CHAPTER 85: THREE QUESTIONS

He stared at his hand. It was shaking. Just enough to notice. Too much information had hit him at once. Not the part about not being a demigod—that wasn’t what got to him. It was the part where his father knew... and still chose to die. He knew the consequences of breaking the vow. Knew exactly what it would cost.

And still, he chose to do it anyway.

That truth sank deeper than anything else.

It wasn’t confusion that filled him. It was guilt. Cold. Quiet. Creeping up his spine like a shadow that wouldn’t let go.

Because no matter how many times he tried to push it down, the thought kept crawling back. Stronger. Aggressive.

Maybe his father would still be alive if he had died back then.

Just then, he felt a warm touch on top of his chest. It was warm, comforting, and safe. Something inside him stilled, like everything had started to begin to clear up.

He stared at his hand again. "What are you doing?"

He realized he was falling back into the same place he had when Hades died that day. Letting the guilt take over him again. Letting it rot him from the inside.

"Kael... only you could find a way to disappoint a dead guy," he muttered under his breath.

He straightened himself up. Because the truth didn’t change anything. If anything, it made everything clearer.

Bringing Hades back wasn’t just a goal now. It was his priority.

Hades made a choice. One that cost him his life. One that didn’t just affect him—but Persephone too.

And Kael wasn’t about to waste that choice by drowning in guilt again. Not now. Not when Olympus was after him. Not when his mother’s life was on the line. And not when Liz’s life hung in the balance.

He had watched her die too many times. Helpless. Powerless. Always too late to stop it.

But now... he had the strength to change that. The power to break the curse.

And he wasn’t about to waste it.

Not this time.

He faced the three sisters.

His voice stayed level. But his eyes didn’t flinch.

"I have a few questions," he said.

The sisters smiled. But it wasn’t joy.

It was the kind of smile that didn’t need words—like they already knew how this would end and were just waiting to see the moment he realized it too. Just for their own entertainment.

It wasn’t joy. It was delight. Twisted and knowing. Like they’d been waiting for this moment. It was a deal with a devil.

Like he had just stepped into a deal he didn’t fully understand.

Like he had just smiled at the devil.

"What price are you willing to pay?" they asked in unison.

Kael didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even blink. Deals like this weren’t new to him.

"Today?" he said, letting a faint grin tug at his lips. "I’ve got nothing to give you."

Before they could say anything, he added, making the deal tempting, "But in the future... I’ll offer you the soul of a Titan."

That made them stir. The sisters leaned in close, their lips almost brushing against each other’s ears, whispering. Their voices were too faint to catch what they were saying. Their fingers twitched, like they already smelled blood in the deal. Filled with excitement.

"And if I fail..." Kael’s voice didn’t rise. It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to cut through their whispers. Calm. Cold. Certain.

"You can take mine."

They paused, the thread between them trembling as their heads tilted slightly toward one another.

Kael watched them carefully, then stepped forward. His smile was quiet, but dangerous.

"Think about it," he said. "My soul is one of a kind."

He let the weight of that truth settle before speaking again.

"And a Titan’s soul... well, you know exactly what that’s worth."

He gave them a look. Not pleading. Not desperate. But certain. The kind of look that didn’t ask for approval—it dared you to question it.

"It’s a win-win for you."

Then he paused, just long enough to make them lean in.

"In exchange, I want three questions."

Kael stood still, voice calm but low.

"First question. How do I protect the Underworld from the gods?"

The youngest Fate smiled faintly.

"You cannot seal Olympus out with stone."

The second’s half-withered face remained still.

"But you may twist the path they walk."

The eldest didn’t blink.

"There is one who built a prison so perfect, even gods could not enter it."

The three said together:

"Find King Minos."

He lowered his brows slightly. He didn’t know who that was. The name meant nothing to him. He was about to ask, Who is he?—but stopped himself.

That would count as a question.

And he wasn’t about to waste one.

He took a slow, patient breath.

"Second question. How do I bring back Hades?"

The surrounding grew still. Not just with silence, but hollow.

The youngest didn’t look at him this time.

"We do not hold that answer."

The second’s voice came colder.

"A thread, once cut, unravels backward and forward. Its return is never clean."

The eldest stared straight into him.

"You may pull him from the dark... but what follows may no longer be your father."

Kael’s gut twisted, but he forced his face to stay still.

He wasn’t afraid of monsters. But the idea of bringing Hades back broken, wrong—it felt worse than losing him.

Still, he pressed on.

"Third question." His voice hardened. "Will I be able to save Liz... this time?"

The youngest’s tone softened. Not kind. Just honest.

"To save her once... is mercy."

The second stepped forward slightly.

"To save her always... is defiance."

The eldest’s words were colder than before.

"And defiance, child... is how fate bites back."

Kael didn’t move. Didn’t blink. But the ache behind his ribs returned.

He had failed her before. Again and again. He wasn’t sure how many times he could survive watching her die.

"Let me have one more question," he said, the words slipping out in a rough breath.

There was no pride left in his voice. Just need. Just desperation.

But the sisters didn’t answer.

They only watched him. Still. Silent. Like stone that had already made its decision.

And then—

His eyes snapped open.

He drew in a sharp breath, his chest rose like he’d been underwater.

The dream was gone. The storm, the voices, the weight of prophecy—faded into silence.

He was back.

Back in his bed.

The stone ceiling above him. The cold air of the Underworld. The slow hum of shadows.

And beside him...

Liz.

Her arms were locked around him, glowing faint in the dark.

She clung to him like something had tried to steal him, and almost succeeded.

He realized the warm touch he felt was her, and she was the one who had pulled him back from wherever he’d gone.

Her body was tangled with his. Not forceful. Not afraid.

Just close. Close enough to feel like she wasn’t letting go.

She held him like she was afraid he’d vanish again. Her leg curled over his. Her hand covered his heart, steady and silent, almost protective.

She was warm. Too warm. Like fire pressed to frozen stone. But it was nice. Like he could stay like this forever. But he had work to do.

He tried to move, but nothing happened. Not because he didn’t want to. Because he couldn’t.

His body felt too heavy, like it hadn’t fully returned with him. The dream still clung to him—sharp, unreal. He tried to move, but her arms pulled tighter, as if she didn’t want him to slip away again.

The room wasn’t completely dark, so he vanished. It was the only way for him to get away. And when he reappeared, he was standing outside, in front of his palace.

The air was calm. The silence stretched deep.

To his right, he caught sight of her. His mother.

Persephone.

She moved quietly through the garden, her fingers brushing over the petals as she passed by. She wasn’t tending to them—just feeling their softness beneath her touch.

The river flowed gently between the black stones, calm under the moon’s gaze, like time had forgotten to move.

She was humming again. Soft and low.

The sound barely touched the air, like even her voice wasn’t sure it wanted to exist. It was beautiful.

He had forgotten how beautiful she was. Almost too beautiful for this world, like the light itself had chosen her.

As if everything around her existed only to frame her in that moment.

She looked like she didn’t belong here.

She looked like she belonged to another time.

Another world.

But beneath the melody... there was something else.

Despair.

It hung on every note. Quiet and aching.

Then, without saying a word, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

She froze.

Not out of fear—just surprise. Like she hadn’t expected it. Like she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Her hands lifted halfway, hovering in the air. Caught somewhere between pulling him in... or pulling away.

A long moment passed before she spoke.

Her voice was low, careful.

"...What happened, Kael?" Her voice was quiet, but not soft. It was the voice of someone bracing for the answer, like she wasn’t sure what was going on.

He didn’t answer right away.

He just held her, his eyes closed, his face buried gently into her shoulder.

"Nothing, Mother," he whispered.