by River Ramsey
As she trailed off, I realized any pride I might once have felt as a result of her backhanded praise was moot. “Guess I’m full of surprises.”
She gave me a strange look and glanced across the room, her eyes lighting up as if she’d just remembered something. “Hades,” she breathed. “Are you going to introduce me?”
I looked over at him and his eyes met mine for a split second before he took off and disappeared down the corridor.
“Now’s…probably not a good time.”
“You must be tired,” she said in a sympathetic tone. “Why don’t you go back to your room and rest? We can talk in the morning, before the final ceremony.”
Going back to sleep was the last thing I wanted, but I forced a smile and nodded to get her to leave me. “I just want to check on my friend, then I’ll head back. You can go back to the hotel.”
“Well, alright,” she said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. With one last disbelieving look, she sighed blissfully and left. At least someone was enjoying my victory.
At first, I’d just wanted some space, but now that she was gone, I really did want to check on the others. Loki was out cold, but Dionysus looked like he was starting to stir, and Daphne was already lucid, sitting up on the edge of her cot.
“Hey,” I said, wandering over to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve got the third place curse,” she said wryly, giving me a tired smile. “Congratulations. If I couldn’t win, I’m glad it was you.”
“Thanks,” I said with a dry laugh. “Still doesn’t feel real.”
“I’m sure it will tomorrow, when you’re standing in front of the world of the gods to give your victory speech.”
I froze, realizing that I’d forgotten all about the reason I’d wanted to win the Games in the first place. “Yeah,” I said quietly, realizing that I needed to figure out what I was going to do, and fast. At one point, getting kicked out of the Academy after humiliating Odin had seemed like a perk, but now that my goal had shifted from personal vindication to something “greater,” as Ares put it, I wasn’t willing to take the risk.
Chapter 10
Dionysus
The moment my eyes opened, I felt like I’d just been pulled from a void. I had that heart-racing, ear-ringing adrenaline rush that always accompanied a harsh awakening form a particularly sordid nightmare.
It took me a few moments to remember where I was. The roar of the crowd behind the partition separating the backstage area, where our cots had all been moved, and the bright overhead lighting.
As I looked around, it was no surprise to discover that I was far from the first contestant to awaken. I found myself looking for Kore and spotted Loki first, still blissfully unconscious a few cots away.
I stood, faltering a bit as my head spun.
“Easy,” one of the medics chided. “Don’t sit up too fast or you’ll pass out. The serum still takes time to leave your system.”
Serum. That’s right. I was supposed to have a dream, or at least a harrowing trip into my subconscious. So why didn’t I remember a thing after I’d closed my eyes and gone to sleep?
Maybe that was just another effect of the serum. Short-term amnesia, like going under for an operation. The idea that I was unaware of how long had passed or what I’d spent that time doing was more unsettling than it should have been, considering that I did practically the same thing each night when I went to sleep.
Kore’s cot was empty, to my relief. So was Daphne’s. I shouldn’t have been surprised that they’d both beaten me to it, but I still wasn’t sure who the victor was.
When I caught sight of Kore speaking to another one of the contestants across the room, I knew it was her. If the golden crown of laurels atop her lavender hair wasn’t proof enough, the look of pride in her gaze would have sealed it.
I felt a surge of pride well up in my own chest as I pushed through the crowd to greet her. As soon as she laid eyes on me, she cried out and threw her arms around my neck.
“Dionysus!”
“Good to see you, too,” I laughed, returning her embrace. Her soft, floral scent made my already spinning head feel even lighter. “I see congratulations are in order.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said warily. “It’s complicated.”
“You were the first one to come through the trial. What could be complicated about that?” I asked.
She glanced over her shoulder as if she was afraid someone would overhear what seemed like a relatively innocuous conversation. “Can we talk outside?”
“Sure,” I said, following her out to the other side of the coliseum. I could feel her nervous energy the moment we were alone. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Sort of,” she sighed. “Like I said, it’s —“
“Complicated. I know. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She nodded reluctantly, leaning against the stone exterior of the coliseum. “I know how this is going to sound, but I didn’t get through the trial on my own. In fact, it wasn’t just a trial.”
I frowned, struggling to make sense of her words. “What do you mean?”
“Loki, Fenrir and Hades were with me,” she answered, her voice still low as if someone might be listening.
“With you? In the dream?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes, but it wasn’t just a dream,” she said, taking my hands. My heart seemed to stop, but it wasn’t just from her words. I really needed to figure this out. “We went to the Ether.”
“The Ether?” I raised an eyebrow. “As in the place where Ares was banished?”
“Yes, and he was there,” she said urgently. “He’s the one who summoned us. All of us. He used the Games as a chance to reach out, while we were deeply unconscious.”
I listened carefully, but even though I had no doubt she was telling the truth, I was afraid my doubt in her story would be obvious. “I don’t understand. Why would Ares do that?”
“To protect me,” she said, cringing. “I know it doesn’t make any sense, and I’m still out of it. But I need you to believe me.”
“I do,” I said, giving her hand a gentle tug to urge her to sit on the stone steps with me. “Just take a deep breath and don’t rush it. I’m listening.”
Her gaze softened with relief, and she nodded. After collecting herself, she continued, “He told me the truth about why he was banished. He was one of Cronus’ most trusted warriors, and when he learned the truth about how his master had betrayed the gods, Cronus had to find a way to get rid of him.”
Of all the explanations I’d expected, that one certainly wasn’t on the list. “Betrayed the gods? How?”
“It’s hard to explain, but he’s drawing on souls from the River Styx to keep himself in power,” she answered. “He and Ares fought over it, and Cronus banished him to cover up the truth.”
“And you believe him?” I asked warily. I wasn’t even sure I believed she’d really spoken to Cronus, though where Kore was concerned, stranger things had happened.
“I do,” she answered, seemingly as unnerved by her reaction as I was. “Maybe I shouldn’t, but when he was telling me, he seemed so…sincere. The others thought so, too.”
“Hades was really there with you?” I asked. “In the same dream?”
“Not a dream. The Ether,” she clarified. “He just used the dream to get us through the portal.”
“Right,” I said slowly.
“Don’t look at me like that. You promised you’d listen.”
“You’re right,” I sighed. “Withholding judgment. But even if it’s true, why would Ares bring them and not just you?”
She grew hesitant and I could feel a wall forming between us. I couldn’t help but feel the sting of hurt, and I wasn’t sure if it was just as a friend, or because of the confusing emotions I’d been dealing with over the last few weeks. Maybe even longer, if I was being honest with myself. “You don’t trust me.”
“It’s not that,” she said, sq
ueezing my hand tighter. I hadn’t even realized neither of us had let go until that moment. “It’s just that I don’t want to drag you into this.”
“Whatever it is, if you’re involved, so am I.” The veracity of my words seemed to surprise her, and I guess they surprised me, too. But I meant them.
“Alright,” she finally conceded. “This is the craziest part, but according to Ares, Hades, Loki and Fenrir are my consorts.”
“Consorts?” I almost choked on the word. “Seriously?”
“I know, I know,” she groaned. “Trust me, none of us were thrilled about the news, but I can’t think of a reason he’d make that up. And it’s the only explanation for how they got pulled in with me.”
“Technically, aren’t you Hades’ consort?” I asked. “Soon to be, at any rate.”
“That’s in this world. Apparently, the Ether has a whole other set of rules,” she muttered. Leave it to her to make being destined for three gorgeous guys seem like a burden. “The Ether isn’t what I thought it was. It’s more like a kingdom, and Ares is the king.”
“And that would make you the princess?”
“Something like it,” she said with a grimace. “But more important is what he told us about this world. Cronus’ attempt to prolong his reign has led to an imbalance in nature. The River Styx is all but depleted, and when it runs dry… I don’t know what’s going to happen exactly, but Ares originally pulled me into the Ether so I wouldn’t be here when it all went down.”
“That paints a picture,” I murmured.
“Well?” she asked, watching me closely. “Do you think I’m crazy?”
“Oh, definitely,” I answered without missing a beat. “But that’s one of the things I like most about you.”
She gave me a playful shove. “In any case, Ares is convinced that Hades is the only one who can stop his father, and he’s going to need the rest of us to do it.”
“What makes him think Hades can do that?” I asked. “I mean, he’s powerful, but we’re talking about Cronus here.”
“I know,” she said, her gaze growing troubled. I could tell it was more than just fear of the destruction she was speaking of that had her unsettled. She cared about Hades, whether she realized it or not. “But he’s stronger than his father, or at least, he will be.”
“Why?” I asked, sensing there was more she wasn’t telling me.”
She hesitated and the fact that she was suddenly having trouble meeting my gaze only confirmed it. “There’s something else I haven’t told you.”
“Good thing I’m already sitting down.”
Kore rolled her eyes. “Remember that night I almost drowned?”
“Of course. It’s still one of the hottest gossip topics, next to everyone thinking you had something to do with Phrixus’ death.”
She sighed. “The truth is that I did drown. There was no almost.”
I frowned. “You lost me.”
“I died that night, Dionysus,” she answered, her tone too somber to allow me to believe she was joking. Even though I really, really wanted to. “I drowned in the siren’s well, and Hades really did pull me out, but it was too late.”
“Then how are you here?” I demanded. “How is that even possible?”
“Because Hades brought me back,” she said in an urgent whisper.
My eyes widened. “From the dead? There’s no way even he’s capable of that.”
Even as I said the words, I wasn’t sure of them. If anyone was, it was probably the future god of the Underworld, but still.
“I know. But he did, and he used forbidden magick to do it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, more upset by that than anything other than the fact that she had actually died.
She opened her mouth to speak and suddenly stopped short, frowning.
“What is it?” I pressed.
“Because he put a seal on me,” she answered, brushing her fingers over her lips for some reason. “So I couldn’t tell anyone other than the Triad.”
“But you just told me…”
“The spell must have broken when we went to the Ether,” she murmured. “Or when…”
I waited for her to finish that thought, but when her cheeks blushed a bright pink, I had an idea. “When you what?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to confirm my suspicion. Why the hell it bothered me was another matter entirely.
“We slept together,” she answered, her voice stiff with awkwardness. “I think that might have broken the spell. It’s the only thing I can think of. I felt something shift, but I wasn’t sure what.”
“Shift?”
“The bond between us,” she answered. “The Triad are already bound to each other, and when Hades brought me back from the dead, it bound me to all of them. And according to Ares, the whole consort thing is another tie.”
“That’s…complicated.”
“Tell me about it. All I know is that I felt closer to Hades, and Loki when it happened.”
The latter name was no sooner out of her mouth than she turned pale. I took a second to check my response, but it was hard to untangle the instinctive jealousy when I didn’t know who I was jealous of—her or them.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It wasn’t… it just kind of happened. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No,” I murmured. “I’m glad you told me. Loki and I haven’t been a thing for a long time, and it’s not like it was serious.”
She didn’t seem convinced, but I wasn’t eager to dig into the past. Especially not when it was so intimately entwined with the present. “What about Fenrir? I take it he wasn’t involved in the dream menage?”
“He was kind of stuck as a wolf at the time,” she answered. When she saw the look on my face, she added, “It’s a long story, but no, he wasn’t involved.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” I snorted. “I always figured you were a freak, but that’s a bit much.”
“Dionysus!”
I smirked. “That’s what you get for keeping secrets. I knew something was up, but I definitely didn’t think it was necromancy.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could have told you.” She paused. “Actually, no. I really don’t.”
“Ouch.”
“It’s not that,” she said, giving me a look. “I just don’t want to get you involved in all this bullshit. Especially now that it involves Cronus and Ares.”
“If what he told you is true, we’re all going to be involved before long,” I reasoned. She didn’t seem to have an argument for that, so I carried on. “What are you going to do about all this now that you know?”
“I don’t know. Ares wasn’t specific about how we’d stop Cronus, just that we had to,” she answered.
“That’s a lot of pressure. What about the ceremony tomorrow?” I asked. “Are you still going to make that speech?”
She hesitated before shaking her head. “I can’t. It would get me kicked out of the Academy at the very least, and this is bigger than Odin and the Wild Hunt.”
“Yeah…sounds like it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit relieved.”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“You’re my best friend,” I answered, shrugging. “This school would suck without you.”
For a few seconds, she didn’t respond. The way her faint smile strummed my heartstrings made my tangled emotions even more perplexing. “Even though everything’s been chaos since I got here?”
“Chaos is kind of your signature move,” I mused. “But it beats being bored.”
She gave me a slight nudge and I pulled an arm around her shoulder. She leaned in close and I tried not to think about the way my Euphoria surged without my bidding. “You sure there’s nothing else? While we’re getting all the dirty little secrets out of the way?”
“Nothing,” she said with a weary laugh, her violet eyes meeting mine. “What about you?”
My throat tightened as the secret I’d been pushing down l
onger than I cared to admit tried to work its way out. I swallowed it hard like I always did. “Nope,” I lied. “Not a thing.”
Chapter 11
Kore
It was the day I had been waiting for since last year, but now that it was finally here, my stomach was full of moths, not butterflies. I didn’t want to believe I was actually going to turn my back on everything I’d worked so hard for, everything I had convinced Dionysus and Daphne to fight for, but I didn’t have a choice.
Did I?
The wicked game I’d been drawn into against my will had once seemed like the most insidious form of godly mischief, but when our self-appointed ruler was so much worse, how could anyone else be held accountable?
As much as it pained me, I didn’t need to make more of an enemy out of Odin right now. Especially not if I was even more connected to his son than I’d feared.
I still couldn’t get that night out of my head, even though technically, it hadn’t really happened. Not here, at any rate.
I hadn’t seen Hades, Loki or Fenrir since, aside from a few stray glances after the ceremony. After talking to Dionysus, we’d gone straight back to our room and I’d slept until my alarm went off warning me it was time to get ready for the ceremony.
Now or never.
I changed into my formal school uniform, which was just a dark blazer with gilded edging and a slightly longer skirt with a golden blouse. I placed the golden wreath atop my hair, which I’d curled for my mother’s sake. As disillusioned as I was, I didn’t need her having reason to suspect something was wrong, and wearing my hair the way she wanted had always been something of a peace offering.
The truth was, I had no idea just how deep her connection to Cronus went. For all I knew, she was aware of what he’d done and her arranging my engagement was just her way of ensuring we escaped unscathed. After all, when the world goes to hell, the Queen of the Underworld and her mother are guaranteed first-class tickets.
Dionysus had already gone ahead of me since all the boys were expected to help with setting up the banquet for Cronus’ esteemed presence. I doubted the dusty old creep could still eat anything without it turning to ashes on his tongue, but they were acting like he was some kind of savior.