Epilogue

Eight Years Later.

The doorway to Sky's End was a special place. Since it wasn't strictly necessary for its inhabitants, the doorway had begun as a mere symbol, but now it had taken on a deeper purpose, a decisive point between the land of the mortals and the realm of the gods.

Harry didn't care about any of this. He was preoccupied with his own purpose.

Over the ages the platform had been unused for periods of time too long for mortal comprehension and it had the tendency to take on a deep silence, a quality of stillness that resisted being broken even when intruded upon. The only evidences of Harry's sudden appearance were a few muffled footsteps and a dark cloaked figure nearly soaked up by the velvety night sky.

Harry's arms were full, he shifted his burden slightly. They always seemed heavier when they slept.

The door opened for him, recognizing him. He came and went through that door more than most. Inside, there was a soft glowing light that filled the round room, seeming coming from nowhere. Dark Eyes and MindRuin waited there, accompanied by Lily and The Green Lady. They stood in the center of the room confidently, but back against the far wall where the light wasn't as bright Luscious leaned inconspicuously, eyes on Harry. She didn't seem to want to be acknowledged, but she had come to witness.

"You know why I'm here," Harry said, breaking the silence.

The four Gods in the center of the room nodded their heads in confirmation.

"I suspected," The Green Lady said in a soft voice, "From the beginning, when they first entered the world into my hands. But with such remarkable children, it's difficult to predict."

Lily smiled a little in Harry's direction at the word remarkable. "I've watched." Her parents nodded.

Harry laid them on the ground, wrapped in their snug blankets, and unfolded the wrappings to look down upon the twins. They were both girls, legacy of a line that only produced queens. One, like their mother, had snowy white Healer wings and short tufts of pale hair. The other had wings that were pitch black.

It hadn't always been that way. At first they had been identical; the same small faces with medium grayish brown hair and wings that were thin with almost translucent feathers. Over the last year and a half Harry and Enna had watched while one had become paler and more golden, and the other grayer and darker. Eventually they had settled on the telltale white and black.

Only Harry, Enna and Aeyris knew; they hadn't broken the news yet. Enna didn't seem to care. Harry worried. Aeyris kept her expressions emotionless, as still as a statue. Whatever she felt was locked inside for a moment, and that couldn't possibly be good news.

The one with the black wings, Lyla, woke up, looking up drowsily with her violet-blue eyes. Harry sat back on his heels, looking down on her fondly for a minute before turning back to his audience.

"A female Portal Guide?" He addressed the onlookers. "How is that possible?"

"You are a born God, that's how," Dark Eyes told him. "Born Gods can be dangerous and unpredictable. That's why most of the Gods were created, not born. They are formed independently in the Void, and they begin from raw material. When Gods have children… since we don't have a physical form, the children are created by pooling our very essence together. Your god-from is made from the very essence of MindRuin and myself. The rules that were set when we created the Healers and the Portal Guides don't apply to you. It is exactly the same as the porting restriction around the barrier."

"What will happen to them? Are they demigods, too?"

"That is yet to be seen," MindRuin told him. "They may have the power, they may not."

Lily stepped forward and kneeled beside Lyla. "Hello little one," she murmured. Lyla blinked up at her grandmother, who had inspired her name.

"You'll bring them to visit?" MindRuin asked.

Harry nodded. "I will."

He glanced at Lush. She wasn't looking at him; her eyes were locked on the twins. He couldn't read her expression, it was somehow complex. There was an unexpected fondness, and underneath a deeper anxiety that made Harry slightly uneasy. Lush would never hurt his children, he knew that, but what made her look at them like that?

"I should get back," Harry said.

As Harry wrapped the twins back up in their blankets to return them to their bed, his family said farewell, touching him reassuringly on the shoulder before departing with the Green Lady. As Harry gathered up his children, Lush was the only one left.

"Wait," she said, stepping forward. Harry looked at her curiously.

"Can I hold her?" Lush asked.

"Alright," Harry said, surprised. Lia still slept, so he handed over the one and a half year old Lyla, who was now awake and ready to explore.

Lyla wriggled, but then noticed Lush's strange red eyes and reached out to touch one. Lush held her out of reach, murmuring something.

"What was that?" Harry asked, but Lush just shrugged.

"She's beautiful," Lush said, "Be sure to take good care of her. Don't let Aeyris or any one else with prejudices treat her badly."

"I won't let anything happen to them," Harry assured her, pleased by her concern.

The two young gods smiled at each other. They were more than friends, but less than lovers, but somehow they had settled into that strange in between place and had become comfortable there.

Lush looked back up at Harry, and once again Harry saw the unfathomable message there. Was she about to say something? She couldn't exactly be happy that someone she had feelings for like she did for Harry had children with another woman. Whatever it was, she quelled it and leaned down and gave Lyla a kiss above her wide, curious violet eyes.

For now, all was well.

Author's Note: This is the end. I hope you enjoyed the ride! I certainly did, I've been working on Hell Eyes for seven years and I'm glad I stuck with it.

There is a sequel that can be found in my profile called "Cursed Beauty", I posted the first chapter already. The sequel will be about Harry's daughter Lyla, but parts will still be from Harry's point of view. It will have new important characters, including a shapeshifter and a new god. Everything left unfinished will be revealed, including what happened to all the other characters since the last chapter. Lush will be back, as will Xaxx. I think of it as a continuation of Hell Eyes, go check it out.

My review question: What was your favorite chapter of Hell Eyes? And why?