Hades

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Worry courses through me at the panic in his tone. "What do you mean? I'm sitting right here!"

Instead of reassuring me, Hades pauses, realisation dawning on his face. "So that is your third gift. How interesting."

"Third gift? What do you mean, 'third gift'?" I frown. When Hades continues to stare blankly at me, I make a small noise of frustration and smack his shoulder. "Stop looking at me like that! I'm sitting right here!"

It takes a couple more smacks on the shoulder before Hades finally stops staring into the distance and meets my gaze. Recognition dawns in his midnight-blue eyes, and he sighs in relief.

"There you are."

"What do you mean, 'there you are'? I was sitting right in front of you the whole time, Hades." I shift in my position so I'm facing him head-on, my frown still etched on my face. "What's going on? Why are you acting so weird?"

"You disappeared, Evie. You were invisible for several moments."

I burst out laughing. "Okay, now you're really acting weird. I did not go invisible."

"I am being completely serious, Evie. You were invisible for a significant period of time." Hades watches me curiously. "What happened? Did something frighten you?"

"No."

"You hesitated."

"I didn't hesitate."

"Evie, please. I know when you are lying to me." He gives me a deadpan look. "What happened?"

"Well... that." I swallow, pointing at a large, furry shape barreling towards us. Hades turns to follow my gaze and chuckles when he realises what I'm pointing at.

"You were frightened by Cerberus?"

I warily watch the big dog bound towards us, flinching when he flops down next to Hades. "You do realise that there are two of him, right? And that there have never been two of him, right? Why are there two of him, Hades? Why can I see a big Cerberus as well as a small Cerberus? Why is the big Cerberus the size of a house and the small Cerberus the size of a normal Cerberus? What do I call more than one—"

"Evie. You're rambling again." Hades stops me with a bemused smile, seeming to find my alarm amusing. He reaches over and scratches Cerberus' head, somehow managing to scratch both the big and smaller dog's head at the same time. "This is his true form. He only cloaks himself in his smaller form when he is around those he feels will not be able to cope with his true self. However, now that you are a goddess, and a staple presence around here, he must feel that you deserve to finally see his true form. That is why you can now see both of his forms."

"Well, I appreciate the gesture, but a bit of warning would have been nice." I reply begrudgingly, still keeping a vigilant eye on the massive three-headed dog. Cerberus readily meets my gaze, a slobbery tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth as he watches me just as cautiously. After a moment, I shudder and shift my gaze. "Hades, why did I go invisible?"

"Do you remember when I said that you would discover a third gift? One that was tied to who you are as a person?" He asks. I nod. "Well, it appears that invisibility is your third gift."

"Invisibility?" I laugh incredulously. "No way. That's impossible. You're the one who can go invisible, not me."

Hades smiles and nods.

"I will admit, I am a little surprised it is not dissimilar to my abilities, but the Fates have always been paradoxical in the way they weave our threads."I throw him a dry look, and he chuckles. "I am sure that, with time, you will learn why invisibility is your final gift, but right now your guess is as good as mine."