Cronus sounded like a three-year-old as he argued, “That’s the Grigori’s fault! They taught them everything, just like we thought they would!”
Gaia lifted her arm to stop him from speaking and he complied immediately. Kala cocked her head in appreciation. She wished she could shut Cronus up that easily.
Gaia spoke more calmly. “It is no one’s fault. It is just the way destiny works.” She turned to Kala. “Now go. Wake up Hades.”
Kala gave one last wary glance at Cronus then walked towards the Olympian’s sleeping figure.
Cronus screamed in fear and rage and leapt toward Kala as if to tackle her to the ground. Kala crouched in a defensive pose, ready to thwart the Titan’s attack, but before his body could reach her, Gaia suddenly re-appeared between Kala and Cronus. Just as Cronus crashed into his mother instead of Kala, Gaia said to her daughter, “Be safe.”
When Cronus’s hands hit Gaia, they both vanished.
It took Kala a moment to take in what had just happened. She had no idea where Gaia took Cronus, but Kala didn’t want to waste a second of her own time. Who knew if Cronus had back-up ready to stop her from completing her mission.
Just like in her vision, Kala took a deep breath and reached down to wake up Hades. Her hand glowed brightly.
And the Olympian moved.
Since she had already seen these same events play out, it was no surprise when Hades coughed and sputtered as he finally awoke from his long slumber.
“Hades.” Kala nodded in greeting, playing her part.
“Who are you?” Hades asked.
“Atlas. My mission was to wake you,” she replied calmly.
“That’s unfortunate,” Hades sighed. “For you, anyway.”
Kala knew what was going to happen next. She almost wanted to mock Hades and tell him she already knew what he intended, but Kala simply let Hades reach up and touch her forehead.
Dropping to the cavern floor with a small thud, Kala felt the darkness surround her completely. Her last thoughts were of Jack, wondering if his death had felt the same and hoping she’d see him soon.
Time seemed to vanish and lose its grip on Kala’s reality.
And she knew with certainty that she was truly dead.
DAY ONE
Chapter Ten
“You’re as beautiful dead as you are alive.”
Kala heard Asmodeus’s voice in the blackness.
She opened her eyes. Nothing felt quite real. It was almost as if she was in a dream: surreal, slow, her focus slightly off.
And gray.
Everything was gray: from the dirt below, to the sky above, to the forest of trees in front of her, to the sluggish river behind. All gray.
Kala slowly sat up, trying to gain some kind of bearing. Jumping slightly at the sight of her own gray skin, Kala noticed that even her attire – loose drawstring pants with a tank top – was the same gray color. She wondered who dressed her, or were these even real clothes? It was better than being naked, but eyeing her skin again and flinching at the gray and pasty texture that looked like everything else around her except…
Asmodeus.
Crouching next to her with his usual grin, Asmodeus stood out like a rainbow lollipop in the middle of a rain cloud. Everything about him was bright by contrast. His skin looked so full of color compared to her own.
Out of curiosity, Kala pulled a piece of her hair to examine it. Normally, auburn red, it was now just another shade of charcoal.
Kala knew she needed to adjust quickly. More importantly, she needed to focus. She was dead. What had she expected really?
“How did you get here?” Kala asked the Demon.
“I used to be on Team Cronus, remember? He apparently hasn’t changed the locks on me yet.” Asmodeus surveyed the area with some disdain. “I try to stay away from here, as you can imagine. It’s not really my design ascetic.”
“Is it all gray like this? I feel like I walked into a black and white movie.” Kala stretched out her arms and legs, carefully getting to her feet. Asmodeus stood with her and even offered his hand to help up Kala the rest of the way. “And why are you in full Technicolor?”
Asmodeus’s smile seemed extra bright in the grayness. “I’m not dead, silly.” Then he motioned at the scenery. “I’m afraid the entire Underworld is all this same varying form of drab, the only exception being the Fields of Elysium.”
The Fields of Elysium.
Kala had managed to keep her secondary mission hidden from everyone. She had tried not to think about it too much after Penny told her where to find Jack, in fear that Talan or Zeus or even Asmodeus would hear her thoughts.
But ever since Penny revealed Jack’s location…
She was going to get him back.
“Do you know where the Fields of Elysium are?” Kala asked without making eye contact.
Asmodeus cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. “Talan told me about your plan to rescue the Olympians. They aren’t in the Fields.”
“I didn’t ask where the Olympians were. I asked where the Fields of Elysium were.” Kala flashed Asmodeus a determined glare.
The king of Demons stood for a moment, apparently trying to figure out Kala’s intent. After a long pause he sighed deeply. “You’re going after that human of yours.”
His words infuriated Kala. “I have to try. I don’t give a crap about this Titan-Olympian war. Jack didn’t deserve to die and I’m bringing him back with me!” She knew she sounded like a child, but her frustration and pain were too deep to care.
Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. “I’m all for screwing over the gods, but I’m not sure you’ve thought this one through.” He tried appealing to her logical side, “What about your Atlas mission? Have you changed your position on the world ending as well?”
“I’m still going to do whatever it is I’m supposed to, but I can rescue Jack too. I’m a great multi-tasker,” Kala defended her position lamely.
Asmodeus didn’t say a word.
Kala could only handle five seconds of the silence. “Just tell me where the damn Fields are.”
He couldn’t hide his amusement at her explosive temper. “Your wish is my command.” Asmodeus nodded toward the gray pine trees in front of them. “The forest is the safest route around here. You might want to avoid the rivers.”
Kala tried to access Atlas’s memories for any information about the rivers of the Underworld as her own knowledge of Greek mythology was a bit sketchy. But aside from the River Styx and the Ferry Man of Death, Atlas didn’t know many details about this place.
“What’s up with the rivers?” As a soldier, Kala couldn’t let Asmodeus’s comment lie without finding out more information.
Asmodeus seemed pleased to talk about the subject. “Well, there are five of them surrounding the Underworld and they can be quite useful in taking down your enemy, but also dangerous to you in your current form.” He lifted his hand and ticked off each finger as he listed every river and what its waters could do.
“There’s Acheron, which gives new meaning to the word ‘depression.’ One drop from that river will bring you to your darkest place. There’s Cocytus, which does kind of the same thing, but not as bad. The river Lethe makes you forget everything. Phlegethon we’ll see from miles away – as it’s made of fire.” He let that sink in before continuing, “And Styx, the water that if you could bottle it up, I’d suggest doing so, since it makes any mortal or god have to keep their promise to you if they make an oath while touching it.”
“That does sound like a good one,” Kala mused. “I could make Cronus and Zeus promise to play nice.”
“I’d start thinking of the wording now. There’s always a way out of an oath if you’re creative enough.” Asmodeus sounded as if he’d had experience in that department. “But, yes, a little bit of the river Styx and a good oath from a god can go a long way. Trust me on that.” He smiled slyly.
Kala didn’t even want to know. But knowing about the rivers was useful informat
ion to have, especially the Styx. Any tool she could used to manipulate Tweedle-Dee (Cronus) and Tweedle-Dum (Zeus) was a good thing.
Walking side-by-side with Asmodeus through the muted landscape still didn’t feel real yet. Part of her knew that going after Jack first was wrong. The other part didn’t care. She was just surprised that Asmodeus wasn’t arguing with her. It probably amused him to some degree. Kala was simply a fascination to the Demon; pretty soon, she knew, he’d lose interest. Then she’d really have to be on guard. Asmodeus wasn’t a supernatural being Kala wanted on her bad side. She could still remember the screeching sound of his scream when he first hunted her after she became the next Atlas surrogate. It had chilled her to the bone. Even Penny had been scared.
As they entered the thick grove of trees, Kala could see in full detail each pine needle, and their varying shades of gray.
She was dead.
As in dead.
Kala was glad there wasn’t a mirror around, she probably looked like a zombie minus the rotting skin. She wondered if that was next on the list.
Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of seeing Jack again. Never thinking it was possible had given her a sense of purpose in her Atlas missions, as if she was doing it in his name so his death would have meaning. But, now… knowing that she could find him in the Underworld and potentially break him loose? Kala couldn’t ignore an opportunity like that. She had to try.
As if reading her thoughts, Asmodeus glanced down at Kala. “Even if you find him, he’s not what he was on earth. He’s just a shell now.”
She didn’t want to hear it. “Yeah, yeah, Penny told me already. I’ll take the shell. I don’t care. It would still be him.”
Asmodeus countered delicately, “True. He still has his soul, but he won’t recognize you. He won’t even be able to speak. It’ll be like he’s in a walking coma.”
If Kala could cover her ears and scream, “Nanana, I can’t hear you,” she would have in that moment. Instead, she fumed in silence. “You don’t know the bond we have,” she defended herself lamely.
Her next Atlas mission.
It tugged at her consciousness. It was easy to forget responsibility when you were dead!. But when she awoke Hades, her last mission was completed – and a new one was born. It didn’t matter if she was dead. That wasn’t the way the curse worked.
It’ll be like he’s in a walking coma.
Why did Asmodeus have to say that? Couldn’t he let her live in her delusion for just a little while? Because that was what she knew it was: a delusion.
No.
Kala hurried her steps and Asmodeus caught up quickly. “You don’t even know where you’re going,” he reminded her.
“Is it far?” She heard her voice crack. Emotion surged through her. All Kala wanted to do was to see Jack. Just one more time. Even if she couldn’t save him. Even if he really didn’t know who she was. Just once.
Asmodeus gently stopped Kala with his hand and forced eye contact with her. “Yes, it’s far.”
“Can’t you teleport us there?” she asked desperately.
He shook his head. “You can only teleport in, not out and not around. Not even I can break that kind of mojo.” Asmodeus’s eyes were full of concern. “You’re thinking too hard, beautiful. Jack is gone. You need to mourn him and move on.”
Kala shrugged his hand away and stormed off further into the trees, yelling over her shoulder. “It was less than two weeks ago! I shot him! I can’t move on! I don’t want to!”
Asmodeus ran immediately to her side. “Were you really that in love with the guy, or is this just the guilt of killing him talking?”
Kala grunted in anger. “You’re such a dick.”
He didn’t look like he’d argue that point. “I am a Demon.”
Whirling on him, Kala shouted, “Of course I was in love with him! And of course I feel guilty! It’s both okay?!”
And it was. It was truly both. The love she felt for Jack was like nothing Kala had ever experienced. The guilt for killing him was equally as strong. The two emotions constantly collided inside of her. Kala couldn’t mourn his loss because she was responsible for it. As a result, both emotions threatened to destroy her.
“I thought I was in love before, but not like you were with Jack,” Asmodeus suddenly confessed. “Even when I wiped your brain and put in new memories of me as your boyfriend, you still couldn’t let go of him.” He tilted his head as if conceding a point, “It was probably because of the Gaia in you, but still…” He paused. “You’re either obsessed or you truly love him.” Asmodeus’s fascination with Kala only seemed to grow from his observation by the way he looked at her.
Kala stopped and turned to him, thoughtful. “You thought you were in love?”
Asmodeus shifted on his feet, which suggested that he wasn’t comfortable at the direction this conversation had taken. “That’s not the point. The point is: I’ve never seen anyone as focused as you on being with one person.”
Kala couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, I think finding out who the king of Demons was in love with is exactly the point. Who was she?” Kala had to know.
Moving away from her, Asmodeus traversed through the gray trees, trying to avoid Kala’s gaze.
That only enticed Kala more. This time she was the one hurrying to catch up. “You have to spill now,” she pried. “Come on. I’m dead. Who am I going to tell?”
“I’m sorry I brought it up,” Asmodeus mumbled under his breath.
It was such a shock seeing him like this. Normally, he was all shark, never the prey, but now? He almost seemed… vulnerable.
Kala touched his arm reassuringly, no longer teasing. “Did it end badly?”
Asmodeus shrugged with a masked smile. “Let’s just say she was interested in someone else.”
The concept of supernatural beings having relationships was still foreign to Kala. It was hard to imagine a Demon like Asmodeus going out on a date, or grabbing a drink, or… anything else Kala seemed to reserve only for human behavior. And this girl he was in love with could have been thousands of years ago. What did people do back then? After a moment’s thought she figured they probably drank back then, too. Not much had changed in the wooing department. But was it the same with Demons? Angels? Gods?
“Was she human?” Kala asked delicately.
Asmodeus finally caved, “She was a Malak, and it was thousands of years ago.”
A Malak.
Then it hit Kala.
She cringed. “It wasn’t that annoying twat, Lotun, was it?” Kala hated the leader of the Malaks since she’d jumped in Kala’s brain and read all Kala’s private thoughts. To give Lotun her due, the Malak had been much better at mind-reading than Cronus at least.
Asmodeus laughed, almost relieved at Kala’s insult. “Yes. She’s not so bad when you get to know her.”
Kala remembered how Lotun wouldn’t stop flirting with Talan, implying that they had a past together. “Oh, man, was Talan the other guy?”
Eyes flashing with anger, Asmodeus nodded. “We tend to have the same taste in women.” His expression turned thoughtful. “The funny thing is, I had only heard of Talan before I saw him in that alley on your first mission. Lotun told me of her feelings for the Grigori, which is why I knew him by name, but I had never seen him before. Owen too. The only Grigori I had ever laid eyes on was Rotoph, and trust me, I could have done without.”
With a sudden certainty, Kala blurted aloud, “Is that why you sided with the Titans and imprisoned the Grigori? Over a girl? And over that girl?”
“I thought if he was out of the picture…” Asmodeus didn’t bother denying the accusation.
“It must eat you up that out of all the Grigori to escape a couple hundred years ago, Talan was one of them. No wonder you guys hate each other,” Kala surmised. Then she laughed knowingly. “So that’s why you like me! Because Talan does. It all makes sense now.” She shook her head in amusement. “Boys and their caveman competition.” Kala wasn’t o
ffended, she saw this kind of behavior all the time, especially, in a male-heavy line of work. When one guy started to like a girl, suddenly all the guys started liking her. She always figured it was because of some kind of residual caveman DNA where getting the girl became a competition.
Asmodeus stopped her again with his hand, this time not so gently. It was so abrupt she immediately thought they were being attacked. But when her eyes met his, she was even more shocked to see the hurt in his expression.
“This is not a competition. I may be all jokes most of the time, but I feel something for you, Kala Hicks. And, if you recall, I felt it before you even met Talan, so don’t brush it away like it means nothing.”
His intensity made her stomach churn. Kala liked their flirting and Asmodeus’s no strings attached attitude. But this? This was real and it only made her feel conflicted and miserable, like she had to make him feel better or something. Like she had to admit feelings she didn’t feel. Or did she?
Kala closed her eyes, as if not seeing Asmodeus in front of her would somehow make her feel better about the situation. A moment later she opened them. “I don’t want you or Talan, okay? I just want to see Jack.”
Asmodeus stared at her for a long second and then nodded, some of his roguish smile creeping through. “Follow me.”
They walked in silence after that. It wasn’t awkward or weird, it was actually nice. It was almost as if a layer of fakeness had been lifted between them. Their constant banter was an easy way to relate without getting too deep. But after Asmodeus’s admission, their dynamic had changed slightly. They were becoming friends, Kala realized, and then thought of the horror Owen would feel when he found out. And Talan – though Talan already knew. He was the one who contacted Asmodeus in hopes that he’d help Kala. And Talan had been right. Asmodeus came running the moment he heard she was in danger.
The Underworld (The Atlas Series Book 3) Page 10