Chapter 24

Hades

I fucking hated Azrael. I wasn’t alone in my disdain for the angel of death. The white-winged angels also hated him, but I was certain we had different reasons. The others looked down on Azrael’s position—something I’d never understood. There was no denying Azrael served an important purpose. Not all souls simply passed on to the next life. Many needed a guide, especially those who realized they were in for an unpleasant eternity. Azrael was their guide, even when they tried to resist. I didn’t like Azrael because he was an asshole, not because of what he did.

If he didn’t put any effort into his appearance, Azrael was beautiful, with long blond hair and striking blue eyes. Since he didn’t like the angelic image, he went to great lengths to mask it. His hair was dyed black, and he often dressed in dark clothes that looked like they’d been pulled from a dumpster.

When he arrived at Lucifer’s home, he had on faded jeans that might have been black at one point, steel-toed boots with spikes on them, and a trench coat with several holes in it. He was shirtless to make it easier for him to strip out of his coat and let his wings out.

“What did you want to see me about?” Lucifer asked Azrael.

Before responding, Azrael dropped down onto the sofa and sighed. “Forget what I originally came here for. That matter can wait for another day. Tell me it’s not true.”

I decided to let Lucifer deal with Azrael’s strange question since he had more patience than I did.

Lucifer sat across from Azrael and picked up his glass of whiskey. “What exactly are you asking me to confirm or deny?”

Rather than responding to Lucifer, Azrael’s eyes locked with mine. “Did Poseidon kill my granddaughter?”

“Where did you hear that from?” I asked. Few people knew what we’d discovered from Demira. What he’d heard wasn’t true, but why would someone have told Azrael about Demira’s sister if they didn’t know my Persephone’s connection to him?

“Hermes,” he replied. “According to him, he was repeating fallen angel gossip.”

“You have no clue where the gossip originated from?” Lucifer asked with obvious doubt. “This could be important.”

“Answer my question first,” Azrael practically growled.

“No,” Lucifer replied. “She wasn’t your granddaughter.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” he demanded.

“Her half-sister is your granddaughter,” Lucifer admitted.

I glared at him, not sure why he’d reveal that to Azrael.

“He wasn’t going to stop looking into this until he discovered how the rumor had started,” Lucifer told me.

I hated that he was right. “We need to find out who started this rumor. It’s possible Hermes was told to feed this information to you.”

“Something tells me there’s more going on here,” Azrael remarked.

“A lot more,” I replied. “Vague threats were made against Persephone by some dickheads on Olympus.”

“Persephone?” His shock was genuine. “You’ve kidnapped my granddaughter?”

I might have been offended by his suggestion if my history didn’t support his assumption. “Not this one,” was my quiet reply.

“Hades won’t hurt your great-granddaughter,” Lucifer explained.

“I take it you want to be involved with her,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual.

He shrugged. “I just learned I have a granddaughter and a great-granddaughter. Where are they?”

“Both are here,” Lucifer replied.

“I’m not sure either is interested in meeting you yet.” My eyes were locked with Azrael’s when I made that statement. I wanted to gauge his reaction, and I was surprised by what I saw. Azrael looked oddly hurt, but he quickly masked that emotion.

“I assume they aren’t excited about being related to the angel of death,” was Azrael’s grumbled response.

I had to bite back a laugh at his assumption. “Demira is afraid of angels, mostly because of me.”

“I wonder why,” Azrael muttered in a dry tone.

“It boggles the mind,” I replied.

Lucifer laughed. “Was that a genuine attempt at humor, Hades?”

“I can make jokes.” I recognized my own lie. Even before my curse, no one would have described me as funny.

Azrael brought the subject back to Persephone and Demira. “I suppose Persephone also fears angels.”

I grinned and shook my head, amused by the absurdity of anyone thinking Persephone was that timid. “Persephone’s curiosity generally wins out over any apprehension she might feel. She is something else.”

“As you can see, Hades is quite fond of your great-granddaughter,” Lucifer said with a grin. “You’re practically family.”

“Don’t even think about referring to me as your grandfather.” Azrael stood as he made that warning. “I’m not happy about your involvement with one of my granddaughters. I also want to meet them both. Now.”

“What happened to you being unsure?” I asked.

“I can’t shake my curiosity,” he admitted. “I have no clue who I impregnated or why she kept this hidden from me.”

“You likely weren’t easy to find,” Lucifer suggested.

Azrael nodded. “That’s true enough, but she obviously didn’t want this getting back to me or it would have. The family is avoiding angels for a reason. I’m wondering if one of the white-winged assholes knew about this and made sure the mother of my child wouldn’t try to find me. You’ve also mentioned Persephone may be in danger. If that’s the case, there’s no time for me to mull this over. If she needs my protection, I’ll be here for her.”

“I can keep her safe,” I ground out.

“She’s my great-granddaughter,” Azrael snarled.

“Why don’t the two of you head over to one of my training rooms to work off some of this aggression?” Lucifer suggested. “It’s starting to piss me off.”

I grinned, more than happy to take Lucifer’s suggestion.