The Trouble with Hades

Chapter 36

What felt like an entire day in the portal was only an hour in the real world. That in itself was a problem because the time differences meant that Galeth would want an answer soon. I knew that there wasn't much of a choice, and if I wanted control over the appointment, I had to be a little more compliant. That meant that mischievous Evie was about to be locked in a cupboard, and replaced with business Evie. She was a good girl.

For now, though, it was meeting time. We started with the photos of the babies. The good before the bad.

Everyone was shocked to learn that I was carrying twins. With the joyous news revealed, it was time for the dark side of our update. It came with a slice of happiness at the end, so it wasn't so bad. Or it was considering that I'd been abducted and almost drained of my power. What made it worse was that Anzide's mother was in on it. I wasn't going to sugarcoat it or pretend that she was a captive. Sharma was playing a part and she completely fooled me.

I think that it angered Anzide more than what he was letting on. Not only had she done the dirty on him when it came to his punishment, but she aided Belial's attempt to drain my power. She risked the lives of the babies and her grandchildren. I think that if Sharma came near us, Anzide would destroy her.

"So, what are the chances that this guy escapes, makes his way here, and does it all over again?" Brad asked.

"He has been found guilty of the crime and fitted with a device that cannot be removed. Cases like this are rare, so there will be a lot of eyes upon him and his associates. It will be more like a case study, but the bonus of it is that, more often than not, there will be many eyes upon them. There will be restrictions placed upon them, one being that they are bound to the land of the outcasts. I don't know if there will be a time to serve but for a certain time, they will be completely bound, unable to leave. Anzide's possessions have already been collected and placed in storage for the future. One would assume that it is because of Belial and Sharma being bound to the land of the outcasts or Evelyn's position as a spell creator but it is actually because of his teaching role. It would seem that you've advanced in the world."

"Who would have thought, eh? An outcast nephilim that is actually considered to be worth something."

"The past has been wrong, Anzide. No one wants to discount your thoughts and feelings, but the past is always behind you, never in front. Look forward to your future because it is filled with so many wonderful things and if you're looking in the wrong direction, you might never see them."

Anzide looked at me, his eyes passing the photos on the table. The future that was now and coming for us at a ridiculously fast rate. I wasn't told when the babies would be born. The nurse and doctor neglected that piece of information. But it wasn't that far away.

"Hey, do I have to give birth in the portal?"

Carsten paused. A slight frown filled his face.

"I would assume yes. Of course, that takes away from your moment with your family and leaves you with a bunch of strangers. Does this town have a hospital?"

"A small one," Niko offered. "Victoria was born in it. I don't know what it is like now, though."

My father nodded as he returned to me.

"In that list that you're about to form, perhaps you can state that for the health and well-being of yourself and your children, you would like to give birth in the portal but would also like family and friends to visit. It is not standard for immortals to enter the portal but in this instance, they might make an exception."

"We have company," Anzide said as he stood.

He was through the door before anyone could say a thing.

"Not taking it well?" Brad asked.