The God & The Shadow

Chapter 85

VERONICA

Alec sighed next to me and shoved his hands down into his pockets. In the last three years we hadn't seen each other, he looked good for a god too busy to dabble in affairs that didn't concern him.

"I know this is my fourth time asking you this, Veronica, but are you sure you want to see her? Genuinely?" I nodded, just like the three previous times he asked, but his hesitance held a tenacious grip on his conscience.

"I apologize. As your brother-in-law, I believe it is my duty to be concerned about your well-being. If there is something I know about family, it is the kind that sometimes makes you want to murder yourself."

I snickered and cocked my head to the side. I understood that too. "No, I get it. And I truly appreciate the concern, Alec, but I need to do this. Don't worry about it—I'll be fine."

"You better be, or else my brother will have my head and ass the second your mother attacks you, be it verbally or physically."

"Well, I suggest you hide somewhere far and wear a helmet... and some good trousers." Alec chuckled at the joke, but he looked downwards in consideration.

Lore knew about my visit to Olympus—in fact, he'd insisted on coming with me when I told him I was going to see my mother after meeting with Brie and Azura. The only reason why he wasn't with me, standing in front of the door that led to my mother's prison, was because I told him if I wanted to put an end to everything and start anew, I needed to do it alone.

Talking to my mother was the last page of the chapter. After this, I'm picking up a pen to start the next.

"The only way to leave the room is to go through the same way you enter. You can't teleport in or out, the door is your only means of leaving. I'll stay here to guard and wait for you once you've finished." He checked his watch and nodded once. "Would ten minutes suffice?"

I returned a nod and pressed my lips together. "You don't need to do this, by the way."

"Actually," he drawled, "I do. Remember? My head and ass are on the line, and believe me, Veronica, the gods do not bat an eye when we kill a sibling. It's like lightning during a storm—your body goes into shock when you hear it, but your mind expects the chances of it nonetheless."

"Right. Thanks for the quick lesson about the immorality of gods and similes. Can I go now?"

Alec took a moment to process my response, then nodded his head reluctantly. "Sure, go ahead. I'd almost forgotten how forthright you may be at times."

I smirked at him and pushed through the door to enter the room. The door shut behind me almost immediately, trapping me in a confined area barricaded by an invisible shield that overlooked a bedroom that didn't match the interior of the halls I'd been in just a few seconds ago.

No, it looked like a genuine prison. A mortal prison. Cemented walls, a single bed at the center, a sink and toilet chamber by the side, and a woman in robes staring back at me with darkness in her eyes.

Looked about just right.

"You're filthy." Demeter's voice echoed, hitting me like a tidal wave. I did my best not to waver and let it affect me. Despite the three years it took me to make my peace and finally talk to her, I still found myself terrified of facing her.