He thought he hid it well.
He didn’t.
In fact, it was so irritating I had trouble looking at him at all. Just imagining Seth’s hands anywhere near her body filled me with rage, reminding me again that my emotions were quickly taking over my common sense and logic.
Atlas wasn’t so bad, except he was just as good looking as Seth and already admitted to liking Athena. So what? I wanted to kill every being who even looked at her. Clearly, I was exhausted and needed to take some time away from the job. But time was not on my side.
Alexander wasn’t too bad, except for the fact that he drank blood in order to gain information from people. It also didn’t help that his race, the Twelve, were easily the most arrogant of El’s creations. They had enough problems of their own, so it really was shocking to see them involving themselves in our business. After all, Alexander was only weeks away from taking the throne and trying to restore peace to the original Twelve.
As if he heard me, Alexander smirked in my direction, his blue eyes mocking me as he pushed his long dark hair away from his face.
“Ready?” Atlas called back. Why was I cursed to have to fly in a plane twice in one week with the man?
“You plan on crashing us into a mountain this time?” I called to him as I climbed into the small plane.
Atlas grinned and shrugged. “I sure hope not.”
“Good. That’s what I want to hear when I’m climbing onto a plane.”
Seth laughed behind me. We each took our seats. Unfortunately mine was next to Seth’s. I took small even breaths as the plane taxied.
Atlas called back to us over the roar of the twin engines. “Everyone put on the headphones so we can communicate.”
I put the headphones on and heard Atlas’s voice loud and clear. “Alright, guys, we should be near Sheol in about an hour, if not sooner.”
“Great,” I mumbled into the mouthpiece. I popped my knuckles and waited as the plane took off and began its ascent into the Puget Sound air.
“So,” Seth called into the headphones “Anyone ever been to the San Juan Islands?”
Nobody answered.
Seth laughed. “Wow, well, you’re in for a treat.”
“It’s beautiful,” Alexander piped up. “Though aren’t the most beautiful of El’s creations sometimes the most dangerous?”
“What do you mean?” Curiosity got the best of me.
Alexander chuckled. “Take, for example, Lucifer. Was he not the most beautifully regarded angel until pride took him? Do his followers not masquerade as something lovely and perfect, when inside they are black as night?”
Seth shifted next to me. Good. He was uncomfortable. A part of me wanted him to be reminded of what he was. Fallen.
“Yeah, so?” I said.
Alexander laughed loudly into the mouthpiece, nearly making my ears hurt. “You truly do not get it, do you?”
“Apparently not.”
“Sheol is beauty.”
I mulled this around for a bit. I guess I was expecting Sheol to look a lot like Hell or Purgatory. I was prepared for horror, not beauty.
As if reading my thoughts, Alexander said, “So now you understand the danger. For when you run into battle, you expect the worst. You expect bloodshed, torture, evil. But I promise you — the minute you walk into Sheol, you will never want to leave.”
“And that makes it dangerous,” I said aloud.
“It makes it the most dangerous place for our kind to go.” Alexander nearly whispered this time. “For it masquerades as Eden.”
“Wait.” I gripped the seat with my hands. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Alexander cursed into the microphone. “The second Eden, the one created for the angels and other worldly beings in the beginning? It is located beneath the surface of The San Juan Islands. Once upon a time, the Islands were a large land mass. When humans fell, it too fell into the ocean as a symbol of the great separation of the human and spiritual realm. Lucifer has taken it over along with Azazeel and the others.”
“Do the magical properties, those of the spirit world, still hold strong in Sheol?” I asked.
“Yes. They do.”
“Great.” That’s just great. I glared at Seth. It wasn’t his fault, but he was the one going in while we fought the rest of the armies that were sure to be surrounding the premises. We were the distraction, while he made the extraction, and I was sending him directly into a paradise every fallen angel and Seeker could only dream about. Granted, it wasn’t reality, but still. I was worried that Seth wouldn’t be strong enough to do it. Not when Sheol would promise to restore everything he’d lost — his spiritual state.
****
The plane landed. My stomach plummeted as we skidded across the short runway. I was half-tempted to clap, considering last time we’d almost been plastered across the side of Mt. McKinley.
“Good work, Atlas.” I threw off the headphones and slapped him on the back. After Alexander’s little admission, none of us spoke. It was as if the fear of what we were facing kept us from actually talking any more about it. I knew the more I thought about it, the harder it became to control my emotions. So I said nothing.
Everyone piled out of the plane.
Seth stayed back. “I’ll find her, Adonis. I swear.”
I looked away, my jaw clenching. “See that you do.”
“Wait.” Seth grabbed my shoulder. I jerked away from his touch and glared at him. “I know you don’t like me.”
“Brilliant conclusion,” I spat.
Seth narrowed his eyes. “Just because you aren’t Fallen doesn’t mean you can treat me the way you do, you know that, right?”
I shrugged.
“Look.” Seth ran his hands through his hair. “I care about her too. I want to see her safe. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. What happened before… ”He shook his head. “It would never happen again. You have to believe me. My only focus is to get Athena back to us safely.”
“And your personal feelings?” I challenged, crossing my arms.
Seth swallowed, his eyes darting to the ground. “I’m Fallen.”
“We’ve established that.”
“She and I…” Seth shook his head. “No matter how much I wish it, we could never be. I know where her loyalty lies.”
“Good, then I won’t kill you when you bring her back.”
“Wow, how very gracious of you, Zar.”
My fist clenched. I hated it when he called me Zar. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed of my race, quite the opposite, but the way it flowed from his lips made it sound like a curse, rather than an honor, and I despised him for it.
“You lovers ready yet?” Atlas called to us from the edge of the Fjord. It ran through the middle of the island, separating Skull Island from Massacre Island, which, truthfully, sounded about right.
“Coming,” I called back to him and gave one last glare to Seth. Alexander was already ahead of us, near Atlas.
“So, where do we rendezvous?” I asked, looking around. Everything was quiet. Orcas Island was the largest of the San Juans. It was fascinating and sparsely populated. It was so late in the evening or early morning that it was still dark. Nobody would see us, which was a plus.
“Down.” Atlas pointed. Did the guy ever get tired of knowing so much information? He truly knew every piece of land in the known universe, as if he had memorized it. But we all knew it was part of his gift. I think having that much knowledge would drive me crazy.
The fact that he said down almost made me smile, almost. No doubt Athena would have had some sarcastic remark about having to go down all the time. I swallowed the emotion in my throat and looked to where Atlas pointed.
Near the side of the Fjord was a large cave-like hole that seemed to plunge into the earth, though no water went inside it.
“We jump?” Alexander asked, looking a little hesitant.
“No, we fly.” Atlas rolled his eyes. “Yes, you jump, but nothing to wo
rry about. There should be something to catch you when you fall.”
“Should be, being the key words here,” I added, stepping ahead of everyone. “Alright, I’m going in.”
I jumped. My stomach plunged as air whooshed by my ears. It felt like I was dropping hundreds of feet per minute, which was, of course, impossible. My eyes were unable to adjust to anything; it was pitch black. As I fell deeper and deeper into the hole, my speed slowed down, and then I was floating downward. Instead of getting colder, the air turned thick and humid. Water droplets formed on my face and floated in front of me. I was able to see the reflection of the water in the darkness but nothing else. I saw a flicker of light below me. Then another and another.
More water. Great. Trapped between two large bodies of water. How wonderful. I closed my eyes as I fell into the crystal blue water. Some of it got into my mouth. It tasted like honey.
I opened my eyes and would have shouted, but words weren’t forming fast enough. My eyes could not keep up with my head. Instead I stared slack-jawed around me.
It was perfect.
I was in a small pond near a large rainforest, one that had giant trees and sparkling leaves. I shook my head in disbelief. Atlas crashed down next to me, splashing water everywhere. Seth and Alexander soon followed.
“Whoa.” This from Alexander.
“Not what I expected at all,” confirmed Atlas. “How very interesting.”
We waded out of the water and walked to the shore. And that’s when we saw them.
The rest of the Seekers filled the forest, as well as some angels I had never seen before. At least I assumed they were angels. Several wings covered eyes on their faces. Other wings kept them floating in the air, as if they were on a cloud. The closest thing I could compare them to was some sort of weird, white monster. Only they were beautiful, not at all scary or ugly.
“Took you long enough,” Ares said, stepping forward.
“He flew.” I pointed to Atlas. Ares laughed and helped us to the beach. Everyone was ready for battle. My stomach plummeted.
“What now?” I asked, looking around. There didn’t seem to be any sort of threat, but I was starting to realize I didn’t really know as much as I thought I did.
“Below,” Ares answered. “We stay here until Michael blows the horn.”
“And Seth?” I nodded toward him and pulled on a piece of armor that Apollo had handed me.
Ares nodded. “Seth goes alone.”
“I know.” Did everyone doubt my self-control?
“I’m ready.” Seth stepped forward. His face contorted with a serious expression only seen when he was restored to his original state.
“Come.” Ares held out his hand. “I can take you as far as the gate, and then you must travel on your own.”
I watched as Ares and Seth disappeared. My thoughts jumbled with rage, confusion, and panic. I wanted to be near Athena. If I closed my eyes, I could almost feel her presence, feel her close.
“She will be fine.” Atlas placed his hand on my shoulder. “Besides, there will be many more battles, just as this one. The only goal is to retrieve her and leave this place without losing any of our own.”
“That’s what worries me.” I scratched my head. “Why go to all this trouble to bring us down here? Why not fight out in the open as usual? Why bring us to Sheol?”
A loud crack was heard, and then Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel were in front of us. Everyone bowed and waited.
Michael spoke first. “If they cannot have the Titans, they want every last Seeker. That is why you are here.” He paced in front of everyone. “This battle will not be what you are used to. Be sharp, but most of all be wise. The Phantoms will promise you everything, if only you will join their side. At this point, they are weak. We have the Titans under control. Thanks to Alexander, we have the Twelve, and at this very moment one of my brothers is talking to some of the Fallen who have yet to choose sides. Without the power of a half-breed, they will not win.”
“It seems to me we’ve played right into their hands then,” I said boldly. “We have every last Seeker and Twelve with us. What happens when one of us is too weak to fight anymore? What happens when the offer is too sweet to resist?”
Michael nodded his head. A smile broke across his face. He turned to face the crowd. “El has decided to again give you a choice.”
I clenched my sword in hand.
“Many of you have been fighting for duty and honor, not love. El desires it all. He wants you to fight not because you merely choose it, but because you cannot help but serve the One who so graciously allowed you to live, despite what you were born into. So, when each of you faces a Phantom who offers you your heart’s desires, El has asked one thing. Choose Him. Choose Him, and it will be as if a blade is fighting a flower. They will not stand a chance, but El will also not stand in your way should you choose to leave.”
Sometimes I hated the way El worked. In a perfect world it made sense. But what if everyone left? What if half the Seekers chose wrong?
“What if, what if, what if…” Gabriel said next to me. My head jerked up. He smirked. “Adonis, you will tire yourself before the battle even starts.”
He placed a large hand on my shoulder. “There will always be what ifs in your life. But, brother, you are asking the wrong question.”
“And what is the right one?”
“Oh, it is the same.” Gabriel chuckled. “You are merely missing the most important part.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Which is?”
“What if El…” Gabriel’s eyes blazed white for an instant then went back to violet. “What if He is who He says He is? What if He does what He says He does? What if His promises are true? What if He is right? What if you are wrong? What if El… That is your question, my brother, and in that question, you also find your answer.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Seth
“Tell me this is a joke.” I looked at the space again and then back at Ares.
He shrugged. “I never joke.”
That I knew, but I was hoping for once I was wrong. I was hoping in vain this would be less complicated than it actually was. It would be different if I had my original powers, but now I felt very much like a fly going into the spider’s web.
“Once you reach the crossroads of Taenarum, you will follow the trail until it forks at the bottom. Go to the right, not the left. The trail to the right will lead you to the River of Souls. Once you cross the River of Souls, you will see the prison where they keep our kind. Athena should be there in captivity. She will be unharmed, for she is of more use to them alive. But you will have to create an enticement as well as a shield, in order to appear not as Seth but someone else entirely. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” I nodded. I had no other option. If I said no, Athena would die, and if she died, a part of me would too. The good part. The part that thirsted for the Light she exuded. I was fearful of what would happen when the Light was snuffed away from me. Succumbing to the Darkness was not an option.
“May El be with you.” Ares gave me a curt nod and walked back toward the shore. I looked down at the cave below me. Large gray rocks trickled at the opening. I lit a torch and began my descent. Bats flew out, nearly knocking my torch to the ground. I hated bats.
Clenching my teeth, I moved forward. Within minutes I was at the crossroads of Taenarum. It was the opening to another cave. I looked to the left. It was the only way that had light, as well as a smell so sweet my feet moved of their own accord toward what I wanted most: to be away from this place, to be in comfort.
I stopped. Remember Ares’s words.
I was supposed to go right.
I looked right.
Hell. It looked exactly like Hell. Fire licked off the sides of the walls, threatening to burn everything and anything in its path.
The ground was lined with glowing red coals. I looked back to the left and had to stifle a laugh. It was one of those laughs you get when you’re about to do someth
ing really stupid. It did not do the trick of breaking the tension and stress I felt. I trudged forward, taking one step onto the coal.
It burned my foot, but the pain wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I knew my body would quickly heal, but that didn’t make the pain any less intense. In order to save my energy as well as my power, I refused to heal myself as I continued across the coals. I felt my skin begin to melt into my thick leather boots. I clenched my teeth and moved forward.
Sweat trickled down my cheek as I turned the corner. Fire licked off the side of the wall, and I wasn’t able to duck in time. It exploded across my face. I could feel blood dripping off my chin. I closed my eyes for a brief second; the pain made me want to pass out. Instead, I said El’s name and pressed forward.
As I rounded another corner, a river met me. The River of Souls. What I wouldn’t do for it to be a real river I could jump into to cease the burning of my flesh.
Blue and white fire steamed off the river as people lifted their hands out of the water into the air and fell back again only to tumble into the crowd of souls.
I’d seen a lot of messed-up stuff in all my years of living. I used to be an Original, after all. I was Uriel; I was an archangel. Though in my current state, El had blocked the memories from my human consciousness. I thought it a kindness. To remember such things would be nothing but cruel. For a human to remember perfection would drive them insane. And as a Fallen, my curse was to be part human.
I sighed and looked at the souls, each of them reaching for something they would never get. That was the big lie of Azazeel. People would swear their souls to him, usually in hopes of fame or fortune, and in return, he would hold their souls captive until their deaths. When they died, they lived this life for eternity. Azazeel would promise freedom if only they could reach their bodies from the river into the air. He promised everything to them, but it was never accomplished. So they went around and around below the earth, lost in a state of never being able to escape the imprisonment of their own doing.
A boat was near the edge of the river’s shore. I jumped into it and carefully rowed myself across the two hundred-foot spans. No souls tried to grab onto the boat. Sadly, it was the one thing they couldn’t see. It also kept them from escaping. I wondered if they would be able to escape if they could see it, but I wasn’t here to help them. I was here to save a girl I had come to love.
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