Hades III

knowledge

Melinoë

I entered Erebos and felt a sense of home. This I'd missed. The silence. I checked everything was working as it should, before I went to Hades' castle.

I entered from the front door and went to the kitchen. It was my best guess.

I opened the door and froze.

Stella. Her blue eyes went from blank to focusing on my face. Her brown hair was in a ponytail, she wore a red shirt and a leather jacket. She was the spitting image of the girl on Earth. She was the same, obviously.

"Hi," I said. "Do you know where Macaria is?"

Stella leaned back in the chair. "No?" She said. "I haven't seen her today."

I nodded. Well then. I'd have to go through the castle and see if I could find her.

"I can tell her that you've been here?" she suggested.

I looked at her. "Won't you need my name in order to do so?"

She bit her lip. "Melinoë."

I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know?"

She sighed. "I don't know," She said. "I remember too much, or then it's a guess based on what I've read? I don't know."

I nodded. Read, I had to go with it was something she'd read. "I'll just go see if she's here. I'll drop by before I leave."

Stella nodded, I left.

The castle felt like a void. I checked every single room Macaria could be in, before I yelled her name.

She was in Persephone's old room?

I went inside and stared at her. "What are you doing?"

She was sitting on the bed, her belly protruding. "I'm reading this correspondence to see if I can understand why Persephone would try to get to Earth."

"Unrequited love," I said and shut the door behind me. I took off the bracelet and handed it to her. "Luke came by, Matthew forget it, I was to give it to you."

Macaria's face lit up when she accepted the bracelet. "Yeah, he told me he'd make Luke hand it to you. Thank you, Melinoë."

"You're welcome," I muttered.

"Hey, did you meet Persephone?"

I sat down next to her. "Have you heard the verdict?"

"Hades globed me," she said. "I need all of us to agree that she's not to come when I'm delivering this baby."

"Why?" I asked. "Why'd you rather have me than her?"

Macaria looked at me. "Hades told you?"

I nodded.

She shrugged. "You're my sister. I feel closer to you than Persephone, and I feel... like, I know you'd never judge me. Persephone would. And in a situation like that? I can't have judgement."

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Yes?" Macaria said.

Stella peeked in. "Uhm, would you like dinner? Here or in the kitchen? Or?"

I looked at Macaria.

"We'll be there in a minute," she said.

Stella smiled a tight smile and left.

Macaria stood and put the letters back where she'd found them.

Stella

Macaria and Melinoë entered the kitchen as I prepared to leave. Melinoë didn't utter a word, Macaria smiled a sad smile.

"You're always welcome to stay," she said. "Hades won't be back for a few days."

"Matthew is here now," I said.

Macaria nodded and sat down.

Melinoë looked from Macaria to me and back. "What does Hades have to do with anything?"

"Nothing," Macaria said.

Everything? I couldn't be around him. It was a fact, nothing more nothing less.

Melinoë looked at me like it was written on my face. She sat down with an expression stating she did not believe me one bit.

Well then. I put the food on the table and went for the door.

"Why don't you stay and eat with us?" Melinoë asked.

Because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to know?! And it freaked me out because I could see it on Macaria's face when there was something I shouldn't know which I knew.

Melinoë's dark eyes bored into mine. "Please."

I sighed and went to sit down at the table. "I already ate." I muttered.

Melinoë shrugged. "Keep us company, then."

Macaria looked at Melinoë, something unspoken between them.

I missed the sisterly bond, knowing I'd had one.

"Doesn't anyone but gods have a family?" I asked.

Macaria looked at me, a little taken aback by the abruptness of my question. "Well, yes?" she said.

"Whoever I arrived with didn't." I noted.

Melinoë leaned forward and looked at me. "Most people meet up with their family at some point, without them knowing of course, and then after a few years, they will know they're family."

"So I'll have to wait for my brother and sister to come first?" I asked. "I have met my mother. She had no idea."

Now it was Melinoë that looked shocked.

"It can take a few years," Macaria said and kicked Melinoë beneath the table.

"You intrigue me," Melinoë said. "I'm not sure why."

I arched a brow. "Not sexually, I hope?"

Melinoë smiled a crooked smile. "Not if you don't."

I crossed my arms. "I don't." I was as straight as they came.

Melinoë nodded. "Fair." She said.