by Jasmine Walt
I swallowed and closed my eyes, strengthening what little resolve I had left.
No. And that one word was enough for me to leave.
“Be careful,” I whispered to him. “Don't trust anyone.”
I pushed past him without another word and nearly stumbled down the hallway, away from him. Away from being manipulated. I wasn't in control of my destiny anymore. Then again, I didn't think I ever was.
At least I could do this.
He didn't follow me or try to stop me after that. It was just as well, too. I didn't think I could say no another time. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to walk. One foot in front of the other.
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. It was getting easier with each step. This would be the last time I'd walk down these hallways. I didn't feel sad about it, only a bit apprehensive that I had no idea where I was going to go and what I was going to do once I got there. It was about a five-minute walk to get to the front of the palace, and with each step, I felt lighter and lighter.
“Hey!”
I recognized Tisiphone's voice behind me and continued pushed forward. I was almost out. I was at the front doors and almost free. Why the hell was she bothering me?
“Hey, Callie!”
She was much closer now. I closed my eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and turned around to face her. “What?” I snapped.
For once, she was speechless, looking up at me with her mouth slightly agape. I frowned down at her, daring her to speak, and she still didn't say anything. I was irritated at the whole thing.
“What, Tisiphone?”
She swallowed. “Plutus told me you were leaving.”
“That was fast,” I growled, even though it felt like it was physically hurting me. I used it to fuel my anger at the entire thing. “If you're trying to stop me, you can forget it.”
“I'm not trying to stop you,” she told me. “I was going to help you, but you're being a bitch about it.” This time, she wasn't being playful when she called me a bitch. She was pissed.
“Help me how?”
She crossed her arms, cocked her hip and she looked up at me. “If you walk out beyond those gates, you're going to become a lost soul forever. No one will be able to help you after that.” She sniffed derisively. “No one will ever even care.”
“So?”
She rolled her eyes and groaned loudly. “They make such a big deal out of where to place you when you die, so you're not put in the wrong place. But they're not going to care if you're a lost soul. If you roam the Underworld by yourself, you're going to get so lost, you won't even know what plane of existence you're on any more.”
“So?” I asked again, feeling belligerent. I didn't care if I was being childish. I didn't want to admit I was wrong, to be manipulated into doing something else that I didn't want to do.
“I can help you go back to being alive,” she blurted out.
I blinked a few times, this time to try and get rid of the tears that were trying to furiously fall. “What? Why didn't you help me before?” I could have avoided, well, everything if there was an easy way to circumvent working for Hades.
“Don't be mad at me,” she snapped. Her voice dropped, and she shifted her eyes from left to right, watching to see if someone was listening in. “It's highly illegal for you to go this route. Hell, even talking to you is putting my ass on the line.” She sighed, her anger seeming to dissipate. She combed her fingers through her hair in exasperation, seeming calmer now. “Do you trust me, Callie?”
Did I? That was a good question. I didn't trust anyone here anymore, including myself. My feelings were all over the map and I didn’t trust them either. Tisiphone had always had my back, and even though she joked about it, she always took my part in everything seriously. Even though she had proclaimed the opposite when we first met, we had crossed the line into being friends.
“Yes,” I said. “I trust you, Tisiphone.”
She nodded slightly, her decision made. “Then stay close to me.”
She grabbed my hand and we winked out of existence, reappearing at the steps of what looked like a courthouse. She led me up the front stairs to the building. There were an awful lot of steps. I followed, my stilted steps slowing us down. She roughly grappled me towards her and moved me along.
“Do you remember when we interrogated Minos?”
I mentally flipped through the pages of information I had stored in my mind. A vague recollection of a sly man with an arrogant smile floated through my head. Ah, him. Minos was one of Hades' Judges who made the easy decisions where the Dead would go. Had I not been enlisted in Hades' service, I would have been judged by one of them as to where I was headed in my Afterlife. And if I remembered correctly, Minos wasn't a very nice guy. In fact, he had hit on Tisiphone with a creepy, stalkerish familiarity, and when she rejected him, he set his sights on me.
Yeah, I didn't like him.
“What about him?”
She glanced back at me, biting her bottom lip. “He's one of the few who can return you to Life.”
“What? He can bring me back to Life?”
We made it to the landing of the courthouse, stopping so she could face me.
Her nod was barely perceptible, her cheeks flushed, like she was ashamed at the admission. “Of course. He's a Judge. He'll be able to pardon you. And the good thing about Minos, he's the final vote if there's a dispute. So he's the most powerful of the judges.”
“Why haven't you told me this before?”
She glared at me, although her anger was gone. She simply looked tired now. “Because it's highly illegal, like I said.” Her voice wavered and she dropped her voice. “He's not supposed to do it, and he could get into big trouble if Hades ever found out. Spirits are only supposed to go one way: into the Underworld, not the other way. Not without Hades' blessing.”
“Why would he help us?” After all, we’d both turned him down and he’d thrown us out of his chambers.
She sighed, putting her free hand on her hip. “Because for about the last two thousand years, he's wanted to go on a date with me. So,” she said, giving me a tired smile, “I'll go on a date with him. In exchange for him holding up Hades' end of the bargain.”
She pushed through the doors.
“Hurry,” she said. “Before Hades puts a ban on your file and you're not allowed to go anywhere.”
Minos lived in his courtroom on the west side of the gates of the Underworld. When he'd heard we were there to see him, he made room in his schedule to meet us.
Now, he was regarding us with a smuggish sneer of a smile from behind his desk, like he had won something. Perhaps, in his eyes, he had.
To Tisiphone's credit, she seemed to be in complete control of herself. Meanwhile, I was nearly shivering in fear. I didn't like putting my fate in someone else's hands, especially someone like Minos. I didn’t have any other option.
“You want me to what?” he asked, amused.
“Hades has some unfinished business with Callie,” Tisiphone answered for me. “In exchange for finding out who was trying to assassinate Plutus, he said that she could be brought back to life.”
I noticed how carefully she worded everything. She could be brought back. Not, He'd bring her back to life. Not necessarily a lie, just bending the truth in our favor.
“And?” Minos' eyes sparkled as he looked at her. “I already knew that, Tisiphone.”
She gestured to me. “She's found out who the assassin is—”
“Who is it?” he asked, cutting her off.
Tisiphone hesitated, and despite what I had planned, I stepped in and spoke for her. “That's...confidential information.” My mouth gagged slightly as I said that; apparently, the spell had extended to even that. So it would stay as confidential information.
“And since it's her time to be brought back to life, we want you to do it,” Tisiphone said. She must have noticed me struggling with my words. I gave her a grateful glance before turning my a
ttention back to Minos.
He leaned forward, steepling his fingers as he looked between Tisiphone and I. He totally enjoyed having us at his mercy.
He took out his own tablet and put in a few commands. “Callista Saunders...” he muttered absently. He must have pulled up my file.
“It's Callie,” I said, hoping that we weren't too late.
“It says you're due to leave tomorrow, with Hades accommodating,” Minos said, suspiciously. He peered over the top of the tablet at me. “Why are you going through me? Trying to leave early?”
I swallowed. “Yes,” I said softly. “I can't stand to be here for another minute.”
Minos raised an eyebrow. “Why should I help you?” he asked. “You wanted nothing to do with me when you came earlier to ask me questions.” His hand snaked its way across his desk, as if he wanted to put it over mine.
I fought the urge to shudder. I hated the way he undressed me with his eyes. If it wasn't for me facing an eternity as a ghost, I'd have told Tisiphone it wasn't worth it. From her tense jawline, it looked like she felt the same way.
“Her heart belongs to someone else,” Tisiphone explained. I felt myself pale at that. Did it really? I'd just learned that it was all fake, yet the ache was still fresh.
“And you're still tied up in your feelings for that Barnabas character,” Minos put rather bluntly. He watched her with keen eyes.
Tisiphone's hands clenched on her lap, away from his gaze. “I'm ready to try someone new,” she said reluctantly. “Since...since Barnabas...passed on I’ve been lonely. I miss having a man in my life. So I was wondering if, well, I could take you up on your offer and go on a date with you.”
At first I thought he'd laugh. After all, it was ridiculous—make me alive again and she'd go on a date with him? It was a stupid proposition, and I thought he'd turn her down. Instead, he watched her intently without saying anything, as if to judge her sincerity. Finally, he sat back with a huge grin.
“All right,” he exclaimed happily, clapping his hands together. He looked back at me, a lecherous smile on his face. “Let's make you live again, Callie.”
He stood up from his desk and reached out to grab my hand. I glanced at it dubiously. Tisiphone lightly kicked me in the shins and I took it, ignoring the pain in my right leg. He walked me over to the center of the room, positioned me there, and then stepped back.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
This was it? No preamble or magic potions or animal sacrifice or anything? I glanced over at Tisiphone and she gave me a slight nod. Yep, apparently this was the whole ceremony to bring me back to life. I have no idea why Persephone wanted to have a party if this was it. Maybe it really was to celebrate me leaving.
It was slightly disappointing that this was what I'd been working towards for months. Then again, I reminded myself, I hadn't really been working towards that. Hades would rather I'd stay and become trapped and bound to his son, and I just didn't play that way.
“Close your eyes,” Minos commanded. “And whatever you do, keep them closed.”
I fought the urge to raise an eyebrow, but I obeyed without protest. Home. I was going home.
When Minos spoke, it wasn't with his normal weaselly voice. He spoke with a voice I hadn't heard yet, one that a god would use. There was power behind his words, compelling the very air around him to take heed of them. It made me want to shrink into myself, yet I held my ground. I wasn't about to be intimidated by him, of all people.
“I,” he commanded, “Minos of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa, Judge of the Underworld, and loyal servant to our Lord Hades, do invoke the rite of resurrection for Callista Saunders. The hour of her departure has arrived and we go our separate ways.” His voice sounded reverent now. “I to Death, and her to Life.”
His voice boomed around me like a rush of wind, making me feel vulnerable to all of the outside forces affecting me. I jumped when I felt his thumb touch my forehead. It was wet, and it left a thick liquid on my forehead. He drew a symbol, and then stepped back. I had no idea what it was, but it felt like a “T”.
He murmured in a foreign language, words I couldn't understand, and I shivered as the temperature dropped. Something was happening, and I fought the urge to open my eyes.
A sonic boom clapped around me and I jumped, shrieking involuntarily. Luckily, I didn't open my eyes, or else I might have ruined this little mini-ceremony. Minos continued his chant, although there was now a note of disapproval in his voice.
The wind picked up, making wisps of hair tickle my face. Two more thunderous peals sounded one after the other. I was more in control of myself this time; but it was disorienting that the booms were so close together. After the last and loudest crack of thunder, my ears rang, and I couldn't hear a thing. With my eyes closed, I had no sensation of what was happening. It was like being in a deprivation chamber.
Abruptly, my hearing came back with distinct clarity. Minos was still speaking, but he wasn't chanting anymore.
Something was completely and utterly wrong.
“Who—what are you doing here?” he stammered.
I opened my eyes and to both Minos and Tisiphone being flung towards me. Minos barely missed me, while Tisiphone hit me with enough force to knock both of us into the wall. I gave a strangled cry as my back struck the wall and I slid down in disbelief.
The air in front of where I had been standing shimmered, and I saw folds in the fabric of time, dimension, and space. It was a bright light, like a shimmering curtain revealing another world.
Life. It wasn't me being brought back to life, though; someone else was trying to come through from the opposite direction.
As soon as he stepped into the Underworld and turned around, my stomach tied itself up into tight, unhelpful knots. He looked like he always did, except there was something crackling around him, an aura of power.
“Stephen Cross,” I gasped. “What? How?”
He looked exactly as I remembered him from that ball several months ago, except now he was wearing a simple white linen shirt and pants. The clothes didn’t make him look angelic. He still had that cocky, arrogant smile I'd grown to hate over the years.
My worst nightmare was standing in front of me.
“I told you I’d be seeing you again, Saunders,” he said, giving me his all-knowing smile. “I knew that you'd be of use to me at one point, despite all your pesky interferences. The oracle told me so.”
There weren't many options available to me. Tisiphone slumped like a ragdoll next to me, apparently knocked out. Minos whined from where he lay.
I was going to have to deal with Stephen on my own, so I was going to play it cool.
“The oracle?” I echoed.
“Yes. They might be out of fashion on the surface but they’re still a valuable tool. When you were investigating the psychic’s death, Gods, you were so irritating. Poor Beverly never fully believed how powerful she really was. But,” he gestured around himself, “how do you think I found out about this place? I hired an oracle, the best money could buy. I wanted to know who my father was. I discovered it was better than I could have ever imagined.” He grinned. “Beverly seemed surprised by the whole thing. Right up until I killed her to keep the secret.”
“So I guess I was right about you,” I said coolly.
He burst out laughing. “Oh, Saunders.” He knelt in front of me and roughly brought my chin up to look into his eyes, which were a startlingly blue color.
Keep talking, Callie. I swallowed nervously, meeting his eyes. “How were you able to strike a Fury and a Judge like that?”
“I am my father's son. And I'm where I belong now. And that includes assuming all of the powers I should have had.”
Then he pulled my lips to his and savagely kissed me.
I reared back and head-butted him. A thick, golden liquid stained his forehead when he staggered back. Whatever Minos had wiped on me, it was now smeared on Stephen's forehead. He grimaced and backhanded me. I grunted and spat o
ut some blood and spittle.
“You always were a handful,” he said bemusedly. “But I'm not here for you.”
Something deep inside me cried out at that. Plutus. I didn't know if it was Aphrodite's love spell or what. I didn't care at that point. I didn't want Plutus getting hurt, even if that risked everything.
“Please,” I said. “Please don't.”
Stephen chuckled. “It's too late for that, Saunders. I'll make him mortal. Then kill him and eat his heart.” He grinned widely. “There will be a new God of Wealth and things will be just as they should be.”
Before I could utter another word he disappeared, leaving nothing behind him. I knew where he went, and I knew what he was doing, and it wasn't good for the man I loved.
Panic enveloped me. I cried out in disbelief, a loud, hiccupping sob escaping my lips. There was no time to be wallow in despair. I had to do something. I had to save Plutus.
“Tisiphone!” I shouted, shaking her, trying to rock her out of her stupor. “Tisiphone!” She groaned, her head lolling. “Wake up, Plutus is in danger.”
Her eyes opened slowly. She regarded me for a heartbeat and then bolted upright and shouted angrily. “Fuck!” she cried. “That fucking asshole!”
“He's gone to the palace,” I said harshly. “We have to go there.”
She looked at me. “If you're going back to Hades, then—”
“I don't care!” I cried. I was beyond reasoning at that point. I didn't want Plutus to get hurt. He was innocent and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. Even if I couldn’t be with him, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. “Take me back to the palace.”
She grabbed my hand, and I felt the momentary vacuum of nonexistence, and then we were sitting on the foyer of the palace. I scrambled to my feet, setting off down one of the long hallways.
“Thanks!” I yelled behind me. “Stay here!” In her groggy condition, she would only slow me down. I was still injured from my confrontation with Charon, but I was in better shape than her.