Embers in the Dark

A Business Meeting

Lilly's dressing room door opened and Hades walked in with Lilly and Arthur, both of them in their human forms.  Arthur offered the god a drink and Hades took it gladly.  The three sat down around the sitting area, drinks in hand, and Arthur relaxed in his seat.

"How is Charon enjoyin' his ship?" Lilly asked.

"Oh, he loves it," Hades chuckled.  "Thank you for building it for him.  So, what is this proposition you have, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan?" Hades asked.

Arthur took a drink of his bourbon then set the glass down on the table.  "We would like to form an alliance with you."

Hades chuckled as he drank his alcohol.  "With me and not Zeus?"

"Fuck Zeus," Lilly growled.  "I don't trust him."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but O'Callaghan feels rather strongly about it and I trust her."  Lilly drank a sip of her whiskey and sighed.  "See, we're dealing with a very powerful enemy right now and Zeus would muck things up."

"What enemy?"

"Apate.  I'm sure you are familiar with her."

Hades blinked profusely.  "Yes.  What has she been up to?"

Lilly eyed Arthur for approval of an explanation and he merely nodded at her.  She went back to looking at Hades.  "She has a sorceress named Carman, and Carman was my half sister Adair's lover.  When Olena was killed, they had a falling out.  Carman prayed for help, Apate answered and gave Carman three werewolf sins.  Dian, Dothur and Dubh.  Apate, at some point, acquired a man named Corvin to help out with their cause.  There was a sorceress named Willow who was helping them, but I killed her."

"And why was Corvin recruited?"

"He's the last Atlantean."

Hades' eyes went wide.  "I'm sorry, what?"

"He isn't a full blooded Atlantean, obviously, but he is a descendant."

"And where is he now?"

"At our home in Ireland."

Hades nodded and took a drink.  "Okay, and how did you get him to switch sides?"

"He was cleansed."

Hades tilted his head to one side.  "Cleansed?"

"He was infected with Apate's dark magic."

Hades stood up suddenly with a horrified look on his face.  "Apate has been using her magic to infect people?!"

"Yes.  And Carman's sons are equipped with it.  Well, were.  We killed Dian and Dothur.  Dubh is the last son and he..." Lilly sighed, taking a long drink.  "He performed a ritual on me when I was a child.  He bound my magic and cursed me."

"Why?"

"My mother put Adair's soul inside me so she could be reincarnated.  They were trying to prevent Adair from ascendin' by takin' her out, but...somethin' didn't go right, apparently.  I...I don't really remember."

With a confused look, Hades sat back down.  "And where is The Morrigan?"

"She is a captive on the Island of Exi, along with our youngest child."

"And that's why Apate needed Corvin.  To summon up one of the islands."

"Yep.  We've been tryin' to narrow down their location but we haven't had much luck."

Arthur took a swig of his bourbon.  "All we know is that Corvin converted the island's travel systems to take energy from the Earth's energy lines to move around.  Accordin' to him, the machines on Exi don't really cooperate with him," Arthur explained.