Turner interjected, “I should stay here.”
Gaia answered, “No. You need to return, too. You were right, Harry Clifton can never know about what we’ve done here. Understand?” Her expression left no room for argument.
Since Turner had already forced everyone to make that same promise, he was more than pleased. “I’ll take it to my grave.”
Gaia shook her head. “There will be no grave for you, Geoffrey Turner. This is your burden for eternity.”
Turner seemed both pleased and scared by this statement, but he bowed slightly. “I won’t fail you.”
Kala had never seen Turner act with such deference. But he was talking to Mother Earth, and Gaia had just given him everything that he wanted.
Gaia motioned to Talan. “Take Geoffrey back to the Compound. Kala and I have things to discuss.”
Kala wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, but maybe she could find more answers from her mother. And, considering Gaia had already disappeared once for a few millennia, Kala wasn’t sure if she’d ever see her again.
Talan didn’t argue with the goddess, which only proved to Kala how much he trusted Gaia. If one thing could be said of Talan, he lived to protect Kala. If he even thought for a second she’d be in danger, he would have never agreed.
Turner looked as if he had just received a shiny new toy and was being ripped away from it, but he walked over to Talan without argument.
Before they left, Kala gave Talan a hug. “Thank you for everything.”
Talan’s arms squeezed back, but he didn’t try to kiss her or do anything inappropriate, always respectful. Pulling away, he nodded a goodbye to Gaia and then disappeared with Turner.
That left Kala alone with Gaia. She turned to her mother, wondering what Gaia would say to her.
Reaching out and taking Kala’s hands, Gaia said gently, “It’s time for a proper good-bye.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Before Kala could ask what Gaia meant, her surroundings blurred and shifted and Kala knew she was being teleported somewhere.
When everything came back in focus, Kala had to blink back the intensity of the colors invading all her senses. An onslaught of blues, greens, reds, oranges, yellows and purples from every type of flower imaginable was laid out before her for miles and miles. Long winding cobblestone pathways twisted and turned throughout, making this the most stunning garden Kala had ever witnessed.
“Where are we?” she asked of Gaia.
“The Fields of Elysium,” her mother answered softly.
A lump formed in Kala’s throat. Why had Gaia taken her back to the Underworld? Though this was at least the nice part of town so-to-speak. But this was where Jack was supposed to be. Kala wasn’t sure she could bear to see him again, with his lifeless eyes, wandering the Underworld forever because their souls could not exist together on Earth.
Kala finally found her voice, “Why are we here?”
“I thought you could say good-bye.” Gaia’s face was kind and caring, but seeing Jack would be torture. He didn’t even know what was going on around him. But maybe that was okay. Maybe Kala just needed to say the words so that she could heal.
Nodding her head, Kala genuinely meant it when she replied, “Thank you.”
“Kala?” Jack’s voice froze Kala instantly.
Only her eyes moved as they locked with Gaia’s. Her mother smiled gently. “I gave him back his consciousness.” Then Gaia spoke in Kala’s head so Jack couldn’t hear. Now that Hades is no longer the ruler of the Underworld, I’m placing Jack in charge. He’s a good man and will do well. But since he can never be reincarnated on earth again as long as you’re alive, you have to say your final good-bye now.
For both your sakes, I’ll wipe all remnants of your romantic life together, so he can be happy here, and so you can move on. But he needs to know who you are and remember your life together as soldiers so that he remains loyal. Upon seeing the pained expression in Kala eyes, Gaia continued to explain, He’d never let you go as long as he remembers his love for you. You know that, Kala. But be content, Daughter, there is one that loves him as much as you do and if his affections for you hadn’t been real, Jack would have returned her feelings. She has volunteered to stay here with him.
Penny.
Kala knew it without Gaia mentioning her name. Always in the way Penny spoke of Jack, the way she looked at Jack, Pandora was in love. It twisted Kala’s stomach with envy that Penny would be able to be with Jack for all eternity, but she knew Gaia was right. She wanted Jack to be happy. He deserved that.
Nodding her agreement, Kala turned to face Jack.
He looked almost angelic, standing amongst the flowers, his brown eyes full of life and joy at seeing Kala in front of him. “Jack,” she choked out.
Two steps later, Kala was in Jack’s arms and he was kissing her. Knowing this was the last time she’d ever kiss him again, Kala was determined to make it count. Even though it had only been days, it had seemed like years since his lips were on hers. Her heart squeezed in both anguish and contentment. Being with Jack felt right. Where she was meant to be.
Pulling away, Jack smiled at her and spoke between kisses, “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” Kala smiled back. It was the first time in a long time when she had felt an ounce of happiness – though it was laced with heartbreak at what was coming next.
His lips pressed against hers again and Kala lost herself in the moment.
Then it was time.
Time so say good-bye.
Kala pulled away from Jack, but kept her hands holding his as they faced each other.
“You’re not mad at me?” Kala had to ask him.
His expression was incredulous. “For what?”
“For… killing you.”
Jack sighed as if Kala was insane. “Mad at you? Are you joking? No. I would never be, nor will I ever be mad at you. You completed your mission and saved the world. I was a small price to pay.”
“Don’t say that,” Kala shook her head. “You meant everything to me.”
“Which is why it was a sacrifice. That’s your job now, Kala. You have to make horrible choices for the greater good. Penny trained me to accept this from an early age. I was ready to die.” He held Kala’s face in his hands lovingly. “I will never blame you for doing the right thing.”
Though it should have brought her relief, it raked her soul with guilt. Then Kala wondered aloud, “Do you remember what happened here in the Underworld… before Gaia brought your consciousness back?”
“You mean when Hades made me say all those awful things to you? Yes, I remember, and none of that was me. That was all him trying to break you.” Jack kissed her forehead. “We can be together down here, though. You can complete your Atlas missions at the end of the four days, but spend the rest of the time here.”
And there it was.
An offer Kala didn’t want to refuse.
But she had to.
It was no life. Not for either one of them.
Gaia was right. Jack needed to be wiped of any romantic feelings he felt for Kala. It was the only way he could be truly happy.
And Penny loved him. As ornery and annoying as the girl was, she would love Jack with all her being.
Just like Kala did.
It was time to let Jack go.
Kala reached up and touched Jack’s cheek. “I want you to know: you’re the first man I ever fell in love with and I will always be eternally grateful for that.”
Jack took her hand and kissed it. “I love you, too. And we’ll have all eternity to be together. Not bad, huh?”
Kissing him one last time, their lips finally parted. Turning around to Gaia, she nodded.
Gaia’s hand barely moved, but when Kala’s eyes met Jack’s again the love that she once saw there was replaced by affection and respect. In less than a second Jack went from seeing her as his lover to seeing her as his friend.
It hurt.
A lot.
Bu
t it was the right choice.
It was the first time in a long time that Kala actually felt like she had made a good decision.
Jack had a slightly confused look on his face. “I’m sorry. What were we talking about?”
Kala forced a smile as if she were teasing a friend. “We were talking about how Penny will be joining you down here. You have to be pretty excited about that.” Every word of that hurt Kala to the core, but one thing she was good at: hiding pain. Something she learned to do growing up.
Jack blushed slightly as if thinking of Penny made his heart soar. “Ha, ha. Well, I’m stuck down here since you and I apparently can’t exist together in the real world. Might as well live in paradise with my girlfriend.”
Fighting back emotion, Kala laughed to disguise the hurt. “If you’re going to be spending all of time down here, you should probably marry the girl.”
“Do gods marry?” Jack asked genuinely perplexed. “That seems like a human thing.”
“Well, you’re human,” Kala teased, hoping Jack wouldn’t sense her sadness.
“A dead human, thank you very much.” Then he mock-straightened himself up as if he were royalty. “And now that Turner’s got Hades hooked up to one of his machines, I’m technically King of the Underworld.” He tried to hide his laughter.
It was so Jack that Kala had to smile with him. “King of the Underworld, huh? Well, you’ll be good at it, like you were at everything else when you were alive.”
“Aw, gee, thanks.” Jack joked sarcastically. Then his eyes lit up as he saw something behind Kala.
Turning around, Kala saw Penny standing next to Gaia.
Never seeing her happier, Kala motioned for Penny to walk over to them.
Cautious at first, Penny moved to stand next to Kala. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Kala nodded, not wanting to elaborate, afraid she might either break down and cry or punch Penny in the face. She knew that wasn’t fair, but it was how her brain worked.
“Come here, you.” Jack pulled Penny into his arms and kissed her. When they parted, Penny didn’t make eye contact with Kala and that was probably a good thing.
“Well, I’ll let you two get to it. Gaia and I have other places to be.” Kala didn’t know if that was true, but she couldn’t be there anymore.
Jack reached down and hugged Kala. Like a friend. But she’d take it.
When they ended their embrace, Jack saluted Kala. “You and Derek have to come visit us sometime.”
Us.
Jack and Penny.
“I’m sure Derek would love the Underworld,” Kala laughed.
Jack laughed, too. Genuinely laughed.
And with everything that had happened, the sound made Kala sincerely happy.
It was time to leave.
Walking over to Gaia, Kala waved one last time to Jack and he waved back with his all-American-boy smile.
Though painful, Kala was grateful that her last memories of Jack had been replaced by happier ones. Even if he didn’t remember his love for her, Kala would remember and be content that Jack was happy now.
Upon her mother’s touch, the scenery disappeared. Transporting again.
When they reappeared, the two of them were in Kala’s apartment. It was smaller than she remembered, but it was home.
“I thought you’d want to go somewhere familiar,” Gaia explained.
“This is good, thanks.” Kala looked at her mother. “So you’re probably leaving now?”
Gaia nodded. “I have to see to my other children and grandchildren. They must know I’m back and what I sanctioned.”
“You think anyone will try and break Cronus and Hades out of there?” Kala couldn’t imagine the Titans and Olympians taking this lightly.
Gaia’s confidence was unshakable. “They will do as I ask, but I’ve made sure the room Cronus and Hades are in is protected.”
Protection spells could be broken. That was a lesson Kala had learned several times on her last two missions. But she decided she didn’t want to think about it anymore. If Gaia said they were locked up for good, then Kala wanted to believe that.
“When I was in the coma, I met the girl who is going to break the curse of balance. Did you make that happen?” Kala hadn’t had time to really think about the enormity of talking to someone three hundred years in the future. Now that she did, Kala wondered if Gaia was somehow responsible.
But her mother shook her head. “Your mind is more powerful than even you know. And the girl must be very strong as well if she were able to receive you. You two are bound.”
Kala nodded and glanced at her old beat-up green armchair calling her name. Then she glanced at the turned-off TV and sighed. “I’ll never be able to watch TV again, will I?”
Gaia shrugged apologetically. “Maybe in three hundred years?”
“I’ll have to do some serious binge watching,” Kala joked.
And that was when Kala noticed it. Her burden was lessened slightly. She actually felt normal for once in a really long time. Yes, Kala was still Atlas and she had another three hundred years of having to do the unthinkable, but now she had a better understanding of how the universe worked. And with having the chance to truly say good-bye to Jack, Kala felt like she was ready for anything.
Gaia hugged her daughter. “Good-bye, Kala. We’ll see each other again.”
“I hope so.” Kala meant it.
And, with that, Gaia was gone.
It took a few minutes for Kala to move again: when she did, she plopped down in her plushy chair. She should really talk to Talan and Owen and give them a heads up on everything that she knew, but it could wait.
Glancing at the clock, her countdown was already three hours in.
Turning on the TV, Kala watched her new Atlas mission unfold in front of her eyes.
Shaking her head in amused disgust, Kala muttered aloud. “Well, this one’s going to be fun.”
Other Books by Becca C. Smith
Dream Diaries
The Riser Saga:
Riser
Reaper
Ripper
The Atlas Series:
Atlas
Grigori Returned
The Underworld
Alexis Tappendorf Series
Alexis Tappendorf and the Search for Beale’s Treasure
Alexis Tappendorf and the Search for Atlantis
The Black Moon Saga (with F.M. Sherrill)
Black Moon
Black Sunrise
Bio
Becca fell in love with storytelling at an early age. The first book she read was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and she’s been looking for the door to Narnia ever since! Becca is a passionate reader, consuming anything sci-fi or fantasy. Mix it in with YA and she is a fan for life. So it’s no surprise that she writes in these genres as well. When Becca isn’t writing, she loves to sew. From Mortal Instruments rune pillows, to elaborate Firefly/Serenity bags, Becca loves to create!
Table of Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Bio and Other Books
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The Underworld (The Atlas Series Book 3) Page 21