“Wait,” I pleaded quietly. “I can explain, I promise.”
“I’m not interested in explanations,” he said grimly, hurt in his eyes.
“But I am.”
Erebos materialized out of thin smoke around us, dropping right in front of me and spinning around towards Hades, scythes in hand. A scream tore from my throat as the blades landed soundly, slicing across Hades’s chest like it was butter.
A pained cry left his lips as he fell to the ground, hands groping at the wound as his face contorted in pain.
“Dipped in the river,” Erebos said in a sing song voice. “You should be down for a while. Lucky you, I missed your heart on purpose. That would have destroyed some of the fun.”
He then turned to me, his eyes going dark and a frown covering his face.
“Katrina, Katrina,” he said sadly, clicking his tongue. “You went back on our deal. Care to explain?”
I remained silent, clutching the helmet to me as he slowly advanced, my eyes darting between him and Hades, who lay on the ground watching me silently.
“All you had to do was get me the helmet,” Erebos said simply. “But instead you took it and ran.”
He stood right in front of me, obviously waiting for an answer, but I had nothing to say for myself. His presence clouded me with fear, especially now that I had nothing to hide behind. He could easily take the helmet and end me now.
“Did I not warn you about double crossing me?” he suddenly screamed, grabbing me by the throat and hoisting me into the air.
The helmet fell from my grasp as my fingers fought for his to release me. Instead of clattering to the ground, though, more smoke simply caught it, pulling it into the darkness that was Erebos, and hiding it from me forever.
“I couldn’t go through with it,” I coughed, trying to breathe through his grip. “I don’t know what you want with it.”
“That’s because it’s none of your business,” he said simply, releasing me and letting me crumple in a heap at the roots of the tree. “No matter, though. I have what I came for.”
“You were with me the entire time?” I asked, watching as he turned to walk away.
“Of course, my dear,” he said in surprise. “You didn’t think I’d actually trust you to get it done? I thought for sure you would be discovered and killed right at the beginning. I’d planned on taking your spot as soon as it happened. With one traitor having already been discovered, Hades wouldn’t have suspected another. Isn’t that right?”
He turned to smirk at Hades, who was still lying on the ground, trying to staunch the bleeding of his wound with his hands.
“Did you even do anything you promised me?” I asked in horror, not able to believe I’d made a deal with such a monster.
“Oh yes, of course,” he said, acting as if I’d highly offended him. “I never go back on deals. I took the darkness from your mother so she would feel guilty, and then I put it in your father to make her suffer with it even more.”
“What do you mean?” I asked slowly.
He nodded to something behind me and I turned carefully, afraid to see whatever was behind me.
He looked just as he had every day at home, tan and well worked. But something was wrong with the way he moved, like he had no idea where he was going.
“Daddy?” I asked, tears filling my eyes.
He looked up at me, a blank expression on his face before a small smile appeared.
“Katrina?” Daddy asked.
That was as long as the recognition lasted, though. Without another word, Daddy turned and began to wander off, one of the lost souls of the Underworld.
“You killed him!” I yelled, turning back to Erebos, tears falling down my cheeks. “You lied to me! You never said anything about him!”
“Please, Katrina,” Erebos said, rolling his eyes. “The darkness had to go somewhere. How was I to know that depression was one of the side effects? It’s not my fault at all. In fact, it’s yours. After you ran out of town, he thought you’d killed the man the police came to question you about. I guess you could say he died of a broken heart. And a bullet in his mouth.”
“You killed him!” I cried, my heart breaking as I lunged towards him, every intention of hitting him until I couldn’t feel my own fists.
He dissolved into smoke around me, his laughter melting away with him as he disappeared, apparently done with the whole confrontation.
I fell to the ground, tears flooding my eyes and hate eating at my heart. What could I do to make things right again?
My gaze fell on Hades, who was slowly sitting up, a grimace on his face. Wiping my eyes with the back of my hands, I stood and walked over to him, knowing he needed help with the bleeding.
Bending down, I ripped a long piece from his pants, and set to work trying to stop the bleeding from his chest.
“What are we going to do?” I asked quietly, trying to keep my hands from shaking as the white cloth immediately became soaked.
“Get out,” Hades said quietly, pushing my hands away from him.
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Get out!” he yelled vehemently. “Leave! Don’t come back!”
“Y-you need help,” I stuttered, motioning to his wound.
“I don’t want your help,” he spat out. “Your help is what got me in this mess in the first place. I should have known you weren’t to be trusted. I should have listened to my gut that said you were a lying witch, just like always.”
I backed away a step, stung by his words.
“You were probably laughing at me all night, weren’t you?” he said bitterly, getting to his feet and throwing the bloody cloth on the ground. “Thinking I must be so stupid to not realize you weren’t who you said you were.”
“Last night was the best night of my life,” I said defensively. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
“Not even your Daddy?” he spat out, his fire whip forming in his hand.
“Stop it,” I said, backing away slightly again. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I didn’t know what I was saying last night,” he growled. “I didn’t know I was falling into a trap. One set by you.”
“You love me!” I yelled at him, not able to take everything falling down on me. “You said so yourself!”
“You are a lie!” he roared. “How could I love that?”
“Those things you said had changed about Persephone, those were all me,” I argued back, tears rolling down my face. “I’m the one you fell in love with, not her. I never lied to you about any of those things, just my name.”
“It’s not the same,” he said, advancing towards me. “Because of you, our entire world is at stake. I should have known better.”
“Please,” I begged him. “Let me explain to you. Let me show you I’m still that girl.”
“Get out!” he screamed, snapping the whip in his hands.
The fire shot out towards me, falling on the side of my face and I screamed as my flesh burned and blistered under it. My knees gave out from under me and I crashed into the ground, twitching from the impact of the fire.
My eyes landed on Hades, who looked like he might be sick before he started towards me again. I didn’t need any more encouragement.
I got to my feet and ran, stumbling over the branches and roots on the ground, my tears washing down my front, stinging at the wound stretching from my hairline to my chin. I didn’t stop though, getting up every time I fell, keeping my anguished cries inside as I fled from the man I loved so much.
Without Hero, getting out of the forest took much longer than normal. By the time I broke free from the trees, my knees were weak and I felt I could fall over at any moment. Still, I pressed on, not wanting to be run down by Hades and have to face his anger again. Eventually, I came upon the mass of souls outside the castle, all of which immediately pressed in on me, knowing that I didn’t belong. Perhaps they always had and that was why they stared at me. It didn’t matt
er now.
Hours had probably passed by the time my weary feet fell into the maze. It was then that I allowed myself to crumble for a moment, in pain and misery. The burn on my face hurt more than anything I’d ever felt before, except for knowing Hades was the one who gave it to me. After a few minutes, though, the voices and faces started appearing around me, their cries driving me insane.
I needed to get out of this place now.
I ran down the tunnels, knowing that any door would free me, but afraid to just guess and take one. Then, in a moment of clarity and mercy, I caught sight of a rock with an x scratched into it.
I ran through the door, breaking into the woods behind my house, and fell to the ground, a shattered mess.
Chapter Twenty One
I laid there in the dirt until the sun had passed across the sky, my tears muddying up the ground underneath me. And then, there were no tears left to cry, only the numbness as I stared up at the emerging stars. Everything seemed lost and broken. What else did I have to go back for? Laying here in my underwear seemed as good an option as any.
As darkness wrapped around me, I was suddenly angry. So extremely angry that I felt like ripping heads off of anyone who ever even looked at me the wrong way.
I got up off the ground and made my way to the house, weaving through the trees with a purpose.
No one got to throw me around like I’d been today. No one got to call me a liar and get away without at least a black eye.
My anger only grew as I caught sight of the dark house, abandoned by everyone the way I’d abandoned my family. Erebos was right, this was my fault. What he wasn’t counting on was me coming to fix it.
I went in the back door, flipping on light switches as I passed by each room, going upstairs to my own. Everything looked untouched from when I’d left, almost like it was frozen in time, even though at least three months had passed since I left. The cold outside was an indicator of that, if anything.
I changed out of my bra and panties, wincing at the now ruined memories of the night before. Going back would prove I was serious to Hades, though. What we had together wasn’t going to fall apart because I didn’t try to save it.
I put on my own clothes, loving the short shorts and button up shirt more than ever. My boots felt like home as well, my heart happy to finally be looking completely like myself again.
With a dutiful sigh, I walked into the bathroom to examine the burn on my face. It looked just as nasty as it felt. There wasn’t any time to go to the hospital and have it treated like was so obviously needed, though, so I began searching through the drawers for something I could put on it in the meantime. I ended up with a numbing spray and salve that would help fight of any infection and quickly applied both, wincing as I did my best to doctor it up.
Once I was certain I’d done all I could for my face, I went into Daddy’s room and opened the gun case, pulling out my favorite shotgun and a pistol, as well as an ammo belt and a sling, both with holsters for the pistol. The weapons wouldn’t do anything against immortals, but I felt better knowing I had some type of protection for myself.
It may not kill them, but at least they’d know I meant business.
I shut the lights off as I moved through the house this time, making an extra trip to the back of the house to turn off those ones as well. There was a possibility I would never see this place again, but I didn’t think about it as I walked to the front door in the dark, stepping outside onto the porch I’d spent my childhood playing on.
There was a small light coming from the barn, which was where I needed to be, so I loaded one shot into the pistol and quietly hurried to the door, trying to hear who might be in there. All I could hear were the horses moving around in their stalls, a sound I’d become accustomed to from all my time spent with them.
Opening the door, I slipped inside, placing the pistol at my waist and the shotgun on my back. My horse neighed in greeting and I smiled softly, trying to quiet her with my hand gestures.
“Who’s in there?” a voice demanded from outside.
I swore softly and ran into the stall with my noisy ride, crouching down behind her and pulling the pistol out again.
The barn door opened and Rick came in slowly, a gun of his own cocked and ready to fire.
A sigh of relief escaped me and I stood slowly, holding my hands and the gun up in the air.
“It’s me, Rick,” I said, calling attention to my location.
“Hurricane?” he asked in surprise, lowering his firearm. “What are you doing here?”
“I just need a ride,” I said shortly, putting my pistol away again.
“You’ve been gone for months,” he said in surprise. “Your daddy killed himself.”
“I know,” I said softly.
“The sheriff has a warrant for your arrest.”
“I figured as much,” I said, nodding. “You should know I didn’t do it, though.”
“Hurricane, I can’t just let you go,” he said slowly, seeming like his thoughts were trying to catch up with what was happening in front of him. “After your dad died, the ranch shut down. I had to get a job somewhere else to make ends meet. I’m only out here to see if you’ll come back home, which you have.”
He raised his gun again, pointing it square at me.
“Whoa, hang on, Rick,” I said, slowly walking out of the stall, hands still raised. “What are you doing?”
“I’m working with the sheriff, Hurricane,” he said sadly. “And I need the reward money for turning you in. I’m sorry.”
“Rick,” I said sternly, hoping I could talk him out of it. “I can’t go with you. There’s somewhere else I have to be, somewhere important. I can’t tell you where exactly, but trust me.”
“I don’t think you did it, if it’s any consolation,” he said miserably, walking towards me, barrel still aimed right at my chest.
I felt a wave of panic as he came towards me, my thoughts scrambling to find some way out quick. It was when he reached for the radio on his hip that I saw my chance.
I ripped my pistol from its holster and fired the one shot in it at Rick’s hand, knocking the gun from it. Two well-placed steps forward got me close enough to punch him once in the nose and once in the stomach before he fell over. Kicking the radio from him as I ran back to the stall, I jumped up on my horse’s bare back and spurred her into action, bolting for the open side door he’d come in through.
We cleared the exit, Rick’s voice yelling at me as I steered her around the house and into the woods. I knew he’d be calling for help right away, but they wouldn’t find me, not unless they knew about secret doors to other worlds.
The horse was spooked some, riding in the dark, so I slowed a bit, keeping an eye out for the hill I needed. It wasn’t long until I found it and managed to coax her through. Unfortunately, she appeared to be one of the horses who didn’t take transitioning from one world to the next very well and I held on for dear life as she bolted down the tunnels, her frightened cries echoing off the rocks. After a few minutes, I calmed her down enough to stop running and slid off her back, coming around to soothe her face to face. As soon as I felt she wouldn’t be a problem anymore, I began leading her forward, not sure where in the tunnels we were.
Oddly enough, the voices and faces I was familiar with seeing here were absent, the maze eerily quiet. From the prickling hairs on my neck to the stillness of the air around me, I knew that something bad had happened in the day I’d been gone.
We wandered around for a few hours before I decided to take a break and rest. My limbs were still sore from my exodus before and the numbing spray on my face was beginning to wear off. It was beginning to feel like I was going to be lost in here forever.
When we started moving again, I decided to let the horse lead, climbing up on her back and urging her forward. Maybe she had some sense that would lead us to where we needed to be.
Wandering on, the rocks around us began to blend together and I felt my eyes drooping, exhaust
ion fighting hard to take over. Every time I blinked, I wondered if I’d accidentally fallen asleep without realizing it. Then, something around us changed.
I started noticing scorch marks on the walls, signs of a scuffle. Someone had been fighting right where we were now and it didn’t look like it’d been very calm.
Following the marks, I pointed the horse down the right tunnels, signs of the battle becoming more and more apparent the further I followed them. Then, suddenly, there was a huge hole in the wall.
I looked through the opening, my eyes not quite accepting what they were seeing on the other side. After blinking several times and rubbing them, I looked again, just to make sure I was on the right track.
A battle of the gods, so fierce and intense that it put any other war I’d ever heard of to shame, was taking place in front of me. The wide, open field was covered in blood and bodies, some of which were still moving around, trying to fend for themselves. Weapons of every kind, even some that appeared to be elements alone, flashed in the early morning light. From what I could tell, neither side was really winning. It seemed more an execution of universal proportions for both groups.
The Olympians were recognizable to me only because I had been among them. There were dissenters fighting with the horrific Titans, a sight that made me sad to see. In one part of the field, a giant smashed down on his opponents, laughing openly as they tried to defeat him.
One thing was clear to me—the Olympians desperately needed something to tip the scales in their favor.
Taking a deep breath, I kicked the sides of my horse and she jumped out into the din, running in fear as soon as we were through. I let her pick the path, loading my pistol quickly and firing it off at every Titan I could see. The marks hit home, dragging attention to me and letting the Olympians who’d been pinned down gain the upper hand. The further into the mess we got, the more frantic I felt at needing to find Hades and make sure he was okay. Finally, I caught sight of him, his fire whip dancing around him impressively, glinting off his armor. He wasn’t unscathed though, fresh cuts on his face and a choking smoke bearing down on him.
Hades (The God Chronicles #3) Page 16
