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00:00I stood dead center in the ballroom.
00:02Tonight, I have to be chosen as a dance partner by another god.
00:06If I couldn't find one by sunrise,
00:09I'll be stripped of my title and exiled to the underworld forever.
00:13My palms were sweating so much that they left damp streaks on my silk gown.
00:17I looked at my three childhood friends.
00:20Just last night, every single one of them swore they'd be my partner.
00:24Now, they won't even look at me.
00:26All three of them walked straight to Chloe.
00:28Chloe, my stepsister.
00:30Chloe is so pitiful.
00:32It would be too cruel if no one picked her.
00:35What about me?
00:36Is it not cruel to throw me back to the underhill to rot?
00:41Then I saw Ares.
00:42My heart skipped and smiled.
00:44I thought he was finally coming to announce our marriage.
00:47But he didn't take my hand.
00:49I'm sorry, Thea.
00:51You're strong, you can handle this.
00:52But she's just a weak nymph.
00:54If I don't protect her tonight, she'll be destroyed.
00:56I tried to grab his sleeve.
00:58But he pulled away.
01:02He walked straight to Chloe without looking back.
01:05The crowd went wild.
01:07So Chloe was waiting for the god of war.
01:09They looked like they were made for each other.
01:11I couldn't breathe.
01:12I was tortured for 23 years in the mortal realm.
01:16This dance was my only way out.
01:19He knew everything and he still chose her.
01:52The music started.
02:16Chloe's had a rough life.
02:18You've got the bloodline, you've got everything.
02:20It's just a dance, Thea.
02:21You've always been the bigger person.
02:24My throat felt like I'd swallowed broken glass.
02:26And what about me?
02:28If this gets out, I'm a joke.
02:30Zeus's granddaughter, abandoned in the middle of the ballroom.
02:33He actually frowned.
02:34Like I was the one being difficult.
02:37You're overthinking.
02:39You're strong enough to stand on your own.
02:41She isn't.
02:42If I don't pick her tonight, she's dead.
02:44She won't survive exile.
02:45He had no idea my father was already planning to sell me off to some low-level demigod.
02:51This dance was my only shield.
02:53And he just smashed it to pieces.
02:56Chloe ran up to him.
02:57Her eyes full of hope.
02:59Brother Ares, can you take me to meet the elders?
03:03I'm not as perfect as my sister.
03:06She's always so prepared.
03:07She even keeps a little notebook to record which young lords are gaining power
03:10and which uncles have the most resources.
03:12Then, she quickly covered her mouth like she'd said too much.
03:18I didn't mean my sister is greedy.
03:21She's just very organized.
03:25Nearby, the two elder goddesses stopped smiling.
03:28Keeping tabs on everyone's value,
03:30the great temple's princess has quite the dark heart.
03:33No wonder she pushed her way into the succession so fast.
03:37The whispers drifted over like poison.
03:39My blood turned to ice.
03:42That notebook was an assignment from Grandpa Zeus.
03:45When I first came back,
03:47he told me to learn the strengths of the different clans.
03:51Ares had even guided me on what to write.
03:53But now?
03:55He didn't say a single word for me.
03:57He just let me stand in the center of the storm.
04:00Chloe tugged on Ares' sleeve.
04:02Did I say something wrong again?
04:06I just admire how capable she is.
04:09I'm so stupid.
04:12It's fine.
04:14Your sister has a big picture mind.
04:16She won't be mad at you.
04:17I couldn't take it anymore.
04:20I started walking toward them,
04:22my heart screaming.
04:23I wanted to confront them,
04:25to scream the truth.
04:26But before I could take three steps,
04:28someone grabbed me.
04:29Thea, stop.
04:30Don't go over there.
04:32It was Hermes.
04:33He blocked my way,
04:35his eyes hard.
04:36The music had picked up again,
04:38and Ares and Chloe were back on the dance floor.
04:41They were totally lost in their own little world,
04:44swirling around like nothing else mattered.
04:47I looked at Hermes' hand,
04:49and realized what he was thinking.
04:51He thinks I'm going to cause a scene.
04:53He thinks I'm actually going to try and win Ares back.
04:56It wasn't surprising, really.
04:58Out of my three childhood friends,
05:00he was the only one who had truly been there with me.
05:03Before I was adopted,
05:04we spent years rotting together in a mortal orphanage.
05:08Back then,
05:09every time they handed out sacred fruit,
05:11I would throw myself into the dirt,
05:13to grab the biggest, reddest one.
05:16I'd shove it into his hands first.
05:18Why?
05:19Because he was slow.
05:21He was weak.
05:22I was terrified that if I didn't feed him,
05:25he'd actually starve to death.
05:26When I finally made it out,
05:28I didn't spend my money on myself.
05:31I saved every cent to send him
05:33to the most expensive academy in Olympus.
05:36I pushed him and supported him
05:38with everything I had,
05:40until he became the legendary artifact appraiser
05:43he is today.
05:44But I guess a girl from the mud
05:46is always just trash to people like him.
05:48I'll never be the moonlight he dreams about.
05:51Be good, Thea.
05:52Hermes didn't even look at me.
05:54His eyes were fixed on Chloe,
05:56filled with intense concern,
05:58as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered.
06:01Aris made his choice.
06:03If you go up there now,
06:04you're just going to look pathetic.
06:05My heart was already in pieces.
06:07Let go.
06:08I tried to twist away,
06:09but my heels slipped.
06:10I lost my balance,
06:12slammed into a stone pillar,
06:13and fell hard on my knees.
06:16The pain was so sharp,
06:18I couldn't even breathe.
06:19Hermes was startled.
06:21He jerked his head around to look at me,
06:23his eyes wide with shock.
06:25For a split second,
06:27a flicker of worry crossed his face.
06:29His hand actually moved,
06:31a reflex to reach out and help me.
06:33But then,
06:34his face turned back to stone.
06:36Is this really necessary, Thea?
06:38You've had everything for the past three years.
06:41Chloe has nothing.
06:43Do you really have to use these cheap tricks
06:46just to steal her spotlight?
06:47Ares and Apollo rushed over.
06:50Ares looked at me on the floor.
06:52Surprise flashed in his eyes.
06:54What happened now?
06:55Then a flicker of guilt.
06:57Apollo, usually so calm,
07:00looked at my bruised knees and sneered.
07:03Is self-harm your new way of getting attention, princess?
07:06Hermes' face twisted into pure disgust.
07:09But Chloe was right.
07:11You fell on purpose just to make us feel guilty.
07:15Is this going in your notebook too, Thea?
07:18Knee injured by me?
07:20Used for future leverage?
07:22Ares' face went just as cold.
07:25Apollo rubbed his temples as if I were a headache.
07:28You already took everything from Chloe.
07:30Just let her have one happy night.
07:33Fine.
07:34If you want the spotlight that badly, I'll dance with you.
07:37Is that enough dignity for you?
07:38He said, looking at me like he was doing a chore.
07:41I didn't even look at his hand.
07:43I struggled to my feet.
07:45Move.
07:46Apollo's temper finally snapped.
07:49He grabbed my wrist, hard.
07:51If Aris and I hadn't felt sorry for you and protected you back then,
07:54God knows where you'd be!
07:56I tried to jerk my hand away,
07:58but he twisted it with everything he had.
08:01A sharp crack echoed through the hall.
08:04Agony exploded in my wrist.
08:06I doubled over, clutching my arm as the world went blurry.
08:11Apollo froze, staring at his own hand in shock.
08:15Are you kidding me?
08:17You fought that hard to break away just to chase after a man?
08:20It's not even a big deal.
08:22Our Thea has seen it all.
08:24This tiny injury is nothing compared to what Chloe has suffered.
08:28I was seeing black spots,
08:30the pain making me nauseous.
08:32But I looked up and actually laughed.
08:36You're right.
08:38It's not painful enough yet.
08:42I let go of my wrist.
08:44The joint was already swollen.
08:46They just stood there, frozen.
08:49The smirk finally vanished from Hermes' face.
08:52He looked away, his jaw tight,
08:54unable to meet my eyes.
08:56Just stay there.
08:58I'll call a divine healer.
09:00Forget it.
09:00Word gets out, and Zeus won't be pleased.
09:03You're a lunatic!
09:05All you ever care about is that damned pretense of yours.
09:08Even when Chloe was convulsed from a high fever back then,
09:11you were too busy entertaining guests and locked her in the attic.
09:14For the sake of your perfect young lady for facade,
09:16you're always scheming,
09:17always putting everyone's lives and feelings beneath your grand plans!
09:20He turned and stormed off.
09:23Hermes followed, but paused to look back one last time.
09:26It's just that no one asked you to dance today.
09:28Do you really have to make yourself look like this?
09:31I didn't answer.
09:32I just walked into the dark toward the back corridor.
09:36In the great temple, my father was waiting.
09:39He looked at me with cold, business-like eyes.
09:42You saw it tonight.
09:44Ares has no intention of marrying you.
09:47I stayed silent, clutching my broken wrist in the shadows.
09:51Zeus is getting old.
09:53He needs to see you settled before he hands over the throne.
09:57I just lost the man I loved.
09:59A new marriage right now would be a disaster.
10:01Then what do you want?
10:03Send me to the underheld.
10:05I'm willing to serve the lord of the dead.
10:08Don't you dare mention that name here.
10:10My father's face drained of color instantly,
10:13his eyes darting around as if the shadows themselves were listening.
10:16He looked genuinely shaken,
10:18his arrogant posture crumbling for a moment.
10:34I stumbled out of the room,
10:36my vision blurred by pain and exhaustion.
10:39I lost my balance and crashed into someone standing in the corridor.
10:43It was Aiden, one of Apollo's low-level attendants.
10:46He caught me by the shoulders,
10:49his grip surprisingly firm and steady.
10:52Princess, you look pale.
10:54Do you need help?
10:55Perhaps a healer?
10:56I was too exhausted to even speak.
10:59I just shook my head weakly,
11:02pulling away from him to keep moving.
11:04But as I walked away,
11:06I realized something strange.
11:08My broken wrist,
11:09the one he had just touched,
11:11didn't throb anymore.
11:13The agonizing pain was gone.
11:16I didn't have time to wonder why.
11:19I only had seven days.
11:21Seven days to find a man more powerful than Ares.
11:25Someone who isn't afraid of the light of Olympus.
11:29I came out of the clinic
11:30only to see two familiar chariots pulling up.
11:33Ares was carrying Chloe like she was made of fine porcelain
11:36while Apollo followed behind,
11:38carefully holding her crystal heels.
11:40Chloe was sobbing softly
11:42over a tiny blister from her shoes.
11:45My three childhood friends were all hovering over a bit of rub skin
11:48while I stood there with a snap phone.
11:51Sister,
11:52what happened to you?
11:54You look terrible.
11:56Ares looked up.
11:57His eyes flickered for a split second
11:59when he saw the heavy bandage,
12:00but he didn't say a word.
12:02Hermes leaned against the chariot,
12:04his smirk as mocking as ever.
12:05Dislocated.
12:06I said shortly,
12:07trying to push past life.
12:09Sister,
12:10father said,
12:12your divine marriage is set seven days from now.
12:15Ares' face hardened instantly.
12:17Seven days?
12:19Theora,
12:20what kind of game is this?
12:21I never agreed to marry you.
12:23Ares.
12:24Chloe's eyes well touched.
12:26You and my sister,
12:27Ares.
12:28God bless you.
12:29I just,
12:30I didn't think it would be so soon.
12:31A single tear fell perfectly timed.
12:34Ares looked beyond annoyed.
12:36He turned to the others.
12:37Take Chloe inside.
12:38Don't let that blister get infected.
12:39Hermes gently took Chloe from Ares' arms.
12:42Careful, Ares.
12:43Some people use their pain as a trap.
12:45Don't get guilt-tripped.
12:46Ares waited until they were all inside.
12:49Then he turned to me.
12:50He didn't ask how I got hurt.
12:52Thea,
12:53I don't know what you told your father to make you sedate.
12:55And I don't care.
12:56Cancel it.
12:57Tell everyone it was a misunderstanding.
12:59I'll forget this whole thing.
13:01And if it's not a rumor?
13:04Then you're about to be very publicly humiliated.
13:07Because I am not marrying you, Thea.
13:09Not in seven days.
13:10Not ever.
13:11Then let's break up.
13:12I'm marrying someone else.
13:15His face went blank.
13:16Just empty.
13:17Like I'd spoken a whole different language.
13:20Ares yanked me toward him.
13:21My broken wrist creamed, but I didn't make a sound.
13:24You're marrying someone else.
13:26His fingers dug into my arm.
13:28Who?
13:29Apollo?
13:30Hermes?
13:31Name one man in this realm stupid enough to touch you without my permission.
13:35Once, I would have died for him to claim me like this.
13:38Now it just felt pathetic.
13:40You want to fight me on this?
13:41It's fine.
13:42Seven days.
13:43No one will step forward.
13:45And when you crawl back, don't expect me to take you back.
13:52I hit the wall.
13:54Watched him leave again.
13:55Nothing.
13:56Not a single ripple inside.
13:58Because honestly, I didn't give a damn about Ares anymore.
14:01Three days before the wedding, I ran into Hermes at an artifact exhibition.
14:10Stop it, Thea.
14:12If you're here to beg me to come to the wedding or to talk about our past, just forget it.
14:16I told you before I only see you as a sister.
14:19Chloe's been really fragile lately because of all your drama.
14:22I'm not going to lose her as a friend just to comfort you.
14:24You've misunderstood.
14:26You're not that important.
14:28I walked straight past him, not giving him a second glance.
14:33His mouth hung open as I headed into the main auction hall.
14:36I wasn't here for him.
14:38I was here for my mother's relic.
14:40To his starlight necklace, a piece of her soul that I had lost years ago.
14:44Inside the hall, the auction for my mother's necklace started.
14:47I raised my hand to bid.
14:49But before the gavel could fall, Ares' voice boomed through the room.
14:53I am invoking the war god's privilege.
14:56Whatever the highest bid is, I will double it.
15:00I am taking this necklace, no matter the price.
15:03And he wasn't buying it for me.
15:04He was buying it for Chloe.
15:06I stood up and walked out, unable to breathe.
15:10Ares followed me into the corridor, dangling the necklace in front of my face like a prize.
15:15That stupid idea of marrying someone else?
15:17Swear it, and this is yours.
15:19You think I'm here because I'm waiting for a gift from you?
15:22You lost the right to give me anything a long time ago, Ares.
15:25Even if I threw you away, Thea, you're still my property.
15:29No one will marry you.
15:30No one on a lumpus dares touch what belongs to me.
15:35Last chance.
15:36Be good and come back with me.
15:38I looked around.
15:39At the bottom of the steps, I saw Aiden.
15:42He was leaning against a black chariot, yawning as if he was bored to death by all this drama.
15:47For weeks, he'd been just another face in Apollo's retinue, a lazy servant with a tired smile.
15:52But I knew he wasn't that simple.
15:55Aiden, come up here.
15:57Is she insane?
15:58Proposing to a stable boy?
16:00The gods began to snicker, their laughter echoing off the marble walls.
16:03Aiden didn't even look at them.
16:05He walked up the steps and the crowd was shoved aside by some unseen force.
16:09He stood before me.
16:11I'm here, little goddess.
16:13Marry me.
16:19Your soul smells of suffering, but it still shines.
16:24Even the darkness can't swallow it.
16:28But tell me, Thea, do you even know what monster you're inviting into your bed?
16:34Dead silence in the banquet hall.
16:37The gods who were just laughing at me, frozen.
16:40Every single one.
16:42Aiden.
16:42No.
16:43The thing pretending to be Aiden.
16:45His wings aren't the pure white of an angel.
16:48They're the black of the endless abyss.
16:50Every feather he saw was like, like they were ripped straight from the deepest cut of night.
16:55Someone shouts at it.
16:57Then the hall explodes.
16:59The Underhouse?
17:01Goddesses grab their dresses and stumble back.
17:03Gods shield the ones beside them on instant.
17:06Even the air changes.
17:08That smell from deep underground.
17:10Ares' face has never looked this bad.
17:13He lets go of the hand reaching for my necklace.
17:16His pupils shrink, locked in those black wings.
17:19His voice is low.
17:20Impossible.
17:22The Underworld doesn't meddle in Olympus affairs.
17:24Aiden tilts his head slightly.
17:26Those lazy eyes are now endless bits of ink.
17:30Says who?
17:31I just don't like crowds.
17:34He pulls his gaze from Ares and lets it fall back on me.
17:37In those abyss deep eyes, reversed galaxies, dead wastelands, and something complicated.
17:44Little goddess.
17:45He lifts a hand.
17:47Cold fingertips brush my wrist.
17:49The one that was broken moments ago and is now completely healed.
17:52Do you know who you're inviting?
17:54I know.
17:54No, I don't.
17:56But I don't need to.
17:57I know you healed my wrist.
17:59I know you've been here three months.
18:01And not to be a Papalo's lowly servant.
18:04I also know...
18:05I pause.
18:06If you didn't want this, you would have dodged just now.
18:09You didn't.
18:10Aiden freezes.
18:10Then, right there in front of every god in the hall, he smiles.
18:13You've really got guts.
18:16He folds the black wings.
18:17They dissolve into fine black sand and vanish in the air.
18:20He steps back half pace.
18:22One hand behind his back.
18:24A slight bow.
18:25The oldest invitation dance of the underworld.
18:28Then, Thea, will you come with me?
18:33This time, no little goddess, no miss.
18:36He says my name.
18:37I don't hesitate.
18:39I put my hand in his palm.
18:40Behind me, I hear something shattering.
18:43Probably Ares' wine glass.
18:45It doesn't matter anymore.
18:47The wedding is set seven days from now.
18:49A union between the underworld and Olympus.
18:52Unprecedented.
18:53When the news spreads, the whole god realm shakes.
18:56Some call it a joke.
18:58The lord of the underhell marrying a discarded goddess.
19:01Some call it a scheme.
19:02The underhell, silent for a thousand years.
19:05But most are just waiting.
19:07Waiting for Ares' reaction.
19:09After all, the whole god realm knows Thea was once his woman.
19:13Even if he threw her away with his own hands, in their eyes, she's still Ares.
19:18The first one to find me is Hermes.
19:20He comes faster than I expected.
19:22He was there that night at the banquet.
19:24He watched Aiden spread those black wings.
19:27Watched me put my hand into that monster's.
19:30His face went from shock to pale, pale to, I don't even know what to call it.
19:35He stops me on the way back to my chambers.
19:37His eyes are rimmed red.
19:39I stop walking.
19:39Are you insane?
19:40I look at him.
19:41That's the underworld.
19:42Do you even know what the underworld is?
19:44That place is-
19:44The one I saved every scrap of food for.
19:46The one I-
19:47It's the abyss even gods refuse to step into.
19:50I stop walking.
19:51I look at him.
19:52This man.
19:53The one I protected since we were young.
19:55The one I saved every scrap of food for.
19:57The one I poured everything into lifting up.
20:00He used to be so slow.
20:02So weak.
20:03Couldn't even grab an apple.
20:05Now he stands in front of me in the most expensive robe, smelling of the finest oils, shouting at me.
20:12But all I feel is distance.
20:14Hermes.
20:16You weren't this worked up when you said I cut myself for attention.
20:20His face goes white.
20:21I-
20:22He reaches for my sleep.
20:23Same way he used to go back to the orphanage.
20:25Every time he got in trouble.
20:27Every time he needed me to take the blame.
20:29Thea, I didn't mean it like that.
20:30I just-
20:31You meant it exactly like that.
20:33I step back.
20:34His hand grabs nothing but air.
20:36It hangs there.
20:37Frozen.
20:38His fingers slowly curl in.
20:40Go.
20:41The underworld's escort arrives in seven days.
20:43You are as Apollo.
20:45Don't bother coming.
20:46Thea.
20:46I don't look back.
20:47Behind me, his voice.
20:49Like crying.
20:50Like begging.
20:51Thea.
20:51We didn't mean to.
20:52We just-
20:53We just didn't know.
20:53I'm done listening.
20:55I go to the mortal realm market.
20:57The only place where news from the god realm hasn't reached yet.
21:00No stares.
21:00No whispers.
21:01Just me and a list of things I need.
21:03A veil.
21:04Not the heavy kind Olympus uses.
21:07Layers and layers of gold thread suffocating.
21:10I pick black silk.
21:11Light.
21:12Simple.
21:12The shopkeeper gives me a weird look.
21:14Wedding?
21:15Yeah.
21:16Black?
21:17I don't explain.
21:18She shrugs and takes my coin.
21:20Next, a ring.
21:21Not for me.
21:22For him.
21:23I have no idea what the lord of the underworld wears.
21:26Does he even wear rings?
21:27I buy a simple obsidian band anyway.
21:30If he hates it, he can throw it into the abyss.
21:34I'm wrapping it in cloth when a shadow falls over my table.
21:37A bat.
21:38Tiny.
21:39Black as ink.
21:40A scroll tied to its leg.
21:42I untie it.
21:43The wax seal is cold to the touch.
21:45Deep black with a single symbol carved into it.
21:48A pomegranate flower.
21:49I break it open.
21:50The handwriting is sharp, clean, no flourish.
21:54I read it three times.
21:55Then I tuck it into my sleeve, pay for the ring, and walk out into the sun.
22:00Three days.
22:01The god of the dead is waiting.
22:04Three days later.
22:05The signing ceremony.
22:07The marriage contract between the underworld and Olympus.
22:10By tradition, I have to go to the underworld myself.
22:13Seal it with blood by the river of oath.
22:15Aerys stops me before the ceremony begins.
22:17His eyes are bloodshot, like he hasn't slept in days.
22:20That war god arrogance is gone.
22:22Replaced by something I can't even name.
22:25Cancel engagement.
22:26That man isn't someone you can handle.
22:28The lord of the underworld, do you even know what he is?
22:31I look at him.
22:32Say nothing.
22:33He's destroyed three god clans.
22:35The dead souls under him outnumber the sand and the Strix.
22:38If you're with him...
22:40Aerys!
22:40I cut him off.
22:41He stopped.
22:42Are you against me marrying into the underworld?
22:44Or are you against me marrying anyone else?
22:45His throat claves.
22:46His lips hurt.
22:47I am.
22:48You chose Chloe.
22:49You told her your sister is generous.
22:51She won't be angry.
22:52Those tricks you taught me, you turned around and let her use them as knives in my battle.
22:55So when I needed you, you were holding relative to someone else.
22:57When I fell in front of everyone, it had nothing to do with me.
23:00When Apollo snapped my wrist, you didn't even ask.
23:03And now...
23:06I look at him.
23:07My voice is gone in dead water.
23:09Tell me.
23:11What gives you the right to stop me?
23:14Aerys' eyes go red.
23:15The god of war.
23:16Eyes red.
23:18I've never seen that before.
23:20Because I...
23:21He takes a shaky breath.
23:23Because I thought you wouldn't really leave.
23:26I thought you couldn't live without me.
23:29He stops.
23:30His voice drops lower.
23:31I thought...
23:33You would wait for me.
23:34I hear it.
23:36No heartbreak.
23:37No anger.
23:38Not even a ripple.
23:39Once I would have waited.
23:41Waited on that iron bed in the orphanage for a kind family to take me.
23:44Waited in my adoptive parents' house for one real world of things.
23:49Waited in a moment just for the rain to stop.
23:52I've waited long enough.
23:54Aerys.
23:56I'm not your backer.
23:57I was never anyone's backer.
24:00I step around him.
24:01Walk toward the underworld procession.
24:04Behind me, the sound of him hitting the ground.
24:06The god of war on his knees in the dust.
24:09He's a couldn't shoot you.
24:11I don't look back.
24:12The underworld procession pass.
24:14Hades steps through the black mist like the dark itself just decided to take shape.
24:19No wings this time.
24:21Just him.
24:22Tall.
24:23Still.
24:23Those abyss-deep eyes find me instantly.
24:27Behind me, Ares is still on his knees.
24:29Hades doesn't even glance at him.
24:31You're late.
24:32The river of Oath doesn't run.
24:34It's been waiting a thousand years.
24:36Three more minutes by the truth.
24:38He extends his hand, palm up, same as that note of the ventricle.
24:42I take it.
24:43His fingers closing on me.
24:44He's silent.
24:45You ready for this?
24:47I'm ready.
24:48I rise on my toes and press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
24:51Like, quick.
24:53But the entire procession goes dead silent.
24:56Hades blinks.
24:58Then his hand slides to the back of my neck.
25:01He pulls me in.
25:03Kisses me back.
25:05Marking the contract early.
25:08Hope you don't mind.
25:11Ares, still on the ground, not getting up.
25:14I don't even turn around.
25:16Let's go.
25:18This place stinks.
25:19He laughs.
25:20Low and rough.
25:22Whatever my bride wants.
25:23He takes me through the mist.
25:25The underworld unfolds before me.
25:28The boatman doesn't speak.
25:30The dead on the banks don't look up.
25:32We stop at the river of Oath.
25:34The contract waits on a stone table.
25:36Ancient script.
25:38The old tongue of the underworld.
25:40Hades stands across from me.
25:42He's changed.
25:44Black ceremonial robes now.
25:46But those eyes, still the same.
25:48Last chance.
25:50If you want out, I'll act like none of this happened.
25:54I'll send you back to Olympus.
25:56Clear every obstacle for you.
25:58As an ally.
26:00No marriage required.
26:02I look at him.
26:04You have second thoughts?
26:05He doesn't answer.
26:07Just watch me.
26:08Something in his eyes I can't quite name.
26:11Waiting for me to walk toward him on my own.
26:14I pick up the gold needle on the table.
26:17Pierce my fingertip.
26:19Blood hits the ancient ruins.
26:21Gold light explodes across the river of Oath.
26:25Cutting through a thousand years of silence.
26:28I don't need a backup plan.
26:30I chose you because you're the one I chose.
26:32Not because Ares threw me away.
26:34Not because Hermes didn't need me.
26:35Not because everyone else betrayed me.
26:37Because that night in the hallway, you, you healed my wrist and told no one.
26:41Because you could have left any time.
26:43You stayed three months.
26:44Because you never once asked what I could give you.
26:46I pause.
26:47You're the only one who just asked if I wanted to go with you.
26:51Hades is silent for a long moment.
26:53Then he reaches across the table.
26:55His hand covers mine.
26:57The one still dripping blood.
26:58His blood and my blood mix together.
27:02Falling into the ruins.
27:04The sky flips.
27:06The river of Oath flows backwards.
27:09A low roar tears through ten thousand years of silence.
27:13The contract seals.
27:16Once you're in the underworld, there's no turning back.
27:18I look at him.
27:19I was never planning to.
27:21Good.
27:21He pulls me close.
27:23Our still bleeding hands tangled together.
27:26You kissed me back there in front of everyone.
27:28Didn't know my bride was that bold.
27:31Get used to it.
27:33He laughs.
27:34The underworld doesn't have sunrises.
27:37I've stopped counting time by light.
27:40But here, time moves differently.
27:44Heavy.
27:45Slow.
27:46Like the air itself wants you to sit in it.
27:50I'm in my chamber.
27:52The one Hades had prepared before I even arrived.
27:55Black silk curtains.
27:58A bed that swallows you whole.
28:00Candles that never burn down.
28:03I'm braiding my hair when the door opens.
28:05Hades walks in.
28:06No announcement.
28:08No warning.
28:08His hand is behind his back.
28:10You're staring.
28:12Maybe.
28:14Staring is creepy.
28:16You married creepy.
28:18I snort.
28:20He crosses the room.
28:21Stops right behind me.
28:23His reflection in the dark mirror.
28:26Tall.
28:27Still.
28:28Close your eyes.
28:29Why?
28:30Why?
28:31He says it like a reminder.
28:32Close your eyes.
28:33I close them.
28:35Cold weight against my collarbone.
28:37My breath catches.
28:39My fingers fly up.
28:42Touch the pendant.
28:43The chain.
28:44The worn spot on the clasp that I've traced a thousand times since I was a child.
28:49My mother's necklace.
28:51I open my eyes.
28:53Stare at him in the mirror.
28:55How?
28:56Eris handed it over.
28:58His voice is flat.
28:59Casual.
29:00He just...
29:01Handed it over?
29:03After some convincing.
29:05What kind of convincing?
29:06I ask nicely.
29:08His mouth twitches.
29:10Hades!
29:11He asked for a jewel.
29:12I gave him one.
29:14He shrugs.
29:15It was short.
29:16Short.
29:17I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
29:19My hand is still clutching the necklace.
29:21Hades reaches out.
29:23I didn't even realize I was crying.
29:25You said you didn't need me to fight your battles.
29:28I didn't ask you to.
29:29No.
29:30You didn't.
29:31He tilts my chin up.
29:33You married the Lord of the Underhill.
29:34He doesn't wait for permission.
29:37That's a terrible excuse.
29:39It's not an excuse.
29:40His eyes hold mine.
29:42It's a warning.
29:44I don't look away.
29:45Warning received.
29:48Good.
29:49He leans down.
29:50Presses his lips to the necklace.
29:52To my collarbone.
29:54To the hollow of my throat.
29:56One more thing.
29:57What?
29:59The necklace wasn't the surprise.
30:01I pull back.
30:02Look at him.
30:03He reaches into his robe.
30:05Pulls out a scroll.
30:06The surprise is what Eris admitted.
30:08Before the duel ended.
30:09I take the scroll.
30:11Unroll it.
30:12Three lines.
30:13Eris handwriting.
30:15Shaky.
30:16Like it hurts to write.
30:17I read it three times.
30:19Then I set it on fire with a flick of my fingers.
30:22Don't need it anymore.
30:24No, you don't.
30:25Hades watches me, his eyes burning in the dark.
30:28The summons comes three days later.
30:30Olympus calls for a formal severance.
30:33Old laws.
30:34Old rules.
30:36Before a goddess marries into another realm, all prior bonds must be broken in public record.
30:43Witnessed.
30:44Signed.
30:45Sealed.
30:46Ridiculous.
30:48I've already signed the underworld contract.
30:50Sealed it with blood.
30:52By the old laws, I shouldn't have to do this at all.
30:56But Zeus insists.
30:58Zeus wants the spectacle.
30:59Wants Olympus to see what it lost.
31:01Wants to remind everyone that the lord of the underheld didn't steal a dried.
31:04Olympus threw her away first.
31:07Up to you.
31:08We can ignore it, or we can go.
31:10Let's go.
31:11His mouth curves.
31:12That's my wife.
31:13The Hall of Oaths, Olympus, same hall where Ares humiliated me at the banquet, where Apollo
31:20snapped my wrist, where Hermes stood silent while I fell.
31:25Now I walk in with the king of the underworld at my side.
31:30The hall goes quiet.
31:31Gods and goddesses step back.
31:33Not just fear, something else, something like awe.
31:38Ares, pale, his sword hand bandaged.
31:41The hand Hades broke in that short duel.
31:45Hermes.
31:45Eyes swollen.
31:47Red.
31:47He hasn't slept.
31:49He looks like he hasn't slept in days.
31:51Apollo.
31:52Arm in a sling.
31:53His face blank.
31:55But his jaw is tight enough to crack teeth.
31:57In chains.
31:58My adoptive father.
31:59Brought up from the mortal realm by underworld guards.
32:03His crimes.
32:04Fraud.
32:05Abuse.
32:06Theft.
32:06The old household.
32:08All of it.
32:09Laid bare in front of the court.
32:12And in the corner.
32:13Chloe.
32:14Not in chains.
32:15But her face is grey.
32:16I walk to the table.
32:18Hades stays at my back.
32:21The bonds shall be read.
32:23The severance shall be witnessed.
32:27Let it begin.
32:28Ares stands first.
32:31He looks at me.
32:32His mouth opens.
32:34Closes.
32:35Opens again.
32:37Thea.
32:37His voice cracks on my name.
32:39Actually cracks.
32:42I.
32:43Just read the bond, Ares.
32:45His hand shakes as he unrolls the scroll.
32:47I, Ares, god of war, do hereby acknowledge the severance of all bonds with Thea.
32:52Bonds of promise.
32:53Bonds of obligation.
32:54Bonds of.
32:55He stops.
32:56Swallows.
32:57Bonds of love.
32:59Unspoken.
33:00Unfulfilled.
33:01Regretted.
33:02I was wrong.
33:03I was wrong about everything.
33:05I thought you'd always be there.
33:06I thought strength meant control.
33:07I thought, I thought teaching you those tricks meant you'd know how to protect yourself.
33:11I didn't realize I was the one you needed protection from.
33:14I'm sorry.
33:15That's all.
33:16Just sorry.
33:16It's not enough.
33:17I know it's not enough, but it's all I have.
33:19I say nothing.
33:21He sits down like his legs gave out.
33:24Hermes stands next.
33:52He doesn't unroll his scroll.
33:55I told myself it wasn't my business.
33:56I told myself you were strong enough to handle it.
33:59I told myself you'd forgive me because you always did.
34:02Every time.
34:03You always forgave me.
34:04He finally looks me in the eye.
34:06I was a coward.
34:08I owe you everything, and I gave you nothing.
34:11He can't finish the reading.
34:13He just signs the scroll with a trembling hand and sits down, crumples.
34:18I was jealous.
34:19The hall stirs.
34:21Jealous that Ares had you.
34:22Jealous that you looked at him and never at me.
34:24Jealous that you were stronger than all of us and you didn't even know it.
34:26I broke your wrist because I couldn't stand it.
34:28That you still held your head up.
34:30That you still had dignity when we were all trying so hard to strip it from you.
34:33He pauses.
34:34I'm a healer.
34:35I took an oath to do no harm.
34:37He looks at his own arm in this link.
34:40Hades snapped it in two places.
34:43I asked him to leave it unhealed.
34:46A reminder.
34:47Finally, he picks up the scroll.
34:50Reads it in one breath.
34:51Signs it.
34:52Sits.
34:53Doesn't ask for forgiveness.
34:56Doesn't deserve it.
34:57I turn to the hall.
34:59To Zeus.
35:00To all of them.
35:01Severance is complete.
35:03Witness.
35:04Signed.
35:05Signed.
35:05I walk back to Hades.
35:07He doesn't say anything.
35:09Just takes my hand.
35:10Lifts it to his lips.
35:12Presses a kiss to my necklace.
35:14You done?
35:15How?
35:16Done.
35:17Good.
35:18He pulls me into his side.
35:20Let's go home.
35:20Home.
35:21The underworld.
35:22The dark.
35:23The silence.
35:25The only place that has ever felt like mine.
35:28We walk out of the hall together.
35:30Behind us.
35:31Silence.
35:31Not the silence of power.
35:34The silence of loss.
35:36The kind that stretches on and on.
35:38The kind you never stop hearing.
35:41The doors close.
35:43The story ends.
35:45And I'm finally free.
35:47This is super weird.
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