Part 7

                                    

                                          
It had been days since Ashley encountered Jordan Parrish. He had come and gone like a ghost, reappearing every so often. Though their conversations were brief, they soon arrived at the same conclusion. 
Cara was Ashley Hale.
It had been surprising for Cara/Ashley when Jordan first showed her the missing persons poster. More than the striking resemblance though, she recognized herself in the photo.
If what Parrish was saying was true, then she was Ashley and her dreams were actually her memories. She had been missing for years after the ritual to open Hel's gate. But why would Hades lie to her? Why call her Cara and pretend to be her lover?
She suddenly recalled her most recent dream.
She was with a man and a woman, laughing as they walked through the hallways of what seemed to be a dorm. She could feel butterflies in her stomach as she thought about what she was about to do. Gathering up the courage, she said goodbye then gave the man a peck on the cheeks.
Immediately after, she ran away into her room and locked herself in. She leaned back unto the door and gave a giggle. 
"I kissed Derek Hale." She stated.
Touching her lips, she could still feel the warmth from his face. Inside she was bursting with feelings of excitement and nervousness at the thought of kissing the man she's been in love with forever.
"Cara."
The voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
It was Hades.
He smiled at her adoringly and reached out his hands to her face, but she pulled away from his touch instinctively.
The feelings she had for Derek contrasted drastically from her feelings towards Hades. Despite being told that they were lovers, there were no intricate, intense feelings of love between her and Hades. At least, not from her end.
She did not love this man.
Surprised, Hades lowered his hands and gave her a soft smile before letting her go with a simple greeting.
Watching her walk away from him, Hades had the sinking feeling that everything had gone awry. After searching for a long time, he had finally found her. Her name was Cara, his beloved, darling, loved one. The one who was to be his queen.
Born from the previous incarnation of Hades and one of the ancient seers, she held the power to travel through dimensions and foretell the future. More than that, he had fallen in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. 
He had found her in a different dimensional plane and had arranged for her to be brought to his realm. If it wasn't for an accident, she would have been teleported straight into his realm instead of the mortal world. Instead, the accident caused her to forget her name and her heritage.
But now, she was back in her rightful place. He had spent months taking away Ashley's memories and reminding her that she was Cara. Yet, despite convincing her that her rightful place was with him, he still worried.
He had lost her once and he didn't want to lose her again.