by Amy Braun
“Where is my brother?”
Hera’s eyes dragged to me. “Making demands already? Perhaps Ares left an influence on you after all.”
I stared back at her, unimpressed. If she wanted to rile me up, she would have to work way harder than that.
“I’m afraid his body is being placed under wards in a room only Olympians shall be allowed to enter.”
Okay. Now she was riling me.
“He’s Liam’s brother,” Thea tried.
“He was also the Bringer of Shadow and Fire,” snapped the goddess. “A weapon meant to doom us all. As for weapons we need, all that we protect are the Thunderbolt and the Mind of Cronus.”
I shot a glance to Thea, who wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“At least we know where to begin our search. Hades has been discovered, and clever as he is, his forces do not match ours. Once we find the Helm of Darkness, our most powerful artifacts will be safe, all major threats will be deposed. Then, reparations can begin.” She raised her goblet. “Rejoice, my future godlings. Those reparations will not come to you.”
She turned on her heel and sauntered away, swinging her hips and chugging the ambrosia like it were her last drink.
“And I thought the myths exaggerated her bitchiness,” grumbled Thea.
On another day, I would have quipped something. Made Thea laugh and marveled at the sound.
But with Derek gone...
I didn’t want to laugh when he couldn’t hear it.
“I should go see Selena,” I muttered. “See if she...”
If she were comfortable. Because she would not be all right.
Thea glanced at me. “Do you want me to come with you?”
I looked at her warm, sun-kissed skin, thick black hair, full lips and curves, and sea-colored eyes a man could drown in. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, even compared to the goddesses and Selena. Normally, looking at her fluttered my heart. I scrambled for words to keep her gaze on me. I did whatever I could to make her smile and brighten those incredible eyes.
But looking at her now... I felt nothing. All my emotions seemed unreachable.
A piece of me died with Derek. It couldn’t be repaired or replaced. I wanted to stay with Thea, because I knew she cared. I knew she wanted to help.
But I also wanted to be alone.
“It’s probably better it’s just the two of us. I’m sure she’ll want to see you later, but... Sel and I...”
“You both loved him the most.”
My chest tightened. The pain was still there. Guess it was a sign I hadn’t completely numbed yet.
Thea folded me into an embrace. I welcomed it. She smelled like citrus and a sea breeze.
“Come find me later?”
I nodded. She cared about Derek, too. She wouldn’t want to mourn alone.
But I couldn’t give her the comfort she wanted. There was little in me left to give.
Selena was the only prisoner in the dungeon.
She was encased in four glass walls spotted with holes for air and jarring lights overhead in an otherwise pitch-dark room. Simple wooden furniture, toiletries in a modestly blocked off bathroom, and clothes piled on a table had been placed in the cell. A false way of making her seem welcome and reminding her that she would never leave.
She touched none of it. Instead, she sat on the floor.
Her eyes lifted slightly as I got closer. She tried to smile but halted halfway. Maybe she knew her smile wouldn’t fool me anymore than mine would to her.
“So, you’re a god now.”
I folded my arms and leaned against the glass.
Then I unfolded my arms. The stance reminded me too much of Derek.
“Unofficially, yeah,” I said.
On any other day, that knowledge would have broken my entire mind. But today was the day my brother died. Being a god just didn’t seem as important.
I looked at her, the dust covering her clothes, the bruises, and swipes of blood. The silver-blue eyes filled with more tears and sorrow than I’d ever seen in a person. Though I hadn’t found a mirror yet.
“Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
Selena stared at the floor. “They don’t need to.”
Her words were a punch to my chest. No, they wouldn’t need to hurt her. The worst thing she could imagine came true. Nothing else can touch her.
I leaned against the glass and slid down. I stabbed my hands through my hair. Tears welled in my eyes. Gods, I hadn’t known there could be any more.
“He told me he loved me.” The words were so soft, heartbroken. “Right before I lost control of the Timeweaver and I bought him time to escape, he told me he loved me. If you want to hate me, you can.”
“I don’t hate you,” I whispered back. “I need to hate something, but I don’t know what. The Fates for setting us on this path? The gods for toying with our lives? Me, because I didn’t look for him when I should have?”
“Then blame me. I should have Seen all of this. Even when the Timeweaver was in my head, I knew he would look for me. And I should have known it would end here.”
She sniffled, wiping away tears.
“You can hate me, Liam. Mason already does.”
I didn’t lie to her, because I didn’t know what was in Mason’s head. He’d become a spectre, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to reach him again. For all I know, she was right, even if she didn’t deserve his anger.
“You still did something, Sel,” I reminded. “This whole time… I haven’t done anything. I was the pawn to draw Derek out, spent half my time unconscious, did nothing to fight the gods, bled half to death right before Derek…”
I clamped my lips shut to stop the tremble in my voice. I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms, forcing the tears back.
We sat in silence again, neither of us knowing what to say to comfort one another. Both of us knowing that there was nothing we could say. The guilt and sorrow were too much.
“I wanted to tell him,” she whispered. “I should have told him so many times. For months, I… It just never seemed right. I was too scared of what would happen, so I kept telling myself later. Another day. The timing wasn’t right. And now there is no more time.” Selena’s voice cracked. “But I love him, Liam. I love him so much.”
Heart aching, I peered at her. Fresh tears glistened on her cheeks. She looked defeated, broken. And anything I said would only break her more.
Derek didn’t hide the way he looked at her, and every time he spoke of her, a brightness filled his eyes that I’d never seen before. He smiled a little more, even if he couldn’t see it.
But I had because I knew my brother. I knew more than anyone how strong his love could be.
“You made him happy,” I whispered. “These last few months, despite all the shit that’s gone on with the gods… they were the happiest he’s ever been.” Sadness twisted my heart. “Ha… Had been.”
A sob burned in my chest, but I forced it down. I closed my eyes and tried not to look at Selena when I heard her cry.
I pressed my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I needed contact, but I couldn’t break into the cell to get to Selena.
“Have you… have you looked forward at all?”
I felt like a bastard asking. It was so wrong of me to need something like this, after what just happened. But I needed to know…
Know what? What does the future matter anymore? He isn’t going to be in it.
“Briefly,” answered Selena. “And you want to know what the irony is? I still See the Prophecy.”
My head snapped up. Selena smiled bitterly at me.
“Yeah. After all of this, after Derek… it didn’t make a difference. Tartarus is still opened. Cronus is still awakened. The world still burns.” She folded her arms on top of her knees and rested her chin on them. “If anything, losing him only sped it up.”
I grimaced, my heart sinking. “But… but how is that possible? He was supposed to be…”
Twisting on my knees, I faced Selena through the glass.
“You can’t give up, Sel.”
“I never said I would,” she replied, though the defeat in her voice was clear, “but I’ve been through this before, Liam. Some battles aren’t meant to be won.”
My lips curled in a grimace. How many memories was this bringing back for her? In her past life, when she was Cassandra, my friend had seen her city destroyed. Her family slaughtered. She became a slave. And now, her new home would meet the same fate. The man she loved was dead.
With so many similarities, a pain so raw, how could she not simply wish for it all to be over?
But Derek had loved her. He’d wanted us to be happy. All of us. He’d been the first one to comfort Selena, the first one to give her back the hope she’d lost.
I couldn’t do what he had done. But Selena was a sister to me. And I took care of my family.
I stood up, exhaustion pulling at my limbs. Selena watched me rise, her expression curious.
“This battle is meant to be won,” I promised her. “We’ve come this far, Sel. I have no intention of going back.”
I walked away after that, making promises to send Thea in to see her as soon as I could, and assuring her I would return often to keep her informed of anything that happened.
Though I knew she hadn’t heard me any more than I recalled speaking. She watched me vanish into the shadows, and I worried about what I would do without Derek to guide me.
I could only hope I wouldn’t let him down. That whatever I did, he would be proud.
The Olympians told me I couldn’t bring him back. It would take me a while to grapple with that. But until I found a way, I would do the same thing he did whenever he faced a situation he couldn’t fight.
Find a way to stand against it.
DEREK
“WELCOME BACK, SON of Ares.”
My eyes opened to a place I knew. When I was alive, my mind had forgotten the swirling smoke, muted colors, and tall shadows.
Now that I was back, I remembered it all.
And if I was back...
I sat upright and looked at my chest. No gaping hole, no ragged wound where my heart used to be. Though when I pressed my hand to my torso, there was no beat.
I was dead. Again.
“I would not rely on Queen Persephone to restore you to life again.”
My eyes turned to the voice. Standing in a boat on my left side, gently rocking in mist-covered water, stood a cloaked figure with ember eyes. He held a hooked staff bearing a dimly glowing lantern in his bony hands.
“When my master learned of what she had done, he insisted that I bring you to him and resist her calls. My master is not pleased with you or his queen. And now that Ares is dead... well, you have made things even more difficult.”
I allowed myself a grin at that. It was easier than thinking about what I’d left behind. And who.
The Olympians had made my life difficult for the past five years. A cold part of me was glad to return the favor.
And if I’d made things hard for the King of the Underworld...
“So, Hades is the mastermind, huh?”
“Of course. You did not seriously think a brute like Ares or a prideful child like Apollo could balance the weight of what is to come, did you?”
I’d hoped not. The idea of Ares being the brain behind all this...? Things would have gotten messier.
But I wasn’t relaxed either. Hades was a new player in the arena. Colder than Ares. Smarter. Patient and cruel in his vengeance.
But he doesn’t have the Omega Knife. Which means he doesn’t have the Mind of Cronus.
A small comfort. The only one I had.
My gaze drifted to the smoking river. I didn’t like the silence, but I wanted to cross even less.
“It is not wise to linger,” remarked Charon. “The longer you stay, the quicker you deteriorate. And then you become like them.” He swept a bony hand toward the river. I stared, and saw faces swirling throughout it.
Not an ideal way to spend eternity.
I closed my eyes. Thought about my friends. The woman I’d barely held or kissed. The brother who would take my death hard after fighting to keep me from it.
My heart had been literally torn out, yet I still felt an ache in my chest.
Once I stepped into that boat... I would never come back.
But Corey...
Corey was here. Alone. Probably scared out of his mind.
If I crossed, I would never see Liam, Selena, Thea, or Mason again. But I could protect Corey.
That had to be worth something.
I pushed to my feet and walked onto the boat. As I passed him, I swore Charon grinned.
There were no seats, so I stood at an angle. My back to the river, while Charon and our direction were in my peripherals.
The Boatman pushed off the shore, and my journey into the Underworld began.
We moved slowly, silently. Even the boat hardly made a sound as it glided over the water’s surface. Charon’s staff—doubling as his oar—cut through the water with barely a whisper.
Distantly, I spotted what looked like waterfalls.
“What are those?”
“The rivers of the Underworld,” rasped Charon. “Styx. Lethe. Archeron. Phlegethon. Cocytus. We are on Styx. All rivers lead to the depths of the Underworld. A kingdom that demands much of its citizens, regardless of their trials in life.”
The boat halted.
I turned and looked at Charon. “Why are we stopping?”
The boatman smiled, his coal red eyes luminous in the dark tunnel.
“We have arrived at the testing grounds. This is where your final destination in the Underworld will be decided.”
I narrowed my eyes and balled my fists. “There wasn’t a test before,” I growled.
Charon’s grin widened. “Things have very recently changed.”
My temper flared, but I knew there was no point in arguing. Gods relished in tricking humans who failed to specify their goals and actions.
“Fine,” I growled. “What do I have to do?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the water began to churn around the boat. I turned around and watched the dark ripples lap the sides, watching the light reflect across the waves.
Wait. The only light was coming from Charon’s staff, and it was reddish orange. The light coming from the water was pale and concentrated, in more than a dozen spots.
I peered over the edge. Were those faces?
“A simple test, Derek Areios.”
Charon’s voice made me jump. When I turned, he was standing right behind me. His eyes glowed cruelly, and his smile sent a chill down my spine.
“Fight as long as you can.”
His bony hand slammed into my chest like a sledgehammer. The back of my legs struck the side of the boat. My hands grabbed at empty air. I toppled back and hit the water, sinking into its murky depths.
The water was freezing beyond anything I'd ever experienced. Worse than the bitter bite of aether or the cold touch of Hades. It was like I had been shoved into liquid frost. The chill ripped into my body with icy claws, scraping over my skin and burrowing down my throat into my lungs.
Then came the faces. Hundreds of them, floating in the water, eyes glazed and mouths open and screaming. Thin hands reached for me, gripping my limbs, scratching my flesh, crushing my throat. Teeth clamped onto my shoulders. Fingers grasped my mouth and pulled it open. Freezing water poured down my throat and swelled in my lungs.
The dead swarmed me, an endless sea of faces. All fighting to drown me.
I struggled and kicked, but darkness filled the edges of my vision. My limbs slowed as the fight drained out of
me.
Soon I could see nothing at all.
When I woke up again, I was on the opposite shore of the River Styx.
Cold like I’d never known closed over me. I always figured the one good thing about death was never having to feel anything again.
Shows how little I knew.
Still soaked to the bone, I pushed myself to my feet on the cold sand. Charon smiled gleefully.
“What the fuck just happened?” My body shook with cold and rage.
“Your second death,” announced the Boatman. “Well, third, I suppose.”
“How can I have died again?” I snapped impatiently. “I was dead when I got here.”
“Ah, but that is one of the eternal tortures of the Underworld. You shall die a thousand times here, in a thousand different ways, and you shall always return to die all over again.”
I stared at him; all speech drawn out of me. Charon’s grin widened.
“This is your destiny now, Derek Areios. To die in the Underworld for all eternity.”
Damn it. I was fucked.
Thunder echoed behind me. No, not thunder.
A growl.
I turned away from the Boatman and looked past the shore. A massive, pitch black cave barred by an iron grate blocked my passage.
Then the grate started to lift, and the growl came again.
I balled my fists at my side. Thea. Mason. Selena. Liam.
All of them behind me.
Corey was trapped beyond the cave ahead.
I walked forward and entered the dark cave of the Underworld.
TO BE CONTINUED...
The adventure continues in
Coming soon!
Keep reading for an FAQ by Amy Braun.
Wait, that was the ending? How could you do that to Derek and Corey?
Yup! To be perfectly honest, I’d devised a plan to have Derek visit the Underworld for years. He is very reckless in his attacks and personality, and there needed to be consequences.
As for Corey, I didn’t anticipate his fate in the original drafts, but I also wanted to give him a bit more role for later books. He’s one of my favourite side characters and I want to see him grow.
