Hades Legacy (Hades Series #3)

Chapter Four

super early update to say thank you so much for 400 THOUSAND reads on Hades! you guys rock!

[sidenote: if you don't know who Jasmine and Kenzie are, they're two of the main characters from my spin-off book, Dionysus. For those of you who DO know who they are, let me know what you think of grown up Jasmine! ;D]

Chapter Four

I slowly shake his hand, a small grin creeping over my face. I can see exactly why he's my mother's best friend. "Hi."

"Ah. You're an avid talker too, I see." Spencer says, nodding mockingly. "Guess you inherited that from dear Satan over here too."

I glance over at my father as he narrows his eyes, trying to mask the disgruntlement in his expression with a smile. He doesn't succeed though, and his efforts result in more of a chagrined grimace. I bite my lip, stifling my laughter. "Spencer. I assume Evie called ahead?"

"That she did. Tell me, why didn't she come too? I would have much preferred to see her pretty face over yours." Spencer replies, smirking impishly.

Someone yells from inside the house. "Spencer! The TV broke again!"

"That's what happens when you throw things at it Jas!" He yells back, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse you, I didn't throw anything at it!"

"Yeah, this time." Spencer mutters under his breath. He glances back at us, carrying on like that conversation never happened. "Are you two going to come in, or are you just going to keep awkwardly standing there for the rest of the day?"

"Ellie will." My father replies simply, and my heart seizes at the obvious implications hidden by his plain statement. Spencer catches the look on my face and clears his throat, holding out his hand.

"Here, chuck me your bag Ellie. I'll take it inside for you."

"Thanks." I hand it off to him with a grateful smile. He nods and heads inside, leaving me alone with my father.

I turn to him, and without another word throw my arms around him in a tight hug. I mumble into his coat. "Thank you for finally letting me do this. You don't know how much it means to me."

"You're welcome." He replies quietly. "But you must be careful, Ellie. I need your assurance that you will stay diligent when it comes to your safety."

"I promise." I reassure. "If I go all crazy and start a civil war then you'll be the first to know."

He gives me a stern look. "Ellie."

"It's a joke, Dad." I shake my head with a small smile. "I'm only going to be up here for a month; I'm pretty sure I'm not going to fulfill the Fates' prophecy in such a small period of time."

He sighs, and the expression that crosses his face in that moment is the exact same as the worried look my mother had on her face when I left. He looks torn, like there's something he wants to say, but the weight of it and it's repercussions is obviously weighing heavily on his mind; heavily enough that it's really causing him to pause and consider the consequences. But in the end, he decides to mask it all with a tight smile that I can see straight through. "I will be back in a month's time."

"Okay. Bye, Dad." I smile at him with a little wave, deciding it's not worth it to question him further. He nods once more, before disappearing in front of me without another word and leaving me completely alone. I fold my arms over my chest, my heart racing like an over-ecstatic drummer in my chest.

This is it. I'm finally here.

I hear a small noise from behind me, and turn around to see Spencer standing just inside the doorway. He shoots me a loose grin, motioning me inside. "He's always had a thing for dramatic exits, your dad. Come on, I'll show you around the madhouse and introduce you to the gang."