Furious

Chapter Forty-Two

Feeling seeped back into my body slowly. I regained consciousness to the aches and pains of bruises and cuts but those weren't anything I couldn't handle. The agony in my leg was what finally woke me. It was undeniable torture, and the wound itched.

I wiggled my toes, rolled my ankle, and told myself that I wasn't going to lose my leg. It took all of the conviction I possessed but eventually I was able to drop my feet to the floor, to stand, to hobble to the door. I recognized the bedroom around me, a comforting feeling which mingled in the pain.

Outside of the still-broken door Lindsay lounged asleep on my couch. Hades was talking to himself in the kitchen, undertones of music accompanying his mumbles. He was so animated—what a change from the last time he'd been in that kitchen, sickly and weak. Inching slowly passed Lindsay with careful footsteps I headed for the welcome warmth that the kitchen promised.

"You're finally moving." Lindsay hadn't moved from her position but her eyes had opened. "I bet Gregory you wouldn't make it; he has always had much more faith in you than I had. You've just cost me my favorite dagger."

"Where is he? I don't remember much after he handed me his sword." Hades was well occupied; I could take a moment to catch up with Lindsay. I hobbled in her direction.

She sat up slowly, as if it hurt her to do so. "You mean the sword that you used to kill Zeus and unintentionally grant Gregory his mantle? That about sums it up."

I wanted to laugh at her. Gregory wanted nothing to do with godhood. I had suspected he'd wanted to perish in this war. And now he had assumed the mantle of Zeus just like Hector had with the helm of Hades. My fault.

Autumn: 2; gods: 0.

"We sent Alex into the River with the rest of the dead after the battle."

I didn't respond to her. She didn't deserve my pain; she might have laughed in the face of my sorrow and I wasn't healed enough to shut her up.

Alex, who I thought betrayed me but hadn't; Alex, who saved me in the dungeon; Alex, who had a soft spot for dragons and fancy clothes. I blinked several times, staving off tears I knew would embarrass her could she see them.

Alex had died to protect me. To protect all of us from the Fates' plans. She was my hero. I wished I could tell her that, to make her laugh one more time.

Lindsay was uncharacteristically chatty. She continued to tell me how Tantalus died and that Hades banned the Fates and that Lindsay was a free Fury now. There were still pieces missing to the story but I got the gist: the Fates plotted to bring the myths out into the world of man once more. There is power in belief and the advent of Christianity had belittled the existence of the once-awe-encompassing Greek myths.

But, I thought as Lindsay recapped for me, what was to stop all myths from emerging, from taking over? Native American, Norse, Chinese? It would snowball until all of humanity was wiped out by the things that go bump in the night.

I sincerely hoped I wasn't the only one who saw that future had the Fates achieved their plans. Lindsay, as if reading my mind, assured me that Gregory—Zeus—and Hades were in cahoots to quell the ambitious new gods who felt that the Fates had a point.

Interrupting Lindsay's explanations, I said, "Gregory should be here, god or no god." My stomach rumbled. For the first time a smell from the kitchen was appetizing. No more Fury food for me.

Lindsay followed me towards the aroma. Hades, Lord of the Underworld, grinned and pointed us in the direction of food. My heart danced in my chest at the sight of him. It was funny, seeing him there: we had really come full circle. Ravenous, I shoveled bites of food into my mouth without words.