While the rest of the earthbound gods left one by one, Eros remained. The thrones returned, circling the spot where Ava’s reflection had stood only moments before, and we each settled into our proper place. I cradled Milo, who slept soundly, and tried to ignore the empty seats on either side of Walter. Nicholas, the worse for wear but healing, set his hand on the armrest of the seashell throne that had been Ava’s. As he brushed the tears from his cheeks, I looked away.
“Brothers and sisters, sons and daughters,” said Walter into the silence. “While we will forever mourn the loss of our own, the time has come to acknowledge that their positions among us must be filled.”
I glanced at my mother. Replacing Calliope made sense—like Henry couldn’t rule the Underworld alone, surely the same was true for Walter and his realm. But Ava?
She patted my hand. All in due time.
“I will handle the replacement of my queen,” said Walter. “In the meantime, I ask that Diana take the role temporarily and assist me as needed.”
“Of course,” said my mother. “Whatever I can do to help.”
Walter inclined his head. “Thank you. As for Ava’s place, we must once again scour the world to find one who is worthy. It will not be an easy task. Ava was...” He paused. “She was irreplaceable. We cannot pretend otherwise, but we must continue on. Kate.”
“Yeah?” I said, and my mother’s hand tightened around mine.
“I think it appropriate that you take Ava’s place. Temporarily,” he added. “Until we find someone capable of filling her role.”
“What of her duties in the Underworld?” said Henry before I could protest. “I need her by my side, especially now, with the kingdom left unattended for so long.”
“I am not asking for a great commitment on her part,” said Walter. “Only enough to tide us over until we have found a new goddess. She can handle it during her summer months away.”
I shook my head. “I’m staying in the Underworld during the summer now. I don’t want to leave Milo.” Or Henry, but that wasn’t the sort of excuse Walter would understand.
“It would be no great thing for you to focus on helping us with Ava’s duties in the meantime,” said Walter. “Of us all, you are best suited for the role, at least for a short period of time.”
A short period of time to Walter could have easily been a hundred years. “I can’t,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I can’t replace her, and I can’t leave my family.”
“I’ll do it,” said Eros—Eric. Even though his voice was high and boyish, he’d featured prominently in a few of the myths I’d learned, which meant he couldn’t be that young, after all. “It’s what my mother would have wanted.”
“As generous an offer as it is,” said Walter, “you are not a member of the council. You do not have the ability.”
Eric’s face fell, and seeing his disappointment on top of his grief was a punch to the gut. “I’ll help him,” I blurted. “He can report to me, and I’ll make sure everything goes according to plan. Just as long as I don’t have to leave the Underworld for extended periods of time.”
Walter turned to Henry, who nodded once. “That is acceptable to me, so long as Kate is not forced into any position she does not feel she is ready for.”
“Very well,” said Walter. “In addition, I ask that Kate and Eric be in charge of finding a suitable candidate for a more permanent role.”
A goddess. He wanted us to find another goddess. Or a mortal to take the test and earn immortality the way I had. “How?”
He shrugged. “I do not particularly care how you handle it, only that it is done. Henry is familiar with the process. He can help you.”
Henry murmured his agreement, and just like that, it was up to me and Ava’s son to find someone who could take over her role on the council—someone who couldn’t possibly exist.
Then again, Henry must’ve thought the same when he began his search for a new queen. If he could overcome his fears and hesitations, I could do the same. “Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll try.”
“I know you will,” said Walter. “And you will do wonderfully.”
That may have been stretching it, but I would do Ava justice. She deserved that much. Across the circle, James smiled at me, and I managed a small one in return. Even if I wasn’t up to the task, he would be there every step of the way. They would all be.
The council wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. Dylan would probably never like me. They would always give each other knowing looks I would never understand. Walter and I would probably spend most of forever butting heads, and it would be a long time before he saw me as an equal. But despite the fights, despite the lies, despite the frustration and secrets and eons of history I would never catch up on, they were my family now. And I wasn’t letting them go for anything.
* * *
Henry, Milo and I returned to the Underworld the next morning. Despite the gloominess of the caverns, there was nowhere else I would’ve rather been. We were home.
As we entered our red-and-gold bedroom, I stopped in the doorway and gazed around, swallowing the lump in my throat. Ava had decorated it before I’d arrived the year before. How long would it be before everything stopped reminding me of her?
Never, I hoped. I’d keep my promise to remember her always even if the guilt and pain killed me.