Summoning Bones

42. Lies in the Eldridge Mansion

Zagreus stumbled back as his astral form lurched back into his body. He quickly turned and ran from the room, running into Cadmus.  

"Zagreus? Your glamour, what happened?"

"This is a trap," he growled. Zagreus watched his sister's love as he heard Melinoe was set up to be caught. Cadmus' face flashed with recognition than fell.

"I know," he whispered.

"And you were going to trade my freedom for hers?"

"What else was I supposed to do? Let her be enslaved by Lord Eldridge?"

"Warn her, run away. Never bring her this close to him," Zagreus growled, pushing past Cadmus and down the stairs. Lord Eldridge held up his hands, stopping Zagreus.

"Where are you going? Where is the Summoner?"

"She is away, you were going to enslave her!" He yelled. Lord Eldridge blinked, then grinned.

"Of course, with such a valuable asset as her gift, I wouldn't let it go to waste, being used with no price. There is no benefit in that?"

"That doesn't matter! You tried to make my sister a slave!" Zagreus pushed past Lord Eldridge.

"Wait, Zagreus, let me tell Melinoe! Please, I want to be the one to explain," Cadmus yelled down the stairs, rushing to follow Zagreus. At the door leading out of the house, Zagreus paused.

"You lost that chance when you lied to her," he snapped. Zagreus then turned and ran from the house at a superhuman speed. Cadmus leaped down the last five steps and went to follow him, but Lord Eldridge caught his upper arm and pulled him back.

"If you follow him, you're fired and I will tell everyone your filthy secret, beast," he spat.

"So be it," Cadmus replied, pulling his arm away and ran out the door. He heard Lord Eldridge roar as he left and curse.

Zagreus sprinted past the mansions and up the streets to his shop. He didn't waste time unlocking the door, hearing the growls of a wolf right behind him. He burst through the glass and ran through the store. He burst through the back door and through the front door to his house.

At the sound of the door smashing to pieces, Melinoe sat up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and blearily looked at Zagreus.

"What happened?"

"Cadmus, he was going to trade you in as a slave to Lord Eldridge," Zagreus panted. Melinoe leaped to her feet backing away from him, her back pressed against the wall.

"What? No! That's not, it can't be true," she yelled. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"Melinoe clam down, your power," Zagreus said holding up his hands. Melinoe's hand flickered and the ground under her feet began to glow. The screams of the damned echoed in the room.

"Melinoe, wait don't-" Cadmus yelled, bursting through the door, knocking the final boards to the floor. He saw his love's eyes blood red with glowing hands and sparks flying from her fingertips. Silver poured from her nose like blood, dripping to the floor. It pooled on the glowing floors, as the screams grew louder. "What's happening?" He asked, turning to Zagreus.

He growled low in his throat.

"You did this."

"I didn't mean, I never," Cadmus stammered, looking between Zagreus and Melinoe.

"That doesn't matter," he spat. Cadmus growled and threw himself to Melinoe, knocking her to the floor. The silver stopped pouring from her nose as the floor stopped to glow. The screams started to silence.

Melinoe's eyes snapped to Cadmus.

"I trusted you," she whispered, pulling herself from his grasp. Her eyes faded to pure white with no iris or pupil. She stood and looked down at him. "I trusted you!" The words were ripped from her throat in a scream. "You made me feel like I have a home, a future!"

"You still do. We can leave Lord Eldridge behind, and move forward to the future," he begged. Melinoe roared and pushed her hand toward, sending a stream of white light to Cadmus' chest. He screamed and fell back. His body convulsed with the feeling of fire in his veins, then he stilled.

"You stole that from me! I have no future! I gave up my immortality for you! I was willing to die to be with you!" Her heart hammered as she screamed. She blinked and when her eyes opened again, they were blood red again. The screams began to grow louder once more, the ground glowing under her feet.

"Melinoe," Zagreus said. Her gaze snapped to meet his.

"What?" She growled.

"What are you doing?" Zagreus gestured to the floor.

Melinoe glanced down, only then seemingly noticing her glowing hands and silver-stained floor. She shook her hands trying to get rid of the glowing, but they only flashed brighter. Her panicked gaze flickered to Zagreus.

"What's happening? Make it stop!"

Zagreus smirked.

"Is this the first time you've lost control?" He laughed.

"Stop your teasing!"

"Breathe Melinoe, I'm sure Father can sense you with the power surge you're giving off."

Fear struck her and she drew in a shaky breath. Then another. She inhaled through her nose and let the deep breath out. Finally, the glowing stopped. She looked down and collapsed to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Zagreus whispered.

"I loved him," Melinoe said softly, tears falling from her eyes and running down her face. "I trusted him."

"He was part human, greed overruns them all."

"He was different," she cried. Zagreus bent to her side, holding her close.

"How? We was going to sell you out as a slave," he sneered with disgust.

"He loved me," she whispered, chocking on her tears.

"He wanted to use for his pleasure," he growled.

"No!" Melinoe yelled, making Zagreus flinch and run his ear.

"Not so loud, I have eardrums."

"He wasn't selfish. He was going to give up his job for me."

"So? You let death hold you, you left your immortality go for him," Zagreus said as. Melinoe wiped away the hot tears still streaming down her face.

"But-" she began, but Zagreus cut her off.

"Love doesn't stop you from being a slave."

"He stopped me from going, he went with you instead," she said, grasping at any sign he was still good.

"Because he's selfish. He wanted to keep you, so instead he was going to let Lord Eldridge enslave a different god instead. He didn't let you know his plan because he knew it was wrong. Why did you even come back?"

"Lidia," she whispered, letting Zagreus' words wash over her. "I couldn't let her innocent soul stay with Hades."

"Cadmus still chose himself over you."

They fell into silence as Zagreus rubbed her back soothingly. Her thoughts raced faster than she could keep up. The silence was only broken with the sound of Cadmus' labored breathing.