free arm to still him. The chain lacing through his wrists burned red hot from where it had been struck. Persephone smelled seared flesh and tried to push it from her mind so she wouldn’t retch. She focused on Thanatos’s face again, wiping away a tear that trailed down from his right eye. “Thanatos. Please! Be still… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
A female hand appeared from behind her and rested on Thanatos’s forehead. Persephone saw a beautiful, pale face framed in weightless black hair come into view beside her. The woman whispered to Thanatos. “Shhh…”
His head slumped to the side and his eyes shut. Thanatos stopped moving his wings and lay still, his breathing light. The strange goddess gently pulled the twisted wool from between his teeth. She hovered above Persephone, then moved as though she were swimming through the air to face the young goddess.
“You did nothing for which you should ever apologize, Aristi Chthonia,” she said softly. “No matter what anyone tells you.”
Aristi Chthonia. The name the House of Nyx and the Hundred Handed Ones called her. There was only one being this could be. Persephone kept Thanatos’s head in her lap and bowed her head to the last of the Protogenoi. “Lady Nyx.”
The elder goddess smiled and lightly lifted Persephone’s chin until the Queen’s blue gray eyes met her silver rimmed ones. “You never need bow before me, Queen of the Underworld,” she said, smiling. Her face grew solemn again as she stroked Thanatos’s unconscious forehead. “Especially not after showing such kindness to my son.”
Hypnos alighted on the ground behind them. “Mother—”
“He’ll be fine,” she said, and caressed Thanatos’s sleeping forehead again. “My poor, sweet boy…”
The Goddess of Night grasped Death’s right arm in one hand before closing her eyes. The alabaster flesh on it disappeared for a moment and released a chain, the links falling neatly between the bones and onto the rocks below. She opened her eyes and his arm was made whole but for deep pits on his skin, the edges darkened where the broken chains had burned him.
“Hades…”
The bone of his left arm was squeezed within a link of chain. Aidoneus knelt down and stared at Persephone, his jaw set tight. Just this once, my love, look away … his eyes seemed to say to her. She kept her gaze trained on his face as he focused again on his task. Hades yanked the link out, snapping the bone in two as he did so. The sound made her stomach turn. Her husband winced as he pulled the metal away. Though he was unconscious, Thanatos jerked to the side, then stilled, his head held steady in Persephone’s lap. Nyx patiently waited until the bone healed, knitting itself back together, before she released his arm. His scarred flesh appeared over it once more.
“We are all healing more slowly these days,” she said, then looked to Hades. “Where is the rest of the chain?”
He sighed, frustrated. “Sisyphus stole it. I almost wonder now, Lady Nyx, if he allowed himself to be captured. The things he said at trial… If I had read him, none of this would have—”
“This is not your fault, Liberator,” Nyx said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Nor yours, Persephone.”
She gathered Thanatos’s limp form in her arms, the fringes of the darkness that surrounded her rushing in around him. They gingerly touched Thanatos, the wavering tendrils drifting softly over his limbs as if to comfort him.
“You’ll know what to do,” she said to Aidon, pointedly.
“What do you mean?”
“That you’ll know what to do,” she repeated. Nyx looked back to Persephone. “The tidings Hecate brought to me were ill, indeed. We must hold strong together, now more than ever. They will look to you, Aristi Chthonia, for guidance.” Nyx rose upward toward Erebus, carrying her son, until she disappeared into the mists that hung above the riverlands and the darkness beyond. Hypnos nodded quietly to Hades and
A female hand appeared from behind her and rested on Thanatos’s forehead. Persephone saw a beautiful, pale face framed in weightless black hair come into view beside her. The woman whispered to Thanatos. “Shhh…”
His head slumped to the side and his eyes shut. Thanatos stopped moving his wings and lay still, his breathing light. The strange goddess gently pulled the twisted wool from between his teeth. She hovered above Persephone, then moved as though she were swimming through the air to face the young goddess.
“You did nothing for which you should ever apologize, Aristi Chthonia,” she said softly. “No matter what anyone tells you.”
Aristi Chthonia. The name the House of Nyx and the Hundred Handed Ones called her. There was only one being this could be. Persephone kept Thanatos’s head in her lap and bowed her head to the last of the Protogenoi. “Lady Nyx.”
The elder goddess smiled and lightly lifted Persephone’s chin until the Queen’s blue gray eyes met her silver rimmed ones. “You never need bow before me, Queen of the Underworld,” she said, smiling. Her face grew solemn again as she stroked Thanatos’s unconscious forehead. “Especially not after showing such kindness to my son.”
Hypnos alighted on the ground behind them. “Mother—”
“He’ll be fine,” she said, and caressed Thanatos’s sleeping forehead again. “My poor, sweet boy…”
The Goddess of Night grasped Death’s right arm in one hand before closing her eyes. The alabaster flesh on it disappeared for a moment and released a chain, the links falling neatly between the bones and onto the rocks below. She opened her eyes and his arm was made whole but for deep pits on his skin, the edges darkened where the broken chains had burned him.
“Hades…”
The bone of his left arm was squeezed within a link of chain. Aidoneus knelt down and stared at Persephone, his jaw set tight. Just this once, my love, look away … his eyes seemed to say to her. She kept her gaze trained on his face as he focused again on his task. Hades yanked the link out, snapping the bone in two as he did so. The sound made her stomach turn. Her husband winced as he pulled the metal away. Though he was unconscious, Thanatos jerked to the side, then stilled, his head held steady in Persephone’s lap. Nyx patiently waited until the bone healed, knitting itself back together, before she released his arm. His scarred flesh appeared over it once more.
“We are all healing more slowly these days,” she said, then looked to Hades. “Where is the rest of the chain?”
He sighed, frustrated. “Sisyphus stole it. I almost wonder now, Lady Nyx, if he allowed himself to be captured. The things he said at trial… If I had read him, none of this would have—”
“This is not your fault, Liberator,” Nyx said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Nor yours, Persephone.”
She gathered Thanatos’s limp form in her arms, the fringes of the darkness that surrounded her rushing in around him. They gingerly touched Thanatos, the wavering tendrils drifting softly over his limbs as if to comfort him.
“You’ll know what to do,” she said to Aidon, pointedly.
“What do you mean?”
“That you’ll know what to do,” she repeated. Nyx looked back to Persephone. “The tidings Hecate brought to me were ill, indeed. We must hold strong together, now more than ever. They will look to you, Aristi Chthonia, for guidance.” Nyx rose upward toward Erebus, carrying her son, until she disappeared into the mists that hung above the riverlands and the darkness beyond. Hypnos nodded quietly to Hades and
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