“How?” Seolhyun asked, stunned.

Persephone smiled. “Chanmi and I were supposed to go eat at seven, and when she cancelled on me I knew something was up.”

Seolhyun looked at Chanmi slowly.

She shrugged. “It’s not my fault she’s observant.”

“And very bored when my husband is in Olympus. Chanmi keeps me company.”

Seolhyun so hoped it was the platonic type of company, because Hades wasn’t known for his forgiving nature.

“Guards, you may leave us now.” When they hesitated, Persephone laughed. “I am fine. Please leave and do not speak of this to anyone.”

One by one, they filed out of the room, sword guy eyeing Hyejeong like he wanted to slice her other cheek. Hyejeong held his stare as a smirk crossed her lips.

Well.

Once the palace doors closed behind them, Persephone clapped her hands together. “I asked a few questions of a little Nyx, which was Apollo’s, who had come into the Underworld just a few days ago. And it doesn’t take a wild guess to figure out it had something to do with his lineage.”

“It’s Nymph,” Chanmi corrected as she tugged down her hood and pulled off her cap.

She frowned. “Anyway, I figured it had something to do with you… and I had a choice. Call my husband and he’d come rushing home. I’m sure it will prove something very interesting.”

Hyejeong shifted beside Seolhyun, clearly caught as off-guard as Seolhyun was. She glanced at Chanmi and whispered, “Can we trust her?”

Chanmi nodded. “She’s pretty cool, and actually this makes my job so much easier.”

The Goddess raised a delicate eyebrow. “Do tell?”

“I need to call at the Ethereal Waters.”

Ethereal Waters? Seolhyun had never heard of such a thing, and from the look on Hyejeong’s face, neither had she.

“And why would you need to use the Ethereal Waters?” she asked, folding slender arms under her s, like she needed help drawing attention to them. “If you would like to see someone, Chanmi, you only have to ask.”

“I know.” Chanmi dropped an arm over Seolhyun’s shoulders, and the gaping hole that had been there since she’d died filled. “But it’s not for me. It’s for them. They need to use it.”

Persephone was quiet for a long moment. “Who do they wish to call upon?”

“Solaris,” Seolhyun answered. The Ethereal Waters suddenly made sense… calling a soul to you. “We need to talk to Solaris.”

“Because of what is happening topside with the First?” she asked again.

Seolhyun nodded.

Her bright gaze slid to Chanmi. “And what did you plan to do? Sneak them in here to use it?”

“That was the plan.”

Persephone shook her head. “If my husband were home and you were to do something so unwise, I would not be able to stay his hand.”

A shiver danced down Seolhyun’s spine. The last thing she wanted was for Chanmi to get into damnest trouble.

“I know,” Chanmi replied, squeezing Seolhyun’s shoulders. “But they are worth the risk, and Solaris could possibly hold information to stop the First. And that’s what Hades wants, right? That’s what the Gods want?”

“Most of them,” Persephone murmured, her gaze slipping back to Seolhyun, and then to Hyejeong. “But not all, it appears.”

Something struck Seolhyun. “Do you know who the God is– the one who’s helping Jimin and Jonghyun?”

Persephone picked a glossy curl and twirled it around one elegant finger. “If I knew such a thing, then that God would be taken care of. But I am rarely on Olympus and have little interest in the politics of who pissed off whom enough to end the world as we know it this time around.”

Hyejeong cleared . “This happens quite a bit, then?”

Persephone smiled, and when she smiled, even Seolhyun lost her breath. “More than you will ever know. The world has been on the brink of total devastation several times over for one reason or another. But now… it is like when we faced the Titans. It has gone beyond a few pretty words used to gloss over a perceived insult.” She let out a little sigh. “But anyway, I have very little to do, and if this Solaris can be of some help to you, then she will be of some help to my husband. Follow me.”

As she turned gracefully on her heel, Seolhyun was too shocked to move at first. Persephone helping them was not something she’d planned on.

Hyejeong smiled. “This is good.”

“Way good.” Seolhyun turned to Chanmi. “You rock.”

“I know.” Chanmi pulled her in for a quick, tight hug. “Missed you.”

Holding her close, Seolhyun swallowed the happy tears. “I missed you more.”

Chanmi hugged her for three seconds longer, and then pulled away. “Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.”

The three of them followed behind the Goddess. Poor Hyejeong was trying to look everywhere but at Persephone, but underneath it all, she was so gay. Strangely, Seolhyun wasn’t jealous, probably more amused than anything else, because Hyejeong was doing her hardest to keep her eyes north.

Slipping her hand around hers, Seolhyun squeezed. When Hyejeong’s gaze flicked to hers, she grinned and Hyejeong gave her a lopsided smile of apology.

As they headed down a long dark hallway, Chanmi watched Hyejeong and Seolhyun, a strange look on her face.

“What?” Seolhyun asked.

She shook her head. “You guys are really doing this, the relationship, out in the open and all?”

Hyejeong’s hand wrapped more firmly around Seolhyun’s. “I think right now the world has bigger problems than a Genuine and a Myx being in love.”

Seolhyun’s heart did a happy dance at the last part. Just hearing Hyejeong say that, the L-word, could chase away all the dark shadows and expectations.

Persephone’s throaty chuckle drifted back to them. “Isn’t that the truth? Besides, they are not the first, nor the last.”

Chanmi’s eyes settled on Hyejeong. “And you’re not going to try to hide the relationship once everything settles down?”

The challenge in Hyejeong’s tone had Seolhyun smiling. “Not going to happen,” she told her. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll find a way.”

“Good.” Chanmi’s eyes hardened. “Because if you do her wrong, I will haunt your until you die.”

Seolhyun burst into laughter and so did Hyejeong, even though they both knew Chanmi was being serious. Letting go of Hyejeong’s hand, Seolhyun wrapped her arm around Chanmi. “That won’t be necessary.”

Persephone stopped in front of a bronze door. With a wave of her hand, it sprang open. Good thing she was helping them out, because Seolhyun had no idea how Chanmi would’ve pulled that off.

At the rush of cold air, they stepped into the circular chamber. There were so many weapons on the wall; battle axes, spears, swords, and pikes. There were morbid items too, like the heads of long-forgotten animals slaughtered in the hunt and an entire section dedicated to cutoff ponytails.

Seolhyun cleared . “Nice… room.”

“It’s Hades’ war room.” Awe filled Hyejeong’s tone. “Damn.”

“The weapons are my husband’s, but…” Persephone slid a dismissive glance around the war room. “These are mostly Ares’ trophies, not my beloved’s. Hades does have a tendency to swing a little on the morbid side, but the hair…” She gestured at the sheared ponytails tacked onto the wall. “Those belong to Ares. He likes to cut the hair of those he’s conquered and then strings them up for all to see. It disturbs most of the other Gods, so he keeps them here.”

Chanmi’s brows rose. “Nice decorative touch, I guess.”

There was something eerily familiar about the hair. Not the whole cutting it off and hanging it on walls, because, thank the Gods, that was strange to Seolhyun. But there was something that poked at her memory.

“You know Ares,” Persephone said, drawing them further into the war room. “To him, everything is about war and its spoils. Peace practically weakens him. He believes one should never turn his back on war…” she trailed off and gave a graceful shrug. “He should be thrilled now, with everything on the brink.”

“He’s probably a happy camper,” Chanmi said, sliding Seolhyun a ‘WTF’ glance.

Seolhyun shrugged, but that weird sensation was there, nagging at her. Did Persephone mean never turn their back on Ares, or just on war itself?

“Here we are.” She stopped in front of a marble pedestal. Demonic faces were etched into the marble of the basin and ruby-red water filled it. “All you have to do is stand before it and call for the soul you wish to speak to, any soul, and they will be summoned here.”

“Any soul?” Seolhyun’s breath caught as an image of her mother filled her head.

“Yes, but I can only allow you to use it once. So choose wisely.” Persephone giggled. “It looks like a Pensieve. I feel like I’m in Harry Potter and the Deathly Goblet of the Phoenix.”

Hyejeong cast her gaze to the floor, jaw flexing to hide her grin.

Chanmi rolled her eyes. “It’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and the Pensieve was used to review stored memories. Not summon some spirits.”

“Oh.” Persephone shrugged. “Same thing.”

Seolhyun’s gaze dipped to the basin. Her mom’s name was on the tip of her tongue, and she knew without looking at Hyejeong that she was thinking about her parents, too. Either of them would probably give anything to see them, especially after how wrong the spirits had been at the portal.

Persephone’s gaze turned knowing. “Ah, the chance to see a loved one is a hard one to pass over.”

“You would know,” Hyejeong said quietly.

Her smile slowly faded. “I would. Perhaps some find me selfish for the decisions I have made and the impact they have had.”

Recalling the myth of Persephone, Seolhyun shook her head. “No. You were smart. You made sure that both could have you… Hades and your mom.”

If the Goddess felt smug for how it all turned out in the end, the whole splitting of time and the seasons, she didn’t show it. Surprising, since the Gods weren’t a humble bunch of folks.

Turning back to the basin, Persephone clasped her hands in front of her. “It is time to make your choice, and then you must leave.”

Seolhyun looked at Hyejeong, who nodded. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes, reflecting what Seolhyun knew shone in hers. Chanmi placed a hand on Seolhyun’s shoulder. As much as she wanted to see her mom, as much as she wanted to gift Hyejeong with the chance to see her parents, neither of them could be that selfish.

Stepping up to the basin, Seolhyun stared into the still red water that reminded her of blood. Actually, it was thick like blood, and there was a faint metallic scent.

A second passed, and then she said, “Solaris.”

Nothing happened at first, and then the water rippled as if Seolhyun had blown a soft breath upon it. Part of her expected Solaris’ face to appear in the basin, but the water settled again. Then there was a sudden fissure of energy that crawled up the walls and rolled over the floors. Tiny hairs on her body rose and a shudder worked its way across her. There was a soft gasp of surprise and she turned.

Solaris had arrived.

***

When they’d stepped into the Underworld, they really hadn’t known what to expect. The same could be said for Solaris. Seolhyun had really had no clue, and still she was blown away.

Solaris stood directly in front of Chanmi and she looked a lot better than Seolhyun had thought she would. For some reason, she’d expected that Solaris and the First would be serving it up in Tartarus, but her white gown was pristine and intact. Silvery-blonde hair, long and wispy, settled over thin shoulders. She was tall and slender and her eyes were like hers… a bright amber color. Her delicate, porcelain features reminded Seolhyun of a frail, exotic flower, which she hadn’t been expecting.

She was the complete opposite of Seolhyun.

Solaris looked around the room, her pale brows rising as she took in where she was. Surprise and a little bit of fear flitted across her face, but when her eyes landed on Seolhyun, a keen understanding seeped into those ashen eyes.

A sense of familiarity washed over Seolhyun, mirrored in her expression.

Striding forward, Solaris stopped a mere foot from her, her head tilted inquisitively. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “You are the Elpis.”

There wasn’t much time for Seolhyun to figure out how she knew what she was. “I’m one of them.”

Another flicker of surprise shot across her face, quickly followed by sorrow. “So there are two again?”

Seolhyun nodded.

She glanced over her shoulder. “And neither of these are the First. I can tell. One of them is dead. One of them is a Genuine.”

Seolhyun ignored Chanmi’s offended look. “The First isn’t here.”

Solaris faced her, brows knitted. “You have Awakened. I can see the marks of the Elpis.”

“You can?” Seolhyun glanced down, surprised to find that her visible skin was all marked up. She hadn’t even felt them.

“How can you be Awakened and not be with the First? You are not dead.”

Yet. “It’s complicated. That’s why we’ve come to talk to you.”

“Oh.” The sorrow deepened and her lashes swept down. “She is like mine?”

Everyone in the room, even Persephone, was fixated on Solaris, but she seemed completely unaware of them now. Seolhyun took a breath and fought the sudden tightening in . The grief rolling off Solaris was palpable.

“Yes.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “She is like yours.”

Twisting away, Solaris wrapped her arms around herself. “Then there is nothing that I can do for you.”

Seolhyun stared at her. “But we haven’t asked anything.”

“If she has lost herself to the Alch, to the call of Ether, there is nothing to be done.” Her chin tipped down, causing her hair to slip forward, shielding her face. “And there is nothing to be done for you. I tried… but the power transferred.”

“Wait.” Seolhyun stepped toward, pushing down on the frustration roaring inside her. “I haven’t transferred my power to her. She’s only the Elpis. Not the God Killer.”

Solaris stiffened. “That’s not possible.”

“It is. I haven’t been near her since I Awakened. There is something about the Alch and Ether with her, but she’s still just the Elpis.” Seolhyun paused, drawing in a long breath. “I need to know how to stop the transfer.”

She remained quiet.

“And I think, I know, that you know how to do it.”

Solaris’ head swung toward her. “There is no way. I blocked that knowledge so no other Elpis could learn it.”

“Well… I saw something when I Awakened. You turned to her, tried to stop her. You knew how, but the Order found you first.”

Solaris laughed a dry, harsh laugh. “Is that what history tells you?”

Seolhyun glanced at Persephone, figuring she’d know, but the Goddess looked as confused as she felt. “But I saw it–”

“Did you? The Awakening is what the previous Elpises wish for you to see. At the moment of your death, when it does come, you will implant your memories. Some of them may be as you wished to see them, but not how they truly existed.”

Does Jimin know that? “What happened, then?”

Her lashes swept down again. “When I first met her, she wasn’t like she was in the end. She was a beautiful, kind girl who just happened to be the Elpis.” A small, sad smile pulled at her lips. “We really didn’t understand any of it. We were the first to exist in the same generation. She didn’t even understand why she came to find me. It was like she was drawn and I didn’t understand what was happening when I Awakened. The pain… I thought I was dying.”

Seolhyun winced, unable to imagine going through that without Hyejeong and without any knowledge of what was happening.

“But when we met, it was like it was destined. For many months, we got… we got to know each other. I do not think even the Gods knew what could happen.” A distant look crept into Solaris’ eyes, not quite overshadowing a pain that still hadn’t healed. “She seemed to grow more powerful the longer we were around each other, able to harness Ether with little effort, and she would not grow tired. But she was more unstable. Never toward me, but I knew… I knew that it was because of me. There was a situation…”

Seolhyun’s stomach sank as her gaze flickered to Hyejeong.

“A large group of Demons had attacked one of the Ephensys and during the battle, she… pulled from me. The power she displayed was unimaginable. The Council grew concerned and then… then I met the Oracle.”

Ah, the Oracle strikes again.

“The Oracle told me what would happen. That the First would pull all of my power from me and she would attack the Council. I didn’t believe her, because that would be insane.” Solaris laughed softly. “But she was insistent that I stop her. That if I could not find it in my heart to kill what I loved most, then I must take the power.”

Seolhyun’s breath caught, and the walls seemed to do a whirl.

“I never thought she would act, but the Council moved against us. They wanted us separated, and neither of us, in our naive selfishness, could bear such a thought. We left the safety of the Council and we went out on our own.” Solaris shook her head. “They followed, sending their most skilled Linuses. When they didn’t succeed, Thanatos’ Order came.” She swallowed thickly. “She threatened the Council then, and I knew what the Oracle had said was all coming true. She had given me the means to stop her, but it was too late.”

Seolhyun bit her lip. “What did she do?”

Her eyes met Seolhyun’s. “She would’ve never done it if the allure of the power hadn’t overtaken her. But it did. Before I could stop her, she drew from me. There was a moment, immediately after she took my power, when she was not yet able to channel it… and the Order attacked. The rest… the rest is history.”

Seolhyun didn’t know what to say. Sorrow rode the back of . It was obvious that Solaris had loved her First, so much so that not once did she speak her actual name. Seolhyun couldn’t bring herself to ask just to satisfy her own curiosity, because she knew speaking it would only bring her more pain.

“I’m sorry.” It was all she could say.

Solaris nodded. “What is your First doing?”

Seolhyun told her everything. The destruction, the impending war, and the hope that somehow they could stop history from repeating itself. If she was surprised, she didn’t show it. Solaris simply walked up to her.

“I blocked it from her and from the other Elpises,” Solaris said again. “I’m not sure how you even saw it. Perhaps it was Fate?”

“Perhaps.”

“It’s simpler than you think.” Solaris reached out, placing her cold hand over Seolhyun’s right one. “You must follow the order of the marks as they appeared on you. The original.” She squeezed Seolhyun’s right hand, “θάρρος. Bravery.”

Then she cupped her hand around Seolhyun’s left. “Ισχύς. Strength.”

Letting go of her hand, she placed hers below Seolhyun’s ribcage, over the navel, “θτοργή. Affection.” Then finally, she reached up and cupped the nape of Seolhyun’s neck, “αήττητο. Invincibility.”

The air went out of Seolhyun’s lungs and Solaris nodded. “You will need to press your flesh to hers and call upon each mark by its true name.”

“Wait,” Hyejeong said. “Isn’t that how she would transfer her power to her?”

Seolhyun already knew, so when Solaris stepped away and turned to Hyejeong, she could barely look at her. “Yes,” she said. “She will have to do it before her First does.”

Hyejeong opened , but there were no words. They had learned how to transfer power and that was something, but it would also be damn near impossible.

“Is that all?” Solaris asked. “I wish to leave.”

Persephone cleared . “I believe so.”

For an instant, Solaris’ eyes met Seolhyun’s and Seolhyun thought she’d be seeing her again. And sooner than she probably expect. She didn’t know where that thought came from, if it was rooted in any real possibility or just paranoia.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Solaris asked, voice low enough for only Seolhyun to hear. “For the power of the God Killer will transfer to you. And though you may feel strong and you may think you can control it, it can warp you, too.”

Seolhyun didn’t respond.

Looking terribly sad, as if she knew this great secret, she sighed. “And for whatever purpose the Gods seek to use you for, once they do, will you be left standing in the end? As the Oracle warned me, there cannot be two of our kind in any generation.”

And then Solaris was gone, but her parting words lingered deep, wrapping their way over Seolhyun’s heart and soul. Her words weren’t a warning, but more of a statement of fact.

Seolhyun glanced down at her left hand and she felt as if her fate had been sealed long before she even knew what she was.

She let out a shaky breath.

“Well, that was depressing.” Chanmi ran a hand through her hair. “If I wasn’t dead already, I’d feel a bit suicidal.”

“No doubt,” Persephone murmured. “But dead people, no offense, tend to be on the depressing side of things.”

Chanmi shrugged. “No offense taken.”

Each time that Seolhyun had seen Chanmi, she hadn’t seemed depressed.

As if she read Seolhyun’s mind that moment, Chanmi smiled. “You told me there was still hope for Jimin.” She scooted over to Seolhyun, seeming so alive it was painful to see. Wrapping her arms around her, Chanmi held her best friend tight. “There’s always hope. Maybe not the kind of hope you’re thinking about, but there is hope. You guys are the ελπίζ after all.”

Seolhyun didn’t understand at first, so she snuggled closer, knowing their time was quickly coming to an end. As she inhaled the fresh scent of Chanmi, she realized she needed to know something that would probably slice her into tiny pieces.

Pulling away, she turned to Persephone. “Where is her First?”

A whole minute passed before she answered. “She is in Tartarus.”

Seolhyun pressed her fingers to before the lump came all the way up. It wasn’t so much the fate of the First, but what it signified. If she succeeded and was able to kill Jimin, her fate would be the same. And so would hers.

Seolhyun was like a koala on Chanmi for the next fifteen minutes or so, while Hyejeong busied herself studying the weapons and Persephone glossed her nails or whatever. While they sat on the floor of the war room, knees pressing together, Chanmi told her about some of the stuff she was doing down here to pass time and Seolhyun told her how much Lisa had wanted to see her. They didn’t talk about what would happen next. Seolhyun was pretty sure that Chanmi was aware of all the crazy stuff going on and neither of them wanted to tarnish these precious minutes.

“Did you tell her what I asked you to?” she asked.

Seolhyun nodded. “She cried, but I think they were happy tears.”

Chanmi’s smile was broad. “I miss her, but can you do me another favor?”

“Anything.” And Seolhyun meant it.

“Don’t tell Lisa that you saw me.”

Seolhyun frowned. “Why?”

“I want her to move o