The door closed behind him with a hollow sound. The silence that followed was too complete.
Luciana stood still in the quiet chamber, the warmth of his touch lingering on her waist, the scent of fur and earth still clinging faintly to her robe. Her arms, now empty, slowly lowered from where they'd rested on his broad shoulders. He left, and the room seemed to fold in on itself. Dimmer. Quieter.
Hades stirred softly in his crib, gurgling with the innocent delight of discovering his fingers. Luciana smiled faintly and walked over to him, smoothing the fine hair on his tiny head. Her fingers trembled slightly.
She could still feel the weight of Erebus's gaze—the softness of it. The strange vulnerability hidden behind that teasing smirk. The way he'd refused to let her go until she spoke. He'd always been strong, assertive, relentless… but rarely this raw. Rarely this human.
Her heart thudded.
She should be angry. He'd hurt her once, in ways that couldn't be undone. But this man who held her in his arms, who smiled like a boy seeing snow for the first time… was he the same man? Or had war stripped away enough cruelty to let tenderness grow?
She didn't know. And that not knowing unsettled her more than hatred ever did.
------------>
The wind bit his face as he stepped into the courtyard. His soldiers stood lined in formation, their breaths forming fog in the cold morning air. Erebus adjusted the black-and-white fur cloak around his shoulders, his gloved fingers brushing the golden sigil pinned at his collar.
The wolf. The sun. Her hands.
He could still feel the delicate weight of her fingers fastening the clasp. The way she flushed when he teased her. She was so beautiful when she fought to keep her composure—like a flame resisting wind.
He'd nearly said it. He'd wanted to. But even now, he didn't know if he deserved to be loved. What did it mean to demand something sacred from someone he once terrified?
No. He wouldn't ask for that. Not yet.
He mounted his steed with a sharp motion and gave a curt nod. Nemesis, dressed in his little uniform, waved fiercely beside Augusta. Erebus raised a hand in return, his heart heavy and full at once.
The gates opened. His army moved. And behind him, in that quiet chamber, was the only peace he'd ever known.
---
She remembered a different time as she could see his army leave Olympus altogether. Even from the far distance the newly raised banners fluttered vigorously in the claws of the wind.
Back when his shadow alone made her tense. When he entered a room and her spine straightened like a string pulled taut. Back when she feared what he might take, what he might break—not with brute force, but with the calm violence of power.
It was the night she'd first saw him as human.
It had startled her. Not the sound, but the warmth in it. For the first time, she had seen that Erebus—her enemy, her captor—was also someone's son. Someone's brother. A man, not just a weapon.
And yet, she'd hidden her smile then, retreating behind walls she could not afford to lower. Not while her people were still bleeding. Not while his sword still served the enemy Empire.
But things were different now.
She sat in her study as his last words rang in her ears.
"Write me letters. I no longer want to miss the important things like I've already missed."
She decided to write to him.
---
Delivered two weeks after Erebus's departure, through a trusted courier.
> To Erebus,
You left without asking for anything grand. Not even a promise.
That was merciful. Or perhaps cowardly.
Hades has started crawling faster. He fell yesterday and didn't cry. Just laughed as if the world itself was soft. I think he's stronger than me already.
Nemesis keeps asking when you'll return. He's been trying to mimic your war-voice. It's very loud. The guards are too polite to say anything, but I think the stables are offended.
I don't know if you'll read this. I don't know if this matters. But the clasp you wear… it was meant for the victor from their spouse. Even if the ceremony never happens, I wanted you to have it.
Not because you've won.
But because you've changed.
And so have I.
Be safe. Come back.
– L.
As Erebus read the letter, he felt the clasp on his collar.
"So she wanted me to have it." He smiled remembering her trying to reach to his collar to pin it on him.
But Zeraf took the relishing moment to inform him about the demons lurking around their encampment.
"Wipe them off." Erebus said darkly.
Zeraf felt chills from his dark aura.
But he grinned pleased with the orders. It meant they could go all out without hesitation.
"Understood."