They stared at the heavy wooden door as it slammed shut. One moment, Hades was there. The next, he was gone. A presence lingered in the air, hitting Persephone’s senses like a lightning bolt. 

“Don’t,” Hypnos whispered, voice trembling. Unsteady fingers wrapped around her wrist, begging her to stay put.  

“There’s someone out there.” 

“I know,” he croaked. “We can’t do anything until she leaves. We’ll make matters worse if we go now.” 

“Who is it? What do you mean?” Fear slithered through her, a creeping vine wrapping around her heart. She turned to look at him, and her dread deepened. 

“I should have known she’d appear when Pandora left. I saw it, but I was distracted.” He shook his head. If he blamed her, he didn’t press. “I can’t explain, but you’ll see. Five minutes. That’s all I ask. Stay for five minutes.” 

“Is he in danger?” 

“We’re all in danger.” 

Five torturous minutes. Each second was agony, and she didn’t understand why it hurt. Only the seriousness in his tone kept her from moving.  

“Are you prepared to make a deal that’s going to change everything?” Hypnos’s voice startled her. Not his voice. His eyes glazed over; red and blue melted together, eating the sclera whole. “Two paths lie before you. Your freedom or his?” 

“Hypnos?” She touched him, yelping at the pain that followed. His skin was molten. 

She yanked her hand back and stared at the mark branded on her palm–a locket with intricate filigree. The same locket Hades destroyed. It disappeared within seconds, but the burn remained, clinging to her soul. 

Hypnos collapsed to the ground, the scenery around them shuddering in time with the sudden convulsions that rocked his body. His back bowed off the ground, his mouth open at an odd angle, and his eyes rolled back. She screamed his name again as everything disappeared. Blackness stifled her senses as she dropped to her knees, crawling towards the sound of his moans. 

Before she could pull him into her arms, the door creaked open. A beam of blinding light flooded in, and a guttural sound escaped him. His dreamscape expelled her, and her nails scraped along the floor. The door snapped shut when she crossed the threshold, locking the still convulsing Hypnos inside. 

She slammed against the door, throwing her weight against the panel. No answer. Hypnos’s muffled moans filled her ears, and she pounded harder on the door. A familiar scent stilled her fist, and the jolt of electricity rocked through her again. 

She spun away from Hypnos’s door, and her breath caught. Sprawled before the fountain, Hades’ body was posed for attention. One hand crossed over the other, a red lily clasped beneath them. Pomegranate seeds spilled from the flower. He was alive, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. 

Three grains of Slumber sand gathered in the inner corner of his left eye. That was all the evidence she needed. What happened to Hypnos is connected to what happened to Hades. Without them, she didn’t know what to do. 

A tinkling sound caught her attention. It came from the portal that led to Olympus. Having no time to worry about what was on the other side, she stepped through.  

The smell hit her first. Fresh baked bread and burning logs. Aunt Hestia. Opening her eyes, a well-loved living room sprawled before her. A massive, threadbare couch with lace pillows and a fleece blanket sat before the burning hearth. Hundreds of pictures lined every open space. Most were the smiling faces of abandoned children she housed.   

Hestia was the only one on Olympus who didn’t gossip about the Underworld residents. She still held love for Hades, her brother. Of course, Hypnos would feel safe leaving a portal to his realm with her.  

“Sephie?” Hestia’s voice caught her off guard, and she wheeled to face the goddess. Her chestnut hair, graying at the roots, and her soft brown eyes made Persephone want to weep with relief. “Is everything alright, my child?” 

She threw herself into Hestia’s arms before she could think. “Auntie! Everything is a mess! What do I do?” 

Hestia guided her to the worn kitchen table, her hand gentle but firm on her arm. She conjured a cup of chamomile tea and sat across from Persephone. Without pushing, she encouraged her to explain what had happened. Everything spilled out: her anger, fears, everything. 

Everything except Hades’s Champion. 

Your freedom or his. 

The thought echoed through her head. The choice should be simple. She’d dreamed of it for so long. Something within her gave pause. She didn’t know which ‘he’ Hypnos had been talking about. Not that it should matter. 

Twenty minutes later, Hestia was stepping through the portal with Persephone. Hades was still there; the lily still clutched against his chest. Hestia tsked when she saw him, kneeling by his side to stroke her hand through his hair. 

“We need to get to Hypnos before we try to solve anything involving his sand,” the motherly goddess said when she stood up. A ring of keys materialized as she approached Hypnos’s door, dropping onto her palm with a clink. She flipped through the keys thoughtfully, fingers touching each one. “Darling Pasithea. She was a light in the darkness.” 

There was no keyhole, but that didn’t deter Hestia as she placed a glowing key against the knob. The heavy panel clicked open. Unnatural darkness engulfed the other side as Hestia pushed the door wider. A wicked howl came from within, entirely inhuman. 

A shape moved in the darkness, undulating until it stood over ten feet. White fangs and orange eyes turned toward them. Without warning, the beast lunged for the doorway. She screeched, ducking away before realizing there was a barrier. Needle-sharp claws dragged down the shield, the sound grating and menacing. Persephone stepped back, unsure how well that wall would hold.  

It spoke words through a broken voice, in a language Persephone didn’t recognize. Only one word made sense: hungry. The beast chanted a mantra that crawled into the depths of her soul. 

Hestia, who hadn’t flinched, sneered at the creature. “We’re going to need help. This is beyond our ability.” 

Persephone agreed. Living in the Underworld had shown her many dark things, but nothing had prepared her for dream demons. She had never seen one up close, for good reason. The thing beyond Hypnos’ door was horrifying. 

“Can I trust you to move Hades while I get Athena? It doesn’t feel right to leave him on the ground.” Hestia said as she turned away from the demon. She waved a dismissive hand when it hissed at her.  

“Yes,” Persephone eyed the beast, only turning away when she was sure it couldn’t escape. 

Hestia stepped through the Olympus portal, leaving her alone. She allowed panic to seize her for a few minutes after the goddess disappeared. If she didn’t, it would devour her later. The dream demon watched, saliva dripping down its chin. It was whispering its mantra. 

Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. 

Her panic eased when she looked at Hades. He had been so angry, so betrayed. She’d never seen such raw emotion from him and felt an overwhelming need to apologize. 

Moving Hades took effort. Her power was born from sunlight and the warmth of summer. Not darkness and cavernous expanses. And he was massive. Still, she dragged him through the portal to the Underworld and used her weakened power to get him onto Hypnos’s floating bed. She tucked the lily back under his hands, infusing some of her magic into the petals until they turned coral pink. Hopefully, that bit of sunlight offered him a guiding light wherever he was stuck. 

Stepping back into Slumber, she frowned. Pomegranate seeds had fallen out of the lily. They looked like a streak of blood against the marble tiles. She swept them away with a flick of her hand just as Hestia returned. 

Three Champions followed. A pretty, dark-haired female with eyes the color of mint. A golden-haired half-nymph male with eyes the color of copper and ears that came to a sharp point. And behind them, a white-blonde female with eyes the color of a raging storm. 

The Champion. 

Hades’ woman. 

The self-inflicted knife in her chest twisted savagely when those stormy eyes found her. If she recognized Persephone, she didn’t react. She wanted the Champion to glare at her. They could bond through mutual emotional disdain. That didn’t happen.  

The Champion observed her for a moment, then turned to look at the demon. Tapping the invisible wall riled up the beast. It snarled and renewed its attack.   

With a smirk, she looked at the mint-eyed Champion. “Helen, tell me about dream demons?” 

Pulling out a leather-bound book from her satchel, Helen flipped through the pages. “Dream demons are stuck in the dreamscape, with exceptions. Usually, they kill a strong enough host and harness their magic.” 

“Then why is it at the doorway?” The white-haired Champion asked. 

“They travel in packs,” the male mockingly answered, smirking when Helen glared at him. 

“It’s a diversion?” Persephone chimed in. The demon was a distraction in the same way that Hypnos was. Everything circled back to Hades. It always would. 

Three sets of eyes moved to her, and she shrank back. The white-haired Champion nodded curtly before they began whispering amongst themselves. Persephone watched her. She wasn’t particularly pretty. Short, at least a foot and a half shorter than Hades. Pale, like a porcelain doll. Muscular. There was no softness to her features. Even her eyes were intimidating. Hades chose this over her?  

“Sephie, you’re a million miles away.” Hestia’s hand closed over her forearm. The touch brought her back to reality.   

“I’m just worried about Hypnos, Auntie.” She sniffled, letting the tension in her shoulders ease. “We need him to help Hades.” 

The Champion’s head snapped up at the mention of Hades, and she twirled to face Persephone. “What happened to Hades?” 

She said it with clinical coldness, not like a worried lover. That bothered Persephone. The Champion was prepared to keep their secret, even if it meant she had to act indifferently. She couldn’t do the same.  

“Someone dosed him with Slumber Sand,” she answered. “Without Hypnos, I don’t stand a chance of saving Hades.” 

Anger darkened the Champion’s eyes. “You don’t save people; Champions do.”  

Persephone held back a grin. So, the Champion did get mad. “Then maybe you should do your job and save Hypnos.”  

“I love a feisty goddess!” The male exclaimed, clapping excitedly.  

Two months ago, she would have enjoyed his attention. She would have taken him to bed, content with a satisfaction that lasted only a few minutes. Now, it made her step away. 

“Leave her alone, Warin,” the white-haired Champion snapped. She grabbed him by a pointed ear.  

“You’re no fun, Pandora,” he whined.  

Learning her name twisted the knife more, leaving her breathless. Pandora rolled her eyes, releasing her companion. A dagger materialized from her Mark, an owl tattoo on her forearm, and she threw it. The blade sank deeply into its left eye. A howl of anger echoed as it shrank away. It slipped into the darkness. 

“Time to do my job,” Pandora snapped, stepping through the dreamscape door. The barrier shimmered around her, allowing her access.  

She didn’t look back; just disappeared after the demon. Helen bowed at the two goddesses before disappearing, too. Warin gave Persephone a two-finger salute and a wink. Then he blew a kiss at Hestia.  

Silence fell over Persephone and Hestia as the doorway closed behind the trio. Hestia’s hand found Persephone’s and she squeezed. 

“Hypnos’ fate is in capable hands,” her aunt reassured her, and she hoped that was true.

Editor: Lucy Cafiero