54

I was casually having a conversation with my guests and I heard the door open with a bang and a gust of wind blowing through, causing Fifi to scream. I get up from my chair and Peter follows behind me. We look down and find a woman lying on the floor, all bloody and bruised.

"Gertie?" Peter says in disbelief.

We both rush over to her; I see Korey in my peripheral vision, and she says Haste's name.

She groans softly and my heart couldn't bear it. I have never seen Gertie look like this before, she is usually the one leaving people like this.

Peter and I picked her up and we swiftly moved her to her cottage. Fifi helps us get her on her bed and she uses her magic to clean and bandage Gertie, she undresses her and puts clean clothes on her then Petthannd I lay her down on her bed.

"Is she going to be, okay?"

"She's got a pulse, but she's lost a lot of blood, Fifi has managed to close open wounds and we've checked for internal bleeding," Peter says.

Then I remember Gertie telling me about her emergency healing kit. I quickly looked around the room and I spotted the black box, on her vanity. I use my telekinesis and bring it to me, I grab the bag, open it and pull out a syringe, I give it to Peter, and he injects her with the fluid.

"Now we wait."

We all leave Gertie's room and go to the main house.

"What the fuck?" Peter says after a long silence.

"Yeah, what the fuck?" Korey agrees.

Where the hell is she coming from? Who did that to her?

"I'm scared," Fifi confesses, "I have never seen Gertie like that, ever and to have someone that can break her down like that. Whoever that person is, must be more powerful than we thought."

"And the fact that she got out," Korey adds shaking her head.

"Maybe she was released?"

Peter chuckles, he disagreed, "No, they had dumped her body and left her for dead. I'm sure of it."

"So, what do we do?" Korey asks.

"We wait for her to heal baby, and then we'll find out who did that to her."

I pull her in for a hug and kiss the top of her head.

"Well let's not let your good food go to waste, let's warm it up and eat," Peter says as he makes his way to our kitchen.

"I could eat," Fifi says, "All that stress got me hungry."

Korey and I look at each other and we shrug and follow the Water Wilsons to the kitchen.

NEXT DAY

I am woken up by the sound of pots and pans banging, I groan and touch the right side of the bed and I feel Korey beside me.

"Babe?"

Korey groans, "What?"

"Kitchen, noise."

"Boy, I'm sleeping, you go see what it is,"

I curse under my breath and make my way down the stairs and to that kitchen.

"Good morning, Hades," I hear Gertie sing.

I must still be asleep because I did not just hear Gertie. I rub my eyes and find Gertie, cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

"Nena, what the hell are you doing? You are supposed to be resting," I say as I take the pan away from her.

She grabs it back and laughs, "When have I ever Peter that?"

"Fair point but still Gertie, you just suffered a major ordeal, you should be relaxing, letting us take care of you."

"I am fine now, Hades, there is no need to worry," she says with a smile.

"But I –

She gives me a warning look, "Don't make me repeat myself, young man."

I close my mouth and make my way back upstairs; Korey sits up on the bed and looks at me.

"Who was that?"

"Gertie?"

"Excuse me?"

Korey gets out of bed and throws on her silk robe, "She is supposed to be resting."

Before I could even reply she was out the door and I was following behind her, we went to the kitchen and Korey was stuck at the door.

"Gertie?"

"Oh, my baby," Gertie cries and they run into each other's arms and hug.

"Are you okay, nena?" Korey asks.

Gertie nods with tears in her eyes, "I am so sorry about the little one."

"It's okay, we'll get her back I promise," Korey replies, they pull apart and Gertie wipes Korey's tears before attending to her own.

"What happened? We were so worried, we had everybody looking for you."

"The twins took me," she replies.

I fucking knew it.

"They wanted to know about the two of you and the baby's spirit. They took me to some lair; I don't even know where. They beat me daily, trying to get information out of me but I wouldn't tell them anything."

"But how did you escape?"

"Well, with a hairpin and broke glass, stabbed one of the guards in the eye and made a run for it as soon as I got some kind of strength, I teleported to the front door."

"I am so sorry Gertie. Those boys will get what's coming to them, I promise you," I vow.

"You're going to call their mother, aren't you?"

I nod, "They have left us no choice."

Gertie sighs, "You gonna call Cronus?"

"Most definitely."

"I also may have an idea of where your baby's spirit is,"

Korey and I both look at Gertie. If there is one thing about Gertie, she will pull a rabbit out of a hat without the hat or the rabbit.

"Where?"

"Minthe."

Oh shit. No, her, please not that psychotic monster.

"What is that?" Korey asks confused, looking at me.

I groan, "It's not a what baby, it's a who and Minthe is my ex."

"Ex?"

"Yeah, we had a thing going on before you were –

"Hades."

"We had a full-on relationship before you were prophesied to me," I confess, "The moment I knew about her, I broke up with her."

Korey turns and looks at Gertie, "What did they say about her?"

"I don't quite remember, I was in and out of it, but I am working on a potion as we speak," she says with a smile.

"This is why we love you and need you every day," Korey says giving her another hug.

I walk up to them and hug them both.

"I'd do anything for both of you, I love you and I am so glad to be back," she says.

"We love you too nana, and I don't know what we would do with you."