We’d been so close when we made it through the gate—our chests almost touching. I looked into his dark eyes and saw fire. Unlike his usual gaze, this wasn’t anger or hatred. No, this was much worse. Jiro’s eyes were filled with desire. As his eyes lingered on my lips, my body begged me to lean into him—to grab his shirt, yank him against me, and kiss him senseless. What was this? I’d been attracted to him before, but this was different; it was as if this new environment sucked every ounce of my willpower. I awkwardly broke the moment and pretended to hype myself up over what was certainly the most menial task I would complete in the Underworld. This situation was messed up enough, I didn’t need to add kissing the guy whose dad literally owned my soul into the mix. Even I wasn’t that fucked up.
The only problem with my chosen mode of breaking the tension was the fact that it made him smile. That was almost as appealing as the look he gave when he considered kissing me. I was so screwed. But now, more than ever, I was certain it was the effects of the Underworld and not Jiro… Damn forbidden fruit. I just had to suppress the urge to want him until I could get out of there.
I found myself getting lost in his joyful expression, so I forced myself to concentrate on my new environment. Surely lust wasn’t the only threat.
The Underworld was made up of smooth black slates with glowing red flecks. They were dimly lit with red, but with no discernible light source. The temperature was cool on my skin which registered as strange. I assumed the Underworld would be scorching. I mean, I had walked through fire to get here. It would have been safe to speculate that Hell would be hot but, instead, it was as if a bone-deep chill clung to me, trying to destroy the warmth within my very soul. I tried to shake off the foreboding feeling as my eyes took in the room.
My perusal ended abruptly as my focus was captured by something red and gigantic moving in the corner of the brimstone chamber. I whipped around and faced the creature head on as it crept through the dim glow of the arch tunnels that snaked around us like a labyrinth.
“Oh my gods,” I exclaimed as I stepped between the beast and Jiro out of pure instinct.
When its snout came into view, a huge burst of hot air flared from its nostrils. Its glossy eyes were golden, along with the ribbons that waved across its snake-like form. My body pulsed. A dragon. I shook beneath its gaze and the dragon lifted its magnificent head, nodding to Jiro.
“Hey, Mom. I missed you too,” Jiro said from behind me, causing my head to whip from the dragon to the man who had led me into the Underworld.
Mom? What the fu—
Why has my son brought a mortal to this realm? a voice interrupted. My eyes grew as round as saucers as I turned to look back at the dragon. The voice in my head was soft, almost tinkling. If it wasn’t coming from what was easily a twelve-foot dragon, I would have thought a sweet older woman was speaking.
“How is this possible?” I whispered. I lifted my chin to her, swallowing my nerves as I spoke. “He brought me to convince Hades to let me join the tournament.”
I almost missed the confused expression Jiro threw my way as he walked to stand between his mother and me.
His eyes bugged out as he grabbed my arm. “You can hear her? How?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“What is she saying now?” Jiro urged.
“Wait...You can’t hear her?”
A flash of sadness swept through Jiro’s features. “Yesenia,” he said, pausing for a moment that dragged. “Can you ask her something for me?”
I nodded, waiting for his question, but it never came. His gaze dropped to the floor.
He already knows. Just because he can’t hear my voice doesn’t mean he can’t understand.
I lifted Jiro’s chin. “She said you already know. That you’ve always been able to understand.”
He nodded solemnly, his silence a harsh reminder that I hardly knew anything about him.
Finally, he spoke, his gaze moving to his mother. “Why can she hear you?”
She shook her head. Perhaps she’s not one hundred percent mortal after all.
Jiro’s eyes lit as if he’d also heard her response and, for the first time since we'd met, the Prince of the Underworld seemed more lost than I was. There was something wrong here. I wasn’t sure how this world worked, but based on their strained interactions, it didn’t seem like Jiro’s mom was meant to be like this.
Do not pity us, child. Sometimes fate has different plans. Even immortals are not safe from their destiny.
I nodded. I had a terrible mother, so it was hard for me to understand how Jiro felt, being so close to his mother and not being able to speak to her.
I felt a pang of sadness for them but brushed it off as Jiro’s mother spoke once more, this time with a sharper tone.
Do not use this information to win favor with Hades. If he knows you can hear me, he could take a greater interest in you. Don’t give him anything he can use against you.
I looked at Jiro and relayed her words. He clearly loved his mother. Hopefully, he respected her wishes enough to keep him from selling me out. Taking a deep breath, I met the prince’s eyes and hoped I hadn’t just damned my soul for all eternity.
14
Jiro
I knew it. In the two thousand years of my immortality, I’d seen many gods dally with mortals and I’d never even been tempted. Of course Yesenia wasn’t an ordinary human—I’d felt drawn to her from the start.
The problem was, since we entered the Underworld, my inclination for her had gone from mild attraction to lust, and I could hardly think of anything else. It was one of the unfortunate effects of the land beneath the earth, an unquenchable thirst to give in to desires.
I could feel Yesenia following quietly behind me as I led her through the Underworld’s caverns. I wanted to say more to my mother, to make use of Yesenia’s rare gift to find out what my mother really thought of Hades’ deal, but I couldn’t do that without giving away too much. If she knew she’d been brought here to die bravely, I doubted she’d cooperate.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gripping my bicep.
I yanked my arm away. “I’m fine.”
“Look, if this is about your mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t ask for any of this. All I want is my soul so I can get back to Araceli.”
I turned to her. “I know that.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Nothing,” I barked. “We’re going to meet Hades and I suggest you focus on him because, if you think you’re going to charm him with your sexy...” Fuck.
She straightened, a smile teasing at the corner of her mouth the only acknowledgement to my slip up. “Are you okay? You’re acting weird… well,” she tossed her curls with her hand, “weirder than usual.”
“I’m fine.” My back slammed against the cave wall as Yesenia’s outstretched hand collided with my chest.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I need you to pull it the fuck together.”
I swallowed. She’s right. I slapped her hand away. “We’re close. Do you know what you’re going to say?”
She nodded but didn’t give me the answers I craved. Instead, she followed me in silence until we reached the ten-foot hellstone door to the throne room. I turned to her. “Okay, so on the other side of this door we’re—”
She leaned in and squeezed my hand, sending an electric wave through me that left me utterly paralyzed.
“It’s going to be okay,” she tried to assure me.
“Stop that.”
She recoiled at the bite in my voice. “Stop what?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, stop trying to comfort me. I’m a god and you are nothing, just a blink in my existence.” She turned away as her jaw clenched. “And stop that too. That face that you make.”
She threw her arms up. “What face?”
I pointed. “THAT face.”
“This is just my face.” She sighed and held her hands up in surrender. “Do you want me to go
in alone?”
I clenched my jaw, rage clawing at my stomach. “Despite what my mother seems to think... you are human, I am immortal.”
She pressed her lips together and I’d never felt so transparent. I pushed open the door but Yesenia took the lead, fearlessly stepping into the most dangerous room in the realm without the faintest bit of hesitation.
Hades was gone more often than not, plagued with the task of watching over the incoming souls, and tempting new ones to the Underworld. We were unlikely to catch him, which would give me a little time to process everything and prepare Yesenia to face him, but as we walked deeper into the belly of Hell, I could feel the temperature rise. We wouldn’t be so lucky. Through the shadows in the grand hall, I saw the contorted figure of a demon sitting atop his throne as I quickened my stride to place myself in front of the brave mortal.
“Don’t tell me you’ve given up your search already? I guess your mother doesn’t mean as much to you as you pretend,” Hades said, his voice velvety smooth.
My gaze shifted towards Yesenia, hoping she was too afraid of Hades to connect the dots. Unsurprisingly, Yesenia remained behind me, no doubt freaked out by Hades who was nearly seventy percent in his demon form. His talons were sharp, his skin flaked and flared with heat as his pointed canines protruded from his soul-thirsty mouth.
I stepped forward. “Father, I came here because I found a suitable champion for the—”
“You better be sure of your choice. You wouldn’t want to disappoint me… Not again.”
I shuddered as the memory I could not suppress slid through me like the steel of a blade. I had been just a boy then, unable to comprehend the weight of my actions. Hades’ reminder of a time long ago rattled me. “I…” My fear caused me to choke on my words. I wanted to sound confident, to assure him I believed that my champion could win, but it was a lie—one Hades would see through in an instant. I could practically feel my imminent punishment, the teeth of the hellhounds clamping down on my wrists as fire endlessly ravaged my body. I shook as the flames in Hades’ eyes lit.
Yesenia stepped in front of me.
“What are you doing?” I whispered as she snapped me back to the present.
“Hades!” she shouted. Hades’ eyebrows rose. Yesenia walked up to the throne. “My name is Yesenia Rodriguez and I would like the right to compete for my soul.”
I grabbed her shoulder. “Yesenia, get behind me.”
She turned, a determined glint in her eyes. “This is what I came here to do. I’m not leaving empty-handed.”
Hades’ gaze bounced between us. The corners of his fanged mouth tipped up. He crossed his arms. “She certainly is something.”
“Father...” I pleaded.
“Silence!” he spat. “I’ll hear the girl out.”
“My mother may have bartered my soul, but I will not abandon my sister. You will allow me to compete on your behalf and I will not lose.”
Hades leapt forward, stopping an inch from her face, but Yesenia didn’t back down. She didn’t even flinch.
He tilted his head as his power surged, smoke billowing from his nose as he scrutinized her bartered soul. “I can taste your fear. Why aren’t you cowering before me, little mortal?”
I held my breath as she took a step closer to Hades.
“I am afraid, but there is nothing more frightening than leaving my sister behind.”
“Brave to challenge a god… brave but incredibly foolish. You’re lucky I can sense your potential.” He paused, the seconds endless as his face portrayed nothing. The smog that poured from his nostrils eased as my anxiety grew. Was he going to reap her soul right here? I prepared myself for the bone-rattling scream that signified a soul being ripped from its mortal coil. Instead, Hades broke the heavy silence. “You are my champion.” His gaze shifted to me as he continued. “You don’t have much time to train her, but I expect you’re properly motivated.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant my mother, or if he’d sensed my attraction to Yesenia; either way, it seemed I was beyond suspicion of throwing the tournament. I turned to leave, unwilling to push my luck.
“And Jiro,” Hades said, “you will not fail me.”
“I will not fail you,” Yesenia said, glaring at Hades as she drew his attention back onto herself. “And when I win, you will return my soul.”
My heart raced as I watched the two titans collide. Did she have a death wish or… was she defending me? I was frozen, rendered silent by her frightening will.
Hades stared down at her in silence until a malevolent grin stretched across his face and he held out his clawed hand. “I believe we have a deal.”
15
Yesenia
Hades’ clawed fingers curved around my hand as I firmly grasped his. The sharp tips of his nails poked into my soft flesh and, if intimidating me had been his end goal, he succeeded. I clenched my jaw and met his gaze. I thought Jiro had anger and hatred in his eyes, but Hades? One look from him and all I felt was death. A chill worked its way up my spine as I forced my expression to remain unfazed. I believed it impressed the god in front of me as much as it angered him.
Red flames licked at his pupils as he released my hand and turned to his son. “Get her out of here before I decide I’d rather keep her soul than win the tournament.”
“Yes, Father.”
Jiro’s hand wrapped tightly around my arm as he dragged me out of the throne room. I wanted to shake his grip free and run out of the room, but I refused to allow the deity who owned my soul to see me weak. Instead, I allowed Jiro to pull me from the room with my head held high.
As the door shut behind us, I opened my mouth to speak only to have my words muffled by Jiro’s hand. “Not here.”
The arm that gripped my bicep squeezed once, almost in warning, as he continued to yank me through the Underworld. We moved silently through the dark passageways—the dim light causing my eyes to strain.
A shout of pain followed by a sexual moan echoed from one of the tunnels that fed into the main hallway, and my cheeks flamed red as I mentally thanked the gods for poor night vision.
Jiro’s voice was filled with barely repressed mirth as he spoke, “So you’ll face down the God of the Underworld and not so much as bat an eyelash, but hearing a bit of kink has you blushing like a schoolgirl? You’re interesting, mortal.”
Mortal. The word caused my stomach to clench. I shot him my signature glare and he chuckled under his breath as he opened a door and pulled me through.
I took in the room as Jiro released my arm and locked the door behind us. If it wasn’t for the glowing walls, it would seem like a normal studio apartment. There was a hallway about four feet long that led into one giant room that I walked down as Jiro locked up. One half held a bed, king-size if I had to guess. It had one of the traditional Japanese tops Jiro was wearing laying across it. I quickly looked away, realizing this was his home. I turned away before he noticed me eyeing his bed.
“Are you tired?”
I whipped around at the sound of Jiro’s voice to find him standing much closer than I anticipated. I swallowed as he loomed over me, our chests nearly touching as my breath grew shallow with nerves. I looked down, feeling uncharacteristically shy as my thoughts shot back to the sex we heard. A blush formed high in my cheeks as I ducked my head, my curls falling over my face like a veil to hide my embarrassment. I stopped breathing as Jiro reached forward to tuck my hair behind my ear, his palm grazing my cheek as he moved so slowly it had to be deliberate.
I looked up, my lips parting in equal parts confusion and desire. I thought he was hot when I’d first seen him, but this feeling in my chest? I wanted to slam him against the wall and devour him.
I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, but it caused his nostrils to flare as he exhaled and took a step away from me. He turned his back on me and walked toward his room without waiting for my response. “I’ll sleep on the floor. You can have my bed. You’ll need to be at full strength tomorrow. We’ll be announ
cing you as the champion of the Underworld and then your training will begin.”
A part of me wanted to tell him he could share the bed with me, that we were both adults and could act accordingly, but, in all honesty, I wasn’t sure we could. I nodded, though he couldn’t see me, and made my way to his bed.
As Jiro walked through another door, what I could only assume was the bathroom, I moved his top, laying it across the kitchen table, and tugged my jeans off, leaving them on the floor beside me, before crawling into bed, glad I’d kept my mouth shut and not offered the other half of the bed.
I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, being separated from my sister and then being named the Champion of Hell, but as soon as my head hit the pillow and the deceptively soft blanket was pulled up to my neck, I drifted to sleep.
16
Jiro
My heart raced, fear tearing through me. I woke suddenly, my shoulder already sore against the hellstone floor. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I jackhammered up. I put my palm to my chest to steady the wild beat, desperate to remember what I’d dreamed that had me so frightened. Whatever it was, the fear surged through me wave after wave, my body reacting without my mind’s understanding of it.
Behind me, I heard Yesenia’s erratic breathing and spun to see her thrashing in my bed. I rushed over. “Yesenia.” I touched her shoulder. “Yesenia.”
Her eyes shot open and she covered her mouth with her hand. She sat up, rubbing the dream off her face with her hands.
Her breathing slowed and, with it, mine did too. She glanced up at me briefly before turning her gaze to the floor.
“Sorry,” she said. “I had a nightmare.” I think I did too.
I sat down beside her and could feel her shaking. “You don’t strike me as the nightmare type.”
She looked down at her trembling hands, a clear sign there was more to this than she was letting on. “Sorry to disappoint. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said.
The Trials of Olympus Page 5
