Haley woke up with Melin in her arms, she had slept horrible. She got up and slogged herself to the bathroom. The things she had been told yesterday, they were awful. But, now it all started making sense. She had met with Zeus, and another man named Harper. The woman who had stalked her dad, Ophion. Two people named Edgar and Nicholas, and some other important people. Like her sister, Willow. She knows everything.

Melin walked into the bathroom, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes, it is just, wrapping my brain around all of this. I understand why it is kept under close wraps. You know where this puts me, right?”

Melin nodded, “In the center of all events that are going to unfold.”

Haley nodded, “I know why Funk is helping Steve. Sorry, I should be glad we will get married, I am truly happy.”

Melin smiled, “I know, it is remarkable how you managed to gain everyone’s trust. Are you getting dressed? We have the new arrival coming in soon.”

“Hand me that skirt, I am feeling girly today.”

After Haley got dressed, she walked towards the entrance of Reaperhelm with Melin, hand in hand. Hades came over to them, with Stevie by his side. He looked at Hades, “Thank you for repairing my original body, who removed the void from my corrupted body?”

Haley raised her hand, “That would have been me.”

Stevie walked over, “I don’t know you, but Bella told me about a woman with long purple hair named Haley. Would that by chance be you? You cut your hair?”

Haley nodded, “I am indeed her. You have been asleep for two years. Melin told me she had to scrape your soul together.”

Stevie sighed, “I got chewed up, I think. I saved Steve.”

Haley sighed, “I know, back then I was glad about it.”

“And now?”

Haley shrugged, “It might have been better if you let him die, I feel so much better and free without him around me. I never realized how much he actually formed my path and commanded me around.”

Stevie shook his head, “Bella never told me how you were related to Steve, do you mind sharing that with me?”

“He is my dad, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want him to be dead, I just wanted him to die, so he would end up here. That way we can talk about it.”

Melin looked at Haley, “You don’t seem too keen to talk to him right now.”

“Yeah, I just want to enjoy my freedom right now.”

Stevie nodded, “Problems with your dad, I cannot understand that, I never really had a father, or a mother, I do have a creator.”

Haley smiled, “No worries, I am sure you have enough people that care about you.”

Stevie shook his head, “Not really.”

“What about Bella? I will take you to her.”

Stevie smiled, “I hope my appearance doesn’t bother you, Haley.”

“No, I am not bothered by the fact you are my dad’s brother.” Haley and Melin showed Stevie where their home is.

When they walked inside, Bella got up, “Oh my god, you are alright, finally!”

Bella walked over and hugged him, “Things did not go according to plan.”

Stevie laughed, “No, you died, again.”

Bella shrugged, “You died as well.”

“Hey, I died trying to salvage our plan and save Steve’s ass. Mara was practically poking around in his brain, hunting for Thanos.”

Bella nodded, “I feared as much, it makes sense.” Haley zoned out and let them talk, in her brain she spoke with Lisa and Molly. Haley had gotten a perfect idea.

Melin grabbed her hand and took her outside, “What are you thinking about, Haley?”

“What do you mean?”

“That was your thinking face, as in, I am cooking up a scheme.”

Haley chuckled, “I don’t have a thinking face.”

Melin mimicked her thinking face. Haley scratched her nose, “Yeah, that might be right.”

Melin smiled, “Now tell me, how does Stevie factor in your scheme.”

“He is eager to get back to the land of the living, to fight Alice.”

Melin nodded, “Yeah, that is true.”

“He is going to die, horribly, and the next time, he will be a goner and get sucked into the ethereal vortex.”

Melin nodded along, “Also true.”

“But, if he joins forces with me, then, I will get a significant power boost, and he has an actual shot at beating Alice.” Melin giggled.

Haley looked at her, “What?”

“You are never going to convince a man like him. He has smooth talks himself, he is stubborn, and does that remind you of someone?”

Haley shook her head, “I am not stubborn at all.”

Melin pointed, “Ha, I got you, you just admitted you’ve got smooth talks!”

Haley let out a warm smile, “Only with the ladies.”

Melin gasped, “You meanie pants!”

Haley let herself fall into Melin’s arms, “I cannot wait to get married to you.”

Melin just stared at her with a loving gaze, “You know I love you, right? Like a lot.”

Haley stared back at her, her eyes filled with love and longing, “I know, I love you too. Otherwise, I would not go through such insane lengths to impress your dad.”

Melin smiled, “Thanks for that, now go play out your scheme, I am wondering if you can talk over a stubborn man like him.”

Haley went back into the house, Stevie and Abby were talking about how they once duked it out. Abby apparently shot an arrow in his eye. Haley cleared her throat, “Hey Stevie?”

“Yes?”

“Can we talk in private? There is a lake nearby.”

He nodded, “Alright, no problem at all.”

Haley nodded and led the way towards the lake. Stevie looked at her, “What do you want to talk about?”

Haley grabbed a stone and threw it over the lake, the stone skipped a few times. “Thank you for saving my dad that day. But that is not what I want to talk about. I am here to talk about your past sins, and that you would like to atone for them.”

Stevie let out a sly smile, “And what would a young girl like you know about my past sins?”

Haley just glanced at him, “I am in the Inner Circle's leadership, one of the three leaders after their initial formation, they told me everything.”

Stevie sighed, “I see, and how did a young girl like you manage to get into the Inner Circle, and win the princess’s love and her hand?”

“I have completed the trial.”

Stevie looked at her with awe, “Do you mean the actual trial? Bella and I once looked at somebody attempting it, he got slaughtered in the first ten minutes.”

Haley smiled, “Yes, that trial, they have cleaned up neatly after he got killed.”

Stevie shook his head, “That is insane, I need to ask for the recording of your trial. Melin really seems to like you, I have met some Greek gods back in the day. You probably know I am pretty old.”

Haley nodded, “I know what you did. And I agree, I would have done the same thing.”

Stevie looked up, “You would have?”

“If I were put in your shoes, then yes, you saw an opportunity to save everyone, and you took it. It might not have worked out like you wanted to, but it was a solid attempt. It would have saved everyone a lot of hassle. Bella does not understand it. That is why she is mad at you for that, thing, you did. But, I get it, you did what you needed to do, I also did what I needed to do. But sometimes, doing the thing you need to do, is too painful, too hard, or there is a sliver of hope that you keep holding on to.”

Stevie sighed and threw a rock across the lake, it only skipped twice, “Yes, a sliver of hope.”

“Bella had a sliver of hope, in that regard, Alice and Bella are the same. They both have a hope that things will work out. Bella hopes Micheal never comes back from his retreat, to make sure her past mistakes are not coming back to haunt her. Alice is hoping for Micheal to come back, thinking she can tame the hurricane that is named Micheal. But we both know, Micheal cannot be tamed, and it is better if he is dead, or if he stays at his retreat.”

Stevie nodded, “You are right, if you would get the chance, would you kill Micheal?”

Haley came closer to Stevie, “I am training for one goal.”

Stevie frowned his eyebrow, “And what is that?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“To kill Micheal, if he comes back, and even my dad, if that is what is needed, and to uncover my mom's secrets. You want to kill Alice, to prevent him from coming back. It seems we both want the same thing, but we both lack the current prowess to achieve our goals. The Inner Circle has plans and fail safes for if Micheal comes out of his retreat.”

Stevie shook his head, “What do you mean?”

“The Agency for example.”

Stevie smiled, “Leon?”

Haley nodded, “Indeed, Leon your brother, and Lilith his wife.”

Stevie looked over the lake, “It has been so long since I last saw them. I wonder how they are doing.”

Haley looked at him, “Do you want to see them again?”

Stevie nodded, “Yeah, there are some things I need to say to them, for example, I need to apologize. It is not like they are people who come out of hiding easily. They are biding their time, they have been for many, and I do mean, many years. We never hoped to involve the Agency, they are unpredictable, dangerous, but occasionally, they are necessary. To maintain the stability of the timeline.”

Haley sighed, “I have a meeting with them, to talk over certain, plans.”

Stevie looked at her, “For real?”

Haley nodded, “Everyone fears, Alice is going to succeed to lure Micheal out of his retreat. His name sends shivers down the boots of the mightiest gods.”

Stevie nodded, “I can understand that. Have I told you I met Micheal?”

Haley sat down, “Tell me about him.”

Stevie laughed, “There is not much to tell. He is insane, strong, and he killed me, a couple of times. I don’t tend to stay dead for long. Bella also met him, she got killed by his hands. Micheal, the man who leaves a wake of destruction everywhere he goes. Bella tried to tame him. Micheal has this uncanny ability to let people like him, he can rally up his enemies, but instead of fighting him, they will join his side. Many have fallen prey to it, and many people regret it afterward when it is already too late. Once Micheal was weak.”

Haley picked up another stone and threw it over the lake, “I like to hear the story behind that.”

“I heard this from Bella, I had not been born yet. She once found Micheal after some kind of huge battle, he was frozen. Bella could have finished him, instead, she nursed him back to health. That, is probably Bella’s biggest regret ever. I met Bella shortly after that. Haley?”

“Yes?”

“If you kill Micheal, it is not going to work.”

“What, why?”

“He will just come back to live, he is immortal, just like your dad, he might even be worse.”

Haley laughed, “That is just a myth, not even gods are immortal, some have the ability to escape the brush of death. Which is where the myth comes from that gods cannot be killed. As for my dad, he is not worse.”

Stevie shook his head, “Their soul, it does not abide the normal rules.”

Haley nodded, “Maybe, he is like Abby.”

Stevie looked at her, “What is up with Abby?”

“She is immortal, try killing her, it is fun, she won’t mind.”

Stevie laughed, “For real?”

“Yeah, once she threw herself in a wood chipper to prove a point. She has a friend called Mimic, a black glob.”

Stevie stared at Haley, “A black glob. Huh, that sounds familiar. Oh yeah, Bella told me about that once, but we don't have to worry about that, it's asleep.”

Haley nodded, “So you know?”

Stevie nodded, “I know.”

Haley started to walk away, she glanced over her shoulder, “You are going to die if you go back, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, with my void power gone, I stand no chance against Alice and Freya.”

Haley turned around, “The next time you die, the grand council will not help you, I plead for you this time, I did not meet them, but they sent an associate. They are no longer on your side. The next time, your soul is going to the ethereal vortex.”

Stevie turned around and stared at her, “Such a young girl, and already making a name for herself, meeting with the big guys. You look slender, tiny, not a threat at all. You are heavily muscled, though. It seems, it is best not to judge your book, by its cover. You took me here for a reason, you want something from me. You can talk all you want, but I know you are after something. I am done beating around the bush, what do you want, Haley?”

Haley smiled, “You are a smart man. Alright, here is the plan.” She pointed at her head, “I have people in my mind. Not like, I am cuckoo or something. I have absorbed people, like Micheal can do. Their power is mine, but their souls are free, unlike what Micheal likes to do. I have a nice home in my mind. One of the people is Lisa, she met with her dad recently, Poseidon. I possess the ability to manipulate water, or turn into water.”

Stevie grinned and crossed his arms, “I see where this is going, go on.”

“The other one is Molly, she is smart, gives me more brains. They are a part of me, we fight together. You are not strong enough, neither am I. Join forces with me, and we might have a shot.”

Stevie laughed, “I knew you wanted something from me.” He changed his arm into a demon arm, “This is what you are looking for, isn’t it?”

Haley nodded. Stevie walked closer, “And how do I know, this is not just some trick?”

Haley gestured at the city, “Ask around, Lisa and Molly walk around freely a lot of the time.” Haley closed her eyes, Molly and Lisa stepped out of her.

Stevie looked at them, “Good to see you again, Lisa.”

She nodded, “It is good to see you again as well, Stevie. It has been a long time, what has it been, a few thousand years?”

Stevie nodded, “It has.”

Haley looked at Lisa, “You never told me you knew him.”

“No, I wanted to see the shock on your face, we never get to see that.”

Molly giggled, “That is true, Abby always complains about that.”

Stevie smiled, “I see, like Freya, but somehow different, like Steve. You truly are Micheal's daughter. I need to think about this, Haley, it is a big ask. You are asking me, to give up my personal freedom for a shot at redemption. But being on the good side, seeing Leon again, my soul being safe.” He smiled, “You played it smart, I am going to hand you that.” He walked away, “Wait here for me, I’ll speak to some people.”

After Stevie had left, Haley let out a deep sigh. “I really don't like being called Micheal's daughter, even if technically, Steve is my dad. I did not ask for this. Also, Nice job Lisa.”

She smiled, “Thanks, I think I did well.”

Molly nodded, “I believed it, you told us ages ago, but he doesn’t need to know that.”

Haley giggled, “Well, let’s hope he takes the bait. Once he is in, we will be much stronger.”

Molly looked at Haley, “He looks a lot like your dad.”

She nodded, “it freaks me out, mostly since he also looks a lot like Captain and Micheal. At least Leon can be recognized more easily.”

Haley waited for a few hours. Melin brought her cup of coffee and food. Eventually, Stevie came back. Haley looked at him, “There you are, I thought you might pull a runner.”

Stevie chuckled, “Believe me, it crossed my mind. I have talked about it with Bella, and considered my options. Alice is going to slaughter me. And, to be honest, I am not done with living just yet. If, and this part is important, if you promise me that you are going to take out Alice, kill her and send her to the place we dare not to name, along with her creepy pet. And, if Micheal does come out of his retreat, then we will kill him. If killing him does not work, we’ll build a soul shredder.”

“A soul shredder?”

Stevie nodded, “I have been working on the blueprints. It is a crystal that opens up a portal with razor sharp jaws. It will shred a soul into a billion pieces and scatter them.”

Haley smiled, “That sounds awesome. I will not be nasty, I need to be honest.”

Stevie nodded, “I appreciate that, tell me.”

“The Agency has an open bounty for Bella. If they need to enact their plan, she is not going to survive.”

Stevie sighed, “I already feared as much, but Bella knows this. She is living on borrowed time, she has been for a very long time. Then we just have to work together to stop Alice from luring Micheal out of his retreat. I am up for this, Haley, let’s join forces. I am weak on my own, but with a team that I can truly trust, and my soul safely anchored to yours, we both might have a shot. How does this work?”

Haley extended her arms for a hug, “Just hug me.”

Stevie grinned, “That is motherfucking creeping.”

Haley shrugged, “I worked on it.” Stevie gave her a hug. He could feel flesh crawl over his skin and the pull of Haley’s soul. She seems to have great control over this ability. Stevie surrendered himself and let his guard down and melded into Haley.