Chapter 48: Chapter 48

I felt the heaviness behind my eyes as I tried to open them. My throat felt like sandpaper. Taking a deep breath, I decided to blink my eyes open. My eyes shifted to every corner of the unfamiliar room. Why was I here?

Just then, I heard the door being pushed open. Lukas walked in along with Yama. I winced trying to sit up right on the bed. He came by my side and helped by fluffing the pillows, setting them against my back.

"Thanks" I whispered, leaning back.

"Do you need anything?" Lukas questioned plopping himself on the barstool in front of me. I hummed, staring at the water on the coffee table. It was out of my reach.

"Water please."

Yama cleared his throat, "I'll get it."

I arched my brow but kept quiet as Lord Yama retrieved water for me. He handed me the glass of cold water. I did not care about anyone else in the room and gulped the contents in one go. The coolness in my stomach made me sigh.

"What happened to me?"

Lukas and Yama stared at each other for a few seconds. What was going on? Why were they staring at each other in that manner? Before I could ask him any questions, Lukas leaned towards me.

I squeaked as he placed his hand on top of mine. Then I remembered that Yama was in the room and he might be putting on a show for him. Either way, his touch was comforting.

"How much do you remember?"

I thought about it. The incidents from the early morning flashed in my mind. I remembered having fun with Lukas on the three-legged race till we fell on our faces. Why was Lukas asking me that though?

"The hot dog competition?" I drawled, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Good. That's good" Lukas stuttered, looking over his shoulder. He had disbelief etched all over his face.

"What happened to me?" I questioned again. The journey to the very room I was sitting in was lost. I had no recollection of how or why I got there.

Lukas sighed, "You had too many hotdogs to eat and fainted"

I slapped a hand over my mouth. Did I do that? It was so embarrassing. All I wanted was to impress the demons but instead keep on making fun of myself. My face felt red just at the thought of facing any of them again.

"Why didn't you stop me?!" I hid my face in my palms. Hades tried to warn me that it was going to be difficult with Yama being there. It was all my fault. I should have listened to him.

Lukas pressed his lips together, a frown on his face, "I tried"

Yama chuckled, "Don't worry. I think you beat my score this year!"

I snorted, still not looking up. Was he lying to make me feel better? How in the world is it possible for me to beat a demon? A demon King at that?

Lukas hummed, "I don't know about that, but you were impressive."

Sniffling, I lifted my head to stare at both of them.

"Are you both lying to make me feel better?"

"No," They both said in unison.

"Okay"

The silence stretched in the room for a few seconds before Yama excused himself. He was needed in the games. I waved at him as he softly closed the door behind him.

"I was scared" Lukas admitted, his eyes boring into my skin.

My breath hitched in the throat at the intensity of his words. How can he be scared of being the Demon King and all? Before I could say anything, he cleared his throat.

"You were blabbing so much nonsense, and I feared that it would be your last words."

I snickered, "As if I'm ever going to leave you that easily."

"It's not funny."

"It is a little. I would have found a way to annoy you even if I was gone" I teased him, but he did not seem amused at all. What happened to that fun, devil?

"Don't joke about that."

"Lukas come on!"

"You need to stop taking risks. It's very dangerous for both of you."

My face fell as those words echoed in my ears. He was right. I was not thinking about the baby at all. Guilt swarmed me instantly. What if he thinks that I'm not a good mother? I did put our baby and me at risk just to prove the bunch of nobodies that I was capable of being healthy. It resulted in me being hospitalised and worrying Lukas to death. That's the last thing I wanted.

"I'm sorry...It will not happen again" I timidly said, averting my eyes towards the fluffy blanket on top of me. Where did that come from?

Lukas tightened his grip on my hand, "Okay."

***

The doctor gave me the green signal, and I left the bed. Lukas hid his smile at my excitement. As he had some work to do, I had no choice but to return back to the games. Persephone still had to judge one more contest, so I went by her side.

As soon as I stepped near bleachers, everyone started whispering. I knew it just because of my fainting incident, so I ignored them. They should not matter to me that much.

Persephone patted the seat next to her. It was the highest seat in the stadium. I smiled, slumping down as I noticed the game. Arm wrestling competition was going on at the moment. The demons were gathered on the either side, cheering for their player.

"Are you okay? Is the baby doing okay?" She asked, eyeing my belly.

I hummed, "I'm alright. The doctor said I have nothing to worry about. It was a minor thing."

"That's good news."

"Hmm"

"Also congratulations!" She shrieked near my ear, making me flinch. I winced, rubbing my ears.

"What for?" I asked

Persephone grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she met my stare, "You beat Lord Yama."

My mouth fell open at that. How was that possible? He was a Demon King! Does that mean Yama was not lying to me? I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing what to say. It was a huge thing, indeed. Maybe that's why everyone was whispering the moment they saw me. I did the impossible.

"Really?!" I asked

"Mmh! You beat him by one hotdog."

"Wow, I can't believe it" I stuttered, staring at my fingers. For a second, I thought that Persephone would burst out laughing and tell me she's kidding. Nothing of that sort happened.

"We will announce your trophy after this competition."

"Thank you" I gushed, a broad smile stretched across my lips. I proved myself to these demons. My eyes searched for Lukas to tell him the good news when I realised that he left earlier. As I looked at the empty chair beside

Persephone I frowned. Hades was missing as well.

I nudged at her, "Where is Hades?"

"His brother is going back to Mount Olympus, so he's seeing him off."

I gaped at the information. Was Zeus going back? I thought he would stay for a while so that I can ask him a few questions. He seemed like he had all the answers by the way he reacted during the dinner.

"Oh, but I thought he would be staying for a while."

Persephone sighed, "You and me both. He's unpredictable that way, so I'm not surprised. Even his sister is going back with him do I think it's urgent."

Was Hestia going back? I had not seen her since dinner. That was strange. Both of them felt like they had seen me before.

"But I wanted to talk to Zeus."

"Oh? Why?"

Before I could answer her, she cut me off.

"Is it because of what he said during dinner? He's drunk, so don't let that bother you. Zeus has said some weird stuff when he's drunk."

I hummed, nodding my head even though it did not sit right with me. As much as I tried to ignore and brush it off as nothing, it was something. I had a gut feeling about that. With him gone, there was no way of me finding out about it. Maybe it was for the best.

"Besides you should worry about tonight" Hades wife smiled.

I arched my brow, "Why?"

"Its ballrooms evening. Everyone will be present there, and it's your debut night!"

I gulped at her excitement. Should I tell her that I had no idea how to dance?

"I have been looking forward to this night since last month."

"Yeah?" I breathed, my stomach in knots.

"Yes. It's my first time hosting the ball, and I want it to be perfect. But apart from that, there's this dress I have been meaning to wear."

I nervously giggled, "Yay for you then!"

"Why do you seem nervous?"

"No, I'm not."

She rolled her eyes, "Don't lie to me. Its nothing! You beat Lord Yama at the competition. You got it!"

"Sure"

What if I lose all the respect I gained at the ball?

***