Steve McHugh - Born of Hatred

"Bellerophon I've met a few times. He was always full of anger."

"He started to believe his own press, and eventually he challenged Zeus. Twice. The first time, Zeus beat him with a warning never to cross him again. The second time, Zeus was not so kind. He almost killed Bellerophon, probably would have, too, if not for Poseidon. It left Bellerophon a bitter and twisted man."

"I killed a ghoul today," I said, wanting to get the conversation away from the past and back to events closer to our current time.

Hades fell silent, but didn't turn to look at me. "I know, you've already told me. You've done that before, though."

"With magic, Hades. I killed a ghoul with magic."

That got his attention. "Are you sure?"

"I burnt his head clean off. I'm very sure he was dead."

"They can heal-"

" He didn't," I interrupted. "Hades, I killed a ghoul with fire magic. How is that possible?"

"It certainly requires some investigation."

"And I healed from being stabbed by a silver dagger in a matter of hours."

Hades raised one eyebrow. "Before it happened did you feel anything, a surge of strength or light-headedness?"

"I'd been stabbed. I was pretty much focused on the not bleeding to death portion of the day."

"Think, Nate. It's important."

I dredged my mind for anything that might prove useful. "I felt something before I punched out a werewolf with one hit. A sort of cold rage."

"Did you use magic?"

"Nope, so it sort of stuck in my mind."

Hades made a sound that was a cross between being interested and concerned. "I'll look into it. There are a few possibilities that could account for why these things happened."

"Such as?"

"When you first contacted me after recovering your memories, you mentioned that your blood magic glyphs are vanishing. It's possible that these events could be due to surges of power. Maybe one of the glyphs locked away the abilities of a parent. It sounds like some form of necromancy."

Much like Kasey, it was fairly common for someone to have the abilities of both parents. Although it's largely dependent on the species involved, it's certainly possible that the cursed blood glyphs that had marked me for so long had blocked my access to abilities I'd never even known I'd had.

"Can you look into it for me?" I asked. "I'd rather not have any more surprises."

"I can have you do some tests, but now might not be the best time to do that. We should wait until this lich has been dealt with."

"I have another favour to ask. I need access to the Silver Room."

To his credit Hades didn't ask if I was sure, or if he could help. He just removed his mobile phone, calling someone to inform them that the room would need to be ready. "Is tonight okay with you?" he asked me once he'd finished talking.

"Thanks," I said.

"Have you told your friend what you plan on doing?"

I shook my head, but I knew that when I did tell him, that Tommy was going to start yelling.

The rest of the day flew by as Tommy, Kasey and I spent time with Hades, Persephone and various members of their staff and entourage. For a while, I even forgot about what was happening back home, the death and horror that would be waiting for us when we returned. I had no illusions about what needed to be done, the ghouls and lich needed to be hunted and exterminated.

I left the four of them to talk and exited the large room, using a door by some bay windows to step out into the darkness beyond. I needed some air, some time to think.

A few minutes later the door opened behind me. "A penny for your thoughts," Persephone said.

"It gets so dark here. There's no street lights for miles. It's quite soothing."

"You sound like Hades."

A smile parted my lips.

"You want to use the Silver Room."

"Hades told you, I assume."

"He's my husband. You don't get to stay married for thousands of years by keeping secrets."

"I wouldn't have thought you could do it by pissing off the mother-in-law either."

Persephone laughed. "My mother is her own worst enemy. She's the one who decided Hades wasn't good enough. She can deal with that loss. Or rather, she doesn't deal with it and still holds a grudge. I heard she had some things to say to you the last time you met."

It was my turn to laugh. "Demeter didn't find it amusing when I didn't do as I was told. Oh, and she hates Hades. That sort of soured any potential friendship."

"She's good at that." Persephone was quiet for a short time, as the cold wind silently swept around us. "So, what were you really thinking about?"

"A lich is running around the south of England. I can't think how it's going to end well."

"And going into that accursed room will help?"

"I know you don't approve of it."

"People have died in there, or been driven mad. I understand why my husband keeps it, it's saved lives, too, but that doesn't mean I like it."

"I've had these glyphs on my chest for as long as I can remember. And no one could ever tell me what they did. But now they're disappearing one at a time. And the power I can access has increased. I can feel it whenever I use magic, but I need to know what I'm capable off. The Silver Room is the only place I can do that safely."

"For everyone else."

"I can't risk hurting anyone."

"Hades says you'll be fine, that you've used it before. His assurances do little to curb my unhappiness at what you're going to do."

"If it's any consolation, I'm not thrilled about it."

Persephone kissed me softly on the cheek. "No, Nate, it's no consolation at all."

"What's the Silver Room?" Kasey asked as she stepped out of the house.

"You really should make noise when you walk around, has anyone ever told you that?" I told her.

"Dad says he's going to make me wear a bell," she said with a smile. "What's the Silver Room?"

"That's sort of complicated," I said.

"My parents say that when they don't want to tell me something. Guess how well it works for them?"

Persephone laughed.

"You're a big help," I said to her, which caused her to laugh more, drawing Hades and Tommy outside to join us.

"Dad, what's the Silver Room?"

Tommy's expression hardened. "Let me guess, Nate will be using it."

"Is someone going to answer my question?" Kasey demanded.

"It's a large room on the lowest floor of this building," Hades said. "It allows people to use their magic to the fullest extent of their abilities to ascertain what they're capable of."

"It forces people to use magic," Tommy said. "They keep using their magic until they can't use it anymore, and they collapse from exhaustion." Tommy left the words or worse hanging between us all. "Is this why you called Hades? To use that damn room?"

"No," I said. "But I need to use it. And you know I do."

Tommy's eyes softened slightly. "Doesn't mean I like it."

"I agree with Tommy, Nate," Persephone said. "This is a danger that you don't need to put yourself in."

"It's dangerous?" Kasey asked.

"It can be," I said. "If you try to push yourself past your limits, or you allow your magic to consume you. But neither of those things will happen to me."

"You can't say that-" Tommy started.

I cut Tommy off before he could finish. "I am not some child who has no control over his magic, Tommy. I know the risks, and they're worth it. I need to know what I can do, how far I can push myself."

No one spoke for a time, leaving only tension to fill the void. "When are you going to do it?" Tommy asked with a sigh.

"Whenever Nate is ready," Hades said.

"Let's get on with it then," I said. "The sooner we start, the sooner it'll be over."

Tommy, Kasey and Persephone all went upstairs, although none of them were happy about it. Either because they were annoyed that I was risking my health and sanity, or, in Kasey's case, because they were really interested in what all the fuss was about.