Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Eighteen

FIRE

Noah stared at me with a baffled look on his face as I walked away. I could feel his worry as his eyes bore into my back. I didn't look back, even though a part of me wanted to, to reassure him that it was nothing and that I was fine. But I wasn't fine. I was anything but. 

I knew I had to speak to my father once and for all before someone got hurt because of me.

In all honesty, I didn't know where I was supposed to look for my father. I knew he would probably be in the throne room but if he weren't then I didn't know where I was supposed to go and the last thing I wanted was for the others to see me like this, least of all Alfred. The memory of seeing him earlier today was still fresh in my mind and it made my skin crawl.

He had acted very differently than the first day that we met. 

Sighing, I shook my head and headed to the throne room, hoping I wouldn't bump into the others on the way.

Suddenly, I felt Mason reaching out to me and that almost made me stumble since I was very distracted. 

"Aileen, are you okay? Where are you? What's happening?" He demanded in my mind and I could hear his worry clearly in my thoughts. 

I stiffened as I bit my lip and thought of what to say. I didn't want him to worry more than he already was, and I was sure he already had a guess as to what had happened. But I didn't want him to come save me, nor Alex, nor Andrew. I wanted answers. Real answers from the only being I thought could help me right now. I just needed to find him first.

"I'm fine. I just fell off a horse but I'm okay. I don't even have a scratch. I'll tell you about it later," I said, nonchalant as I made up the fastest lie I could.

Mason didn't say anything, but I could feel his hesitation from wherever he was. 

"Are you sure that's all there is to it? Why were you even riding a horse, Aileen? I'm sorry but I'm just worried. You didn't join us for lunch and we waited for a long time for you. You've been gone for hours," Mason said and I sighed. Of course, all of those factors made him worry. I just wished he could understand that I needed space.

"I wasn't hungry. Seriously, Mason, I'm fine. I'm just going to take a short nap and then go get something to eat before dinner if I wake up before then. I'll keep you posted if anything happens," I said with a shrug and he slowly sighed in defeat and acceded. Soon, I was alone again.

Pursing my lips together, I headed towards the throne room and pushed the doors open. A loud rumble echoed in the room as the doors moved and I couldn't help but blush as I realized the room was full of desperate souls who were all now staring at me. 

uncomfortably, my eyes scanned the room for my father and I let out a sigh of relief as I saw him standing by his throne looking bewildered and confused. He murmured something to the soul next to him, who nodded in return, before making his way towards me. 

Once he was only a couple of feet away, he spoke. "Aileen. I didn't expect to see you now. Is there something wrong? You look a bit pale," he commented worriedly as his eyes studied me carefully. 

"Can we talk?" I said, hating the way my voice broke ever so slightly. 

Hades hesitated as he looked from the corner of his eye at the souls waiting for him to continue his judgment. 

"Please. I wouldn't have interrupted you if it weren't important," I whispered, hoping no one else in the room could hear. 

My father must have seen something worrisome in my expression or maybe it was the way I pleaded, but something seemed to convince him and he quickly told the souls he was done for the day. With a swift movement of his hands, they were gone. 

My eyes widened but I didn't say anything as Hades gently nudged me towards one of the thrones in the front of the room. I sat down and shivered as I felt the white marble through my jeans.

"Can I get you something? Some water? Maybe a hot chocolate? That always seemed to calm me down," he said, surprisingly soft. 

I only nodded my head and, in an instant, a mug with a warm, rich brown liquid appeared in his hands before he gave it to me. My eyes widened in shock.

"The three rulers of the main realms can make things appear out of thin air. I'm sure one day you'll be able to do the same since you're the heiress," he said with a smile. 

When I didn't smile, he nodded his head and cleared his throat. "Right. Aileen, what is going on? What happened? You look like you have seen a ghost," he said, trying to be funny to lighten the mood. 

I chuckled and shook my head as I sipped from the mug and then turned to look at him. 

"There's something wrong with me and I don't know how to stop it," I said quickly and he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I-. A lot of things have been happening the last couple of days. I was fine a couple of weeks ago, I had full control of my powers and I could sense when they were getting a hold of me. But now, it's as if I'm no longer in control of them, it's like it's the other way around. It just happened all of the sudden and it intensified when I got here. I don't know if it's my connection to the Underworld, I don't know if it's something hereditary or if it's an illness of some sort. I have already asked Mason to check if I'm sick or ill but he says I'm fine. So then why don't I feel like it?" I babbled and I hadn't realized my eyes had been filling up with tears until they started to run down my cheeks. 

In surprise and embarrassment, I looked away from him and rubbed my tears away with the back of my hand. 

Hades didn't say anything at first, but I could tell he was thinking thoroughly of what he should say next. 

"Aileen, you're the rightful heir to the throne of the Underworld. That means that you will be tens, if not hundreds or more, times more powerful here than on the surface or in the skies. Those are not our territories. But, that doesn't mean that you should lose control of your powers nor is it a medical condition nor something hereditary," he began and I looked at him questioningly. 

"Huh?"

"When you asked if it was something hereditary, I knew instantly what you were talking about. There were rumors that becoming ruler of the Underworld had made me mad, but they were further from the truth. To this day, only one of my sisters really knows what happened. 

In the beginning, I wasn't the full ruler of the Underworld, I knew I would never be until I married someone. Until I had a queen by my side. That's when I met Persephone and she... she was perfect for that position. As soon as we got married and accepted our titles, we made a stronger connection to this place. But, as the stories say, our marriage didn't work out and neither did our ruling. 

There was a time that, for decades, I was miserable. I had just lost Persephone and I was in no way ready to continue on with my life. For centuries I had been in love with her, and at some point, she had loved me as well. But things change and that is the beauty of time and true love. No matter how fast or slow time moves, no matter how much two people in a relationship change. If they don't grow as a couple, then things will not work out. No matter how hard you try. In my case, Persephone met the love of her life. Her true soul mate and I let her go. I was devastated by her parting. It was something I had already felt coming but I didn't think it was going to happen, not when we had once talked about having a family of our own. 

So yes, I did lose control for a while. It wasn't because I had just become ruler of the Underworld. It was something much much deeper than that. So I am going to be very direct with you now. Has something happened in the last couple of weeks or days that made you feel unstable?"

His piercing dark eyes bore into mine and I gulped. It was as if he could see very deeply into my soul. I felt vulnerable and exposed. 

I opened my mouth to say something, to tell him everything, but no words came out. I closed my mouth again and sighed as I looked at my hands. My shoulders slumped forward and I shook my head. 

"Daugther, I am asking this, not because I mean to pry but because I have been in the same place you are right now. Or at least I think so. I do not want to push you to tell me what happened but I will tell you this. You can be healthy and strong physically and not even a strong healer like Mason will find anything wrong with you, because sometimes our illness doesn't come from a pathogen or an exterior source, sometimes it comes from inside ourselves. And as long as you're not okay with your thoughts and mind, you won't be in sync with your powers and your emotions will get the best of you," he whispered and I stiffened.

"Are you saying that I'm sabotaging myself?" I asked slowly and my father chuckled and shrugged.

"It could be, depending on what's bothering you. But if you keep bottling it up and ignoring your true feelings, you will lose control of your powers, and one day, you might not be able to stop them from harming someone else or yourself."

His words echoed in my mind as I recalled what had happened outside with Noah. If I hadn't managed to focus and react, I knew I would have probably burnt the whole forest down. I wasn't sure if souls could die twice but it wasn't something I wanted to find out.

"I don't know what to say. I feel as if you have given me all the answers I needed but not the exact key to regaining my self-control," I admitted and Hades nodded his head as he took my hand in his. He was surprisingly cold but I almost didn't feel it. This was nice, being able to talk about things like this with someone. 

"There's no right path to obtain it. Everyone has their own battles and, unconsciously, you already know the answer. Even if you don't want to admit it," he said and I stiffened. He was probably right. 

"What did you do?" I asked as I looked at him and now it was his turn to look nervous. 

he chuckled sheepishly and then looked at me. "Believe me, I did a lot of things. I destroyed temples. I caused some of the biggest explosions around the world. I took out my anger and grief on others, but it wasn't until one of my sisters helped me through it and took me to see Persephone that I let it go."

"You saw Persephone again? I thought she lived and died like a normal mortal," I said and he nodded his head.

"She did. I visited her in her afterlife. I even met her soul mate and that's when I realized how perfect they were for one another and how blinded by rage I had been. Either way, I told Persephone all that she had caused, I told her how I had felt and in the end, I let her go and I was back to being myself. Sometimes the biggest thing you can do is talk."

Nodding my head, I looked away, feeling numb and much more relaxed after this talk. 

A comfortable silence fell between us as we looked at nothing in particular, we were just enjoying each other's company when I felt and heard my stomach growl ferociously, echoing all around us. A deep red blush covered my cheeks and Hades let out a burst of heartfelt laughter before getting to his feet. 

"You haven't eaten, have you?" He asked and I shook my head in embarrassment.

"You might have immortal parents, Aileen, but you're still immortal. Come, I'll accompany you to the dining room and we can get to know each other a little bit more. I'm sure your mother has already said her part, now it's time for me to say mine. I have already lost 16 years of your life. I don't want to lose any more."

I felt my heart fill up and almost burst with excitement and warmth as I heard him say that. This was something I had only dreamed of, having a parent, and just like that, in a matter of months, I had found both of them.

"Me too. Thank you, Hades," I whispered as I got to my feet and he smiled widely. 

"You don't have to call me by my name. You can call me father, or dad."

And then, the two of us were walking out of the room. After having this talk with my father, I knew I had made the right decision by coming to talk to him. I just wished my healing process didn't take as long as he did. 

No. We need all of our focus and energy on the battle ahead so we will do everything we can to fix this, I thought, trying to encourage myself.

Quicker than expected, we arrived at the dining room and my father opened the door for me. And I smiled. Everything was going to be okay.