“Perseus,” I said loudly, still searching the crowd of people.
A man stood up from one of the tables, his body clad in that of the armor of an ancient fighter, and bowed his head to me.
“Highness?” he questioned, a curious look in his eyes.
“May I join you?” I asked politely, bowing my own head in return.
He gestured to the seat next to him, recently vacated by another, and sat back down.
As the music started again, I walked over to him, taking the spot and refusing a plate of food offered to me by someone.
“No thank you,” I said, holding a hand up. “I only came to talk.”
“I have to admit, this is most strange,” Perseus laughed, a lopsided grin covering his face as he picked up a roll from his plate and pulled it apart. “What could I have done to bring the Goddess of the Dead all the way down here to talk to me, in person?”
“Nothing,” I replied, watching him take a bite. “I wanted to ask you about something about when you were alive.”
He swallowed, nodding his head in understanding and waving me on.
“You defeated Medusa using my husband’s helmet,” I said, looking for any reaction from him.
“I did, in a way I guess,” he chuckled, grabbing his goblet and taking a sip.
“What do you mean?”
“Surely you know already?” He wiped his mouth with a small cloth, meeting my gaze fully and confidently.
“I don’t mingle in matters that have nothing to do with me,” I said coolly, smiling tightly.
“As I should have known,” he laughed loudly. “Allow me to explain. I wasn’t aware when I was alive that the monster couldn’t be killed. It’s true I used the invisibility of the helmet to behead her, but Athena’s curse would not let her suffering end so easily. While I carried the head of the beast for the rest of my life, once I passed away and came here I discovered the truth.”
“And what is that?” I asked curiously.
“Snakes can grow back parts of their bodies if they become severed from them. I assumed this to be true about any limbs on Medusa, but didn’t realize Athena had included the head in her curse. The whole time I thought I’d saved the world from that monstrosity, she was still alive in her cave, hiding from everything.”
“She’s still alive?” I asked in surprise.
“Still cursed,” he confirmed, nodding. “I don’t regret my actions though. After I came through, she became much more shut in and didn’t bother anyone. It was as if she was dead.”
“How sad,” I said softly. “To never be able to rest.”
“She crossed a goddess,” he said shrugging. “It was her own fault.”
I nodded, trying to imagine having to live through all that time the way she had. Another question needed to be asked, though, so I dragged my thoughts away from her.
“Do you know where the helmet is now?” I asked curiously.
“No,” he said, inquisitiveness of his own shining in his eyes. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” I said, letting a little venom sneak into my voice. “It seems odd that something held so dear to my husband could just vanish.”
“I imagine he’s the one who made it vanish,” Perseus said. “It wasn’t easy to convince him to let me use it in the first place. There’s no way I would have kept it any longer than allowed.”
“I understand,” I said, feeling a little defeated. My one lead had fallen flat.
“Surely he would tell his wife where it was. Why don’t you just ask?”
“Right,” I laughed. “And I’m sure you’re well aware of the type of relationship we have.”
He bowed his head in respect again, a small smile tugging at his lips.
“I meant no disrespect,” he said.
“None taken,” I said, rising from my seat. “Thank you for your help.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to tell you more.”
“Enjoy yourself,” I said, stepping away.
More loud laughter responded and I walked away without another word, trying to think on where else I could look and who else I could talk to. I didn’t want to draw too much attention to my search, especially since it would bring up more questions about my intentions and possibly reveal my true identity.
I made my way back to the dock, ignoring the guards who had returned to their posts, and I sat back in the tiny boat waiting for me. The return trip was spent pondering where Hades could have hidden his treasure. Perseus had been spot on—Hades must know where it was. All that stood in my way was finding out more about him.
If I were Hades, where would I hide the helmet? I asked myself, over and over again.
Tartarus seemed a good place, with high security. But would he have put one of his greatest weapons so close to his worst enemies? It was true they were always watched, but they were still escaping somehow. If that was where he’d hidden it, Erebos wouldn’t be needing my help to find it.
Unless he didn’t know it was there.
I sighed in frustration, feeling like I was banging my head against a brick wall. Figuring this out was like a puzzle, one that was missing several key pieces. It was a maze of possibilities and dead ends.
At that thought, my brain stopped cold, a sudden idea having burst into the light. The maze . . .
If I were going to hide something from the world, I would put it in a place no one could navigate, somewhere that was always changing and dark, somewhere that made everyone uncomfortable.
I would hide it in the maze of tunnels outside of the prison I kept all of my enemies in. It made perfect sense! Not just the maze, but the fact that the maze lead to anywhere in the world. All he would have needed to do was go through one of the doors and leave the helmet on the other side.
As I thought more and more about the idea, becoming increasingly excited about it, my spirits suddenly fell. If he had indeed hidden the helmet there, it could be anywhere on the planet, assuming there weren’t other places the doors lead to. I didn’t even know how many secret openings were in there, let alone where they would take me and if I’d be able to find my way back. It seemed an impossible task to go in and find what I needed.
I reached the other shore and climbed out of the boat, patting Hero as he came over to greet me. A sense of despair hung over my head as I tried to think of a way I could explore the tunnels efficiently.
Nothing really came to mind.
The ride back to the palace was much slower than the ride out, my mind lost in a million thoughts it seemed. Only when we entered into the mass of souls outside did I speed up, not liking the way they made me feel. It was difficult to think that one day I was going to end up as one of them. It seemed unlikely I would become famous for anything and I was pretty sure I wasn’t bad enough to end up in a lake of fire, though this mission might do that for me.
As I neared the castle, I suddenly didn’t want to be there any more, feeling like I needed to just get out and run as fast as I could. Spurring the horse onward, we entered into a full gallop, running through the passageway under the castle and out onto the beach next to the River Styx.
The wind whipped through my hair, carrying away my frustrations with it as I closed my eyes and breathed deep. If only there was sunlight here to shine down on me and make me feel like my old self again. Releasing the reins, I held my arms out to each side like I was flying, letting my head tip back as I soared through the space.
Suddenly, Hero jerked, rearing back and crying out in fear. My eyes flew open as I grasped at his hair, trying to keep from being unsaddled and thrown. As soon as I did, though, I saw what had spooked him.
My own scream joined in with the frightened animal.
Chapter Thirteen
His face, the terror that had lived in my nightmares, looked just as it had that night. Seeing it made my skin crawl with the memory of his hands groping me, his unwanted lips touching me against my will. The urge to wrap my arms around myself, to hide my body from his staring eyes, w
as overwhelming.
The gaping hole where he’d been stabbed through still looked fresh, blood oozing out of it slowly. Crimson clung to his lips as well, just as horrifying as when he’d spit it all over me. Fingers clenched tightly into fists, his eyes still carrying the look of a man who’d had too much to drink, my would be rapist stared at me, unmoving.
My brain couldn’t move fast enough to think of what to do next, caught in the act of replaying everything that had happened to me that night, as well as imagining what could have happened. It was all I could do to hold on to Hero as he pawed the ground and continued to jerk around nervously.
Fire whipped out around me, latching onto my attacker and pulling him to the ground. The smell of burning flesh began to pick at my nose, slapping me out of my fog slightly.
In a daze, I looked behind me to see Hades, holding a fire whip in each hand and advancing towards us.
“It’s okay,” he said to me reassuringly, not bothering to hide the surprise in his eyes at my reaction. “It’s just a Lost One. He’ll be gone soon.”
I nodded numbly, my attention turning back to the man burning on the ground in front of me. Ever so slowly, he began to fade away, fear filling his own eyes as he watched Hades advance. Finally, the last wisps of him disappeared, wafting back through the rock wall and into the maze on the other side.
“There, see?” Hades said, reaching out and grabbing Hero’s reins, steadying him for me.
I still couldn’t move, my hands locked in the mane in desperation. The man’s appearance had been so unexpected and frightening, every part of me seemed locked in time.
“Hey,” Hades said softly, placing a hand on my knee.
I jerked away, still lost in memories, but his touch was enough to drag me back to the present. Sucking in a huge, shaking breath, I nodded at him, just now noticing the unshed tears in my eyes.
“A Lost One?” I asked, trying to pull the attention away from myself.
“Yes,” he said, carefully touching my knee again. “People who were murdered, or died too young. The restless dead, forever cursed to remember what happened to them, but nothing else about the lives they lived. Normally, they keep to the maze since they aren’t allowed here. Every now and then we have some who slip in and get stuck on the bank, though.”
I closed my eyes, trying to be completely steady and hating I’d been so effected by the sight of a mere person.
“Persephone?”
I opened my eyes and looked down at Hades. His face showed genuine concern and confusion, along with a desire to help.
“It’s gone, really. He won’t come back in.”
“Thank you,” I said with a cracked voice.
“Did you know him?”
I looked away, to the wall that separated the Underworld from everything else, my heart beating a million miles a minute.
“Yes,” I said softly.
“A friend?”
“No.”
I pushed my heels into Hero’s sides gently, pulling on his hair until he turned around and started back towards the palace. Hades graciously released the reins and I let them dangle, still not able to release my grasp.
To his credit, Hades remained silent the entire trip back, walking by my side, matching our slow pace. There were a few times he seemed like he would say something, but he never did. I was grateful for that.
Upon reaching the stable, I found my legs were still a little shaky from the encounter. Still not having left my side, Hades reached up and grabbed me by the waist, softly, helping me down onto the ground. Once there, he hesitated for a second, looking at me uncertainly, before pulling me into a somewhat awkward hug.
Normally, I wouldn’t have had any idea what to do, how to react to such an action from anyone, let alone him. But in that moment, it was exactly what I needed. I didn’t even have to think about it before I found myself hugging him back.
His arms tightened around me, fingers twisting into my hair as he held me close, just letting me get whatever it was I needed from him.
“Did he hurt you?” he finally asked quietly, his free hand rubbing my back slowly.
I shook my head, my face still buried in his chest, hands clutching him to me tightly.
“Did he try?”
I paused before nodding, scared to relive the entire episode again.
“Then he got what he deserved,” he said nastily.
I pulled away slightly, shocked at his tone.
“I’m sorry,” he said, the fire in his eyes growing and flashing some. “That there are some men who actually think they can do that makes me sick. It makes me extra sick knowing how much of a fear that is for you.”
“You know I’m afraid of that?” I asked timidly, touched by his obvious outrage.
“Well, yeah. I knew as soon as you lied and told everyone I’d raped you in the beginning. You wouldn’t have picked that if you didn’t think it was one of the most horrible things I could have done to you. That’s why I was so mad you’d made the story up. I would never touch a woman against her will.”
All I could do was stare at him as I drank in the revelation. He wasn’t a rapist, just a victim of gossip. In that moment, I felt the first strong surge of hatred for Persephone. I couldn’t even imagine what type of woman would lie about such a thing, no matter her reason. She’d painted him a monstrous villain for all time and he hadn’t even done the thing she accused him of.
“Tell you what,” he said, finally releasing me and stepping back. “Why don’t we have dinner in the game room tonight? We can watch a movie or something, get your mind off it. Or we can eat wherever you want, go ahead and choose.”
“Really?” I asked, more shock filling me at his kind nature.
“Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “You shouldn’t have to sit around and think about it by yourself all night.”
“Thank you,” I said, a small smile finally appearing on my face. “I think the game room sounds wonderful.”
“We can go right now,” he said, offering his arm to me instead of automatically taking my hand. “I’ll tell the kitchen to bring us down a little something.”
“Sounds great,” I said, wrapping my arm around his. “Thank you.”
“I’m not a complete monster, you know,” he joked, guiding me out of the stall and shutting the gate behind us.
“Could have fooled me,” I laughed back weakly, my head still spinning from everything that had happened.
“So, what did you name the horse?” he asked as we left the room, making our way to our final destination.
“Hero. I figured if he could wait all that time for me to finally notice him, he must be my own sort of champion.”
“It’s a fitting name,” he agreed. “I’ve always thought he was a good animal. Sometimes they don’t take so good to being brought down here. It’s hard for something that’s been growing its whole life to arrive here and suddenly stop. Animals have spirits too, so they handle the change differently on a case to case basis. Hero, though, didn’t even blink an eye, almost like he’d just been waiting to arrive.”
“He’s a good horse,” I said with a smile.
“Where did you two go out to today?”
“Uh, just a good ride,” I said, looking up to meet his gaze with another small smile. “We rode out to the river and I visited the Islands of the Blessed, just to see what was going on.”
“Looking for a party,” he laughed. “I wondered how long it would take you to get out there.”
“It wasn’t really my scene,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t think I’ll be going back.”
“Shame,” he chuckled. “They have been known to have a good time out there.”
Our walk continued on with idle chatter, pausing only for a moment when Hades poked his head into the kitchen and told them we would be eating somewhere different. Once we reached the game room, he released my arm, sliding away from me to turn on the giant screen.
“What would you like to watch?” he asked,
back turned to me.
“Actually,” I said, running my hands down the front of my short sun dress. “I think I’d rather play a game.”
“Okay,” he snickered, obviously not thinking I was up to the task. “Which one?”
I walked in his direction, passing him by to stop and look at the rack of games.
“How about this one?” I asked, pulling a hunting game off the rack and handing it to him.
“Surprising,” he said, taking it from me. “Let me get it all hooked up.”
I watched him turn on different things and pull out some controllers, along with the shot gun shaped attachments that went with the game. Before I knew it, we were both standing in front of the screen, guns raised, ready to shoot some animals.
It wasn’t quite the same as going out with Stacy and firing a real gun, but the cathartic feeling I always got from shooting started sinking in and wiping away any jitters I had left. After several rounds, I realized I was actually having fun and had momentarily forgotten the scene by the river.
“I didn’t know you were such a good shot,” Hades laughed, looking at his dismal score next to mine. “Guns never seemed like your thing.”
“I shot a few on the ranch,” I said with a grin.
“More than a few it would seem,” he said, lifting his controller as the next round began. “Either that, or you’re really lucky when it comes to this game.”
“I guess you’ll have to take me shooting for real to find out,” I teased back, zeroing in on one of the digital targets and taking it down.
“It’s a date,” he said, trying to beat my score.
The level ended again, this time in a near tie.
“Actually,” Hades said, sitting down on the couch behind us and stretching his arm out over the back, controller resting in his lap. “I was thinking that maybe we really could go on a date of sorts.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. “Like what?”
“Well, obviously there isn’t that much to go out and do here,” he chuckled. “I thought we could do stuff like this, though. Games, movies, swimming, horseback riding. That kind of stuff.”
Hades (The God Chronicles #3) Page 10
