by Linsey Hall
“Hera sure knows how to live,” Maximus said.
“This is better than Olympus.” I checked out the palm trees that drooped over the water, looking like a postcard. “And she never had a great relationship with Zeus anyway.”
“Whoa,” Ana said. “Look at that.”
I turned around to follow her voice and spotted the gleaming white house peeking out from the trees. I hadn’t noticed it before—I’d been too caught up in dreams of cocktails and beach naps—but now that I spotted it, my jaw dropped.
It was beautiful.
“Talk about a dream home.” My gaze traveled over the huge windows that were open to the breeze and the massive white porch fitted with turquoise couches that were positioned to perfectly take in the view of the ocean. “Let’s go meet the lady of the manor.”
“And maybe make best friends with her,” Bree said. “You know, so we can come back for weekends and girls’ nights.”
I nodded, liking that idea.
As we approached the house, the six of us began to walk more heavily. Normally, we were light-footed. But the last thing we wanted to do was sneak up on a god.
“Hello?” I called. “Hera? It’s Rowan Blackwood. Queen Hippolyta and Queen Penthesilea sent me here.”
“Hang on!” A frazzled voice came from inside the house, and it sounded nothing like what I would expect from one of the most powerful goddesses in the Greek pantheon.
A moment later, a woman ran out of the front door. Her blonde hair was tied in a messy knot on her head, and her face was streaked with blue paint. Unlike all the other gods I’d seen, she wore modern clothes. Blue yoga pants complemented a flowered tank top, and she grinned when she spotted us.
“Rowan. Glad you made it.” She gestured for us to come forward. “Would you like some lemonade?”
“Sure.” I glanced at my friends, and they were equally surprised.
We approached. Up close, Hera appeared to be in her late forties or early fifties, and she looked spectacular. She had a glow that I rarely saw on people in the city.
It appeared that divorce was treating her well.
She turned and led us into her kitchen. It was a gorgeous, modern space. Not super-space modern, with tons of chrome and metal. More like beachy modern, where everything was new and worked well and gleamed with a bright white sheen.
I’d crap this place up with potions in a heartbeat, but I liked looking at it.
“Take a seat.” She gestured to the large island counter, and we each sat on one of the barstools while she poured some lemonade.
I wanted to tell her that we needed to get a move on—the Titans waited for no woman—but I didn’t want to piss her off before she helped us. We could afford a few minutes, and I prayed this wouldn’t go over that.
She finished filling the glasses and brought the tray to the island. “Made it myself.”
“Thanks.” I took a glass and sipped, wincing at the sour bite. I tried to give her my best smile, and I could feel my friends doing the same. Cade coughed low in his throat, nearly choking.
Hera took a sip, then spat it out. “Crap, that’s shit, isn’t it?”
“Um…” I nodded. “Yeah.”
She set down her glass. “Well, you win some, you lose some.” She leaned forward. “I’ve been taking up hobbies, you see. Now that I’m a free woman and all. So far I’ve knitted three ugly scarves, baked some flat soufflés, and made shitty lemonade. The painting isn’t half bad, though.” She touched her cheek where the paint sliced across it.
“Doesn’t sound like a bad life though,” Maximus said.
She grinned. “Indeed, it is not. I cut that lying philanderer loose, and I’ve never been happier.”
I liked Hera. She’d surely done some terrible things in her past—all the gods had—but she seemed all right now. As long as I didn’t look too closely under the surface.
“Queen Penthesilea and Queen Hippolyta said that you could tell me how to get the Titans into Tartarus,” I said. “We’re planning to attack their fortress, but we don’t know what to do once we’ve got them. They’re too powerful for a prison on earth.”
Hera nodded. “Only Tartarus can hold them. But it won’t be easy.”
“What do we need to do?”
“You must go to the Cave of Treasures to retrieve a vessel that is capable of holding the Titans’ souls. It is small and gold—you’ll know it when you see it. Once you have that and you’ve put their souls into the vessel, I will take it to Tartarus. You can do whatever you want with their bodies.” She grinned evilly. “I suggest upholstering some couches.”
“Um, that’s not a bad idea.” I nodded slowly, trying to process how she’d gotten from disposing of dead Titans to upholstered couches. She was probably more of a sociopath than I’d realized.
“How do we get their souls into the vessel?” Maximus asked.
Hera pointed at me. “That is up to her.”
Ah, shit. “I don’t know how.”
“Figure it out. It’s your fated task, after all.”
Double shit. “No hints?”
“Where is the fun in that?” She raised her brows, an incredulous look on her face.
“Well, it would be fun to rid the earth of a threat that will destroy it. I think that’s really fun.” I realized that my words were kind of snarky, so I smiled, trying to look nice. Or dumb. Whatever expression would make her not be pissed at me.
Didn’t work.
She scowled. “It’s your job, Rowan. Do it.”
“I can do it.” But her words made me wonder… “Why are the gods not more interested in defeating the Titans themselves? You were once great enemies.”
“And surely you have a stake in it if the world goes to hell?” Bree asked.
“In fact, we don’t have much stake.” Hera swept out her arms, gesturing to her house. “I live in Annatlia, the godly realm. All of the gods live here, except for Zeus, who is crouched up on his mountain like some monster.” Her eyes darkened at the sound of his name. “If the world goes to hell, it won’t affect us.”
“What about all the people who will die?” Maximus asked.
She shrugged. “They no longer worship us.”
So, screw ‘em, yeah?
That was clearly her thought process. The gods were all about worship. Even the Titans wanted it. I looked around the room, catching the eyes of my sisters and Cade and Lachlan. They looked as unimpressed as I felt, but were clearly trying to hide it.
“Anyway,” Hera said. “The gods are all busy with their own hobbies. It’s been millennia since we’ve worked together. We’d probably get our asses kicked.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
She nodded. “Not that seriously. We’ve got some powerful magic, after all, but those Titans are intense. It’s just not worth the risk to us. They can’t bother us in our realm and we no longer leave it, so it’s really the perfect solution.” She leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “As are you, Rowan. We felt a little guilty leaving the earth to the whims of the Titans, so we chose you as the Greek Dragon God. Our champion, in the spirit of old.”
I nodded, carefully slipping my hand free of hers. Fantastic. She wanted me to fight a battle that even the gods themselves felt was too dangerous.
Just our luck.
“And really,” she added. “It’s a huge deal that I would leave here to take the Titans’ souls to Tartarus. So you should be grateful.”
“I am. Of course. Thank you. And I’ll do my best.” There was nothing else I could say, really. This was not a woman who was going to budge from her beach house or her hobbies. “Is there anything else you can tell us about finding the vessel?”
“I’ll transport you to a place that is nearby. Search for the Cave of Treasure by following the setting sun. It will be a dangerous journey, meant to test your mettle, but that’s the only kind of journey worth taking.”
Easy for her to say. It looked like the only journey she took these days was to the
yoga studio and juice bar.
“And Rowan,” Hera added. “When you face the Titans, you’ll need to be strong. They’re going to hit you with something you won’t expect. Something that will test your mettle in ways you’ve never been tested. Fight it. With all your might, fight it.”
I nodded, about to open my mouth to ask more questions. Did she mean the darkness that the dragons had mentioned?
Before I could ask, she waved her hands. “Now go, the lot of you. There’s a treasure you must find, and you don’t have much time.”
Magic pulled at me, the ether sucking me into a massive portal that Hera had created in her kitchen. I gasped as it yanked me through space, spinning me around until my head buzzed.
When I appeared on a rocky stretch of ground, I staggered, nearly going to my knees. Maximus grabbed me. He was wobbly himself, and we kept each other upright.
I panted, catching my breath, and turned to do a count. Bree and Ana stood next to each other, both of them windblown and a bit woozy-looking. Cade and Lachlan stood next to them, their feet planted widely as they got their bearings.
“Well, that was something,” Ana said.
“She was a trip.” Bree shook her head. “I’m not so sure about those girls’ nights. I don’t think I want to sit on her couches.”
I chuckled and turned, taking in my surroundings in more detail. We stood on a strange flat plain that was dotted with odd stone sculptures. They looked as if they’d been carved by thousands of years of wind and rain. Most of the sculptures were about my size, but they weren’t shaped like humans. They were more abstract than that.
In the distance, the sound of waves crashed against the shore. I turned toward it, spotting a gray sea that broke against the beach. A massive gray sea monster leapt into the air and splashed down into the water with the force of a train going off a bridge. I’d only had a moment to catch sight of its fangs, but it was enough to be sure I didn’t want to go in that direction.
Fortunately, the sun was setting in the other direction. I turned toward it. “Ready?”
“Let’s get this over with,” Ana said. “This place gives me the creeps.”
She was right. There was something in the air here that was really unpleasant. Dark magic, yes. But something else.
We began to walk, following the sun as we cut between the rock formations that silently guarded the desert that seemed empty of life.
“I’m going to try to figure out how far away we are.” Bree’s wings flared from her back, and she leapt into the air.
Her silver feathers glinted in the sun, and she did a quick circle overhead, checking out our surroundings. She landed gracefully next to us.
“I didn’t spot any caves, but there are some strange shadows moving on the ground.” Worry creased her brow.
I nodded. “We’ll keep an eye out.”
We continued walking, and I kept my senses alert. If something was going to sneak up on us, I wanted to know about it. Thank fates for Artemis’s gift.
Maximus kept close to me, his gaze wary on the surroundings. Everyone in the group was tense as we walked, waiting for an attack that felt inevitable.
When I first heard the growling, it was so quiet that I wondered if I was imagining something.
But then it came louder.
“You hear that?” Bree asked.
She also had super hearing, a gift from the Norse god Heimdall.
“I do. Coming from the left.”
We kept moving, but everyone trained their gazes on the left. When the wolves appeared, I stiffened.
“I think we’ve identified the gray shadows,” Bree said.
There were at least forty of them, a massive group. They were big, too—each of them at least six feet long. Their fur was a rough gray-brown, and it stood up at their hackles. Their lips were pulled back from sharp fangs, and they lowered themselves in an attack stance.
Oh fates. This is bad.
12
The wolves crouched low, their growls filling the air as they crept closer.
“Crap!” I called upon Artemis’s magic, thrusting it toward them. I worked mostly on instinct, hurling the power out of me. “No one draw any weapons. Not yet. We don’t want them thinking we are a threat.”
Ana joined me. She, too, had a gift with animals, though hers wasn’t quite the same as mine. She could calm them, though, and I felt her magic flowing on the air, moving toward them. Sweat dripped down my spine as I watched them, my muscles trembling.
The wolves only relaxed slightly. Their growls softened, but their lips stayed pulled back from their fangs as they snarled.
Next to me, magic swirled around Cade. It smelled of a storm at sea and tasted of tart apples. A moment later, a massive wolf stood in his place. He dwarfed the other wolves, standing at least twice as tall.
Their gazes darted over him, confused at first.
I pushed my magic toward them, trying to calm them. Ana did the same, and slowly, their growls softened. They never looked away from Cade, though, who maintained an alpha’s stance. His snarl was even fiercer than theirs.
Finally, the wolves lowered their heads, signs of submission toward Cade.
“They’ve chosen him as their alpha,” Maximus said.
“Well, they’ll be disappointed, because he’s coming home with me.” Bree grinned. “But good work, hon.”
Cade growled at a different pitch, and it sounded like an acknowledgment of Bree’s words.
“Now what?” Ana asked.
I thought of the little cat who had given me directions before. “I’m going to try to ask them where to go.”
“Like we’re stopping at a gas station, and they’re the clerk who’s going to tell us how to get to Poughkeepsie?” Bree asked.
“Like that, but hairier.” I looked at the wolves, keeping my voice low. “Can you tell us how to get to the Cave of Treasures? Are there any shortcuts to take or dangers to avoid?”
The wolves kept their heads down, eyes glued to Cade. They didn’t answer me. I tried asking telepathically, sending my question along with my magic toward the biggest wolf. I had to imagine that the former alpha was a bit annoyed at the idea of being replaced. Maybe he’d help us go on our merry way.
Unfortunately, he told me nothing. There was one moment when I thought this would work, then it passed.
Dang.
“Okay, I’m getting nothing.” I frowned.
Cade stopped growling, then twitched his head toward the right. It was a clear gesture that we should get moving. I looked at Bree for confirmation, and she nodded.
I hated the idea of retreating—of showing my backs to the wolves—but Cade had it under control. And no way he’d let the wolves come after us.
As a group, we turned and left Cade, walking slowly away. Bree kept her gaze on her man, a frown beginning to crease her face. I could tell she was about to stop when Cade finally trotted away from the wolves.
They rose to their full height, watching him leave. My heart set up a rhythm in my chest, and it only relaxed when I realized that the wolves were definitely not following and that Cade’s face looked calm.
He joined us, then took the lead. We followed, and I felt like I was in an episode of some nature show narrated by David Attenborough.
I did my best impression of his voice and murmured, “And the herd of frightened humans follows the noble wolf through the creepy desert.”
Next to me, Maximus chuckled.
I chanced a look back at the wolves, and they were trotting away in the other direction. Once they were fully out of sight, Cade shifted back to his human form.
Bree pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “So, what was that all about?”
“We just came to a friendly agreement,” Cade said. “Which wouldn’t have been possible without Ana and Rowan’s magic calming them down.” He shook his head. “They were moody.”
“Well done, man.” Lachlan clapped him on the back. “I didn’t fancy a fight with that lot.�
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“Neither did I.” Cade ginned. “And I did get them to tell us where to find help and a shortcut.”
“Really?” Excitement flared in my chest.
“Aye. They understood your question, but they directed the answer to me. There is a settlement just over that rise there.” He pointed to a sloping hill with a few of the weird stone statues on it. “We should be able to find some skinny people to help us.”
“Skinny?” I frowned
“That’s what they said.”
I grinned at him. “All right, then. Let’s get a move on.”
We set off toward the hill, and I hoped these skinny people had a really fast shortcut. Their settlement was a bit out of the way, but it would be worth it if they could shave off a bit of the journey. It didn't take long to crest the rise, and I spotted the small settlement in the valley below.
The houses were built of the rough stone that scattered the plains here, and a fire burned in the middle of the camp. A strange assortment of feathered things sat at one side of the settlement. They were about the size of cars. Bigger, actually.
I squinted harder at them. “What are those?”
“No idea,” Bree said.
No one else could see them closely enough to fugue it out, either.
We hurried down toward the main gate that led into the settlement. We were still about twenty yards away when the gate opened and a dozen slender people filed out. They really were skinny. So skinny that they looked like they were mostly bones. Their faces were different, too, with smaller eyes and thin lips. Pale blue hair flowed from their heads, matching the simple tunics they wore.
Though they were shaped vaguely like humans, they definitely weren’t. Though they were skinny, it didn't look like a starvation situation. They all looked healthy with bright eyes, shiny hair, and beautiful clothing, and three of them were idly chewing on some kind of fruit.
“Who dares trespass on our land?” asked the one who led the group. He was the tallest of all, nearly seven feet, though he couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred and twenty pounds.
“I am Rowan Blackwood. I was sent by Hera to find the Cave of Treasures.” I gestured to my companions, but before I could say their names, the man spat on the ground.