"Shit!" Hades cursed under his breath, unable to stop himself.
After riding the carousel three times, they finally returned to the bench where Evadne was supposed to be waiting, and she was gone.
"Babe," Cieryl's voice laced with concern, "what do we do?"
Hades immediately pulled out his phone, intending to call her, only to remember he didn't even have her number.
"Do you have her number?" he asked Cieryl, his voice tense.
Cieryl shook her head, looking uneasy.
Hades ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
"Come on, Hades. Why are you stressing over that girl? Just let her wander off," Selena cut in dismissively. "We're here to have fun, remember?"
"Not now, Selena," Hades snapped, his tone cold and sharp, enough to make her flinch and shut up.
Selena may get away with manipulating everyone else with her fame and model status, but not Hades. After all, it was Hades who gave her that fame. She only got her exclusive contract with Falcon Empire because of him, and she knew better than to push too hard when he was angry.
Yes, Hades had planned to isolate Evadne today. Yes, he hoped she'd feel out of place. But not this. Losing her, actually losing her in a crowded theme park?
That wasn't part of the plan.
If his parents found out he let Evadne out of his sight, alone, unprotected, surrounded by strangers? He wouldn't just be scolded. They'd snap. His father might disown him altogether.
"What the fuck!" Hades shouted suddenly, loud and sharp, drawing shocked glances from people nearby.
His friends went silent, stunned. Hades was always the calm one, the composed one.
Without another word, Hades stormed off. He began checking the nearby rides, the food stalls, even souvenir shops, anywhere Evadne might have wandered. But with every minute that passed, his anxiety grew.
After nearly an hour, Hades was sweating cold.
Panic had fully set in.
What he didn't know, what none of them knew, was that Evadne had already been found. She was currently seated on the second floor of the arcade center, spooning sundae into her mouth, laughing quietly beside Casadin and his friends.
"I'm sure by now his balls have turned blue," Delvin snorted while grabbing another handful of fries from their shared tray.
"Should I show myself now?" Evadne asked mock-innocently, scooping another bite of ice cream with a smirk.
"Looks like he's about to have a heart attack," Amanda giggled. "They're not even enjoying the theme park anymore."
"Don't go soft, Princess," Casadin chimed in, casually draping an arm around her shoulders before stealing the spoonful of sundae Evadne was about to eat.
"Let him panic. Let him freak out. He didn't even care when you had a panic attack earlier because he was too busy playing perfect boyfriend to Cieryl. Let him feel what you felt, and more."
Casadin's voice carried a low bitterness, still fuming when he remembered how he found her earlier, alone, hyperventilating, pale, shaking. If he and his friends had arrived any later…
He didn't even want to think about it.
They all laughed again as they watched from the window, spotting Hades now barking instructions at his guy friends, clearly telling them to split up and search for Evadne.
"He didn't even think to check inside the Arcade Center," Bea said with a smirk, dipping a fry into cheese sauce. Her eyes followed the flustered group below.
Evadne leaned back in her seat, a smirk tugging at her lips, basking in the rare, unfamiliar feeling of safety… and vindication.
She didn't need Hades to protect her.
She had Casadin, and he didn't need to be told to care.
"Come on, guys. Are we just going to keep watching them?" Flynn finally spoke up, visibly bored. "Watching dumbasses run in circles is no longer entertaining."
"Of course we're going to have fun," Casadin replied with a lazy grin, reaching for a fry and feeding it directly into Evadne's mouth. "But it's more fun when we're having fun while someone beside us is fuming with rage."
Evadne arched a brow, chewing thoughtfully. The rest of Casadin's friends turned toward him with interest.
"You're such an asshole," Evadne muttered, already amused. "What are you planning?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed his phone from the table.
"Group picture, guys," he announced, lifting the phone and angling it to frame them all.
"Say Rebels!"
"Rebels!!!" they chorused.
Delvin flashed the classic rock 'n' roll hand sign. Flynn stuck his tongue out. Amanda and Bea posed with a shared heart shape. Evadne puckered her lips in a teasing kiss toward the camera while Casadin smirked like the devil himself.
Their smiles were genuine. Laughter lingered in the air.
Casadin quickly sent the photo to their group chat.
"Alright," he said, lowering the phone. "Wait thirty minutes. Then Bea, post it in your social media. Rion follows you. He'll see it first."
The others chuckled knowingly.
"Now here's the fun part, let's bet how long it'll take for Hades and his lapdogs to find us. Whoever gets it right or closest gets to choose what ride we do next. Loser pays for dinner. Deal?"
Everyone agreed in a heartbeat.
"Thirty minutes," Flynn said.
"Twenty-five," Delvin grinned.
"Twenty," Bea offered.
"Fifteen," Amanda smirked.
Evadne tilted her head, thoughtful. "Fifteen seems fair. It'll take time for the post to circulate and for them to backtrack. But I'll bet on fourteen, just to be safe."
Casadin scoffed. "Amateurs. I'm betting five."
"Five? Seriously?" Delvin blinked. "Be reasonable."
"You underestimate the nose of a desperate dog," Casadin said smoothly, clearly referring to Hades. "And how fast mutts can run when they catch their master's scent."
"Even so… this theme park is massive," Bea pointed out. "But hey, a bet is a bet. No whining from the losers."
With the bet in place, and their meal finished, they all headed downstairs to the arcade. It was time to burn off what they'd eaten before diving into the more extreme rides.
Evadne was laughing again, loudly and freely, as she battled Flynn in a racing game while Amanda and Bea competed in Dance Revolution. She hadn't felt this carefree in a long time. For once, the thoughts she heard matched the smiles people gave her. Casadin's friends didn't pretend. And she liked them more because of that.
Meanwhile, across the park, Hades was anything but calm.
"So?" he asked Cieryl as she returned from making a call.
"The butler said she hasn't returned home. They confirmed she left this morning with you and hasn't come back," she explained, concern now evident in her voice.
"Fuck." His curse rang louder than he expected, drawing glances. He didn't care anymore.
It had been almost two hours since she vanished, and he still had no idea where she was.
His heart was hammering now, not from anger, but genuine panic.
He pulled out his phone, finally admitting defeat, because the longer he kept this to himself, the worse the consequences would be.
He scrolled through his contacts and hit Tyla's name, his temporary assistant and once the trusted secretary of his older brother, Zeus.
He knew what he was about to do would dig his grave deeper.
But at this point, Hades had no choice.
If his parents ever found out he lost track of Evadne, because he was too busy entertaining Cieryl, his father wouldn't just be disappointed. There will be hell to pay.
And Hades knew better than anyone, the longer he kept this quiet, the worse the punishment would be.
The line rang. Once. Twice. A third time.
Then came her sharp, calm voice.
"Young Master Hades," Tyla answered on the other end.
"Tyla, do you have Evadne's phone number?" Hades tried to keep his tone level, unaffected. He knew how quick Tyla could pick up on tension. She didn't tolerate bullshit.
"I had her old number," she replied in a puzzled tone, "but she hasn't updated her contact details with me."
Hades clenched his jaw. "What about social media? Do you know her account?"
"She doesn't have one," Tyla replied flatly.
No social media? Hades thought, disbelief washing over him. Everyone had social media, even beggars had Facebook. How the hell could Evadne not?
"Is there a problem, Hades?" Tyla's voice turned cautious, suspicious now. "And why are you asking me these things? Aren't you with her? Shouldn't you ask her directly? Even if I had the information, I wouldn't just give it to you without her consent. She's extremely private."
"I left her by the carousel," he said, forcing casualness. "I was grabbing some food. I just wanted to ask if there's anything else she wanted to eat."
Tyla didn't buy it.
Something in her gut twisted. Hades was lying.
Before she could press further, Hades heard Rion's voice behind him.
"Bro."
He turned, and froze when Rion showed him a post on Bea's feed.
His blood turned cold.
"Okay, Tyla. I have to go. I'll get back to you later. Bye."
He ended the call without waiting for her reply and snatched Rion's phone from his hand.
In the photo Bea had posted, Evadne was surrounded by Casadin and his group, seated in a cozy booth with ice cream, fries, and smiles all around.
She looked happy.
"Where is this?" Hades demanded.
"I think it's the second floor of the Arcade Centre," Rion said, scratching his head. "That's their dining area, right?"
Without another word, Hades shoved the phone back and stormed off in the direction of the arcade, the only place he didn't think to check earlier.
Meanwhile, Tyla couldn't ignore the gnawing sense of dread in her gut.
Something wasn't right with this date between Hades and Evadne.
She had known Hades since he was adopted. She knew the weight he carried, the suffocating expectations, the impossible comparisons to Zeus, and the cold indifference of the Falcon couple.
Despite her pity for him, Tyla's loyalty remained with the Falcon family.
Especially with Evadne.
She had grown particularly fond of the girl over the years, often flying to France on the Falcons' behalf to deliver gifts and letters when the couple couldn't visit.
And despite her privilege and the affection lavished on her by two powerful families, Evadne had never once treated her with arrogance. She was spoiled, yes, but never entitled. Her kindness made it hard not to care.
Tyla could never forgive herself if something happened to her.
So, without a second thought, she opened her contacts again.
This time, she dialed Langdon Smith, Jupiter Falcon's personal assistant.
The moment he answered, she relayed everything, Hades's call, and the tone in his voice.
Because if something had happened, Jupiter needed to know.