The cavern abruptly darkened and all sound ceased. Even with my night vision, I could see absolutely nothing—not even my own hands. Lucian growled threateningly, but the sound instantly cut off with a yelp. Nero hissed from behind me. “What is this, Sorin? I can’t see a goddamned thing! It’s blacker than Hades’ asshole in here!”
“My what?” a cold, booming voice demanded, coming from everywhere—and nowhere.
24
Nero grunted from somewhere behind me. “Thank god. That infernal jingle was driving me crazy,” he said, sounding relieved. He didn’t even try to address the disembodied voice—Hades.
“That is kind of the point down here,” Hades said dryly. “This isn’t a five-star kind of resort.”
Nero burst out laughing. “Yeah. I guess it’s not.”
Lucian growled, sniffing at the air in an attempt to locate us.
Hades sighed. “Let me just turn on the lights, then. You already ruined my introduction.”
A large brazier flared to life with purple flame directly ahead of us, casting a violet glow on the polished marble floor beneath our feet—definitely not the rough cavern we’d just been standing in. Two more braziers crackled to life on opposite sides of me, equidistant from each other, to form a perfect triangle.
With us in the middle.
Twelve obsidian columns supported exquisitely decorated, connecting lintels twenty feet overhead, forming a perfect circle around us. I gaped at the fine craftsmanship of the murals on the lintels; even though they were too high up to make out specifics, I could tell they were astonishingly detailed. My heart warmed to see familiar Greek architecture after so many years. Granted, this architecture was of an exceptionally better quality than I had ever seen, even in palaces. I finally lowered my eyes, taking in our ground-level surroundings.
The polished black floor was flecked with glittering gems where it wasn’t covered by numerous fur skins. The purple-flamed braziers consisted of wide, shallow, silver bowls perched atop waist-high, white marble pedestals. The bowls were each full of burning bones rather than wood—human bones—and cast a warm, comforting glow over the pavilion. The entire space was rather large, maybe forty feet in diameter, and it was surrounded by a sea of purple mist. An endless cloud that stretched as far as the eye could see.
A long, L-shaped, black leather couch was tucked up against one of the columns close to a brazier, and the floor in front of it was liberally strewn with blankets, furs, and pillows to create a lounging space to sprawl out.
Two beautiful young women reclined on those pillows, watching us with amused smiles as they sipped wine from golden chalices. One woman was tall and thin with a long, graceful neck and sharp, prominent cheekbones. She had long, straight hair as black as night, almond-shaped brown eyes, and milk-white skin. She wore a black toga with a golden chain for a belt, and she seemed to embody the definition of feminine. She was idly nibbling a pomegranate seed from a platter of fresh fruit that sat between her and her friend.
The other woman was only slightly older with rich, olive-colored skin, and a thick head of frizzy, auburn hair framing her plump cheeks. Her eyes were a deep, dark purple, and she wore a dark gray toga with no belt. Light, haunting violin music was playing from somewhere nearby, and the women were not the only occupants.
A man in a crisp black dress suit stood before us, his hands clasped behind his back. His collar was undone at the neck, making his suit appear more casual than formal. He was tall and thin, but he had broad shoulders that signified a deceptive strength, and his skin was tanned and unblemished—the kind of tanned from work outdoors rather than any natural skin tone. I wasn’t sure where Hades found sunlight in the Underworld, and I didn’t really care one way or another.
His hair was jet black and wavy, almost reaching his broad shoulders, and his eyes shone like sparkling sapphires—bright enough to both draw me in and simultaneously trigger my sense of danger. Because an almost physical power radiated from those cool irises.
He smiled pleasantly, revealing a row of dazzling white teeth. “Welcome. We have all the time in the world to get to know one another. Not a single second shall pass during your stay, since I know you have many questions, and I don’t want you to feel rushed.”
He held a tiny puppy in the crook of his arm, and the puppy had three heads. Two of them were napping, one on top of the other, but the third was gnawing on the god’s finger. One of the heads whimpered in its sleep, and I saw one of the rear legs kicking fitfully as it dreamed.
Dreamed of devouring three recent invaders, perhaps.
“Give us back our souls,” I demanded in a low, commanding tone, extending my claws in warning as I stared down the God of the Underworld.
He smiled with infinite patience, looking like a kindly old grandfather entertaining a child’s temper tantrum. It wasn’t that he was condescending, but more that he seemed truly unflappable.
“Is that any way to greet your uncle?”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, glancing at the Cerberus puppy. Was it the same one we’d just tried to fight, or were there more of the mongrels running around? “Hello, uncle. Give us back our souls. Please.”
He gently patted the non-sleeping pup’s head with an easy smile. “Okay.” Then he turned his back on us and walked over to the two women, handing the Cerberus puppy to the younger, black-haired woman. “Thank you, Persephone.” I had a suspicion of who the second woman was. A very good suspicion.
The two women fawned over the sleeping puppy with cooing, adoring sounds, taking turns to kiss the two sleeping foreheads of the puppy—and avoiding the playful bites from the third with lively giggles. The pup’s tail began to wag and the other heads blinked lazily before letting out big yawns, causing the women to emit more affectionate sounds. “Naughty, Cerby,” Persephone laughed in a joyful, carefree chime.
I turned to Nero with a look of concern. Was this a different Cerberus? And why were they being so kind to us? From my knowledge of mythology, visitors to Hades’ realm usually suffered less than courteous welcomes.
Noticing my attention, but not wanting to shift his wary glare from the puppy, Nero gave a small shake of his head. I turned to Lucian and I barely managed to slap a hand over my mouth as I jumped back a step.
Lucian was also locked onto the puppy, and he looked a lot warier than even Nero. But that wasn’t what had startled me.
Lucian was no longer a wolf. He was a man.
A very large, naked man with long, wavy golden hair. He seemed entirely unaware of his current form as Hades approached, offering him a dark silk robe. “I do not permit large dogs in my private chambers. Thank you for your understanding,” he said jovially, dipping his chin.
Instead of accepting it, Lucian curled his lips in disdain at the robe, much like a dog might do to show displeasure. His gaze noticed his human feet in his peripheral vision. And then his body. His eyes widened and he gasped, immediately slapping his hands against his skin. He began caressing and squeezing his chest and arms with strong, groping gestures as if to verify that it wasn’t some form of illusion.
Nero suddenly seemed to catch on and glanced over. He stumbled back a step, gasping and reflexively slapping his chest with his stump. “The fuck?” he sputtered.
Persephone was no longer playing with Cerberus. She had shifted upright, openly appraising Lucian from head-to-toe with a hungry, smoky gaze. She held a ruby-red pomegranate seed to her parted lips as if she’d forgotten it. If she had been a cat, she would have been purring.
Hades noticed my attention and glanced back. He sighed tiredly. “Wife. You’re leering.”
She spent about ten more seconds to fully complete her threat assessment of the naked Lucian. Finally, she gave him a slow, single nod, sliding the seed—and her finger—into her mouth. “Mmm.” She withdrew her finger with a wet popping sound. Only then did she shift her attention to her husband, casting him a sultry smile. “Just because I’ve ordered dinner doesn’t mean I can’t look at
dessert.”
Lucian’s face purpled and he hurriedly slipped into his robe, still patting himself as if not quite believing it. I was too stunned by my brother’s transformation to overly care about Persephone’s wandering eyes. Lucian was a human again. For the first time in hundreds of years. Although, he didn’t seem able to make himself talk, and I knew he still had a long recovery.
If this was even permanent. It had sounded more like a courtesy forced upon him for Hades’ peace of mind.
Hades sighed in resignation as Persephone resumed her leisurely pose, leaning back down onto the pillows, as she continued eating the pomegranate seeds more rapidly. He shot me a frustrated look and I smiled in spite of my own frustrations.
He shrugged. “You are quite the specimen,” he said, smiling at Lucian. “And she would eat you alive.”
Lucian’s eyes widened and he hastily tightened the sash on his robe swiftly enough that he almost tore the fabric as he lowered his gaze.
“Allow me to formally introduce my wife, Persephone.”
“Charmed,” she said, staring only at Lucian as she brushed a seed back and forth across her lips in a sensual manner despite her husband standing right in front of us.
I turned to the other woman, who had been entirely silent so far. Although time was no longer a concern, I was impatient to get some damned answers. I took a gamble, confident of my theory.
“You are Hecate,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “The mushroom lady.”
She stared back at me, her gaze intense but not confirming my claim. “It is considered impolite to not let the host finish introducing his residents,” she said gently.
I flashed my teeth at her. “Fuck being polite. I came here to punch you in the mouth for stealing their souls,” I said, pointing at Nero and Lucian. Then I formed a fist, lifted it to my mouth, and kissed my knuckles, staring at her the entire while.
Persephone’s eyes widened with sudden excitement, shifting her assessing gaze my way. “Hmmm.”
I turned to her and eyed her up and down with a faint sneer. “If those eyes wander any further, you might lose them, auntie,” I said coolly, remembering how Aphrodite had teased Nosh. It was important for me to firmly establish the fact that I was not their subordinate. Immediately. Or they would attempt to walk all over me. The Olympians had already taken advantage of my past naivety. That trend ended now.
Persephone’s smile changed altogether, seeming even more intrigued. “I will take that under advisement, dear nephew,” she said, popping another seed into her mouth.
Hades sighed unhappily. “It’s like back-biting is bred into our very blood.”
I had already shifted my attention back to Hecate, waiting, so I didn’t respond to Hades.
She gave me an approving nod. “How did you know?”
“I heard that the Goddess of Witchcraft has been gone for a while. Then I learned that a mysterious old woman gave my friends a choice at a crossroads, using magic—or witchcraft, to be more accurate.” Her eyes gave away nothing. “Yet you are not an old woman. Thinking back on my mythology, the only other thing I recalled reading about you was that you were known as the three-faced goddess.” I pointed at Lucian. “When I saw his memories, you mentioned wanting to visit Persephone.”
She reacted to that. “Saw his memories?” she blurted.
I nodded. “I broke his crown.”
She let out a relieved sigh. “That is glorious news. And impressive.”
I didn’t acknowledge her praise. “The only other person I knew with a close association to Persephone was her mother, Demeter.” I glanced at Cerberus and then Hades. “And I doubted Hades was close enough with his mother-in-law that he’d let her play with his dog. A man only lets those he trusts play with his dog.”
Nero and Lucian were both staring at me with stunned looks on their faces.
25
She finally nodded. “I am Hecate,” she whispered. “Or, I once was.”
I cocked my head quizzically, but Nero interjected. “Hecate…” he mused, scratching his chin. “You have three faces—old, mature, and young, right?” She nodded in response. “Yet you used only one disguise with us,” he said, pointing at Lucian and himself. “Why?”
“Because everyone seems to know that pesky fact about me. I tried not to make it so obvious, but it seems we have a mythology buff in our midst,” she said, smirking at me. “Disguises are so incredibly effective when used as weapons. We do it all the time. Almost like we are skinwalkers,” she said with a dry smile aimed in my direction. “Without any of that primitive blade nonsense, anyway.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Right.” Nosh. She was referring to Nosh. Aphrodite had also hinted on the topic. “So, we’re already playing games. I know a game where my fist touches your teeth. The rules are simple—you just stand there and think happy thoughts until the moment of impact. That’s the end of the game.”
Hades watched with great interest. So did Persephone. Cerberus had grabbed hold of her toga and was tugging on it back and forth, whipping his three heads like it was a game, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Life is a game,” Hecate said with zero fear, rising to her feet as if to call my bluff.
“As is death,” Hades added with an amused grin.
“I’ll let you pick which fist I use,” I said. “Or maybe we can do both—one for each of my friends that you lured into your trap.”
She shrugged. “I no longer have my powers, so I imagine it will be rather painful.”
I smiled. “Good. Don’t clench. I heard it helps, but you’ll have to tell me if that’s true.”
“This will not help you make friends,” she added, striding closer to me.
“When she’s right, she’s right,” Hades said with a disappointed sigh.
“I’ve already got enough friends.”
“Let’s hold off for a few moments,” Hades said. “If you feel the same way after we talk, that is between you two. But Cerberus goes absolutely wild at the scent of fresh blood.”
I gritted my teeth, staring down Hecate. “Fine. Cherish these precious moments thinking about what awaits.”
She dipped her chin politely, not reacting to my aggression. “Thank you.”
I studied her for a few moments longer, suspicious of her meek obeisance. From what I had seen so far, the Olympians were not calm and collected, and they did not tolerate challenges or threats. Which was one reason I had chosen to be so aggressive right from the onset. To get their emotions high, because emotional people made mistakes. So far, it was not working. It was both reassuring and concerning. Why was she acting so calm? Did she have a trick up her sleeve? Hades watched the two of us pensively but offered no further comment. I noticed that Nero was studying Hecate thoughtfully as well, a nervous frown growing on his face.
I turned back to her, wondering what he’d seen. Then I thought about what she had last said. “Where are your powers—” I cut off abruptly, slowly turning to Nero again. I noticed Lucian was also studying her thoughtfully. Neither of them looked angry—they looked suddenly alarmed. “That’s what this is all about! You gave them your own powers, didn’t you? Without letting them know what they were doing.”
She nodded tiredly. “I gave them a choice—a facet of me that you missed in your analysis. I am all about choice.”
“But…why?”
She hung her head, considering her answer. “To hide them.” She slowly lifted her head. “To right a wrong. To help them.” She finally shrugged. “Why does one like the color blue? Expound.” She folded her hands before her, one atop the other, and waited.
I narrowed my eyes. “I did not come here for riddles. You say you wanted to help them yet you harmed both of them.”
“There is always a cost to power,” she admitted sadly. “Sometimes it is born by the receiver, sometimes the giver. In this case, it was both. I sacrificed my own powers to reduce the price they might have to pay. But the alternative was worse if I didn’t act. Your ne
mesis, Dracula, wanted to raise you and Lucian from the dead. I gave him a necromancer to accomplish that goal.” She smiled sadly at Nero. She shifted her sad smile to Lucian. “Yet I took the werewolf’s soul, refusing to let him die, ultimately stealing Dracula’s prize without him ever knowing.” Finally, she turned back to me. “And I knew you were not dead, because Hades had already taken measures to protect your soul—a gift that you paid dearly for.”
I stared at her, panting heavily as her words struck me like clubs to the gut.
She…was right. Yet wrong.
Nero had told me how raising Lucian would have given Dracula direct control over every werewolf in the world.
“And what about Nero? You sold him out to the very man who concerns you. I don’t see how that was necessary.”
She slowly turned to look at Nero, and then me. “Did I?” She walked up to Nero, sizing him up and down as she began to circle him. As she passed out of view, she changed, because once she was behind Nero again she was an old woman, shuffling painfully. “Or did his new gift of necromancy shield the mysterious little box of your coffin dirt that he had obtained? A box that Dracula was already on the verge of discovering when it suddenly disappeared from his awareness,” she croaked in a rasping tone. Lucian blocked my view for a moment as she continued walking, and then she was suddenly a young maiden barely over eighteen, moving with a slight skip to her step as she danced back before Nero, smiling brightly. “Did Nero know where the world’s first vampire’s body was entombed, or was he still alive, safe from this nefarious necromancy? Did the new necromancer know where Lucian’s body was, or was Lucian actually safe from necromancy because he was still alive?”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. She…was the reason I’d been able to take back my castle?
Persephone clapped delightedly, causing Cerberus to yip and yap as he leapt onto her lap, trying to nip at her fingers, his tail wagging hard enough to throw his balance off kilter.
Devil’s Blood: Shade of Devil Book 3 Page 16