Hades couldn't stop himself from seething the moment he spotted Evadne inside the Arcade Centre, laughing as she played the basketball hoop game with Casadin and his friends.
Fury surged in his veins as he stormed toward them, Cieryl and the rest of their group trailing behind him.
"Evadne!" he barked, his voice sharp enough to turn heads. Casadin and the others turned to him, but before Hades could say another word, his phone started to ring.
His stomach dropped the moment he saw the name flashing on the screen.
His father.
A video call.
He swallowed hard and answered it.
"Where are you?" Jupiter's voice came cold and stern through the phone. "And where is Evadne?"
"We're at the Arcade Centre, sir. She's here, playing games," Hades said quickly, forcing his tone into something calm.
"Are you sure?" Jupiter's glare deepened. "Tyla called. Said you contacted her asking for Evadne's number. Why would you need that if you were with her?"
"No, sir," Hades lied, his pulse hammering. "She's right here."
"Then give her the phone."
Shit.
Hades nearly cursed aloud.
What if she tells him I left her alone to ride the carousel with my friends? What if she says I ignored her?
He had no choice. Stoic as ever, he handed the phone to Evadne.
"Father wants to talk to you," he said through clenched teeth.
Evadne took the phone with a bright smile, one that screamed innocence but held the sharpness of a blade.
"Hi, Dad!" she greeted sweetly, her voice chipper.
"Vee, sweetheart, I'm just checking in. Are you having fun with Hades?" Jupiter asked in his most doting tone.
"Not really," Evadne replied, casting a meaningful glance at Hades.
He wanted to isolate me earlier… she thought darkly. Let him see what happens when I return the favor.
Hades could feel himself sweating despite the cold air in the arcade.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
"You're not enjoying yourself?" Jupiter pressed. "Is Hades not doing what you want? Is he not taking you on the rides you like?"
Evadne smiled again, almost angelically, and shot another glance at Hades.
"Wrong word. I'm not just enjoying with him," she clarified. "There are so many of us! Look, " She turned the camera to show Cieryl and Hades's friends. "Didn't you see the post Cieryl made earlier on social media? We happened to run into them when we got here, so they just decided to tag along."
Her voice was sugary sweet, full of innocence.
But Casadin knew better.
She was snitching on Hades, subtly, like a fox. And it was glorious.
"Alright, sweetheart. As long as you're having fun." Jupiter's tone softened, though the warning beneath it hadn't disappeared.
"I am, Dad! Don't worry, I even beat Casadin in basketball already," Evadne giggled.
At that, Casadin leaned into the camera with his arm around Evadne.
"She's lying, Gramps. I let her win. Didn't want to see her cry," he teased with a grin.
"The score was 3–0," Evadne replied and reached up to pinch his nose playfully.
Jupiter chuckled faintly. "Alright, I won't interrupt the fun any longer. If you need anything, you tell Hades, or Casadin. Got it?"
"Yes, Dad. Love you! Tell Mom I love her too!" Evadne beamed.
"We love you too, sweetie," Jupiter said before the screen shifted back to Hades.
There was a heavy pause as their eyes met through the video.
"We'll talk when you get home."
And with that, the call ended.
Hades didn't even get a word in.
"How long?" Casadin asked his friends, who groaned in response.
"Six minutes," Delvin replied with a shake of his head.
"I won!" Casadin grinned triumphantly.
"Bro, do you moonlight as a psychic or something?" Flynn muttered, half-laughing.
"I told you," Casadin said smugly. "When a dog realizes its master is missing, it panics. And when it catches the scent, boom, it sprints like hell to get back to its owner."
The group burst into laughter.
Evadne tried her best not to laugh.
"Are you calling me a dog!?" Hades snapped, shoving Casadin's shoulder. "Are you trying to insult me?"
"Who, me?" Casadin feigned innocence. "Did I say any names? But hey, if the collar fits..." He shoved Hades right back. "You sound like a dog, barking loud with no bite."
"How dare you?" Hades growled, fists clenched.
"Oh, I dare," Casadin smirked, stepping closer. "Do you? Can you dare to tell Gramps the truth? That you left Vee all by herself on a bench while she was having a panic attack? That you were too busy playing knight-in-shining-armor for your precious carousel date? Tell me, dog, can you dare?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Hades snapped, looking confused and now turning to Evadne. "What panic attack?"
Casadin's voice was cold, mocking. "Cut the act. The only ones who'd believe that crap are your fellow traitors."
His eyes burned into Hades's.
"You think I'd believe you didn't see it? Didn't notice her pale as hell and barely breathing? You're supposed to be good at everything, right? You knew her condition. You knew she didn't know anyone here, and you still left her alone. If we hadn't shown up, who knows what would've happened? You're lucky we stayed in the park. Because if we hadn't, they'd be scraping your sorry ass off the pavement. That's where mutts like you belong, stray, abandoned, forgotten."
"Cas, that's enough," Evadne interrupted, wrapping her hand around his arm, gently pulling him back. "Don't ruin the day."
"But Princess," Casadin whined softly, his tone immediately dropping as his fury tried to settle. "I told you not to go soft on that ungrateful stray. You should've told Gramps the truth, maybe then he'd finally learn."
The anger in him still hadn't cooled, especially as he remembered how pale and fragile Evadne had looked just hours earlier. Then his gaze caught Selena watching from the sidelines, feigning concern.
"And you, Selena," Casadin snapped. "Did you seriously go around introducing yourself as my girlfriend? Because I sure as hell don't remember asking you out, let alone claiming you."
But before things could escalate further, Evadne stepped away from him. She dropped his arm and grabbed Amanda and Bea's hands.
"We're leaving," she said coldly. "If you want to ruin your day, be my guest, but don't drag us into it."
"Wait, Princess!" Casadin immediately forgot Hades and scrambled after her. "I'm sorry, okay?! And hey, I won the bet! That means I get to choose what ride we go on next!"
The girls didn't stop.
"Let's hit the tower drop!" he shouted, jogging to catch up. Flynn and Delvin trailed behind, still amused by the chaos.
"But I wanted to ride the coaster…" Evadne pouted, just as Casadin reached her and slung his arm casually over her shoulders.
"Then we ride the coaster," Casadin said without a second's hesitation. "Whatever the Princess wants, she gets."
Then he smirked, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"And I've got a better idea. We'll take plenty of videos and pictures. I'll post them on my socials. For the memories… and so the Grands can see just how much fun you had today."
He made sure Hades could hear every word.
That did it.
Hades clenched his fists but said nothing. Because he knew exactly what Casadin was doing, and he couldn't afford to let him win. The moment Casadin posted that content and he wasn't in it, his parents would ask questions. And they wouldn't like the answers.
Casadin was subtly threatening him.
And Hades knew better than anyone, Casadin was petty, ruthless, and would take any opportunity to make him bleed, without ever raising a hand.
So he followed.
And because he followed, his entire group, including Cieryl and Selena, had no choice but to follow, too.
As they stood in line for the most extreme roller coaster in the park, Hades leaned toward Evadne with a forced calm.
"You know how dangerous this ride is?" he said, trying to keep his voice low. "We could get hurt."
Casadin barked out a laugh. "There you go again, barking like a dog. Who said you had to ride? Go back to the carousel where you belong, weak and spinning."
"I'm not talking to you," Hades snapped.
"Oh, I know," Casadin said. "But I'm talking to you. Or did you forget what Gramps said earlier? Let Vee enjoy herself. Let her choose. This isn't about you."
Cieryl, ever the sweetheart in front of others, smiled and placed a hand gently on Evadne's arm. "Vee, this ride is kind of intense… maybe we should do something else?"
Amanda and Bea both exchanged a look and rolled their eyes.
But Evadne only smiled sweetly, her eyes firm. "I really want to ride this. Thanks for the concern, but Casadin's right, you don't have to join us if you don't want to."
Casadin clapped his hands once. "You hear that, dog? The Princess has spoken. Maybe go bark somewhere else."
Hades was ready to argue more, but just then, the ride opened and Evadne stepped forward eagerly with the Rebels. Casadin followed close behind, already pulling out his phone and recording the moment.
Hades ground his teeth and had no choice but to follow them into the cart.
Evadne ended up between Casadin and Hades, not that she minded, Casadin was already grinning like a madman, filming a selfie video with her beside him.
As the ride launched into motion, it was chaos.
For seven long minutes, the coaster twisted through vertical drops, loops, and heart-stopping descents.
Evadne, Casadin, and the rest of the Rebels screamed with excitement, adrenaline surging through their veins. Their laughter filled the air, wild and free.
Meanwhile, Hades's group looked like death.
By the time the coaster screeched to a stop, several of the guys were pale as ghosts. One of the girls had nearly passed out. Another was gripping the safety bar like she'd seen her life flash before her eyes.
They stumbled out of the carts one by one, green, gasping, and already on their way to the nearest trash bin.
"Ewwww," Bea commented, wrinkling her nose.
"You guys are so weak," Amanda muttered, unimpressed.
"Let's go again!!!" Flynn and Delvin shouted at once.
"No!!" Selena shrieked. "Do you want us to die?!"
Her voice trembled, and it looked like she might cry.
Evadne's gaze slid toward her coolly.
Didn't she think she'd make my life hell? Let's see whose hell begins first.
"I think I want another ride," she said innocently, looking up at Casadin with a grin. She leaned in and whispered, "Make it worse."
Casadin's smirk was pure sin.
"Anything for you, Princess." He turned to the others. "Let's go, Rebels."
Cheering, they moved toward the next brutal attraction, with Casadin's arm draped casually around Evadne's shoulders.
Hades and his crew?
They had no choice but to follow.
And they had no idea how much they'd regret it.