Chapter 58 The summons

Chapter 58 The summons
Hades

I pace around Alex’s palace while we wait for Dalia to arrive for her summons. The entire realm had felt the wrath of my powers earlier. The very foundation of Olympus had shaken, darkness had invaded, the portal to hell had opened for only a little while.

Now gods, goddesses and Demi-gods are lurking around Alex’s palace waiting helplessly. Some of the gods are preparing for an inevitable battle.

I head through the hallways where they are gathered. Paths are cleared for me. In my true form, I can see some gods trembling when I walk past them.

Dalia’s still not arrived so I head toward Alex’s inner chamber to light a fire under his ass. In the past, my brother had had several dalliances with Daphne’s mother. I know he still has a soft spot for her. That’s the only reason he listens to her every time she prays for favors; it’s the only reason she’s able to hide Daphne on earth with my brother’s help. Now, I’m worried Alex’s going to try to rule in her favor again.

Walking toward his inner chamber, I see Michael speaking in hushed tones with Theo in the halls. I had no idea Michael had been summoned, too. Of course, he was. He’s the only one who can control my temper. 

I slow my steps to hear them out.

“Hades is unpredictable, ruthless, dangerous. And when it comes to war, there’s very little he won’t do to win. Daphne is the only person keeping him sane. I fear what he’ll become without her,” Michael says.

“That’s exactly my concern, too. I am not in the mood to get in between two brothers’ battle right now. We need to find a way to deescalate the situation. We need to find Daphne fast.”

When they hear me approaching, they clear their throat awkwardly. “Hades.”

I stare at them angrily. “Where’s Alex?”

“Dalia’s on her way. I promise you…we will get to the bottom of this. I just need you to be calm and not antagonize…”

“Antagonize? Well, you better speak to Alex then cause I will not tolerate his blatant favoritism toward his ex-girlfriend.”

Michael and Theo cast a worried glance at each other. “There won’t be a miscarriage of justice. I can guarantee you that. If Dalia had something to do with her daughter’s capture, she will answer to the court,” Theo reassures me.

Just in time, one of the servants appears behind us to announce Dalia’s arrival. We all head back to the main court. The court is filled up. By the time we arrive, Alex has settled on his throne built intentionally to rise above all of us. Dalia is kneeling in the center of the court, her head bowed. She looks like she had been crying. Her cheeks are smudged with mascara running down her eyes.

“Dalia, you stand accused of kidnapping your own daughter…” Alex begins to say.

Dalia throws her head to the floor, didn’t even give Alex time to finish his pronouncement. “Forgive me. I beg the court for forgiveness. I merely wanted to teach my daughter a lesson, to show her that the world is not safe for her, that she’s better off with me. I did not mean to incur the wrath of the court,” she begs.

As she speaks, my anger grows. In the past, Dalia had gone to extreme lengths to keep Daphne away from me. But now, she has done the worst thing she could possibly do not just to me but to her own daughter.

I stand, marching toward her with unspeakable rage. “How could you? A mother? How could a mother do this to her own daughter? Where is she? What did you do to her?” I bellow. My deep voice reverberates around the room, the walls.

Dalia looks up slowly. Even through the tears, I can still see the anger and hatred in her eyes for me. “I gave her to death,” she says without any trace of remorse.

The court erupts with gasps of shock and disbelief.

“No, it can’t be.”

“Did she mean she traded her daughter’s life to death?”

“Why would she do that?”

Dalia, perhaps annoyed by the judgmental airs in the court, flares up. Her tears dry up immediately as her mask falls, revealing her true nature. She stands slowly, declaring to the court: “Yes, I traded her to death. What would any of you do to keep your daughter safe from that monster?” she yells, pointing at me.

“My only child. My only daughter condemned to Hell forever?”

“Spare us the sanctimonious tirade okay? You are no mother. You don’t care about her. This is just your narcissitic paranoia manifesting because you don’t wish to see her make her own choice. So yo would rather kill her than let her choose me. You know she would choose to be with me and that frightens you!”

Dalia spits toward me. “She would never! Not in a million lifetimes.”

I cock my head to the side, my lower lips arching into a smile. “Oh, I think I’m getting close. You would not be this agitated if you didn’t feel something changing.”

Dalia turns to Alex, falling on her knees again. “Please, Alex, you promised. You swore to me that you would keep my daughter safe.”

Alex leans forward on his throne. “No, I promised that I would give Daphne a chance to make her own decision. You are interfering in that decision. If she wants to be with Hades, who are you to stop her?”

Alex’s commanding tone silences Dalia for a second, then she continues. “I did what I thought was best for my child.”

“No, you are a controlling maniac who only does what’s good for you.”

The court bursts into a loud gabble. Everyone’s arguing about Dalia’s actions.

I get so frustrated with them. “I don’t have time for this. I’m going to find her myself!” I say before disappearing into my realm.

Even if I have to travel to the deepest parts of hell, I will rescue her by my damn self.