Hades

Epilogue

Epilogue

I'm not afraid of death.

Well, not anymore. I used to say that I wasn't afraid, that I could stare death in the face and refuse to blink. But that wasn't true. In reality, death terrified me. To just... stop breathing, stop living, stop existing, and not know what happened to you after you crossed into the great beyond, was terrifying. And for so long, that fear was all I knew. In less than ten years, I thought that I had lost my whole family, and on that fateful night, I thought I was going to lose my best friend as well. On that night, it felt like I had lost total control of my life; like my whole world had come crashing down around me, and I didn't think anything could resurrect that. So I panicked. I made a deal with the literal devil. Because I thought, how could things get any worse? At least if I made the deal, I would be able to take back some control over death, take back control over at least one outcome of my life before it bottomed out again.

Or at least, that's what I thought. But that's naivety for you. Little did I know that I was going to take back control of my life, but in a totally different way. When I made that deal, I looked past my fear. I pushed past it, stared death straight in the eye and said "I'll do it". I'm still not 100% sure whether that was blind stupidity or whether a part of my brain knew it was the best thing to do, but I did it.

And it was the best decision I could have ever made.

"Are you certain you want to do this?"

I startle, my attention swallowed up by the twinkling sunset dancing over the lake's surface. I turn to see Hades standing behind me, watching me with worry in his gaze. I smile at him and squeeze his hand reassuringly.

"I'll be fine. I've fought Titans, babe; I'm sure I can handle this."

"I would hardly argue that you fought a Titan, Evie. You had a strongly worded argument with one." Hades replies bemusedly, tucking a stray curl of hair behind my ear. "Besides which, this is a different kind of fight."

"You need to stop fretting, Hades. You make it sound like I'm going into battle, not having a conversation with someone." I tease. He doesn't say anything, his eyebrows knitting together as he looks down. I sigh, linking my hands around his neck and giving him a pointed look. "Stop worrying. I will be fine. It's just a conversation. And hey, if it all goes to hell, you can swoop in and be the big, heroic knight in the flowing black trench coat, okay?"

Hades lets out a long breath, hanging his head in defeat. "Very well. But we cannot be gone for long. We should not leave the Underworld without its rulers for a prolonged period of time."

"Yes Hades, I am highly aware of that." I smile, softly stroking his cheek with my thumb. "But he deserves my time; he hasn't had it in a long time. I'm sorry, but this has to take as long as it takes. Now, where is he?"

Stepping back, Hades folds his arms across his chest and leans back against a tree. He watches the hustle and bustle of the people in the park for a moment, before finally nodding to a spot right next to the lake. "He's over there."

I frown, following his gaze. "By the lake?"

"By the lake."

"Right." I shake my head slightly, biting back a smile. Of course he is. "Okay. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Alright. I will be here."

Leaning up on my toes, I kiss him and give him a pointed look. "Promise me you won't worry?"

"I will try." He replies begrudgingly. "But you tell me if anything goes awry."

I roll my eyes, shooting him a lopsided grin. "He's my best friend, Hades. If anything goes wrong, I'm going to kick his ass more than you ever will."