Chapter Twenty-One

Having dinner with my mom was weird.

Not because I had two sisters who were also sitting in on dinner, but the fact that it was my first actual real dinner with my mom. With Aria, I'd never been allowed to sit at the table with her. In our cottage in Greece, I ate on the floor and she ate at the table with the servant. When it came to the mansion back in Styx, what few times I did eat, I ate in my room, away from Aria.

Now I was sitting across the table from my real mother.

Macha. The Irish goddess of war and fertility.

And the more I looked at her, the more I listened to her, the more I began to pick up on the resemblance. She talked loud, just like I did. Whispering was not one of our talents. When we spoke, everyone had to hear us. She wasn't shy about laughing either. When Hades told a shitty joke, Macha would snort, then cover her mouth before she burst out laughing. She wasn't dainty and sweet; she was loud and boisterous when she got comfortable. She also didn't beat around the bush. She told it how it was.

"So a male, eh," Macha asked, setting aside her ale to look back and forth between Lucifer and Hades, "I should've known. He's a good lover that Hades, but there was always something off."

"Do we have to talk about this whilst we're at the table?" Brigid groaned, covering her face. I liked Brigid; she was honest and blunt too. Her hair was strawberry blonde and she wore it in a braid that fell down her back. Her eyes were red, like our mom's, but with flecks of gold because apparently her father was a dragon shifter. She was on the chunky side, but wasn't ashamed of it. She ate more than the rest of us and didn't give a shit who saw. Because apparently it was approaching winter in their realm, she was decked out in a black turtleneck and a leather jacket with fleece leggings.

Morgana was my other sister present; taller than Brigid and more curvy. She had jet black hair that fell in thick waves over her shoulders like a model, and her crystal blue eyes were huge. She didn't seem much for fashion and was just wearing a basic pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing too fancy, just like the way she talked. Her accent was thicker than Brigid's, so it was hard to pick up on what she was saying sometimes, but I got used to it after a while.

"I think you were just missing a vital piece of anatomy," Hades told Macha, who laughed.

"Vital," Brigid snorted, "Yeh right. I hear that be getting you lot in trouble. What about ol' Zeus, eh? Heard his piece been everywhere." Morgana smirked and Hades shrugged.

"Oh yeah, I'm not gonna lie about that. Zeus has had his dick everywhere and in everything," he responded, which made Lucifer briefly flinch and I grimaced, but thankfully everyone else was oblivious, "Or at least he used to. He's got a new toy that's keen on being more jealous than Hera and I think he's more scared of this new guy than Hera." Macha raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I take a drink on behalf of the new lad. May he control the beast another era," she announced, holding her cup up and everyone chimed in with a "here here" before taking a drink.

"So how are things with you, Mach? How'd Ana end up a horse? Last I checked, she wasn't that annoying," Hades said. Macha sighed and shook her head.

"Aye, she wasn't usually, but she'd taken to driving her cousin mad, quite literally in fact. He feared he was being stalked by a ghost, so he attacked out of fear. Ana's been a mare for about six months now, but we're looking for a way to turn her back. It's just taking a while. Nola's taken a break from the whole thing and gone off to Japan for their spas. And as Morgana mentioned, Aubrey's married now and has spent a lot of time with her husband in Northern Ireland. Can't bring the damn girl back. I think the only one who doesn't cause trouble is Roisin, and it's only because she doesn't go anywhere. She doesn't even come downstairs to eat. She prefers the safety and comfort of her bedroom."

"And mum won't see how unhealthy it is," Morgana drawled, "Stayin' locked up in her room all the bloody time. All she does is play video games and plot attacks on the Norse."

"At least she's not a fucking horse," Macha deadpanned.

"She got ye there," Brigid said with a grin.

"She might as well be," Morgana complained, "At least Ana gets her exercise out in the field. Roisin's main source of exercise is getting up to take a piss."

"She has a yoga mat in there," Macha exclaimed incredulously. Morgana glared at her.

"Yeah, and I got a fuckin' gym under my room an' ye don't see me usin' the fuckin' thing."

"You don't have to," Macha replied dryly. Morgana just threw her hands up in the air, muttering something about fookin' responsibilities and ye eejit. They reminded me a lot of Hades and my brothers, and thank fuck for that, because there was no way I'd be able to prissy up for anyone, including my mother, but apparently she was just like Hades.

We talked a bit more about family things, mostly. I learned all of Macha's daughters lived with her, except Aubrey, who lived in the mortal realm in Northern Ireland with her husband, Chris. The other daughters lived on the property, which apparently stretched out miles and miles around the house we were currently in. The only person who actually lived in this particular house was Macha and her daughter, Roisin, who refused to leave her room, let alone the house. Morgana lived closer to the river and Brigid had a small farm just beyond the valley. Ana was currently staying with Brigid, because you know, she'd actually get some food there.

The family was still pissy about the Norse thing too. While the rest of their pantheon had learned to live and let die, Macha and her daughters were another story. Anyone with a drop of Norse blood rankled them. And unfortunately, the Egyptians were also on that list.

"Ye what," Macha demanded, looking disgusted when Hades told her about the fact that my last boyfriend was Egyptian, "Hades! Why would you let one of them near my blood? Hell, why would you let them near your own blood?" Hades shrugged.

"He'd been banished at the time. Besides, they're allied with Lucifer, so I can't really shit on them now," he said dryly. Macha wrinkled her nose up.

"Aye? What a surprise that someone can keep Hades from launching a war with such," she said, eyeing Lucifer, who raised an eyebrow, "You must have awfully good persuasive abilities there, angel. Persephone and I were no match."

"You knew about Persephone?" I asked. Macha looked surprised.

"I know all about Hades's lovers. Eumelia, Tsukuyomi, Persephone, Atros, the list goes on for quite a while, actually. Hades is awfully charming when he wants to be," she said, looking at Lucifer, who relaxed a little.

"He is," he agreed. And I wasn't sure who was paying attention, but I sure as hell was; I watched Lucifer's hand move under the table, finding Hades's and giving a squeeze. I waited a second, and Hades squeezed back. I looked up, but Hades was smooth about pretending everything was casual.

"I'm an ancient god," he said dryly, "I'm not gonna sit in my palace all day knitting fucking sweaters for kittens."

"Oh yeah," I exclaimed, making Macha look at me, "I have cats!"

"Do ye? And where'd ya find them?"

"In an alley somewhere. I named them Aria, Socks, Ghost, and Dagger. Aria's the mom. At least, I'm pretty damn sure she's their mom. I'm not so sure anymore, what with all this surprise, she's not your mama shit going on. Not that I'm totally peeved. It's nice to actually eat at a table with my mom," I responded, picking up a spoonful of potatoes and shoving them in my mouth. Thank the fuck for the Irish and their potatoes, cuz that was my shit, man.

I looked up when I realized no one was saying anything and realized Macha was staring at me with an unreadable expression. I swallowed.

"Oh, my bad. Was trying not to talk about her."

"Did she take care of you at least?" Macha asked hopefully. I averted my eyes, then glanced toward Hades for help. He just stared back at me, like he was waiting for me to figure out how I wanted to answer that. Lucifer also seemed nervous for me. And frankly, what was I supposed to do? Lie to her to make her feel better? She'd find out the truth sooner or later and be horrified. And if I told her straight up now, she'd just be horrified sooner.

"No," I said after a while, making Macha purse her lips tight, "My dad took care of me, that's all that matters. Actually, see, there was this time for April Fool's I was gonna prank Hades and..." I went on to tell them about the time I was planning to prank Hades and he fucking caught on a whole month beforehand, was fully prepared, and still fucked up because I was two steps ahead of him. Everyone was distracted by that, laughing instead of getting all depressed.

And it's not like I lied.

Hades did take care of me.

He may not have been there to hold my hand or let me crawl into bed with him as a kid, but he gave me what he could. He gave me my fucking house, my paycheck, everything I own, my brothers, my people, my city, Yiuwa. The list went on. Hades was there for me. He did take care of me. And that was the truth.

"That was very kind of you to say, Theo," Yiuwa told me later as I came into the living room downstairs to sit down. He followed me over to the sofa and sat beside me. I shrugged, lifting my legs up underneath of myself and reaching down to rub the head of one of the wolfhounds on the floor. The mangy thing lolled its head back and whined, nuzzling my hand.

"I wasn't being nice. I was just telling the truth," I answered.

"Sometimes people don't recognize the truth," Yiuwa pointed out. I considered that, then looked up as Macha came into the room with a hesitant smile on her face.

"Pardon, but may I have a moment alone with my son?" She asked. Yiuwa nodded, then gave her a respectful bow before he left the room. I watched him go, then straightened as Macha came over. She stood for a moment, like she wasn't sure she was invited to sit next to me, so I scooted over a little and she smiled in relief, sitting down beside me.

At our feet, the wolfhound got restless and got up, turning to face us so he could nuzzle his face on our legs. I gave him a rough pat on the head.

"What's his name?" I asked. Macha scratched under the guy's jaw.

"Niko. The others are Sherry, Margarite, Dillon, McGee, and Starlight."

"Some random ass names."

"You named your kitten Socks, did you not?"

"Yeah, guess so," I said with a smirk. Niko nuzzled me some more, then dropped his head in my lap and sighed heavily. I scratched behind his ears, making his tongue loll out and his head droop to the side, like he could think of nothing better.

"I'm happy," Macha said after a moment, making me look up curiously, "That Hades is your father. I could not ask for a better father than Hades. Many people do not see the side of him that is good and kind. It is unfortunate, but perhaps, it adds to the idea of him being a hidden gem."

"He's made mistakes," I replied, making her raise an eyebrow, but I shrugged, "But, I'm thinking now that mistakes are a good thing. When you make mistakes, you learn. You learn more about yourself. I think that's what Hades is doing."

"You speak very highly of him."

"He's my father."

"It seems like more than that," Macha murmured. I paused, looking down at Niko, who peered up at me with curious big brown eyes.

"Hades has been my idol since I was a kid. He was the first person to hold me and cradle me," I murmured, "He was the first person who showed me I could get what I wanted if I worked hard enough. And... Uh, well, I learned some things about Hades. He's gone through a lot of shit, but that's not my story to tell. Even so, he's come out on top and he's still trying to get what he wants, still finds happiness. If Hades can do it, so can I." Macha was silent for a while before she swallowed.

"She hurt you. That female who took you from me," she said. I smiled faintly at that. It was good to know I had a smart mother. I looked up at Macha, who was watching me with pain in her red eyes.

"It's done and over with," I replied, "Hades got rid of her."

"Did you love her?"

"I don't know," I admitted honestly, making Macha frown, "Maybe I want to, or don't want to, and that's why I feel confused about it." Macha nodded slowly. I looked up at her, frowning now.

"I don't wanna lie to you," I said, "I'm not gonna paint my life to be nice, or myself for that matter. I'm a huge pain in the ass. I just broke up with the guy I thought was the love of my life. I found out said guy killed my mother, to protect me. Found out Hades destroyed what was left of her soul. Found out my mother wasn't even my mother and that I was kidnapped at birth because the female who raised me was a power hungry cunt. I also have the beast curse, so I'm constantly wrestling with this thing inside me. I spent centuries cutting myself, because I was addicted to the pain the female who raised me instilled in me. I tried to kidnap my brother's husband after I saved him from his parents. I've burned my other brother's house down at least six times since we first met. And that's not even the half of it. I'm not an entirely good person, but I'm also not bad either. I just want you to know all of that before you try to establish something here. I've already had one mother abandon me. I don't want to lose another one if I get attached."

Macha blinked at me, her eyes wide for a moment before she looked at the floor. I sat back on the sofa, looking down at Niko. A second later, Macha leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, making me blink and look at her. Her powerful red eyes were glowing as she reached out, placing her hand on my cheek, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the feeling of her warm palm against my skin. She wasn't slapping me or hitting me, just touching me like I was precious.

"To be fair, my love, my sweet, my precious gift," she murmured, the sound of nicknames like that stealing my breath away, "You could be the darkness incarnate, and I would still continue to love you. My heart bleeds for what has been done to you, and thank the Source above that your father got rid of that treacherous demon himself, else I would have done so much worse to her. You have gone through so much. It is unfair that you cannot simply live happily in a lavish palace with all that you deserve." I smiled at that, reaching up to place my hand over hers.

"Nah, it's alright... Things are getting better," I paused when I remembered the whole end of the universe thing, "Ah, well. Personally they are. Universally? Probs not. What with that whole end of the universe prophecy." Macha's expression grew grim as she patted my cheek, then lowered her hand.

"Yes. Hades and Lucifer have explained this to me... What is the next prophetic event?"

"Something about blood from the first born son."

"Would that not be you, perhaps?"

"I mean, maybe? Nobody knows for sure, that's the thing."

"Blood from the first born son," Macha murmured, sitting back in her seat, "And these prophecies, they are very specific, no?"

"Very. And if you overthink it, it could be wrong too. We thought the death of life part was Stanton's husband dying, but it turned out to literally mean he was dying."

"I see," Macha said, then paused, "No, then, perhaps... Blood of the first born son. The blood of an infant is very, very powerful, especially if it carries god blood within its veins." I cocked my head at that.

"You think?"

"Yes. Perhaps it means, the blood of the first born god son. Newborn, not just the first... Do you know anyone who's pregnant?" Macha asked. I stiffened.

"Shit," I muttered, getting to my feet, "My brother, Ambrosius. He's a half-fae." Macha was on her feet instantly.

"We need to tell Hades immediately then. Do you know the sex of the child?"

"Not right now, but we fucking will, because if he's having a male, the prophecy's about to come true and my brother is about to lose his fucking baby."

TO BE CONTINUED...

-----

A/N: ... that did not end when I thought it would. Frankly, this book was difficult to finish. And yes, Theo is still single. And yes, he's gonna enjoy it. Well, I mean, after this prophecy thing is sorted out, if ever > v >;; Thank you all so much for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed this installment of the Underworld Chronicles! The next book in the series will be titled: Firstborn. See you in the next book! <3