Hades

Chapter 20

I avoided Hades as much as I could the next few days. I would listen to him move around the house, always trying to be where he wasn't. If I saw his car pull out of the driveway I would move into the common areas, but if I knew he was in the house I would remain in my room. And on the odd times that we caught each other in the hallway I would squeeze myself against the wall, trying to keep as much space between us as possible. He never questioned it and never tried to seek me out.

My flowers were my only real joy. Every day when it was safe I would venture out and check on my various pots throughout the day. It was slow progress and I couldn't help but wish they would grow faster, but I was always delighted to see new sprouts and it helped me get some sun. With the weather turning warmer if I kept this up my summer freckles might start reappearing. Caleb had always told me I looked cute with them, though I thought they made me look childish.

One day I was checking on my pots of my princess balcony, right off the ballroom, when I decided to take some time to just be in the sun. Being in my room all day or for the majority of it was sapping my productive energy. I was getting lazier and lazier by the minute and missing more and more things from back home. The only thing I could think of to fix it was vitamin D and breathing in air that wasn't stale. I leaned against the railing and shut my eyes.

I missed Caleb a lot. But the shock and denial had passed. I knew that he was gone. If I ever went back to my packlands he wouldn't be there to greet me. His eyes wouldn't light up when he saw me and I couldn't run into his arms. By now he must've been buried and his parents would be starting to try and act like they were coping.

Still, my family was there. It was the only home I had ever known. It wasn't the largest pack, we all knew each other, and I was missing the friendly faces. Hell, I was even missing the not so friendly ones. And my heart ached for Tabitha and her impressive attitude packed in such a little body. I wanted to bake cookies with her again or just take her for a walk to the ice cream shop. I missed having quiet conversations about nothing with my mom and watching sports I didn't care about with my father. Then, I had wanted so much more, but it turns out the simple moments stuck with me the most.

I was so lost in thought, so lost in my wanting, that I didn't hear him come into the ballroom.

But I felt him.

I shifted my body, moving off the railing and away from the sun and facing him, readying the mightiest glare I could muster when I felt like I could cry. No matter how broken I was feeling I was determined to not give him an inch. Defending him from the queen had changed nothing.

But Hades wasn't coming for me. In fact, I don't even think he saw me. His hands were shoved into his pockets of his dress pants and the few buttons at the top of his shirt were undone. A tie was resting on his shoulders, wrinkled from where the knot had been. But he just went straight to a piano, looking like nothing else mattered. 

He sat down at the bench and took a deep breath, his eyes on the keys. And once his fingers found a comfortable place to settle those amber eyes shut and he began to play. It was fast and surprisingly light. The sound didn't much the serious man that I spent so much time avoiding. It almost sounded familiar as he played. And the way he moved was like he knew the piano better than he knew himself. 

I just watched, stricken. I had never been musically talented. Hell, I was so bad with music I couldn't find a beat in a song and didn't know the difference between melody and beat. But watching him just feel what he was playing, just knowing in his head and his heart how fast to go and which keys to press was so beautiful it was almost hypnotizing.

But the upbeat song ended rather shortly. And his eyes opened. The darkness that had surrounded him when he entered the room returned. I held my breath, but they didn't search for me.