Hades

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

It doesn't take Calla long to pack a bag for my 'trip,' and it would have taken even less time if I hadn't been dragging my feet in childish distress the whole time. Had it been under any other circumstance, the amount of modern clothing she'd conjured out of my closet would have had me furiously demanding why she'd insisted on stuffing me into the Victorian death traps I always had to wear, but I was too lost in my thoughts to care. All I could think about was Hades, and the look on his face as he had disappeared from my room.

The moment Calla hands me the packed bag, I feel a powerful tugging on my navel, and before I can even say goodbye to her, my room folds in on itself to paint the picture of my old house in England. My feet slam into the ground, the force of the landing causing my knees to buckle. I lurch forward with a gasp, my head spinning, and blindly grab hold of the porch column. I close my eyes, breathing in deeply.

Oh, that asshole.

"Golly gosh, Evie. Are you okay?" Spencer appears in my blurry vision, apprehension dusting his impish features. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." I toss my bag onto the floor and glare at him. "Weren't you just drinking your body weight in champagne?"

"That was two days ago." Spencer arches an eyebrow at me. "What's got your knickers in such a knot? You haven't been this bitchy since I forgot about you in Bali."

My eyes narrow into slits. I step forward and jab my finger in his face. "There are times, Spencer, when I really question why we are friends. And why I stop myself from punching you in the face when you're acting like an ass."

"Alright. As entertaining as I'm sure this catfight would be, I do have to be the bigger god here." Someone interjects. I look over Spencer's shoulder just in time to see Axel and Selene walk out of the house. Axel steps between Spencer and I and places his hands on my shoulders. He studies me intensely. "What's wrong, Evie? There are only two reasons for you to have violent thoughts: when someone is emotionally frustrating you, or when someone is ripping on Taylor Swift. So which one is it? Because either way, I'll beat the idiot up."

I duck out of his grip with a scowl. "Axel, you're not my brother anymore. Stop acting like it."

"Biologically, no." Axel shrugs. "But I've been looking after you since you were ten years old, and that kind of bond has nothing to do with biology. I've had to deal with years of constant Taylor Swift; that has to count towards something."

"Hey." I point my finger at him. "There is nothing wrong with Taylor Swift. She makes me feel things!"

"What my idiot brother is trying to say," Selene pushes past her twin and shoves his face away, rolling her eyes at his muffled groan of protest. "Is that we know you, Evie. And we know you well enough to know something is up."

"Also, Olly dragged us three musketeers here without any explanation, left without so much of a high five, and then you appeared in a very specific fashion. So, why don't you tell us what exactly you did to piss Hades off and why that also resulted in Evie grumpy-pants already." Spencer butts in, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

I open my mouth to fire off a scathing retort, but the words stick in my throat. All the fury and anger roiling within me rushes from me in a tidal wave, leaving only despair in its wake. I fall down onto the edge of the porch, drawing my knees up to my chest. My head falls into my lap.

"I don't know who was more unreasonable: me, or him."

"Um, yes and yes?" Spencer smirks.

This time, when he sits down next to me, I really do punch him.