Ch. 59: Hecate's Confession
"Lord Hades!"
Hecate ca running in a haste I could sense the worry in her voice before she ca to an abrupt stop. Her voice, usually calm and asured, was laced with panic. I could sense the urgency in her tone as her gaze flickered from to Protheus, chained to the towering stone pillar like a sacrificial offering.
"Are you alright? I heard you scream."
I steadied myself, forcing my breathing to slow as I gathered my composure. Without a word, I turned away, brushing past her like she wasn't there. She followed close behind, like a shadow accustod to being ignored. Sympathy, concern—none of that mattered to , especially not from her. People wore kindness like a mask, a weapon to manipulate others.
It was better to remain detached, untouched by their attempts at humanity.
But then, sothing unexpected happened.
A sudden, tight grip latched onto my wrist, yanking to a stop. My eyes narrowed as I turned to face her, my voice low and cold. "Hecate, what is the aning of this?"
Her breathing grew heavy, her fingers tightening like a vice around my wrist. This wasn't like her. This wasn't the poised, calculated Hecate I knew. "I... I apologize, Hades," she whispered, releasing , her hands trembling as if even that brief contact had cost her dearly.
I flexed my wrist, my eyes hardening. "See that it doesn't happen again." My voice cut through the tension like a blade, and she flinched ever so slightly before lowering her gaze.
"Yes, boss." She spoke softly, hiding her face from as if she feared what I might see there.
As I walked back to the vehicle, I replayed the mont in my head. Hecate had never been one to overstep her bounds. She never used my na unless it was sothing personal to her. What was she hiding? And more importantly, why did I care?
The car ride back was long, silence filling the air between us like a thick fog. My thoughts, however, raced uncontrollably. The information I had pried from Protheus weighed heavily on my mind, forcing to confront the tangled ss of problems that had piled up over the last few months. One crisis after another, all of them demanding my attention, but now—now it was all about prioritization.
1. The Plot of the Circle and Poseidon.
2. The Pandora Calamity and Ti Travel.
3. The Protheus Issue.
Protheus, at least for now, seed a manageable threat. But with beings as powerful as gods, nothing was ever certain. Ti travel, on the other hand, was a wild card, and without any real leads, it felt like trying to grasp smoke. My biggest worry, though, was Poseidon. Stopping the Circle would an confronting him, and killing a god was no small feat.
Even if I succeeded, what would the world lose without a pillar like Poseidon? Could I live with that decision?
The burden of my thoughts pressed down on like a weight only I could bear. I hadn't chosen this life, this rebirth into a world teetering on the edge of ruin, but I was bound to it all the sa.
My phone buzzed, pulling from my thoughts. I glanced at the screen.
**INBOX:**
**ZEUS: WANNA HANG OUT TONIGHT? 9 PM. WILL SEND THE ADDRESS LATER.**
Zeus. We hadn't spoken since the party. The mory of that night was hazy, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Was my conviction to distance myself holding back? Or was it self-preservation?
"Hecate," I called out, my voice cutting through the silence like a crack of thunder. We were nearing the hotel, the city lights flickering through the tinted windows. "Why are you helping ?"
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. I could feel her unease. "What do you an, boss?"
"You know I'm not the Hades you once served. I'm not who you think I am. So why? Are you bound to this body?" My words were asured, deliberate, pushing her to reveal sothing—anything.
For a mont, she said nothing, the hum of the engine the only sound between us. But then, after what felt like an eternity, she spoke.
"It's a bit late to ask that now, don't you think?" Her voice was softer, almost wistful. "Whoever you are, you're still him in so way. Hades always had this... shadow over him. You have it too."
I frowned. Why did I care about her reasons? Hecate was the only one who didn't feel like a threat, but I couldn't let that make complacent. She was loyal, yes, but even loyalty could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
"Why did you stop earlier?" I asked, pushing her further, testing her.
She sighed heavily, as if the weight of her answer had been sitting on her chest for far too long. "I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of what you're becoming," she said, her voice quieter now, like she was admitting a secret. "You've always sacrificed yourself for others, for the greater good, and each ti, you've grown colder, darker. But when you woke up... sothing changed. Your eyes... there was more life in them.
Today, though, when you faced Protheus, that darkness returned. It scares ."
Her words hit harder than I expected, but I kept my face unreadable. "And if I have to? If I have to do terrible things?"
Her response was imdiate. "Then I'll die for you, if that's what it takes. I owe you that much."
My chest tightened at her declaration. She wasn't talking to —she was talking to the Hades she once knew. "Hades cared for you too," I lied, testing her reaction.
She scoffed, and for a mont, I saw the Hecate I knew—sharp, unyielding. "No, he didn't. Hades respected , and I him. That's all. But he knew you would co. He called you his replacent."
That statent sent a chill through , but before I could ask more, the car pulled up to the hotel. We were almost there. But one more question lingered on my mind.
"What do you see when you look at , Hecate goddess of sorcery and ghosts?" I asked, watching her closely as the car ca to a slow stop.
I could rember when our eyes first t, they were a light blue contrast to mine and a purple glow I did not pay attention to at the ti. It was not until now that I knew what it was-- Hecate had a special eye like mine and Protheus.
She hesitated, running her finger around her lips as if trying to find the right words. "You know—"
BOOM!
The air exploded. A deafening roar swallowed her words, and my ears rang as the world around blurred into chaos. Fire engulfed the vehicle in an instant, the heat searing my skin. The car lifted off the ground, flipping violently as flas licked at the windows. I saw nothing but fire, felt nothing but burning heat. We had been hit—hard.
And in that instant, everything went dark.
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