Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 200

Eve

As I felt heavy hands settle on my shoulder, I was pulled back from the visions.

"Little by little, Evie. It will all make sense soon," Rhea assured ominously in my mind. Still, I could not fight the wave of dread that sent a chill running down my spine.

"Red," Hades’ voice fully brought me back. But it was slightly panicked. "You’re having a nosebleed." He took a handkerchief to my nose as the ringing in my ears subsided. He twirled me so I could face him, his brow furrowed, his expression wrought with worry. "Are you okay?" he whispered, wiping at my nose.

I managed a shaky smile, trying to grimace. I’m alright.

I turned my attention back to Elliot, only to find him staring between me and his mother, who remained on the floor.

Felicia’s gaze remained glued to me as if anticipating me lunging at her once again. She paid no mind to her son.

He had that unreadable expression as he stared at the scene. As though he were analyzing the situation, there wasn’t even a hint of surprise on his face.

Hades stepped towards Elliot first, sidestepping Felicia to get to him. Hades crouched down smoothly, his sharp features softening as he looked at Elliot. His large hands, so often drenched in violence, rested lightly on the boy’s shoulders.

"Hey, kid," he murmured, his voice warm in a way I had never heard before. It was the first time I had seen him speak to a kid. "Bit of a dramatic entrance, don’t you think?"

Elliot blinked up at him, unfazed. He shook his slowly.

Hades huffed a short laugh, then—without warning—lifted Elliot off the ground with ease, settling him on his hip like he weighed nothing. "You’ve gotten heavier," he mused, bouncing him slightly. "Have you been eating bricks?"

For a moment, just a fraction of a second, Elliot almost smiled. Almost. He glanced at me like he knew something that he shouldn’t know.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered fully to the man who carried him, but not on his face—on his ear, on the singular drop of emerald that hung from his left ear. I noticed then...

They were an almost perfect match with his own eyes. My stomach lurched a little, my breath hitching, the ringing in my skull momentarily returning before fading. As though both my mind and body felt something was amiss, there was something I was missing. My body knew, but my mind was too slow to grasp the signals.

"Rhea?" I whispered, my voice in my head drowned almost entirely by the waves of chaos in my tangled mind. I knew she felt it too.

"All in due time, my dear," Rhea howled softly in my mind. "The truth is patient. One piece at a time."

I took a small step forward, tilting my head. "Hello, Ellie," I greeted, raising a hand in a small wave, offering him a smile.

Before he could respond, Felicia’s head snapped toward me with a ferocity that sent a jolt of warning through my bones.

"Don’t you dare speak to him!" she spat, rising to her feet with renewed rage. Her voice was like a whip, sharp and venomous, her entire body coiled with aggression.

The way she moved—the way she reached for Elliot—was instinctive, desperate.

She yanked him from Hades with a grip so tight that Elliot barely reacted, as if used to it. She clutched him to her side, her fingers digging into his small frame as though she feared I would snatch him away.

Her head jerked back toward me, her breathing uneven.

"Stay away from my son," she seethed. "You don’t speak to him. You don’t look at him. You don’t—"

"Felicia," Hades cut in sharply, his expression darkening. "Stop."

Her glare flickered to him, but he stood firm, his silver eyes steely.

"These outbursts," he continued, voice measured but firm. "You’ll scare him."

Felicia flinched. It was the barest reaction, so quick I might have missed it, but it was there.

Her grip on Elliot tightened just a fraction before she forced herself to loosen it. Slowly, carefully, she exhaled, smoothing her hand over his small back as if to soothe whatever damage she had caused.

But Elliot wasn’t trembling.