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  "Nah, just some reading and a few math problems," she said, shrugging. "School is winding down for the year, and we'll only be able to focus on studying for finals."

  Teague groaned. "I don't like to study."

  "I'll help you understand things. Don't worry. Maybe we can get started on that soon, like this weekend?"

  He swallowed, knowing her proposal was most likely made in innocence, but Cory had once told him that when a girl wanted to study, she never actually wanted to study. Though, that apparently changed once a boy started to be a boyfriend to a girl. All Teague did with Chanel during study dates was study. In fact, she never seemed too interested in getting physically close to him in general. Girls were confusing.

  "So?" Halyn pressed.

  Nodding, he shifted in his bed. "Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you."

  "You're so adorably polite." She tweaked his cheek. "I'm going to go so you can get out sooner. Besides, the nurse told me I only got a few minutes with you. She's gonna come in and give me the stink eye soon."

  "They told me I could go home tonight," he said. "So I can see you tomorrow at breakfast time."

  She kissed his forehead. "Good, and you know that when you have time, I want to hear about what happened. I'm...I'm just glad you're okay. Cheyenne being gone is the worst. Don't need any more drama added on."

  "I promise, I'm fine." He briefly met her gaze with his own. The only reason he broke it was because he forced himself to. If he looked at her for too long, he might start having feelings again that he shouldn't. Pretty girls were not a good thing for him to be distracted by, especially girls he could never be with.

  Hopefully, if all went according to plan, he would be going home again soon, and the whole thing would be nothing but a distant memory.

  Chapter Three

  Sure enough, Teague was released from the hospital wing and allowed to return to his dorm. The place was empty of life. He didn't bring many things with him on his trip. The time traveling spell his brothers used to get him to the past allowed for a few things to be brought in a small bag. So he had a few T-shirts, a couple pairs of boxers, and his favorite childhood toy — a stuffed leopard named Buzz that his father had given him when he was around twelve. The toy was the first thing he reached for, as he was desperate for a small touch of home.

  Buzz used to belong to Zes, he realized. The day the stuffed animal had been given to him was one of his most vivid of memories.

  ****

  "A lot of things are going to be changing for you," his father said. They sat down on the couch in the living room. Everyone else was gone for the time being. The two of them had just come back from a special day together. Teague might not have been too old yet, but he was perceptive. Something was wrong.

  Teague gazed at his father. Even though the man was blind, he felt rude not facing him when they spoke. They couldn't make eye contact, but Teague looked at his father's eyes all the same. Sometimes, a hint of emotion could be found in them.

  After a moment of no one saying anything, Teague asked, "What kind of things are changing? Is everything okay? You and Mom aren't getting divorced or something, are you?"

  "What?" Dad laughed. "No, we're not going to get divorced. It has nothing to do with her or your brothers and sister. This is just between us, and it needs to always stay that way."

  "Um...okay..." Teague hated secrets.

  Sighing, Dad put a hand on Teague's shoulder. "Your mother knows what we're doing, but you can't talk about it with your friends or your siblings. There are rules. Lots of rules."

  "I don't..."

  "Understand. I know." His father took in a deep breath. "You've been chosen to be a Fate. It's a genetic magic that I inherited from my father, and I get to choose who I pass it down to, and someday you'll get to pick which of your children gets to have it."

  Teague tilted his head to the side. "Oh, okay. So it's a special magic. Kind of like Mom's magic for being Divine?"

  "Yes, similar to that." Dad gave his shoulder a squeeze. "But it's not necessarily a pleasant experience. I'll be honest, originally, I was thinking I would pick one of your other brothers. I noticed you already have sensitivity to the gift and decided you would do better with it than him."

  "Okay." He watched his father, trying to understand everything he was being told.

  Letting out a long breath, Dad's eyes began to glow with a slight blue light. They only did that when he used a certain spell that allowed for him to see. He made sure Teague was looking into his eyes before he continued. "What do you know about Fates?"

  "Um, not much. I mean, I've heard of them, but that's advanced mythology stuff."

  "Yes, it is. Well, that's what I am, and that's what you will be, too. Usually, Fates aren't given their magic until they're older. Sixteen or seventeen. It's an intense thing to go through and not always pleasant. You're pretty young to be given your magic now, but the Elders have decided you need to have it at a younger age." Dad cracked a small smile. "Must run in the family, because I was tapped at the age of seven."

  Teague only nodded, listening, even if nothing his father was saying made any sense to him.

  Then, being a Fate was explained to him in great detail, and Teague understood.

  "It's not a good gift," Dad mumbled. "I wish I could say it was something I wanted to give you. Truth is, I've been trying to avoid having to give it to anyone, but that's not exactly an option. The magic of the Fates is cyclical. It will go to someone eventually. Keeping it in the family line makes it stronger. Coping with having the gift and controlling it is a lot easier. You can use me as a resource. And when one Fate dies, his or her magic is recycled to another. That's how the power is released, through the death of one. The power is given to one who is gaining the use of their magic."

  Teague swallowed. "S-so someone is going to die and then I'll have their magic?"

  "Yes. When I was born, ninety-nine Fates were killed in a massacre in the hopes of gaining their collective knowledge. Then one was killed to unlock my magic so I could use it," his father explained. "It's kind of complicated. The whole reason behind the massacre is a story I'll tell you another time. I wanted to tell you before it happened because...it's one of those things I wish someone had told me about. I had to figure it all out on my own with little help from the Elders. They liked to play games with my head.

  "The dreams are intense and can be painful sometimes. You won't always see things you want to see. But I want you to know you aren't alone. Because I'm a Fate, you can talk to me. Your mom knows too, because she's my confidant. You can tell one person your secret, but only one. For now. Being a Fate isn't something you can say to just anything. So don't even think about sharing this information with just anyone. Save it for whoever you marry, or a best friend, who should be your wife anyway. Just a suggestion. In a lot of ways, being a Fate makes you more powerful than the Divine. You control time, knowledge, and the distribution of power. It's a big responsibility."

  Teague broke eye contact with him. "And you trust me with this?" I'm just a kid. How can I be a good person for this task?

  "Your heart is good," Dad said. "Not to say your brothers' aren't, but they're so much different than you. Cory has your mother's gift. He can't take mine as well, and he already is making poor decisions with her magic. Alain...he's destined for different things. I can tell. It's not something I've seen in a vision but just a vibe I have. Your sister isn't strong enough to handle it."

  "And I am?" Teague asked.

  Dad shrugged. "We'll find out, but I have to go with my instincts. Like I said, you're not alone. And I have something for you."

  Bad news aside, Teague always liked presents. When his father handed him a medium-sized gift bag, he pulled out all of the tissue paper and found the stuffed leopard. The thing was ancient, with matted fur all along its back. Clearly, it had gotten a lot of love. It was still in good condition all the same. Despite it being old, there was no indication that it would be falling apart any
time soon. Teague, of course, thought he was too old to be getting stuffed animals.

  "Thanks," he said, wanting to be polite.

  Sighing, his father touched the fur on the animal. "I've had this for a long time, and it's given me a lot of comfort over the years. It was your uncle's favorite thing. Right now, it probably doesn't mean a whole lot, but I hope you appreciate it just as much someday. There were nights where this guy was the only thing that helped me relax enough to get back to bed, where I felt less alone. Even though your mom was there, she...it's hard to explain."

  At the time, Teague only understood a portion of what his father was talking about. Twelve made him old enough to grasp concepts of death, but he certainly had never experienced it. Even at sixteen, he'd never had anyone close to him actually die. Thanks to the dreams he had while being a Fate, he got to witness a lot of death, terror, and sadness. It might not have been firsthand experience, but it sure felt a lot like it.

  Teague lifted his gaze to his father once more. "I didn't know I had an uncle."

  "He died a few years before you were born," Dad whispered. "That's also a story for another time. Just know, this toy was important to him, and it's important to me. Take care of it, and I do hope it helps you feel less alone. I'm almost certain he's still there inside of it."

  ****

  It didn't take long for Teague to appreciate the stuffed animal. Once he started having his visions, he was indeed glad for the extra comfort. At first, he shared a lot of his dreams with his father. After a while, he learned how to deal with everything on his own. Buzz helped. Buzz couldn't talk back. In the toy, he had a friend who would only listen. His father was on to something when he said Zes's spirit still remained in the animal — even if it was only imagined. Teague liked to pretend his uncle was there all the same.

  He gave the animal a hug and then placed it back into his bag. With Zes actually being around, he didn't want to leave it lying out in the open to be found.

  Teague settled in on his couch, unsure of what to do next. He glanced at the walls of his living room, which were decorated in rather elaborate artwork. As part of an exercise to get his memories back, he got permission to paint on the walls of his room. One wall was a beautiful summer day. He was with his family. The centerpiece of the picture was him with his parents; their family dog was playing in the grass nearby. Seeing those images was always pleasant.

  On the opposite wall, however, was a much more terrifying sight. The underworld was depicted. Cheyenne was there, a hand on Zes' shoulder as she controlled him to do her bidding. Lucien was there in the background, destroying the world of the living as he tried to combine it with the land of the dead. That was his ultimate goal, and he was using Cheyenne to make it come to pass. In turn, she used Zes, or rather, Persephone the First — who lived inside of her — did.

  His two goals were displayed before him. On one wall was the thing he needed to stop before returning home, and the other was his reward for succeeding.

  First, he needed to find Denver and talk with him. Second, he had to figure out how to direct all of the changes being made in the past so that they created a positive outcome in the future.

  With some hesitation, he grabbed his room phone and gave Denver's number a ring.

  "Yeah?" Denver asked. "Make it quick. I'm packing."

  "It's Teague," he said.

  "Hey kid, 'sup?"

  He let out a slow breath. "I'm out of the hospital. We...can talk about the things I know. If you have a safe place to do that, I mean."

  "I can think of a few. Tomorrow after class you can meet me at The Old Union. Should be pretty empty there."

  "Okay, I'll see you there." And hopefully, I didn't just bite off more than I can chew.

  Chapter Four

  Teague didn't take any time off from class even though he'd been given full permission to continue resting. He'd rather be struggling with math problems in the library than stuck in his room with all of the emptiness inside of its walls. Besides, it felt wrong to him to try and leave campus if he skipped class. Denver had said after school, and Teague intended on keeping to that plan.

  As soon as his last class got out, he went to The Old Union via a cab. The Old Union was a local restaurant equipped with a dance club — albeit a small one. Nothing about the place was spectacular. Just a typical bar and grill with all of the classic food options. It was a place to go outside of school. He'd gone a few times before with his friends for appetizers and dancing. Much like his father, Teague loved to dance and it showed. He had a great deal of skill, something he knew drove Anj crazy in the past. If only he knew he was the one who taught me everything I know.

  He entered the restaurant, searching through its near-empty tables. At the bar were a few patrons. The only person sitting in a booth was Denver. Teague walked over and took a seat across from him.

  "Was wondering if you were going to show," Denver said.

  Picking up a menu, Teague glanced over all of the options. "My last class was over at three, and then I had to wait for a ride."

  "Don't know anyone with a car?"

  "I do," he said. "But there's no way they'd bring me here to meet with you."

  "True, Zes coming with would only turn into a disaster, since he's still all googly-eyed over my girlfriend." Denver scoffed.

  Teague bit down on his lip. "It's not his fault."

  "So it is a spell? I wondered about that. His burn thing on his arm –"

  "The demon seal," Teague said.

  Denver shrugged. "Sure, the brand, the burn, the whatever-you-want-to-call-it, that the demons gave him when they kidnapped him and Cheyenne...it seemed like Chey was using it to control him. I broke it."

  "You...what?"

  "Broke it," he repeated. "I was able to take the dark magic inside of the burn, absorb it into myself, and it did something new. Don't know yet if it's a good thing or not. I'm waiting to hear what you have to say about the future changing, and what not, to make that decision."

  I did tell him things were different, didn't I? Teague mentally kicked himself for being so careless. At the time, he'd been so excited over having made an actual difference, and Denver was the only person he felt comfortable enough to actually talk about it with. Now he regretted the decision immensely.

  Teague took a long drink from his water glass on the table. "I haven't gotten any new information about what is different exactly, but there's a shift in my memories. They haven't all come back yet, so there's a lot for me to piece together. Kind of like, everything is present, I know it all — it's just not something I can explain well. The new stuff, I mean."

  "Tell me the old stuff then," Denver said, casually running a finger over the top of his own glass.

  Teague swallowed. "Well, um, I'm not sure I should say."

  "You said it's different, right? So if it's different, it shouldn't matter. You're not ruining any upcoming surprises. At least start with why you went back in time, which is seriously hard for me to believe right now. I wouldn't buy it if I hadn't seen it for myself when I rescued your daddy from the underworld."

  He made a good point, one Teague wasn't sure how to counter. While the details of the new future were still fuzzy to him, he still retained all of the information from the past he had left behind — almost like he had lived two separate lives, and that might have been part of why he was so disoriented.

  A number of times, he opened his mouth but no sound came out. Finally, he found the right words. "Cheyenne never got kidnapped by Lucien. That's new. And you didn't become Hades until you were older, by a few years. Rather than try to help Zes and find the answers, you continued to work for Lucien up until the last moments of his plan came into action."

  "That so?" Denver raised an eyebrow.

  "Yeah, because when my...Anj was taken, you didn't get to see how you were the real heir. You told me, in the future, that Lucien kept making you deals you couldn't refuse. Deals that allowed you to be close to Cheyenne, even though he w
as still using her and manipulating her and being her husband. It wasn't until he tried to kill you that you opened your eyes." Teague sighed.

  Denver let out a slow whistle. "So I'm pretty stupid in this other time frame. Whose idea was it to go back in the first place?"

  "Yours." Teague took another drink from his water glass and was grateful when the waitress came to take their order. He got an appetizer for the sake of making a purchase.

  "Mine?"

  "Yeah, it's...it's pretty complicated."

  "Sounds fitting since my life usually is," Denver said. "And why did I come up with this brilliant idea. I'm assuming it's brilliant seeing as how it came from my brain."

  Once again, Teague found himself struggling with coming up with the right words to explain why he had come back to the past in the first place. "You sent me here because you needed me to save Cheyenne."

  "What did he do to her?" Denver's tone took on a dark, almost inhuman grit to it. His fists clenched on the table.

  "Manipulated and used her to the point of breaking her," Teague said quietly. Then in little more than a whisper he added, "At the end of it all, she didn't survive."

  Denver growled. "He spends her and kills her? Just like everyone else?"

  "No." Teague shook his head, regretting saying anything.

  "Then what?"

  "I can't..."

  "You better tell me," Denver snapped.

  Great, now I have to tell him everything, Teague thought, closing his eyes. "Because of everything he made her do, and all of the consequences of her actions, she can't live with the pain and..."

  "Kills herself?"

  He nodded. "Right, and that sends you into a downward spiral of booze, drugs, women, everything, and in doing so killed yourself, too. Only, your death hadn't happened yet. The doctors told you how limited your remaining time was. You more or less fell off the face of the Earth for a while before coming back once you heard about my brothers' magic."