Valentine.

Revelations.

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I am ushered to the large, cold doors that lead into the throne room.

I stare up at the steel hinges willing this to all be a dream.

Some sort of sick joke.

Willing myself to wake back up in my small cottage back home.

Safe.
Away from all this madness...The reason I had escaped in the first place.

Yet...here we are again. And this time, the price tag it bears is one neither of us can afford.

One of the guards gives me a firm nudge and I burst through the room.

Time completely slows the second my vision pinpoints him.

Oh stupid, stupid Valentine. Why did you come?

He'd risked everything by entering Hades' territory, his life, his crown, his own kingdom.
He willingly took the bait...for me.

Our gazes collide and shivers dance down the length of my spine. I want to react, to shout, to warn him to run, but my body is possessed again.

My face is contorted into a cold, unrecognizing glare, completely against my will as I pin him with my own shiny brown irises.

"You Bastard." spits Valentine to his brother.

"What did you do to her?"

His eyes gloss over and he turns back to me. "I'm so sorry Papillon. I love you." he whispers. I want to cry. To answer. To apologize and tell him I love him too, but my body refuses to give in.

"You've lost, brother" admonishes Hades from his throne on the alter. Valentine bares his teeth and clenches his jaw so tight, it seems his veins might burst.

He struggles against the chains restraining him and spits back: "The God of Thunder NEVER loses."

At that, Hades lets out a dark, menacing chuckle.

"We will see about that, dear brother."

With this, he turns to me. "Will you do me the honors, your highness" he grits out, never breaking eye-contact with Valentine. Watching him closely to gauge his reaction. He was clearly enjoying watching his brother suffer.

Instantly, my body jerks to life, marching me over to Valentine's chained figure below. I want to pull back but as usual, I can't.

My body makes it all the way down the dais before coming to a halt right before his knelt form. He peers up at me, his sky blue gaze swarming purple at the edges as he inspects me  closely.

"Did he hurt you?" He whispers up at me, his voice wavering.

I yearn to touch him but I can't. He lets out another sorrowful cry as my hands move up to his head. Tears flood my vision as the rest of my face still refuses to break way to my true emotions.

My trembling fingers wrap themselves delicately along the length of his crystal-smooth crown.

Slowly, they pry the crown from his head, just like that, dethroning him. As I do it, he peers deep into my molten gaze but nods.

"It will be okay. I will take you home, papillon." he whispers again. A promise I'm almost certain he wont be able to keep. This tears at my heart and for the second time in months, something inside me breaks.

The moment is up too soon before I am spun around. I march back over to the dais, ascending my way up to Hades with the fate of Olympus now resting in my mortal hands. Meant to serve it to him on a platter.