Everyone stared at me.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. So I’m invisible if I wear this?”
Apollo laughed like I’d asked the stupidest question ever. “No. Your energy will just be hidden from the gods—all except me—even if you use akasha.”
“Oh,” I said, holding up the necklace. “Handy.”
As Aiden came over and helped clasp the necklace, he asked, “What else have you been able to find out?”
“Oh, you know, I’ve been doing nothing.” Apollo glared at us. “I’ve managed to convince my brothers and sisters to stop their destruction long enough to give us a chance to make this right, but they will not be held back for long. With every moment, Lucian and the First draw closer to overthrowing the Council. And with daimons attacking humans in droves, they will risk millions of innocent lives to put a stop to it.”
“Not because they’re actually concerned about the mortals.” I tucked the necklace under my shirt, ignoring how oddly warm the metal was. It hung about an inch below the crystal rose. “But because if Lucian and Seth overthrow the Council in the Catskills, then they’ll be one step away from overthrowing the gods, right? Because whoever controls those seats are the rulers.”
Apollo said nothing.
“You know, that’s what I don’t get.” Deacon stretched out his long legs from the chair, wiggling his toes. “I know that, if Seth and Lucian overthrow the Council, it’s a big deal for the Hematoi, but the gods can’t be that frightened.”
Without saying a word, Apollo faced Aiden’s brother. I knew that he was probably giving the boy one of his Leon/Apollo looks that said do I really need to explain this?
Deacon fidgeted. “I mean, you guys can just hide in Olympus and call it a day.”
“He has a point,” Luke said carefully. “Not like Seth can storm Olympus—not really.”
I rifled through the memories of the other Apollyons, and nervousness moved through me, quick and slithery like a snake.
“Well…” Apollo sighed. “There is a way to get to Olympus.”
My jaw smacked off my knee. “Portals?”
He nodded. “They are headed there. It’s how we move between Olympus and the mortal world.”
“You know,” Aiden said. “This kind of information would’ve been helpful weeks ago. We could have had Sentinels we trust guarding these portals.”
“And what Sentinels can you truly trust?” Apollo asked evenly. “Lucian’s offer is enticing enough to sway them to his side. Most of the Sentinels have turned on the Council, turned on the gods. Besides, it wasn’t necessary for any of you to know that.”
Aiden looked like he wanted to say more, but wisely remained quiet.
“And luckily we’ve kept their locations secret, even from the previous Apollyons.” Apollo’s gaze flickered to me. “What have you learned from the Awakening?”
I was sort of surprised by Apollo’s faith in my ability to block Seth. I doubted that faith would remain if I told him about Seth and Hermes.
Still kicking my legs, I shrugged. “A lot of it is about their lives, and there are so many. It’s like watching every episode of a TV series that has been on for a millennium. It’s hard to sort through all of it. Sometimes something is said and it wiggles a memory free.”
An unsympathetic look crossed Apollo’s features.
Well, wasn’t like I was expecting a hug from him. “Most of it is how to use the elements and akasha. And Greek—I can read Greek now.”
Most of the room looked unimpressed by that, but Aiden caught my eye and smiled reassuringly. I grinned back. Reading Greek was a pretty big damn deal to me.
“Well, that’s all fine and dandy,” Apollo said, letting out an exaggerated sigh.
I kicked off the desk extra hard, my leg bouncing.
Aiden slid me a look. “What do we do from here? Obviously the gods expect us to do something.”
“The gods expect her to do something.” Apollo jerked his chin at me.
“But how can she fight him without touching him?” Aiden pushed off the wall and strode to the middle of the room. “The gods have to understand that.”
“They do.” Apollo’s eyes narrowed on me. “But I was hoping there was something knocking around in her brain that held the answer to that little problem. But—”
Apollo smacked a hand down on my leg. “Must you always be moving some part of your body?”
I glared at him as I not-so-gently removed his hand. The contact of his flesh on mine brought the marks of Apollyon out like nothing else. And I knew he saw them by the way his eyes darted over my face. “It’s not hurting you,” I said.
“It’s annoying.”
“You’re annoying,” I shot back.
To our left, Aiden rolled his eyes. “All right, children, back to the important stuff.”
“Think, Alex, there has to be something that can help us—possibly with Solaris.” Apollo leaned in, planting his hands on either side of my now-still legs. Over his shoulder, I saw Aiden move toward us, but then Apollo moved his head so that he blocked him. “Alex.”
“What?” I gripped the edge of the table. “Look, it’s not like I’m being stubborn or stupid. If I could remember something useful, I would. It’s not like I’m stopping myself—” Stopping myself from seeing or remembering something very important—that was what I was going to say, but like it was with other things, that wave of familiarity washed over me again, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
When I’d been connected to Seth, there had been something that he hadn’t wanted me to think about, and it had to do with Solaris—probably just the whole morbid ending of the two Apollyons. But going back further, there was something that I’d seen, something that Solaris had done, or… tried to do.
In the moments before I’d connected with Seth, I had seen her turn on the First.
“Alexandria?” Apollo said.
I held up my hand, resisting the urge to shush him. “There’s something with Solaris, but it’s weird. Almost like I wasn’t meant to know, but I can’t…”
Slipping off the desk, I brushed past Apollo. Without realizing what I’d done, I had moved toward the shelter of Aiden’s body. Completely at ease, he slipped an arm over my shoulders, the look on his face daring anyone to say a word.
I looked up at him, remembering how much Solaris had cared for the First. The love I saw in Aiden’s silvery eyes had been reflected in the First. And I felt—remembered feeling—the terrible decision Solaris had made—protecting others by destroying the First. Piece by piece, it came together.
“Solaris tried to stop the First, and there was something she did… or was trying to do. Something that would’ve worked, but the Order of Thanatos made their move before she could complete it.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “She knew how to stop the First—kill him, somehow—but I don’t know what it was. It’s like that information was shielded or erased somehow.” Frustrated, I bit out a groan. “Too bad I can’t talk to Solaris.”
Laadan cleared her throat. “But that is something, dear. At least we know there is something out there.”
“Wait,” Marcus said. “Solaris would be in the Underworld, right?”
Apollo’s eyes were suddenly sharp. “She would be, but I can’t travel to the Underworld. Hades still has his panties in a bunch.”
Solos smirked as he leaned over the back of the couch. “Well, that’s another dead end.”
“Not really,” Apollo said.
I suddenly got a real bad feeling about this.
“What do you mean ‘not really’?” Aiden asked, his arm tightening around my shoulders.
Apollo moved to stand in front of the window. Pale moonlight cast a strange glow around him. “Well, if Alex thinks Solaris can help us, then it’s an avenue we want to check out. And who better than Alex?”
Aiden stiffened. “What?”
“She could have some Apollyon girl-talk,” Apollo said, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Actuall
y, I’m not really suggesting that Alex—”
“Wait.” I slipped out from under Aiden’s arm. “There’s a possibility that we could reach Solaris?”
When Apollo nodded, optimism took hold. The rush was like getting buzzed off of wine coolers—harmless at first, but packing a hell of a downer the morning after. “And I could get to the Underworld?”
Apollo’s gaze flickered beyond me, settling on Aiden for a moment, and I knew that, if I went down there, Aiden would come, too. An old part of me would’ve protested, but now I understood why he wouldn’t allow me to do something like that alone, and I wasn’t insane enough to try it. I’d need help.
“You could,” Apollo answered.
I could barely contain my excitement. Little Alex wanted to do cartwheels across the living room. I knew in my marrow that Solaris knew how to stop the First. That she held the knowledge to stop this, because she’d planned on doing it before.
But then the one big problem surrounding going to the Underworld surfaced.
“Do I have to die again?” I added quickly, because I was pretty sure Apollo might be thrilled with the idea of killing me at this moment. “Because the whole dying part of going to the Underworld sucked butt last time.”
Apollo’s eyes rolled. “Dying isn’t the only way into the Underworld, but it’s the safest.”
Well, that sounded like an oxymoron if I’d ever heard one.
“There are several entrances to the Underworld in the mortal realm,” Apollo continued. “The closest to our location would be the one in Kansas.”
“If you say Stull Cemetery, I’ll probably hug you,” Luke said, and then he shrank back when the Sun God turned to him. “Or not—no hugging necessary.”
“Stull Cemetery?” I asked, glancing around the room. Something about the name did sound familiar. “I cannot be the only person who has no idea what that is… other than a cemetery.”
Aiden shook his head. “I’m right with you.”
“How cute,” Apollo murmured.
I ignored him. “So?”
“Go ahead,” Apollo said to Luke. “Tell them what it is, since it’s obviously hugging material.”
Crimson stained Luke’s cheeks. “Legend goes that one of the gates to hell is in Stull Cemetery in Kansas.”
“Oh, gods,” I muttered, remembering where I’d heard this before. “Wasn’t that a season finale on Supernatural?” When the boys nodded, my eyes rolled. “Seriously? Are Sam and Dean going to be there?”
Luke and Deacon looked way too happy about that idea, and then Deacon threw out, “Luke has a theory.”
“I do.” Luke flashed a grin. “Stull Cemetery is a freaky place with a lot of unexplained things happening, just like other places labeled ‘gates to hell’. I think that the gates to hell are actually gates to the Underworld.”
“You’re correct.” A ball of golden light appeared above Apollo’s hand and he started tossing it up in the air, over and over, reminding me of Seth. “The gateway was actually inside a church there, but Hades came through one night on Halloween and everyone thought the idiot was the devil. Kind of blew our cover—we tore the church down.”
“Nice,” I said, watching the ball. He was inches from smacking it into the light fixture.
“But the gateway is still where the church stood.” Up went the ball of golden light. “And we’ve taken some precautions, after a few mortals accidentally stumbled upon it.”
My brows rose.
“So, what happens to mortals when they find one of the gates?” Aiden asked.
Apollo caught the ball of light. “Oh, you know. They tend to become one of Hades’ dogs’ chew toys. Anyway, the gates only show now to someone of godly descent.”
“Pures?” Marcus asked.
“Ah… no.” The ball vanished and Apollo looked straight at me. “They’ll appear to gods, original demigods, those created by taking ambrosia, or the Apollyon.”
I elbowed Aiden. “I feel so special.”
“That you are.” He grinned when I shot him a look. “So, we find the gate and go through it. Sounds easy.”
Apollo laughed. “It’s not that easy. The gate is guarded now, even to those it appears to.”
My stomach sank. “Do I even want to know?”
He flashed a smile, and my tummy hit my toes. I so did not like when Apollo smiled like that. “There are hellhounds and guards.”
“Oh, goodie.”
“And then there are spirits—most don’t get past the spirits.” Apollo stepped back. “But if you do, the gate appears and you’re in the Underworld, but going into the Underworld without a guide is not only dangerous, but stupid.”
So I needed to play with some dogs, beat up a company of guards, and call the Ghostbusters? And I needed a guide? Okay. This didn’t sound too bad.
I smiled. “I know just the person.”
CHAPTER 18
“Caleb,” Olivia whispered, speaking for the first time. When I nodded, she shot to her feet. “I want to go.”
Apollo arched a brow. “Two people sneaking into the Underworld trying to find one soul among millions is insane and dangerous. No one else can go.”
Olivia turned her wide, pleading eyes on me. “I have to go then. It has to be me. I need to—”
“And that’s why it cannot be you,” Apollo said before I could respond. “You will be focused on finding Caleb instead of the mission at hand.”
Her hands curled into fists at her side. “How is that any different than Aiden? He’ll be focused on Alex!”
I slid the person in question a look, but Aiden had the same expression that Apollo did. There might be a lot of tears and pleading, but there would be no debate.
“And that’s what we need,” Apollo said, almost gently. For a moment, I was almost convinced that he pitied her. Not in a bad way, but like he could sympathize with her, which would be amazing since gods were really lacking in the empathy department. “There’s no guarantee that they will even find Caleb, but either way, we need Alex to come back out of the Underworld with the information we need. Alive.”
Some of the other gods probably didn’t feel that way.
Apollo’s gaze settled on Aiden again. “You would give your life for her?”
I didn’t like that question at all and I opened my mouth, but Aiden answered without hesitation. “Yes.”
The god nodded. “I know you would too, Marcus, but Aiden would…”
Marcus looked less-than-pleased but nodded. “I know what you mean.”
A bitter taste crawled up my throat as my heart turned over heavily. Going into the Underworld would be insanely dangerous, and the idea of Aiden risking his life scared the crap out of me, but as my gaze fell over the room, I knew that out of everyone there he was the most skilled.
Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to change anyone’s mind, Olivia said nothing as she walked out of the room, head high. Sorrow panged in my chest, as potent as the fear. It wasn’t fair. I wished that Caleb and Olivia could have had one more moment together before all their future moments were stolen from them.
After Olivia’s exit, plans were quickly made for our departure. The group would stay behind, as was safest for them, and Aiden and I would leave in the morning for… Kansas. Other than an apparent Underworld gate, I had no idea what was in Kansas. Hay bales? Dorothy?
“There’s something else,” I said to Apollo after the group scattered. Aiden remained behind, closing the door, seeming to know what I intended to tell Apollo.
“I can’t wait to hear,” Apollo said dryly.
I took a deep breath. “I saw Seth yesterday.”
Apollo’s brows slammed down as he opened his mouth, but no words came out. Maybe I should have clarified. “What I mean is,” I said quickly, “kind of.”
“Kind of?”
I nodded. “He was able to pull me… inside my own head. It looked and felt real, and it was like I was dreaming… but I wasn’t.”
His eyebrows b
egan to lift. “That makes no sense, Alex.”
“She was talking with Lea and started to get a headache right before it happened, like before, when she was on the Elixir,” Aiden explained, since obviously I couldn’t form a coherent sentence. “Alex fainted—”
“I didn’t faint,” I grumbled, feeling my cheeks flush.
Aiden’s lip curved up on one side. “Okay. She was suddenly not walking or talking anymore. During that time, she saw Seth. Apparently, he used Hermes to pull her in.”
“Hermes?” Apollo hissed—actually hissed like an angry lion. “That little, punk-ass bitch.”
My brows rose.
“I actually felt somewhat bad about stealing his helmet and melting it down.” Apollo sounded indignant. “Hermes won’t be helping Seth anymore.”
It was hard not to laugh when Apollo got all butt sore, but somehow I managed. “By the way, when did you steal his helmet?”
Apollo shrugged. “A couple of days ago.”
“Do you think that’s why he might have helped Seth?”
“Hmm…” Apollo’s face screwed up. “Good point. Anyway, did Seth tell you anything?”
Geez. “He didn’t really say anything important. I have this feeling he was really just testing it out, but if you can stop Hermes from helping, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”
A muscle flexed in Apollo’s jaw. “Can he transfer power in this state?”
“No. And he can’t read my thoughts.” I leaned against the wall, smothering a yawn. “It seems more like an annoyance than anything else.”
“It’s more than an annoyance.” Aiden’s eyes flashed silver.
“He sees it as a ‘violation’,” I explained, upon seeing Apollo’s puzzled look. “But it could be worse.”
“As in him doing something like that when you’re in the middle of a battle or in the Underworld?” Apollo asked.
“Well…” I frowned.
“I’ve been thinking,” Aiden continued. “We know Hermes helped, but it has to be more than that or Seth would have done this the moment you broke the connection. When you were on the Elixir, he seemed to be able to reach you when it started to wear off, and when it wore off, you were exhausted. Maybe that has something to do with it—how tired you are.”
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