After Morpheus procured an agreement from Hermes, he brought Adelaide back to her own home. They would be delving into the Underworld the next day. The god of sleep and dreams accepted Adelaide's request to be alone and let her be. Once he'd gone, Adelaide went and sat beside Aidan in his room. Her brother still sat with his back to the wall, staring vacantly at nothing.

How could someone so full of life have been brought down to so little? Laying her head on Aidan's shoulder, Adelaide let herself cry a little, a luxury she'd denied herself most of the time. Why had her life been so hard? First, her father's disappearance. Then her mother's death and Aidan's obsession with bringing her back. And her brother's failure to hold up his side of the bargain with Hades and losing her soul. And ...

"Adelaide." She didn't look up. She knew who it was. "Look at me, girl, when I address you. Did your mother not teach you simple manners?"

Hades, Lord of the Underworld, stood over her. Adelaide rose, not even coming up to his chin in height. "You dare come here?" she snapped. "I told you to stay away!"

Hades stretched out his hand, fingering one of Adelaide's escaping curls. "Don't forget who holds the key to returning your brother to his senses," he warned. "And don't let your attraction to the god of sleep and dreams get in the way of what must be done. I came for my report."

"I—I can't—" For a moment, Adelaide considered holding out. Then she sighed. "Alright. Morpheus, Artemis, Apollo, and Hermes are going to break into the Underworld tomorrow to free my brother's soul. They seem to think that they can do it."

"I assume that you will be with them?"

"Yes, but I'm not openly hurting them!" Adelaide protested, stepping away from him. "They trust me."

"That's their problem," Hades said. "Not mine. Or yours, for that matter. All that should concern you is getting your brother back. The pieces are in place; the god of sleep and dreams will die tomorrow—thanks to you."

"This isn't what I want." Adelaide's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Isn't it? You didn't have a problem with it when you agreed to my plan," Hades answered innocently. His voice lowered and his expression darkened. "Don't get second thoughts, Adelaide. Don't forget that I can kill your brother without even laying a hand on his body. Then there won't be anything for your new 'friends' to pick up the pieces from, will there? Remember this. Gods are selfish creatures. You think they're working with you, when really they're only working for themselves."

Adelaide bowed her head, looking at her feet. "Including you?"

"At least I've never lied to you about that," Hades said. "Hermes is the god of liars, Adelaide. You can't trust them. They cast me out from among them because I got the lot of the Underworld. Just like mortals cast you and your brother out because of your mother."

A burst of anger made Adelaide grab the front of Hades's shirt and slam him against the wall. He laughed, furthering her ire. "You don't speak of my mother!" she shouted. "Now get out of here! I'll do my part, as long as you stick to your deal. I don't ever want to see again until you're giving my brother back his soul."

Stepping back, Hades smiled. "Agreed. Don't you worry, my child. By tomorrow, your brother will have his soul back and I ... ah, I shall be on the road to becoming the ruler of Mount Olympus. All thanks to you, Adelaide." Before Adelaide could throw something at him, he left her house.

Adelaide crumpled to the floor, sobbing. Her brother's vacant eyes seemed to mock her. Why did she have to pick between him and the others?

Another voice brought her out of her daze. "Well. Good to know where your loyalties lie." Guiltily, Adelaide looked up at Hermes. "Oh, don't give me those sad eyes, girl. You seem to have a friend in Hades. Let me warn you, Hades doesn't make deals that benefit both sides. You keep going with this and you may find that he has your soul instead of your brother's."

"I assume you'll tell Morpheus?" Adelaide asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hermes sighed. "I'll tell him, but whether he listens to me or not is another thing," he admitted. "Especially involving you."

"What does that mean?" Adelaide demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Hermes smiled tiredly. "Nothing." Then he crouched down beside Aidan, gently prodding his forehead. "You know, you need to decide what's important to you. Family is important, yes, but there are other things that should be considered important as well. Honesty. Trust. Goodness. You know, things that we take for granted, and then lose for the 'greater good'."

"The god of thieves and liars is giving me a scolding," Adelaide said.

"You'd do well to listen," Hermes warned. "Hades is not one for making good deals. I would have thought you'd learned your lesson after your brother's misfortune."

"Misfortune?" Adelaide's voice rose. "This isn't misfortune! It's—I can't lose him."

"And yet, someday, as is the way with all mortals, you will lose him," Hermes answered. "All mortals will eventually go to Hades. Why can you not accept that your brother is there and leave it at that?"

"Perhaps it is the curse of the family to be unable to accept death. Or maybe it is that he doesn't seem to be dead. Only sleeping in his own mind." Adelaide could hardly bring herself to look at her brother's empty shell.

Hermes's expression softened. "I can't blame you," he said after a moment. "He's very important to you, isn't he? Listen to me, Adelaide." She brought her eyes up to his face. "You need to decide what you're willing to lose for him. You'll have to make your own decisions, pave your own way. Because, in the end, only you can decide how Aidan will be saved. By us ... or by Hades."

"Will you still go to the Underworld?"

"Yes. If Morpheus is going to die tomorrow, I want to be there with him, as his friend," Hermes replied. "He's a good man. Even if his ideas are a bit crazy. Whatever you do tomorrow, Adelaide, I guess I can't blame you. We've only known you for a day, while you and your brother have been together for as long as you've lived. And that's alright. Maybe the time of the gods is passing. Good bye, Adelaide."

And with that, Hermes, the god of travelers, left Adelaide's home. The mortal girl could do nothing but stare after him and wonder what in the world she was going to do the next day.