrus turned to her. She nodded. He turned back to his mother and said, “Yes, though I argue she is not involved in this.”

“She has no choice in the matter. We will determine where she stands and she will face judgment with you.”

Marilyn rested her hand on Cyrus’s arm. “It’s okay. I understand what this means.”

“You could die here.”

“I know you’ve done nothing wrong. I know you didn’t make this. And I know we don’t have a choice.”

Persephone leaned forward. “A wise woman, for a human.” She turned as her husband walked onto the raised platform.

“Your father is here. Let the trial begin.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 15. Cyrus

His mother sat at the head of the table. His father was not in sight. Cyrus couldn’t remember the last time he saw Pluto eat though, so the lack of him at the dinner table was little surprise.

Melinoe sat to his mother’s right. The anger was apparent in her eyes. The final two chairs sat at the far end of the sixteen foot table, one at the end and the other two its right. Cyrus walked to the chair to the side, pulled it out and offered it to Marilyn.

She gave him a look that seemed to say “Are you sure?” Cyrus nodded and she sat down in the chair with a weak smile.

Cyrus leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Just stay calm. Everything will work out one way or another. We will survive this.”

Persephone’s eyebrow raised as if she heard Cyrus’s words. Cyrus didn’t make any indication that he even noticed. He couldn’t give her anything, not even a clue.

Cyrus sat down in a seat and finally met his mother’s gaze.

“What will you have of me, mother?”

“Calm down, son. Calm down. This is dinner. We have plenty time for your trial when all this is over.”

Marilyn stared angrily at Persephone. Cyrus put his hand on hers, gave it a squeeze. Remember the plan, he thought. He just hoped she was thinking the same thing.

Stark entered the room. He stood with the same strict straight posture he always seemed to hold. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone, instead simply staring ahead. “Dinner is served,” he announced.

A dozen servants came out of the kitchen, platters in hand. They moved with a practiced grace as they brought the meal to the tables. None of it was a surprise to Cyrus. Most of the staff had been here for decades when he was born.

They placed a pair of platters in front of each person at the table. The servants opened the trays all at once, revealing perfectly sliced beef wellingtons with a simple salad on the side.

Marilyn looked to Cyrus, unsure of the food in front of her.

“It’s fine,” he told her. “It’s just normal food. This place exists between the two planes, but even my parents need to eat. Stark and the chef take great pride in dinner. Great food has never been a problem in this household.”

“Don’t be afraid, little human.” Melinoe’s words came out with a hiss. “The gods are civilized. We will not harm you until the appropriate time. Then I will enjoy your pain. I have exquisite tortures in mind for you.”

“Enough,” Persephone said. “We are not here for threats, Melinoe. The trial will determine Cyrus and his concubine’s fate. Now it is simply a time to enjoy each other’s company, perhaps for the last time.”

“I have a name!”

Persephone acted as though she hadn’t even heard Marilyn’s words. She simply started to eat her food as she looked at her son.

“Enough, mother. You’ve walked among humans for three hundred years. The least you could do is treat them with some level of dignity.”

“Dignity? They don’t even live long enough to make their names worth remembering. Cyrus, you are barely a babe. Someday you must learn to control yourself. Have your fun with the little people but don’t treat them like equals. They are playthings for us, nothing else.”

“I’m no one’s plaything!”

Cyrus put his hand on Marilyn’s hand. She sat back, breathed deeply. She clearly didn’t like having her sense of self challenged. He supposed it made sense based on her history.

Even so, he couldn’t have her overreact. His mother played at hospitality, but that didn’t mean she would hold herself to her own standards. When angered, Persephone’s fury was dangerous. She didn’t possess the control of her emotions that his father did.

“Her name is Marilyn, mother. You can judge me. You can ignore her. But I will not have you refer to her as anything but that. I agreed to come here without a fight, but that can change.”

Persephone smiled as she put down her fork. “You have grown quite a backbone, Cyrus. I have to admit I’m impressed. Fine you can have your way. I will call your human Marilyn if you insist.”

“It won’t do her any good,” Melinoe said. “Her fate will be worse than yours, brother.”

“We will make our own fate,” Cyrus said.

“You are a fool if you think you can make your own fate. You are a god. You are in service to the Fates themselves. You cannot escape them. You can only obey them.” Melinoe turned to Persephone. “Why do we continue this farce? Let’s just get on with this. I want to flay the human’s skin from her bones.”

“Enough,” Persephone said. “We are having dinner, Melinoe. You will show civility to your brother and his hu—Marilyn. Or you will answer to my wrath as well.”

Melinoe fell silent. But she didn’t take her eyes off Cyrus and Marilyn. Cyrus could feel her anger. He knew she would hold the slight against him, and more importantly, Marilyn. But her anger also confused him.

They never had the best relationship, but that didn’t ever come with the kind of vehement distaste she seemed to show now. The behavior was odd. She was always overly violent, but not like this. Something was wrong with Melinoe. Something else was going on with her.

Persephone looked around the table with a smile on her face. “Isn’t this wonderful? It’s nice to have dinner as a family again.”

Cyrus said nothing. He picked at the salad in front of him as he watched his mother across the table. Melinoe loudly chewed the wellington. She wanted to be annoying and would settle for the most childish tactics she could find.

“I know this is a bit stressful,” Persephone said. “I wished you would have returned of your own accord. But even so, it is good for the family to be together.”

“What about father?”

“Your father has his own needs. You know that, Cyrus. He will join us for the trial. Rest assured he loves you very much.”

Something didn’t sound right to Cyrus. His father had been weak for decades, but it wasn’t like him to not at least show himself at meal time. He may find sustenance in other places, but he was a man that enjoyed his wife’s company. Nor did he regular trust her on her own.

Pluto had something wrong with him. He knew his father was in worse shape than he realized before. The transfer back here must have taken more out of him than he thought.

Persephone dropped her silverware, folded her hand and looked across the table. “Now tell me, Cyrus, how did you meet this Marilyn?”

“Wait,” Marilyn said. “If you’re a god, how do you not know?”

Melinoe scoffed. “We are not omnipotent. Nor are we omniscient. We aren’t some kind of fantasy being like so many fools believe in. We are just higher beings than you lowly humans. We consume the power of your worship and use it to channel abilities greater than someone as low as you can ever imagine. We—”

“Hospitality,” Persephone said “Remember your hospitality. If we are a higher civilization, we must respect the agreements we have made. Isn’t that right, Cyrus?”

“Respect is something earned, mother. I never stopped respecting the agreements I made with anyone. I just decided it was time to choose my own path.”

“Your own path,” Melinoe said. “You ran away! You hid from your own duties.”

“I went to find my own life.”

“Enough!” Persephone rose, slamming a hand on the table. “I have heard enough bickering. This is supposed to be a loving relaxed meal, but none of you listen.”

“I am sorry,” Marilyn said. “But clearly the issues underlying the trial you have planned for Cyrus doesn’t sit well either with Cyrus or Melinoe. I would say your children were all too human, but of course for the fact that they’re not.”

Persephone laughed out loud.

Marilyn looked to Cyrus. “Did I say something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” he said.

“It seems it takes a mortal to understand the minds of gods,” Persephone said. “Your friend Marilyn is far wiser than any woman I have ever met. You will be wise to keep her, Cyrus, if you survive this day.”

“I suppose I should,” Cyrus said.