The Iron Queen

by Kaitlin Bevis

  “He’s not here. He’s never here.” Triton’s arms buckled, and he fell back onto the rocky floor of the cavern with a thud. “He’s got more important things to do. A realm to run.” Tears choked his voice. “He should have been here. He should have helped me.”

  I shushed him and brushed his hair off his face. “Your dad’s looking for us. I know he is.”

  “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left the circle. But I wanted to know what it was like out there.” A sob broke through Triton’s voice. “It hurt. It hurt so bad.”

  My hand froze on his forehead. Why was he talking in past tense? “Triton?”

  He cried out, body going stiff, rigid.

  “Triton!” There was no time to wait for Hades. I hadn’t felt so much as a flicker of thought behind the wall he’d barricaded around his thoughts for over an hour.

  Triton writhed and twisted, face contorted in pain. I looked back at the water, like it held some answers for me, but there was no help there. There was no help anywhere. Oh gods, this was either going to save him or kill him. I didn’t know enough about how fealty worked. Would there be any holding back? I closed my eyes. I swear—

  Persephone, stop!

  Chapter XLI

  Hades

  PERSEPHONE, STOP! I yanked Persephone into my dreamscape with a thought. She stumbled into me.

  “How am I here?” She looked around my dreamscape of the library wide-eyed.

  I let the library fade into its usual indistinct swirls.

  “Hades!” she demanded. “How am I here? I’m not sleeping.”

  My heart felt ready to beat right out of my chest. Had I not checked in on her right then... Had Aphrodite not told me what she had planned...

  The thought made me cold. “Poseidon came to see me.”

  Irritation flashed in her green eyes. “What is he doing with you? Tell him to come here, now! Triton needs him.”

  I took a deep breath. “He can’t find you.”

  “What do you mean he can’t find us? We’re in his realm! I should stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “Sit down, Persephone.” I felt a flash of worry go through her at something in my voice. I hesitated, more rattled than I cared to admit. I didn’t even know where to begin. “You’re not in Poseidon’s realm.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Of course I’m in his realm. I’ve been playing little mermaid for weeks, so tell him to get his butt in gear and—”

  An overwhelming sense of frustration and impatience tinged with panic washed through me. She fiddled with her necklace, and I closed my eyes. Look. I crossed the room, reaching for her. Her breath caught when my lips touched her forehead. I sifted through her thoughts. The last few weeks flashed across her mind as I dug through them. When I reached her escape from Zeus, I paused.

  She’d stepped outside of her dream, leaving him in it. How had I missed that before? You gave him control, Persephone.

  “No! I woke up.”

  I shook my head. He just let you think you did. You never escaped. It was a distraction that kept you occupied and kept us busy looking for you.

  She stiffened. I don’t believe you.

  I can’t lie.

  “This is a trick!” Persephone shouted. She sprang out of her chair, fists clenched to her sides. You’re not you at all! Zeus is messing with me again, he—

  “I’m Hades, no tricks, no deception.” I held my hands out to her in a placating gesture. “I know this is hard, but—”

  “I would know if I were dreaming,” she argued, green eyes flashing with fury and fear.

  I let out a deep breath. “You did. Remember? I’m the one who convinced you it was real. I’m sorry.”

  “No!”

  I stood, crossing the distance between us and tapping the air plant necklace that rested on her collarbone. “When you’re with Triton, are you wearing that?”

  She gave me an odd look at the change of subject. “Yes.”

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out her necklace, letting the rest of the room go blurry. “Look.”

  The necklace was in hyper focus, just like the two of us. Real objects in an otherwise intangible dream. Her hand went to the identical smear of a necklace dangling from her neck.

  “It’s a piece of your realm, Persephone. It’s a conduit. Did you really think he would let you keep it?”

  She reached out. Felt the pointy tips of the plant. The cool glass of the pomegranate. It was here. It was real. She couldn’t deny it felt real.

  The necklace around her neck wavered.

  “Think. Even if he had let you keep it, you think you fell out of the sky into the ocean. I felt you land, Persephone. I felt you break. How come it didn’t?” Any injury sustained while dreamwalking became real. Dreamwalking could be as much a weapon as a convenient communication method. But most gods kept their minds closed to intruders. Persephone had handed hers over to Zeus.

  The blood drained from her face. “No,” she whispered. I gripped her hand as the pieces fell into place in her mind with a horrifying click. She’d never escaped. She was still with Zeus.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “But Triton. How is he—”

  “Poseidon thinks he’s with you. He can’t feel him in his realm, and Demeter would know if he crossed over to hers.”

  Images of Zeus sprang up in her mind. The things he’d done to her. “Zeus has Triton?” A vision of the child god moaning in agony flashed in my head. “That’s what’s wrong with him, isn’t it? Zeus is doing something to him, and it’s—” Her voice broke off with a sob. “Hades!”

  “I know.” I’d already determined to help him.

  Iron glinted in her eyes. “How do I wake up?”

  I hesitated. “It doesn’t have to be you. I could—”

  “I know all about your plan.” She kissed my cheek, sending along a tangle of images of Aphrodite detailing my plan, and offering an out. A surge of anger swelled within me, but it was lost in the general storm of the emotion.

  Every single thing that had happened since he’d taken her had been infuriating. Every fiber of my being was already saturated with rage.

  And fear.

  “You’re not strong enough to go against Zeus.”

  She followed my line of thought, saw all the gods waiting for my word so they could swear fealty.

  “So make me stronger.” She touched her forehead to mine. “I love you. But I’m not worth breaking the world for.”

  “You are to me.” I drew her into my arms and kissed her. My mind flitted to Demeter’s plan, and I let out a deep breath, shielding my thoughts.

  She would never forgive me. But she would be alive. “I’ll try to filter it so the powers don’t burn through you. It won’t be enough to kill Zeus, but it may be enough to escape. Find the kid, then come back to me.”

  “But what about—”

  “You aren’t his only child. Let the others handle this. Once you find us, you can transfer the power to whomever you want. Ares is always itching for a fight.” I put a picture of Ares in her mind so she’d recognize him. “You don’t have to be the one to do this. Just get out, and be safe.”

  She nodded. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “This is going to hurt,” I warned her.

  She sighed. “What else is new?”

  Chapter XLII

  Aphrodite

  I BREATHED A sigh of relief when Hades reappeared in the boardroom. Finally!

  “Now,” he commanded.

  “This isn’t going to work,” Athena objected. “I understand why you’d want to filter the power and save her, but you must know it won’t be enough.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Nothing is certain until you try, right? Zeus won’t be expecting this, so
maybe that’s enough of an advantage.” I smiled at Hades. “I swear fealty to Persephone.” With a thought, I pushed as much of my power to her as I could and still live through it.

  Athena sighed. “Fine. But if it doesn’t work, you have to—”

  “I know, Athena,” Hades snapped. “Are you in, or would you rather try to fight Zeus by yourself?”

  She pursed her lips. “I swear fealty to Persephone.”

  Ares bowed his head and closed his eyes, the words of fealty leaving his lips in a whisper. His voice was joined by Hephaestus’ gruff utterance. Then Artemis’ breathy announcement. Soon the room was ringing with the oath. The hair on my arms stood on end at the power flowing from this room. All directed to one little goddess.

  Please let this work, I thought.

  But I knew Athena was right. With Hades filtering the power, it would never be enough. Would he realize that before it was too late? Would he be willing to sacrifice Persephone to save us all? I had my doubts.

  Chapter XLIII

  Persephone

  THE SUN SPARKLED through the glass ceiling. I was on a big white fluffy bed. When I noticed the thick shield surrounding the room, I closed my eyes. Shields. How had I been stupid enough to believe I’d escaped?

  I gave myself a second to take inventory, amazed that after all I’d been through I was still in one piece. Even my clothes looked as clean and new as the day I’d bought them. Just like when I woke up in the Underworld.

  I tried to get up but was jerked to a stop. Twisting to see behind me, I stared in disbelief at the handcuffs that bound my hands to the bedrail. Had I spent a single minute conscious since Zeus knocked me out in the park? Or were the handcuffs a new addition to Zeus’ security measures?

  I think it was the handcuffs that did it. A wave of fury washed through me so strong I felt Hades respond to it with surprise.

  All this time. All this time I’d thought I was free, and I’d been bound to a bed with fricken handcuffs? I’d been helpless, and I was over being helpless. I thought over the last year. Pirithous grabbing my arm and trying to take me out of the flower shop. Boreas dragging me through the snow. Melissa hunched over with an icicle in her chest. Rachel’s dead body in a crumbled heap outside my school. Aphrodite bound to obey Zeus’ every word. Thanatos’ eyes, wide with charm. Months of torment from the Reapers. Everything that had happened in the last year was because of Zeus. All the pain—oh, who was I kidding?—all the agony. All the frustration and hurt and fear. The paralyzing fear. It had been him. It had all been him.

  I thought of the things I’d done that I didn’t really remember. Each kiss he’d charmed from me under the guise of Joel. Zeus trying to use me to charm Hades, the torture, the lightning, the dreams, and Triton’s face twisted in a grimace of agony. My mom! It was a never-ending litany of wrongs, and I was done.

  “You’re awake.” Zeus’ soft exclamation of surprise from the doorway had me jerking up, rigid with rage.

  The handcuffs shattered, and I was off the bed and across the room in an instant. I tore through the shield like it wasn’t there and knocked him off his feet, landing on top of him with enough force to knock the breath from my body.

  “Where is Triton?” I didn’t consider the possibility that Zeus pretended to be Triton in the dreamscape. Zeus was good, but he still couldn’t lie. He’d called Poseidon his father, spoken of a million things that were only true for the prepubescent deity. Triton had been in my head, which meant he was here somewhere.

  Zeus laughed. “What is this? I always figured you were feisty, but—”

  My fist met his face with a satisfying crunch. The powers of over a dozen deities were at my disposal, but I ignored them, too blind with rage to want to do much more than hit something. So I did. I hit him over and over again, unable to stop myself. Zeus’ face lost its amused expression. He reached up and blocked my next hit, hands wrapping around my wrists with a painful jolt of electricity.

  I broke his grip and lashed out with a wave of power, throwing up a shield and inverting it around him, pinning him to the ground. “Where is he?”

  “Neat trick. Thanks for showing it to me. It came in handy against your friends.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him and wrapped a hand around his throat, breaking my own shield. Hades’ powers came to me unbidden. Black energy spread from my hands, turning Zeus’ veins black.

  “Okay, that’s enough.” Zeus threw up a shield, binding me against him, then rolled over on top of me, hipbones digging painfully into my flesh. “I may not be able to kill you.” His breath was hot in my ear. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t make you scream.”

  Electricity coursed from him to me, and I arched my back, crying out in pain. His hands wrapped around my neck. Straddling me, he looked straight in my eyes. “You can still end this.” He wasn’t talking to me. “You know what I want. And I’m willing to do anything to get it.”

  Oh Gods, the lightning hadn’t stopped. It flowed from his hands around my neck, down my spine to every nerve ending. My vision wavered. Lifting a hand, I tried to push him off me, but he moved one hand off my neck and pinned my arms above my head. I couldn’t seem to call on any power while his coursed through me. He’d pinned me so tight I couldn’t move my arms or legs. His face was inches from mine. Zeus’ attention was on my hands as he struggled to keep them together. Lifting my head, I clamped my teeth into the skin of his neck, tearing them free when he let out a startled yelp.

  Zeus swore and knocked my head into the floor with enough force to plant stars in my vision. “You stupid bitch!” He wrapped his hands around my throat. I pushed at them weakly, but his grip was iron tight.

  “Where?” I gasped, drawing on as much power as I could.

  “Dead, all right? I killed him.”

  My mind went blank with shock. I stopped struggling. Went limp beneath him.

  Zeus’ hands loosened a fraction. “A couple days before I captured you.” He smirked. “Stupid kid didn’t last an entire hour.”

  Days before Zeus captured me? “How? I was just with him!”

  “He gave me everything, his power, access to his realm, thoughts, memories, dreamscapes, everything. Everything he was is up here.” Zeus tapped his head. “I drained it all before I sent his empty shell of a soul to the Underworld.”

  I felt a start of surprise from Hades and caught a glimpse of a mental image. Triton in the throne room, face blank with shock before Cassandra whisked him away.

  He was dead. He was really dead. I thought of his smile. His voice cracking, face turning bright red with embarrassment.

  “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left the circle. But I wanted to know what it was like out there.” A sob broke through Triton’s voice. “It hurt. It hurt so bad.”

  “You bastard!” I shrieked, lashing out with a wave of crackling energy encased in flame. “He was just a kid!”

  Zeus deflected the blow, but his face tightened with pain. “You’ll be joining him soon enough.”

  “I can’t swear fealty to you! My promise—”

  “To never act with intent of harming Hades?” Zeus laughed and drew his hand back. “Kind of depends on you being sane enough to understand intent.” With that he slammed his fist into my gut, releasing wave after wave of lightning.

  Chapter XLIV

  Persephone

  “PERSEPHONE...”

  Stirring, my eyes fluttered open. “What?” I looked around, confused at finding myself curled up on the grass beneath a weeping willow.

  Mom sat against the trunk, fingers combing through my hair. “Wake up, sweetie.”

  “How did I get here?” I sat up, looking around the picturesque landscape. Flowers bloomed everywhere. The sun shone bright in the sky, filtering through the green leaves of the weeping willow. Its trunk was just a little wider than Mom. Th
at bugged me for some reason I couldn’t put my finger on.

  “You’re dreaming, sweetheart.”

  Of course I was. A fresh wave of pain tore through me. I doubled over, gasping in agony. “Mom, it hurts.”

  She shushed me, voice soothing. “You’re going to be okay.”

  “How can you say that?” I asked as another wave of pain washed over me.

  “Because I know it’s true. I am so sorry. I never wanted you to have this life. To make these decisions.” She studied me, tears brimming in her eyes. “You were so small. Just this warm little bundle cuddled in my arms and now...” She swept her arm up and down over me. “You’re all grown up.” She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, and I leaned against her, taking some small measure of comfort despite the searing pain.

  “Mom, I can’t win.”

  “You have enough power to win, if you use it all.”

  “Hades is filtering—”

  “Ask him to stop.”

  “I’ll die.” I moved away from her. I wanted to move her away from the tree. Something about it bothered me.

  “Not because of that. You’re about to come into your powers.”

  “How?”

  She smiled. “I know a way, that’s all. Come here.” She reached out for me, but I jerked away.

  “You’re not telling me something.”

  “You’re going to be fine.”

  “No. Mom, no more secrets. You owe me.”

  To my surprise, tears filled her eyes. “Will you trust me? Just this one last time. I promise, after this there will be no more secrets.”

  “Mom... “

  She shook her head and brushed the tears out of her eyes. “I’m just being over emotional. Now, we’d best hurry. If Zeus figures out what I’m doing, he’ll go underground, and you’ll spend your whole life wondering when he’s going to come at you again.”

  I nodded, though I still felt uncertain. But I couldn’t focus because I was still trying to figure out what was bothering me about that damn willow tree. It’s hard to pay attention in dreams, but it’s foolish to overlook a symbol. Everything has meaning.