Page 57 of Raising Hell
Hades leaned back and considered me.
“You miss the sun?” he asked.
“So much. It’s kind of weird how much, considering I only ever got to see sunlight through a window. I think I miss being able to tell if it’s day or night the most.”
“Would you like to free the sun from the lake?”
I stared at him as I tried to process what he’d just said.
“The sun is in the lake?” I echoed.
He nodded once as script on his neck began to glow. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that Persephone had been the one to cast Hell into darkness, but I was.
“If Persephone was the one who put it there, then we should take it out,” I said.
He stood, setting me on my feet, and held my hand.
“Come. It has been longer than I can remember since I looked upon my domain.”
That just made me so sad for him and all the people who lived here.
We walked through the halls, hand-in-hand, until we came to a balcony opening. A vast night stretched before us while a cool breeze toyed with an escaped piece of my hair. In the distance, I could see the faint blue glow from the lake.
I reached up and traced my fingers over the still-glowing golden words and watched them start to unravel.
“I’m collecting a lot of jewelry doing this,” I said. “Maybe some earrings this time? Mine are pierced.” I tipped my head so he could see. “But can you make them small? I don’t like heavy earrings.”
As the last of the gold separated from his skin, I watched it form a delicate chandelier weave. He caught the two pieces in his hand as they finished and carefully threaded the hooked end through my lobe.
“Beautiful,” he said before turning me so I stood in front of him, wrapped safely in his arms.
The glow from the lake increased, growing bright enough that I had to squint just before a brilliant ball of light emerged from the surface of the water.
I averted my gaze and viewed the land. What had looked like black jagged rocks truly were black jagged rocks. There was no vegetation between Hades’ expansive home and the water’s edge. But there were people. They paused in their trek to or from the lake and watched the sun rise from the water.
Its luminosity created a vibrant blue sky, purer than any cloudless day on Earth.
Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes and soaked up the light. I could feel the warmth on my face and inhaled deeply.
“This feels so good,” I said, holding his arms.
“It does.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips against the shell of my ear. “But I know it’s a poor substitute for the earth and sky you love.”
I opened my eyes and twisted in his arms to look back at him.
“No. This is perfect.”
As he brushed his lips over my cheek, I saw something move behind him. After my run-in with death, I was a little skittish and jumped slightly. Hades released me and whirled around, instantly transforming into the scarier version of himself.
“Father,” Zotera said.
I peeked under his shielding wings and saw her on her knees in front of him.
“Forgive me for interrupting,” she begged. “I was afraid for Mother.”
“It’s okay,” I said, stepping in front of him. His angry gaze slid from her to me as I set my hands on his chest. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”
His glowing red gaze swept over my face several times before the horns and redness started to fade from his skin. He set a hand over mine on his chest.
