Zale nearly jumped clear out of his skin when he felt the hand upon his head. Fear gave way to relief when he saw it was his uncle. Reflexively he almost reached over to hug him, but stopped himself at the last second as he knew that Hades would be more concerned about his aunt Hestia.
At the mention of his mother, though, the boy's expression became grief-stricken.
"[Momma traded herself for us,]" he said as he bowed his head. "[Before anyone knew you were coming. These people... They let us go because she promised to stay with them. She wanted to make sure Aunt Hestia and I got out before the babies were born. That's why there aren't any guards here anymore. They said they were going to go somewhere else. Momma told me more stuff, but--]" By now, despite his best efforts, tears were coursing down his cheeks and his hands were clenched into trembling white-knuckled fists.
As Hades took care of the hearth goddess and Zale, meanwhile on the roof Demeter had just been helped into the waiting helicopter when she heard the first shots fired just barely over the cacophony of the whirling helicopter blades. Looking up, the earth goddess saw her daughter at the door, guns in hand, even as one of her escorts, tall broad shouldered man, was shot through the right side of his chest.
"[Persephone!]" Demeter couldn't help but cry out. Reflexively she tried to lean out of the still open door, but her other female escort pulled her back into the helicopter just as the injured one, with the last of his strength, slammed the door shut before collapsing on the tarmac. Once the door was closed, the pilot took the helicopter up into the air as quickly as he could, the force of the wind from the blades wildly kicking up all the dust and grit that had been on the roof.
All Demeter could do at this point was stare out the window at her eldest daughter as she seemed to grow smaller and smaller there on the roof.