“As you wish, Sire.” Sebastian bowed, slightly as Hedea’s face reddened.
Evangelia shot me a lethal look, allowing her eyes to go from their clear crystal to crimson. I couldn’t allow her to come along. She wasn’t ready for what was in store, no matter how much she loved Evander.
They all knew that the choice I made was the right one.
Hermes raised a brow, glaring at me and said, “Shall we, young Lord?”
The opaque, black mist engulfed us instantly as Hermes reopened the door. He disappeared once he stepped through it. I took a deep breath and followed him. The moment I stepped through, my stomach dropped and I began falling. I couldn’t see Hermes beneath me and a wave of fear washed over me as I wondered if he had set us up for a trap. I tried to look upward in hopes of seeing the others, but the mist was too thick. I could only make out muffled gasps.
The landing caught me off guard and my feet slammed into what felt like mud. I stood up from the wet, black fog that rose up to my knees. The others landed a few seconds after I did and stood beside me, looking ahead.
Suddenly, Hermes appeared in front of us. He pivoted in the direction of the soaring blue walls of fire. Although we were miles away from the mountainous inferno, the flames appeared closer and burned into the dark sky. It was the Underworld and it looked far more ominous than I had ever imagined. I looked at my small army of Ischero, who looked as afraid as I suddenly felt, and hoped that the gods were on our side.
“Your escort will arrive soon. Remove your medallions. It is your payment to enter the realm of death.”
Everyone slipped their silver necklaces over their heads, hesitantly, and handed Hermes their heirloom medallion. They all had to be wishing one of two things. One that the gods were watching over them and two, that they hadn’t volunteered to come to this death trap.
“It’s a diamond in the shape of a ball of fire. How appropriate, young and quite remarkably exquisite, demigoddess,” Hermes said, eyeing the last medallion placed in his hand.
I whipped my head around and nearly gagged. Lia had defied my orders and stood poised, glaring at me.
“The door was still open and he needs me and…” The message was clear. She too was willing to risk her life for the one she loved.
“Has Sebastian and Hedea disobeyed me as well?” I asked, as I peered behind me. I tried to make out the other figures in the fog.
“I made sure to shut the door after jumping through it,” Lia explained.
“Once the door is closed, it may be reopened, but you’ll only find the cellar.” Hermes explained.
“I’m sorry Lord Victor,” Lia added, nervously.
“Lord? Why bother with titles if you disobey me?” I shrugged and sighed.
I didn’t want to waste any more precious time.
My attention was diverted to a blue haze gliding toward us. As it floated closer, I realized that it was actually fire wrapped in a cloak of assorted bones. Hermes vanished after making the transaction with Charon. All of a sudden, we were all standing in a long tin canoe that bobbed in the black, watery mist. We started drifting in the direction of the Underworld. I, as well as my warriors – plus one insubordinate straggler, looked upward at the spiraling cliffs and soaring cobalt flames and to what could surely be our last moments alive. Lia didn’t belong here.
The rest of us didn’t either, but we had to save our empress, and I guess Evander, too.
Finally, when we reached the shore, we stepped onto the burning coal and immediately noticed Cerberus laying a few feet away from the arched entrance. I couldn’t tell if the monstrous beast had been knocked out, or was simply napping. Either way, we had to get into the realm without alerting the gruesome creature. Charon chuckled, sounding just as evil as he appeared. He eyed the ferocious pooch as if he was waiting for it to wake. Thankfully, it didn’t and Charon drifted further away in the heavy mist.
In a low whisper, I got my warrior’s attention and said, “We need to get inside without waking it up, but first test your powers.”
Nikolas’ legs cracked and lengthened as he grew hindquarters. The centaur galloped over the steaming coal and shot an arrow into the dismal sky. Bethany smiled at her betrothed as her body vibrated and she became as transparent as a drop of water. The siren was embodied of salt water. Julius grew in size until he reached ten feet tall. He blew flames out of his mouth as his skin bubbled into reptilian skin and he morphed into an enormous dragon. He flapped his webbed wings, sailed into the sky, circling us for a second or two, and then landed on the shore of coal. Bertrand emitted fire from his ruby-red eyes as his body hardened into steel. He used his eyes and scanned his entire body. The steel became liquefied while he maintained his human form.
The warriors were confident and we all waited for my baby-sister to shift into a body of fire. A few sparks ignited from her fingertips and hair as smoke secreted from her pores, but there weren’t any flames.
“Try again, Lia.” I demanded.
Her eyes glowed deep red as she trembled, becoming engulfed in flames, finally. I breathed a sigh of relief, but didn’t feel certain that we could handle what would be waiting for us in the realm until I Chameleoned each of the warriors. They all glared at me as shock took over their feeling of self-assurance for the moment that they each stood frozen. Lastly, I shifted into a dragon, surpassing Julius’ sizeable form by several feet.
“Shift back. We’ll use the element of surprise,” I said as I shifted back into my human form.
The warriors transformed and we crossed the entrance into the Underworld. Once inside, I began to feel the strange lure of the blue flames that blazed from the coal beneath my feet and the labyrinth of cracked columns and numerous archways. I immediately felt a dependency to the heat that the fire emitted. I fought against the desire to join the flames and eat away at everything in sight. I couldn’t understand the feeling. I wondered if the rest of the members felt it too. As they walked beside me, I knew that they didn’t feel drawn to the flames as I was. Instead of drawing energy as I was, they were being singed. The fire licked at them as the buried skeletons, within the coal, grabbed at all of us.
“Leave it to Hades to build a maze set in an inferno,” Nikolas said, and took one long gulp from his flask. Not even a trip to the Underworld could prevent him from drinking. “We’ll get scorched and succumb to Hades before ever finding him.” He wasn’t worried about being burned. He was aware that these flames affected demigods differently. The fire could burn or freeze an Ischero depending on the characteristics of our strengths. Either way, being touched by it would guarantee Hades taking control over our souls.
“Which way should we go?” Bethany threw her hands up and stared at the archways leading to where only the gods knew.
“I don’t know, but this place is a catacomb,” Bertrand said, turning around in a complete circle.
“And these skeletons still have their souls.” Lia added, as she kicked one that tried to snatch her by the ankle.
“There’s no sign of Evan or Delia.” Bethany said, nervously.
“The way Cerberus was laid out like a welcome mat is a definite sign that they both still possess their powers.” Julius noted.
“Thanks the gods for that,” I said.
“I wouldn’t be thanking the gods just yet,” Lia said.
Everyone, including myself, stared at Lia with a shocked expression. I feared that if she didn’t realize that the endless grace of the gods is what kept us all alive so far, she might not reap the benefits. We all prayed to the gods that Delia and Evander remained unharmed. I hadn’t realized until this very moment that my sister resented the gods. Could she blame the gods for what happened to our family, even after I had explained to her in detail that it had been Thaddeus Capius, along with the help of his complying wife.
If Lia didn’t start honoring the gods soon, she’d be damned by them.
“What Lia meant was– ”
“We got it. She meant that the powers she be
holds are bestowed upon her by her,” Bethany snapped and glared at Lia.
“Don’t be so hard on her Beth. She hasn’t been around our empire long and hasn’t experienced their graces as we have.” Nikolas amended.
“By now, she should understand that the fact that she is standing here with us now, and didn’t perish with her parents or on the night the Lykanos attacked her brother, was indeed proof of the god’s blessings.” Bethany countered.
“The gods allowed my family to be destroyed.” Lia retorted.
“The gods had nothing to do with it.” Bethany said.
“Right. It’s your parent’s fault,” Lia challenged, and Bethany stomped toward her.
“Calm down, baby,” Nikolas said, stepping in front of Bethany, who was losing focus of why we were in this death-laden dungeon. “You walked right into that one so forget about it. Let’s focus on saving our empress, your brother, and if we haven’t maxed out on our godly graces, our own asses.”
Bethany shot my sister a withering glare that was answered by Lia’s identical one.
“Are you both done?” I asked. They both said nothing.
As I stepped forward, I noticed that my shoes and socks had disintegrated into the coal. I was distracted by the beckoning flames. All of a sudden, I had a notion of which direction to take. It was as if I was being guided. The cobalt fire was talking to me – sending me a message that only I understood.
“Follow me,” I advised and led the warriors through the archway to the immediate left.
“Lead the way, boss.” Nikolas ribbed, and allowed everyone to go by. He lingered behind and secured everyone’s safe passage.
The flames directed me through several archways that I hoped led to Hades’ lair. I felt confident that we were heading in the right direction. There was no way to know for sure, but Delia was worth everything and I planned to search every corner of this abysmal place until I found her.
All of a sudden, we were blocked by a gigantic hole in the ground. The flames leapt up, nearly reaching the fire that hung like a canopy, a few yards above our heads. We had no idea how deep it was, but the hole appeared to be large enough to swallow the building I lived in. The blaze seemed to cry and moan, incessantly. Strangely, I felt the nagging impulse to go through the flames.
“There’s no way to cross it,” Bethany observed.
“Should we levitate?” Lia asked.
“Not at the risk of being set on fire by that ceiling of flames,” I said.
“Great. Any ideas?” Bethany questioned, annoyingly.
“We need something to cover the flames,” I said, and then I got an idea.
“Bert, could you cover the hole as a shield?”
“I can try,” Bertrand said.
He shifted into a huge mass of gleaming silver liquid, taking on the shape of an enormous disk, and became a sold chunk of metal before he laid over the blaze. He snuffed out the fire as he covered the cavity. The heat of the blaze was immeasurable, so we had to glide across Bertrand at an accelerated speed, before he began to melt. We waited on the other side as he shifted back.
We continued in the same direction – the path the fire lured me to, entering another archway. We were met with the sight that hindered each of us from taking another step.
Delia hung in the center of a large room walled with flames. She was encased in a cage made up of the blaze. The cage was suspended from the ceiling of flames. She writhed, frantically, the moment she saw us.
“No! Don’t come any closer!”
“Delia!” I yelled. I was doubled over as the searing pain rocketed through my entire body.
“Evan!” Lia and Bethany screamed in unison. Directly to the left of Delia was Evander. He stood frozen – an ice sculpture, in mid-step. It appeared as if he had been trying to get to Delia and froze before getting the chance.
Bethany shifted into water for a split second, but changed back to human form. Her eyes bulged and her jaw locked when she realized what had happened. Nikolas’ body tore through his clothes and the lower part of his torso began to stretch and grow fur, but then the fur disappeared. His body reverted to normal. Both Bertrand and Julius stood stiffly, realizing the severity of the situation.
Lia stared at Evan as her eyes changed from their usual crystal gray to bright crimson and back to gray again. She clutched at her chest as if she were wracked with pain or going into cardiac arrest, but she couldn’t take a step in his direction.
I knew what they all felt. It was as if my feet had become a part of the coal. I couldn’t find the strength to move forward. My breath was cut off and I gasped for air. I was unable to produce any heat no matter how hard I willed my inner flame to ignite. I struggled to alter my form, finding each attempt to be futile.
I was left with no other choice. I couldn’t fight the lure any longer. It was as if it was one and the same with my inner fire and, instinctively, I began borrowing energy from the blue blaze that beckoned to me. I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps Lia had been right after all. Maybe giving thanks to the gods had been premature.
Thirty-Three - Cordelia
The Fire Within
My most powerful disciple’s faces froze when they saw me hanging in this fiery prison like a caged bird.
The flames rose higher as if anticipating their next move. My disciples didn’t realize it, but once they had passed the circle of fire, as Evan and I had, they had been rendered powerless. If they came any closer, they would probably be frozen as Evan was, or worse, burned to a crisp. Hades didn’t seem to have any use for them and didn’t seem to want to control them. He didn’t desire their souls. He just wanted mine.
Evan and I had followed Moira and crossed the encircled blaze once the skeletal remains of many materialized and linked, forming a makeshift bridge over the hole. The consequence of entering Hades’ lair wasn’t realized until after crossing the bridge. What really pissed me off was not having the chance to kill the dark fairy before she lured us into the trap.
The moment we entered the den, a sinister giggle erupted from her lips as the cage wrapped around me. Moira laughed so hard that she appeared to be convulsing. The moment Moira started laughing; Evan transformed into water in an attempt to extinguish the cage, but never got the chance. He reached out to me and the flames wrapped around him. I had thought that he was going to end up in a cage too, but I had been wrong. Once the flames touched him he froze into a block of ice. The tears flowed as sorrow filled my heart. The look on Evan’s face was a combination of shock and fear as he realized what was happening to him. That look would be engraved in my mind forever.
By then, Moira had disappeared. Her work was done.
As I looked at my devoted disciples, I knew why they had taken the deathly journey, but couldn’t understand how they had been able to follow us to the Underworld. I guess it was the reason my father had disappeared – to retrieve them. In all the time that I’d been hanging in this cage, which hasn’t been that long, I’d been thinking about a way to escape and save Evan. Now they were all here and it may be impossible to save them all. How could I leave any of them behind?
Suddenly, Victor looked upward at me and began walking forward.
“Victor, no! Please stay where you are. You’ll be frozen or burnt to ashes!” I yelled.
With every step he took, the pain in the pit of my stomach ping-ponged out of control. Victor made it within a foot of the cage, and then stopped, unexpectedly. The fire reached out to him as if it were an arm.
“No! Don’t!” I screamed, but he ignored me.
Without any hesitation or fear of being burned or frozen, he reached out to the fire and held onto the flames.
“No! He’ll control you! Victor!” I screamed, and almost grabbed hold of the blazing bars of the cage.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He channeled the blaze into his body. How could Victor be unaffected by Hades’ power?
“I’m… going… to… save… you,” He stammered in a deeper
voice than usual.
Victor’s eyes were now a fiery blue edged in black. The fire that shot out of his mouth was the same as the blaze that surrounded us. I couldn’t stand the pain that rippled through me as I realized that Victor was being possessed by Hades. He thought he had control of his strengths, when in fact; Hades was absorbing what was left of Victor’s power.
A thick black cloud, spiraling out of control, leaving wispy vapors in its wake, emerged from behind my blazing cell. Within the misty vapors that had now formed into a flowing cape, were smoke hued skulls. Each skull hissed and snapped its jaw at me and Victor. The black mist under the hood of the cape had transformed into a human.
It was Hades.
His eyes were glowing sapphires, rimmed in black. He levitated in front of me, but faced Victor.
“Come to me, my child,” Hades demanded. His voice was deep and menacing.
“Dear gods, please stop him!” I pleaded for Victor’s soul, although I believed it might be too late. Victor appeared to be in a trance. He walked toward Hades as if it was the safest thing in the world to do.
“That’s exactly what I would expect from you. Obedience,” Hades said, chuckling as the flames flickered, violently, as if laughing too. “You take my fire as if it’s your own. My Lykanos have done their job. With one bite, they transferred a bit of me into you and now… well, now you and I are forever connected.”
Oh gods, Victor! What have you done? That explains why he always carried a scent of cinders. It wasn’t his aura. He’d been poisoned by the werewolves.
“Yes, Uncle. We are one,” Victor said.
The pain seized me, gripping my core like a vice. I wanted to rip out my own gut if it would stop the worst agony I’d ever been put through.
“Good. Now you will kiss your betrothed and I will have Zeus’ lightning bolt as I should have always possessed it. Zeus used the bolt, which Cyclops created, to defeat the Titans, but he never deserved to keep it. It should and will be mine.”
“YOU’LL NEVER GET MY BOLT!” I screamed. “NEVER! DO YOU HERE ME? NEVER!” I grabbed onto two of the cage’s fiery bars and regretted it, immediately. My hands trembled and my palms blistered instantly. The pain was overwhelming.
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