Apollyon c-4

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  A woman moved in front of us, her gaze glued to the ground as she wrung her hands. She muttered under her breath, “Where’s my baby?” over and over again.

  “Some are confused,” I answered. “They don’t know they’re dead.”

  Aiden nodded solemnly.

  And then the sad woman simply vanished, as if she had walked through an invisible portal—there one moment and gone the next.

  I halted. “What the…?”

  “I’ll explain, but we must keep moving.” Aiden tugged me forward. “Legend says that some of these souls leave limbo and have turned shade. They go back to the mortal world, and then return here again. I don’t think they can even control it.”

  I swallowed. “They’re ghosts.”

  “Thought you didn’t believe in ghosts.” Humor laced his tone.

  Now was a pretty good time to change my mind. As I peered out from beneath my hood, there was something ghastly to some of the souls. Many of them looked solid and from how they’d brushed against me, I knew they had mass, but others had that wonky fuzziness to them. And the more I paid attention, the more others simply vanished.

  This place was creepy, like walking through a maze of the hopeless and forgotten. And we hadn’t even reached the Vale of Mourning yet. Yee haw, this was going to be fun.

  A sudden damp coldness clung to the air around us. I lifted my head, eyeing the burnt orange sky. One drop of water fell, splashing off my cheek. Then they sky opened up, drenching us in cold rain within seconds.

  I sighed. “Really, it has to rain?”

  “At least it’s not acid.”

  That was Aiden, always looking on the bright side of things.

  Tugging my hood down closer, I trudged forward. The souls paid no heed to the heavy rainfall. Perhaps they’d grown used to it. I wanted to stop and yell at them to go to judgment, because whatever waited for them couldn’t be worse than this.

  Especially for the little ones who were all alone—there was nothing they could have done to warrant them eternity in Tartarus.

  One small boy sat alone in a large puddle the rain had already created. The child couldn’t have been more than four or five. He moved his chubby fingers in the mud, drawing a circle and then wiggly lines all around it.

  The sun—he was drawing the sun.

  I started toward him, not sure what I’d do, but I had to do something—maybe convince him to go to judgment. Gods knew how long he’d been here. His family could already be in Elysian Fields.

  “No,” Aiden said softly.

  “But—”

  “Remember what Apollo said. We cannot intervene.”

  I stared at the little boy, fighting the urge to break free. “It’s wrong.”

  Aiden’s grip on my hand tightened. “I know, but there’s nothing we can do.”

  My heart ached as I watched the little boy carve a moon beside the sun, heedless to the rain or the other souls practically trampling him. I wanted to be angry and I was—even at Aiden, because he was right. There was nothing we could do. And there would be more like this little boy—more forgotten souls.

  Fighting back the sting of tears, I pulled my hand free from Aiden’s but didn’t run off. I fell in step beside him as we passed beyond the poor child, navigating the endless field of souls that had been either left behind or cast aside.

  It took hours to pass through the Asphodel Fields. By the time we left the ankle-deep mud and our boots touched scattered patches of grass, we were drenched and cold, our cloaks weighted down and heavy. Rain had somehow snuck into my boot and, with each step, my foot sloshed back and forth. Exhaustion dogged me, and probably Aiden too, but neither of us complained. Traveling through the field of all those souls had served as a reminder that things could always be worse.

  The rain had let up a little, turning to a constant, steady drizzle. The sky was now a darker orange, signaling that night was close at hand. Ahead, the rolling green hills led up to a thick, nearly impenetrable slate wall. It was going to be a steep climb.

  “Do you want to take a breather?” Aiden asked from behind his cloak as he surveyed the hills. “It looks relatively safe. We could take a—”

  “No. I’m fine.” I stepped around him, slowly climbing the first hill, ignoring the dull ache taking up residency in my temples. “Besides, the faster we can get into the tunnels, the sooner we can rest, right? We’ll be safe there at night.”

  “Yes.” Aiden was beside me in a second. His hand came out from the cloak and slipped inside my hood. His palm was warm against my cheek. The gesture was brief, and gone all too quickly.

  We traveled on in silence, but worry nagged at me. The headache wasn’t severe, nothing like what I’d experienced before Seth had paid a call, but I had no idea how long it would take for it to progress. The only hope was that we reached somewhere safe—preferably dry—where we could bunk down for the night. Sleep was what I needed, and the sooner the better.

  The odd sky darkened with each hill we crested, forcing us to pick up our pace. We crossed a field of narcissus that rose to our knees, petals a luminous white and carrying an incredibly sweet scent. The slate wall drew closer as the flowers gave way to trees.

  At least that’s what I thought they were.

  They rose into the sky, their branches bare for the most part, like slender fingers reaching for the ever-increasing darkness. Around the lower branches, ruby-red fruit hung in the air. Pomegranates.

  Curious to how they tasted, I reached for one.

  Aiden’s hand snatched mine in a near painful grasp. I let out a startled gasp.

  “No,” he said harshly. From behind the cloak, his eyes were a bright silver. “Do you know nothing of Persephone?”

  I glared at him. “Uh, she’s the Queen of the Underworld. I’m not stupid.”

  “I didn’t say you were stupid.” His grip loosened as he led me through the trees, toward the last mound. “Though, I’m really starting to think you should’ve spent less time in class sleeping or doing whatever you were doing.”

  “Ha. Ha.”

  “Persephone ate from the pomegranate trees here. If you eat anything from this world, you can never leave.”

  All my smartass responses faded away. Boy, did I feel like an idiot for not recalling that. “Okay. Maybe I should’ve paid attention in class.”

  He chuckled.

  But all humor left him when he got a good look at the hill. “Gods…”

  It was steep, covered with grassy patches, exposed roots, trees with enormous black, teardrop-shaped fruit hanging from their branches, and what I seriously hoped were fragments of pale rock—not bones, like they appeared. At the very top, a ledge butted up to the thick gray wall.

  Sighing, I sidled past Aiden. “We better get going.”

  We climbed the hill, using the roots to gain purchase and to keep climbing. I don’t know how Aiden did it, carrying the heavy pack on his back, but he moved a hell of lot quicker than me.

  Halfway to the top, a twittering sound rose above the canopy of odd fruit. I stopped, lifting my head. The heavy hood slipped back as I stared through the drizzle, beyond the trees, to the now dark-blue sky.

  Night had fallen, and I recalled Apollo’s warning.

  “Come on,” Aiden called. “We need to hurry.”

  Grabbing a root, I hauled myself up. “That noise—do you hear it?”

  Aiden said nothing just kept on climbing.

  The branches above us began to shudder, rocking the giant fruit. The twittering grew louder. “I… I think… it’s coming from the fruit.”

  Above me, a black teardrop the size of a beanbag chair shook—and then it spread open, one… one long, black and hairy leg at a time. The center of the mass twitched—and then a row of ruby-red eyes peered down at me.

  “Oh, my gods… they’re not fruit.” And I so got why the souls didn’t travel near the tunnels now.

  The giant spider dropped from the tree, hitting the ground on six of its eight legs. Its squ
eal turned my blood to ice. Another smacked onto the grass… and then another and another. Their sick chorus drowned out the sound of everything else.

  Aiden slid down the hill, kicking up loose pebbles and bones as he came to my side. He grabbed my hand as one dropped beside us, fangs gleaming, raised two of its legs and made a fingers-on-a-chalkboard screech.

  Shrieking, I jumped back, knocking into Aiden as the huge spider scuttled over the ground. Aiden shoved me to the side and whipped out a dagger. Jerking up, he slammed the blade to the hilt into the center of the spider.

  I rolled to my knees and scrambled up, catching the sight of thousands of black legs scurrying across the ground.

  Weight slammed into my back, pushing me face-first into the loose dirt and wet grass. Sharp pain sliced across my lip and I tasted blood in my mouth, but that was a nonissue when I felt the heavy, hairy weight of the spider on my back.

  Its legs dug through the cloak as it hissed in my ear. Summoning the power that rested inside me, I felt… felt nothing.

  Crap.

  Digging my knees in, I powered off the ground and threw the spider. It landed on its back a few feet away, legs thrashing in the air as it hissed.

  “Gods, I hate—I hate spiders.”

  Aiden leaned down, hooking his hand around my arm. He hauled me to my feet and pushed forward. “This would be a good time to use akasha.”

  Hundreds of beady red eyes stared at us. “I can’t. I don’t think it works down here.”

  With his hands on my back he pushed me up the hill, swearing under his breath. “I can still feel the fire element. Can you?”

  Lifting my muddy hand, I was surprised and relieved to find a tiny spark. “Yes.”

  “Good. At the count of three, we’ll clear a path to the rocks ahead—” He cut off, swiping the sickle blade at a spider that ventured too close. Legs flew in every direction. “See the break in the rock there?”

  I saw it. I also saw about a hundred spiders between us and the slim crack. “Uh-uh.”

  “On the count of three, light it up and run. Do not stop. Okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “One… two… three!”

  Concentrating on the fire element, I extended my hand, as did Aiden. Balls of violet-colored flame hit the ground on both sides, spreading rapidly as they formed a wall.

  “Go!” Aiden ordered, pushing me upward.

  I scrambled over the ground, not surprised when I saw some of the hairy bastards leaping over the fire. Others rammed straight into it, but they fell to the side, hissing in pain. Aiden grabbed hold of my arm as we climbed the last of the rain-slick hill. Behind us, the spiders overtook the flames. The sound of their legs scuttling across the ground would haunt me right into group therapy. Reaching the top of the ledge, my fingers smacked off rock and I almost cried out in joy.

  One of the quicker monsters lurched from below, latching onto my leg. My grip slipped and my heart leapt into my throat as the weight of the spider and the heavy cloak dragged me right back over the edge.

  I let out a hoarse shout as my fingers continued to slip, but then Aiden was suddenly there, threading his arms under mine. He threw himself back, powerful muscles tensing and popping under the cloak as he pulled me over the ledge, spider and all. Pulling my free leg up, I twisted and rolled, slamming the heel of my boot into one of the spider’s eyes. Letting out a hiss, the spider slipped off my leg and tumbled down the hill, taking out a few of its friends with it.

  Staggering to our feet, we slipped through the narrow crevice just as the mass of spiders breached the ledge and hit the wall.

  CHAPTER 22

  We traveled for what felt like hours through a cramped tunnel so dark that even my eyes were having a hard time adjusting to it. Aiden sent out a tiny ball of flame every few minutes, but neither of us wanted to risk the light for long—who knew what might be down here? Those spiders couldn’t fit into the narrow crack, but, knowing our luck, they probably had babies that would be more than eager to find us in the labyrinth of tunnel work.

  Exhausted and soaked to the bone, we stopped as the tunnel widened into what appeared to be an entrance to a cavern. Aiden inched toward it, peering into the blackness. He held up a hand as I moved forward to check it out.

  “Let me see what we got first, okay?” he asked.

  I checked my urge to push him aside and help out. “Be my guest. If there’s an Underworld bear inside, let him gnaw on you first.”

  Shooting me a wry grin, he shook his head and crept forward, dagger in hand. The tiny ball of flame he sent out was swallowed by the dark. Staying outside the cavern literally took all my self-control.

  I leaned against the unseen but probably slimy rock, numb in my soaked clothing. I wasn’t even sure I still had all my fingers. It was a good thing that Aiden loved me and could look past my appearance. I didn’t doubt I looked like last week’s prom queen after a hellish night.

  Aiden returned, his daggers sheathed for now. “All clear. We should be good for the night.”

  Pushing off the rock, I followed him inside. It was a narrow fit for a few steps, and then it opened into a circular chamber—definitely drier inside, so that was a plus. Rain pelted the rock bed from a few relatively small holes in one part of the ceiling, but the rest was dry and suitable.

  There was also something else inside…

  Toward the left of the chamber was some kind of natural spring. Well, down here, I wasn’t sure what it was. For all we knew, it could be a vat of acid, but it smelled like…

  “Jasmine,” I said.

  “I know.” Aiden appeared at my side. He eased the hood back on my cloak and gently smoothed his thumb under my lip that no longer throbbed. “Strange, huh?”

  “Everything is strange down here.” Moving closer to the pool of scented water, I held my hand out. Warmth tickled my palm. “It’s heated, but doesn’t seem too hot.”

  Aiden had removed his hood. “I doubt we’d get lucky enough for a bath—Alex, don’t!”

  Too late. I’d already knelt down and gingerly placed a finger into the water, figuring I could spare one. Water fizzled.

  Air stirred around me as Aiden shot forward, grasping my shoulders.

  “It’s okay.” I told him. Other than the sudden frothy bubbling, the water actually felt pleasant. It was so clear I could see the floor of the rock pool.

  “Gods, Alex, you don’t just stick your finger into things.”

  I arched a brow.

  He rolled his eyes. “Your mind scares me.”

  I grinned. “You like how my mind works.”

  Instant heat darkened his eyes to silver. “Most of the time, yes.” He relaxed, letting go of my shoulders. “I’m not sure if we should start a fire.”

  Straightening, I glared at my itchy, wet clothing. Damn.

  His lips twitched. “It may draw unwanted attention.”

  “Spiders,” I whispered.

  Aiden nodded.

  I shuddered.

  “You’re so fierce.” He came to stand before me, cocking his head to the side as he placed the tips of his fingers on my chin. “And so brave, but spiders send you into a fit.”

  “Those spiders were twice the size of Rottweilers, Aiden. They were not normal spiders.”

  “Still, spiders,” he murmured, lowering his head. His lips brushed mine. The gentle sweep was all too quick, but powerful. “But if you take off your clothes, I’m sure I can get them dry.”

  My eyes went wide. “Wow. Are you trying to get me naked?”

  His silvery gaze met mine. “Do you really need me to answer that?”

  A hot, sweet flush stole across my cheeks. When he was like this—open, flirty, and downright sexy—I was at my lamest. I wasn’t used to this side of him. I don’t think I ever would be, and there was something thrilling in that. But I stared at him, caught between the images playing out in my head and the very real man standing before me.

  Aiden chuckled. “You should see yourself right now
.”

  Snapping out of it, I hoped my expression now looked like Alex the Sex Goddess and not Alex the Spaz. “What do I look like?”

  His grin was small and secretive. “Cute.”

  “Cute?”

  “Mmm hmm.” He prowled toward the edges of the cavern, searching the shadows for gods know what. “But seriously, if you get out of those clothes, I can dry them.”

  But I’d be totally naked. There was no need for me to be shy around him, but something about that, here…

  He took off the cloak and shrugged off the backpack. As if he read my mind, he raised his brow. “I packed two blankets. They’re not much, but they’re big enough to cover you.”

  My lips spread into a smile. Yep, Aiden thought of everything. “You’re awesome.”

  The look he cast over his shoulder said he knew. “I know the clothes are bothering you.”

  “Are not.” The last thing I wanted was to be whiny and weak in front of Aiden.

  His gaze dropped. “They’re not?”

  “Yeah…” My gaze followed his to where I was scratching at my hip. I stilled. “Okay. They are bothering me.”

  “Delicate skin?” He stalked over, then knelt and unzipped the bag.

  I stared at his wet, dark curls as he rummaged through the bag. “Yep, I have sensitive skin. Did you pack any lotion?”

  “No,” he laughed. “But we have some trail mix.”

  “Yum.”

  “Also some mixed nuts…”

  “Double yum.”

  “And some water.” He tipped his chin up, eyes dancing. “Sorry. I couldn’t pack a McDonald’s for you.”

  “Well, no one’s perfect.”

  Aiden laughed again. Gods, I loved that deep, husky sound, and I’d never grow tired of hearing it. Not too long ago, Aiden hadn’t laughed enough. So every time he did, I cherished it like a most prized possession.

  He placed the blanket on a dry spot and then stood. “I’ll go check the entrance just to make sure we’re okay for the night.”

  I nodded, and he turned without a word, disappearing back into the crack in the wall.

  Feeling oddly giddy, considering where I was, I turned to the pool. Just thinking about slipping into the warm water had my chilled, dirty skin begging.