Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Thirty-Three

FIRE

I left the others to find my father. At this point, I knew he would either be on his way out of the throne room or in his office reading a book. He was the type of mind that liked to keep his mind distracted. 

Without walking in, I popped my head inside the throne room and saw that the lights were off and it was empty. With a sigh, I closed the door after me and headed towards his office. It was located in the same part of the castle our rooms were, but while the royal bedrooms were on the second floor, his office was on the floor below. I had only been there once or twice since I usually found him in the throne room, but I did know my way around the castle.

I placed my hand over my mouth to keep a yawn from escaping just as I was about to reach my father's office. I hadn't talked to him in a while but the last time I had seen him, he looked exhausted. I had asked him what happened and he just said Zeus was drawing powers from everyone to keep the threat at bay. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he looked like now.

When I reached the familiar black, wooden doors, I knocked on them and waited for my father's reply. "Come in," he said, sounding a bit tired.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and placed a smile on my face.

"Hey, dad. How are you?" I asked before walking inside. 

Hades looked up at me from his desk and tried to offer me a smile but the bags under his eyes made him look more tired than happy. 

"Hi, Aileen. I'm... hanging in there. And you?" He asked as he got up from his seat out of politeness. 

"I'm good. I came here wondering if you had a minute to talk but you look tired, maybe this isn't a good time," I said nervously but he waved me off and motioned for me to sit on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Not at all. I will always have time for you, daughter. Tell me, what's on your mind?" He asked as he closed his book and looked at me expectantly.

I bit my lip hesitantly as I wondered how to say what I wanted to say. "I wanted to let you know that we're going to head out to talk to the Oneiroi tomorrow morning, and by us I mean Mason, Andrew, Alex, and me. I don't want Noah to accompany us if that's alright," I said awkwardly knowing my father trusted Noah with my safety. 

Hades nodded his head in agreement but he still looked unsure. "I will allow it, but why are you going to the Oneiroi. I know you talked to me about the nightmares Andrew and Kalani were having but I wasn't aware they were still going on."

I nodded my head and took a deep breath. "They are and I think it's time for us to find out what's the next step to our journey. We have all seen the news, dad. We know what's happening on the surface and Zeus isn't reaching out to us. Has he said anything to you? Has he asked you to join the war directly?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No, he still thinks he can win this battle on his own. My brother is prideful and stubborn, he won't reach out for help until he can no longer stand straight, which I don't think is long from now. And soon we'll all have to participate in this war. But I will be the last to join since my powers are mostly focused in this realm," he said with a sigh of exhaustion.

"Dad, are we really fighting against Typhon? I mean, I remember that there wasn't a lot of information on him. I don't really know what we're up against," I admitted.

He nodded his head as he pondered on what to say next. "We're not sure. Something about this attack is different and similar in so many ways. And I'm almost certain that Typhon was killed in the last war."

"But then what could it be? What happened during the last war? Why are there so few records on the subject?" I asked as I leaned forward but he only shrugged.

"Zeus didn't reveal much about how that war ended. The ones who know the most are probably your mother and your uncle, Apollo. But Zeus made them swear to secrecy," was all he said before a silence fell over us.

"I should reach out to mom, maybe she can tell me something more. Have you heard from her?" I asked and a chuckle left Hades's lips. 

"I haven't talked to your mother since you arrived at the Underworld, but I'm sure that you can find her with Andrew's compass. If that helps you get more answers, I won't stand in your way. I trust you and I know you're a very powerful person with great instincts," he said with a proud smile and I blushed and looked away. 

A silence fell over us as each of us got lost in our minds. 

"What about Noah? I have been meaning to ask. How did he get here? How did you come to trust him so much?" I asked slowly and Hades raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then his eyebrows furred together as if I had asked a very hard question.

"I-I'm not sure. I mean, he must have done something to prove his loyalty but... I can't seem to remember right now. I guess I'm just too tired to remember properly," he said with a sigh. 

I nodded my head in understanding even though I wasn't entirely convinced. How could someone forget something as important as that? That had to mean something. But what? 

I opened my mouth to say something when I felt Mason's presence in my mind and I instantly stiffened. My father's eyes instantly fell on me as he eyed me closely. "Aileen?" He asked, but his voice sounded so far away as Mason's voice pushed through.

"Aileen, are you there?" He asked sounding a bit preoccupied. 

"I'm here. What happened? You sound worried," I responded and I heard him sigh on the other side.

"Well something definitely did happen, but I'm not sure of what. None of us are, actually. Alex, Andrew, and I were making our way to our rooms when we found Kalani unconscious on the ground near the backyard door-," he explained and I quickly interrupted.

"What?! How is she? What happened?" I demanded and I could almost hear Mason groan in frustration from me interrupting.

"That's what I'm telling you. We don't know what happened and Kalani isn't great at the moment."

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly as my body stiffened even more. 

"She was hurt. I tried to heal her but her body wasn't responding so I gave her some of the healing serum and... she's recovering but slowly. And she has temporal amnesia, or at least I think it's temporary. She doesn't remember anything about the accident, much less who we are," he finished explaining and I cursed inside my mind.

"So what happens now? How do we make her heal faster? Do we give her more serum?" I asked with uncertainty and he quickly shook his head.

"No. I'm not sure that's a good idea given her condition. Andrew, Alex, and I agreed it would be best for us to go ahead with our original plan. Tomorrow morning, Andrew, you, and I will go to the Oneiroi to get some answers and Alex will stay and keep an eye on Kalani. Hopefully, by the time we're back, we'll have more answers and Kalani will be okay."

I pursed my lips together at what he said. I wasn't sure it was the best idea to leave Kalani alone with just Alex. Something had happened and if something like that had happened to her it could happen to any of us. Which meant we were no longer safe in the Underworld. 

"Alright, we'll do that. I'll see you, tomorrow Mason. Sleep well," I finally replied and he only responded with a 'you too' before slipping away.

When I returned to reality, my father was looking at me with a worried and expectant look on his face. "Did something happen? You looked preoccupied," he said as he broke the silence.

I sighed and looked at him. "I think there's a traitor in the Underworld. Either that or the enemy has gotten into our borders." And then I told him everything Mason had told me just moments before.

By the time I was done, Hades's back had tensed and his hands were closed into fists as he pondered on what to do. If the enemy was here, then he would have no choice but to close off the Underworld and look for him in every corner. 

"Maybe that's why Zeus can't find him on the surface. Maybe he has been hiding here all along," he murmured before cursing under his breath in frustration. 

Softly, I took his hand in between mine and tried to offer him an encouraging smile. "We'll find him. In the meantime, the plan goes just as before. We need to pretend everything is normal so nothing seems strange. I also think we should inform Zeus about what happened to his daughter, maybe he can help."

Hades scoffed and shook his head with a sad look in his eyes. "Zeus will not move a finger. He may tell me to find the enemy if he is still here, but he won't come down to help his daughter, much less see her." 

I pursed my lips together and nodded my head. Somehow, that didn't surprise me. 

"Fine, then we should focus on finding what happened to Kalani. Maybe it's all just a false alarm but we have to be sure," I urged, and my father agreed.

"I should probably let you rest. You look very worn out. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help? Maybe I can take your place in the Underworld for a couple of days while you recover your strength," I suggested and he chuckled.

"While that is a very kind offer, I will have to decline it, daughter. Believe me, when you have been doing this for eons, it's hard to leave it and besides, there are still things about my job that I need to teach you before you can substitute for me. But right now isn't the time. I will be fine, I promise. And thank you for coming with me with this information," he said softly and I squeezed his hand gently before pulling away and getting to my feet.

I walked towards the door before stopping halfway to look at him. "It was nice seeing you and talking to you, father. I'm sorry for not stopping by sooner. I didn't want to distract you or keep you from your work," I said sheepishly and he waved me off.

"Nonsense, I'll always have time for you, Aileen. I have already missed your early years growing up, I don't want to miss more," he said with a serious look in his eyes that told me he was serious. 

"Good night," I whispered and I walked out of his office.

I walked slowly towards my room. My legs felt as though they weighed a ton and my mind was so tired I could barely keep my thoughts straight. A loud yawn escaped me as I reached the top floor and I slowly turned left to head to my room. My father's room was on the other side, but I had never seen him walk out, I wasn't even sure if he slept there. 

With a sigh, I finally reached my room and opened the door. The lights turned on automatically as they did in every other part of the castle. 

I made my way into the closet and I changed into my black, silk pajamas I had come to love. Then I walked into my bathroom that connected with my closet and room to wash my teeth and my face. A couple of minutes later, I could barely stand and I made my way to my bed. 

The bed was bigger than any other bed I had ever slept in and the sheets were also made of silk. But the blankets made it warm and cozy, it was sometimes hard to get up when I had such a comfortable bed. This was why I loved our free days so much, I would use them to sleep in and enjoy the comfort of my bed.

As soon as I got under the blankets, exhaustion took a hold of me, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was gone into a deep sleep.