Chapter 49 The real heritage

Chapter 49 The real heritage
Daphne
My breath stalls somewhere between my chest making it impossible to breathe.
I turn to Hades, my eyes asking the question that my mouth couldn’t produce. Daughter? What in the world is she talking about? As far as I know, my parents died in a car crash. What in the world is going on?
Hades shoves me behind his back protectively.
“Dalia, you shouldn’t be here.”
Dalia cackles. Her voice reminds me of the one I hear a lot in my dreams. Right from when I was a baby, I keep seeing visions and hearing that same voice but I never made sense of it until now. Still, all of this seems impossible. How could I be in hell? How could my mother be a divine creature that descends literally from heaven into Hell?
The only logical conclusion is that I am, somehow, stuck in a coma and my brain is conjuring these silly scenes to keep me alive. That’s it.
Dalia struts toward me. She looks just like me and yet nothing like me at the same time. She is a lot more beautiful, ethereal, compelling. Her long hair flows down her back. Her eyes are fixed on me, ignoring Hades.
“Daphne, it’s been a long time,” she says.
Her voice is so soothing, it beckons to me. I can see the truth in her eyes. She is my mother. But it can’t be. What about my real mother? The accident?
“Daphne, you can’t leave with her,” he says.
“I can’t? why not? Are you keeping me prisoner here?” I erupt. I am utterly confused, not knowing who to trust. I can sense that there’s so much I still don’t know and the only person who can tell me the truth is…well, Dalia.
“I am not keeping you prisoner but I am telling you…she doesn’t care about you. She abandoned you. For years. She is a ruthless witch; she doesn’t care about anyone but herself. If you go with her, I can’t guarantee your safety,” Hades says.
“And if I stay with you, in Hell, I can’t guarantee my safety either. Fuck you, Hades. I can’t believe you wanted to keep me stuck here. In Hell. Forever? It’s never gonna happen. I’m getting the fuck out of here,” I say. I don’t know where I found the courage. Hade’s expression softens. I can tell that my words hurt him; they cut him somewhere deep inside.
Dalia looks proud of me, happy. She extends a hand and takes mine. Together, we walk back into the portal.
I glance back at Hades one last time. “Daphne…” he calls softly. A plea. His voice is laced with heartbreak.
I close my eyes, afraid that if I look at him one more time, I might change my mind. The memories of our times together, his hands on my skin, his breath on my ear, his lips on my nipples come flooding back.
I will miss him. I will miss everything we’ve had together but I can’t stay here in Hell with him. It’s a horrifying existence and if I can make a choice for myself, I definitely don’t want to be stuck in Hell forever.
When I open my eyes again, I am standing in the middle of a beautiful, bright-colored garden. Different flowers bloom at once. Flowers from different continents that didn’t even seem possible to be grown in the same soil.
Dalia picks one of the roses, sniffs it a little before she hands it to me. I accept it tentatively.
“I know you. I see you in my dreams,” I repeat.
“I had to keep an eye on you somehow.”
“I don’t understand.”
Dalia stops walking. In the distance, I can see a white temple. A giant sculpture of Dalia stands in front of the temple.
“I know it is all a little confusing. Come, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
Hands held together, we head toward the temple. As we approach, I notice a smaller sculpture next to Dalia’s. The sculpture looks familiar. Once we get closer, I realize it is a beautiful sculpture of me. In the picture, I am a little baby, holding onto Dalia’s hand.
We enter the temple. I feel a sense of déjà vu, like I’m finally home. Everything feels familiar. A surge of power erupts inside me, almost impossible to control. I nearly collapse on my knees.
“I’ve been here before,” I say.
Dalia smiles. “Well, of course, you’ve been here. You grew up here. This is your home,” she says.
I look around, confused. “This can’t be. I have parents. Human parents. What are you? What am I?”
Dalia takes my hand. “You are a goddess, Daphne. My daughter. My precious, sweet daughter.”
This new information washes over me slowly. It takes forever for me to really assimilate the information. I’ve read all about gods, goddesses, demi-gods and Olympus, but I never thought any of those stories were real or that I could be a goddess.
“You are lying to me, aren’t you? I’m human. I have human parents.”
“No, those were your appointed human beings sent to guide you.”
Dalia pauses and pulls me to a stone bench near the temple’s altar. Sunlight streams in from the roof. The temple has lots of beautiful flowers blooming around it.
“You see, I had to send you away, Daphne. To protect you.”
“From who?”
Dali’s jaws clenches. “From him. Hades. He has coveted you ever since he laid eyes on you millions of years ago. I cannot, in good conscience, allow my only daughter to be subjected to a hideous fate like Hades and Hell. So, I sent you away.”
The more she talked, the easier it is to sense the contempt she has for Hades and feel her strong maternal instincts. All my life, I’ve believed my parents were dead. I’ve been alone all this time and now, everything I believe about myself has turned out to be a lie.
“I thought I was an orphan. I’ve been alone,” I mutter. I am stuck between understanding why she made her decision and feeling hurt that I had spent so many years away from my real mother.
“You were never alone, Daph. I was always there with you. Protecting you, guiding you. The voices in your head, the dreams, the visions, it was all me. I was always there.”
Dalia throws her arms around me. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you! Welcome home, Daphne!”