I switch my position so my body is facing Ari. He's not standing straight like Ollie, so I hope that, even though he's in a weird position, it will still work.
My eyes widen, and my heart nearly stops beating in my chest. I can't breathe for fear that this opal doesn't work. It was my only saving grace to choose who my soul mate is. Otherwise it's just a guess. The rock seems to be getting hotter, but I refuse to let it fall from my hands. This has to work.
A blinding white light fills the room. I use my other hand to shield my eyes, but I never drop the stone. I refuse to give in to the searing pain in my hand. I scream with agony when my hand feels like it's about to burn off my body. But before I can drop the stone, it explodes in front of my eyes.
It rockets me backwards, and I fall onto my back, my head slamming against the ground. I push up, so I'm on my elbows and look at Ari. A strange ghost-like figure comes out from Ari and floats beside him, next to his body.
I stand and step forward wanting to touch it. When I hold up my arm to reach for Ari, I notice that I have a glow around me as well. I look at his first.
It's a very faint yellow all around, but the outside of it is a neon green ring. The glow surrounds him and changes shape, even though he's not moving. It's like his soul is its own person.
I look down at my hand and see a similar soul. It's yellow in the middle with a green outline. I move my hand, and the soul moves with me, just delayed a few seconds. I stare at my legs and see the colors completely envelop me, becoming me.
I step closer to Ari. As our souls touch, they meet and fill each other will energy. It's like pure ecstasy pumps through my veins as I watch the two souls envelop each other and become one single figure. I want to cry with pure joy, but I can't.
I step back from our souls and shake my head. This isn't over. I don't know how much time I have in this parallel state. I don't know when everyone will come alive again but I have one more thing that I need to do.
I grab the vial from my back pocket and sprint to the altar. I have to maneuver myself around Hades's lunging body to get to the carved-out part. I crack the glass on the side of the altar like an egg and let all of the blood from within seep into the wood.
The altar consumes it instantly, sucking it in like a dried up sponge. When I look down at the altar, there are no traces of the blood at all. I go to touch the center to confirm that it's gone, and that Hades will never know, but I'm knocked backwards.
Hades tackles me to the ground as life comes back into motion. Ari falls after lunging for air. But he's quick to fix himself. He reaches down and lifts Hades up, throwing him against the altar, his back cracking the bottom of it. Hades bounces back with unreal quickness, and I stand up just as fast, readying myself for whatever comes next.
"What did you do?" Hades throws Ari to the side like an annoying fly. I watch Hermes lift Ari up and contain him in his muscular arms. Ari squirms, trying to break free, but his grasp is too tight around him.
"What do you mean?" I play stupid. Nobody can prove what I've done and only Ari and Linus know that I had the opal and the vial. Neither would give me up. Hades looks over the crowd, but none of their faces give away a damn thing. Everyone has a blank face.
I meet Ari's gaze. His eyes ask me questions, but I just can't give him an answer yet, despite the pure elation in my heart. I need him and everyone to think he's not my soul mate. I still have to cut him and mix it with the Originals' blood.
"That rock you had. Why did you pull it out?" Hades pulls on my collar and drags me so I'm inches from his face. He looks past me on the ground for the opal, and only I know that it's gone, shattered into a million pieces.
"It was hurting me in my pocket. It's on the ground." I point to my left, not seeing a rock but pretending. It's pretty obvious that they had no idea what was going on when I used the opal. This couldn't have gone better. It just proves that I can't thank Cece and Linus enough for all they've done.
"Just cut Aristeus. Make sure it flows on the altar," Hades snips. Persephone hands me a silver blade with a multicolored jeweled handle. I take it with my trembling hands, holding it uncertainly. Hermes drags Ari by his armpits towards the altar and then disposes of him at the base.
Ari stands up and steps up to the altar. He places his arm over the altar, pulling his long sleeved shirt up and over his elbow, and then lets his arm go limp.
I step towards him and pull in a deep breath, trying to gain the courage to do this. I don't know what will happen when Hades realizes what I've done. All I know is that it's going to be bad. And I'm deathly afraid for all of our lives.
I trail the blade down from the inside of Ari's elbow to his wrist, just deep enough to draw blood. I don't like hurting him, but this will end it all. I lock eyes with him, trying to convey what I know without saying it.
With each inch of the blade, my heart breaks. A single tear falls down my face and mixes in the blood at the altar. I sniff and pray that no more fall, but the horror over what's about to happen begins to eat at me.
"You're going to need more blood than that to kill him." Hades rolls his eyes, and laughs with Persephone in front of me. I look up at Hades, and he's clearly bored with this entire situation. His hands rest on his hips. He has a pained expression on his face. I smile as something that looks like a scroll appears above the altar, hanging in mid-air.
"Whoops," I say as I drop the knife to the ground. It clamors, the jewels banging hard against the rough dirt, clanking on a small rock. My emotions dart across the board from elation over doing exactly what we wanted to dread over what's to come. My curse is lifted, and Hades is still stranded in the Underworld.
Hades grabs the scroll from mid-air and his eyes travel up and down the paper as fast as he can. Persephone reads it with him and after the few sentences, Hades roars—an actual carnal explosion from his mouth. He rips the scroll up and throws it into the air, the tiny pieces slowly floating to the ground.
"What have you done?" Hades shakes his head side to side as if he really didn't want to hurt me. I believe him. Hades nods to Persephone. She pushes onto her tiptoes, and he kisses her on the lips. It's fast, and in another second, she disappears into the shadows behind him.
Ari groans and pulls himself off the altar. He pushes his shirt down over the wound, but red instantly coats his light gray shirt. I think I cut him too much. His face is pale and his eyes droop, like he might pass out.
"You liar!" Ollie screams from behind us. I reach for Ari and place his arm over my shoulder to help with the weight. When I have Ari situated evenly, I turn and face Ollie, who's sprinting towards Hades with his hands up in clenched fists, his knuckles white.
"Shut up, will you?" Hades drawls. "You were stupid to think it was you."
"You told me that I was her soul mate! I love her! Why would you use me?" His voice is shaky, emotional but hard. He points his finger right at Hades, and I think he's about to punch him in the face.
"Take it easy, son," another man says from behind the shadows. Suddenly, a towering figure emerges into the courtyard. If Ollie had a doppelgänger it would be this man.
He's blond-haired with blue eyes: clear blue, just like Ollie. He's larger, fuller, and more bulky with rows and rows of muscle from his neck to his ankles—you can even see the definition beneath his tight shirt. But they're similar in every single way.
"You used me, father. You used me for your own gain. I trusted you!" His voice breaks again. Apollo steps towards Ollie, but doesn't touch him. He should feel sorry for his son, should be apologizing for whatever part he had in this scheme. But, he doesn't.
"My plans with Hades would have been ruined if we told you the truth. But you've seemed to screw it up anyway. You're worthless to us, and now we have to begin anew," Apollo chides. He shoots a disgusted glare at Ollie, like he's nothing but air. But then Apollo cuts his eyes to me, and smiles.
"How did you know who your soul mate was? I heard you were convinced it was my son just days ago." Power ri
pples off of him in steady waves. It's mesmerizing and thrilling.
"Secret." I smile back, but it's sarcastic and fake. I don't have to play nice to this man. I don't have to pretend to be someone who I'm not. My curse is gone, and I can be confident in myself.
"Are we just going to stand here all day? They get their happily ever after. It's been five minutes too long." Hades's boredom is clear. But I can see the hatred simmering underneath the surface, just begging to be unleashed.
"What shall we do, master?" Hermes asks, emphasizing the name.
"Kill them. All of them!" Hades points towards my small army, and at once all of Hades' followers run towards us, sprinting in a pack of ruthless monsters.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
fighting for freedom
I'm hit from all angles at the exact same time. Pain shoots up my back like a razor blade slicing me. My head pounds into the ground, and my vision blacks for a second. I blink a few times to fix my sight and then jump up from the ground. I've learned to push past the pain.
I look to my left, and Ari is struggling to get off the ground. He pushes up, but his arm is weak, his body frail, and he falls forward. I reach for him and grab him around the waist, lifting him up, using my knee to hold his torso. Someone lunges for Ari, and I push him behind me taking the brunt of the hit.
My chest burns, but I catch myself before I fall on my face. I leap over a body on the ground and kick my attacker square in the chest—hit for hit. He barely moves, despite the fact that I throw all my weight into the kicks. I hit him again, this time pushing off my back leg for more strength.
Ari appears beside me and sprints towards the man. Ari catches his arm and spins the bad guy around. Four cracks sound in rapid succession, and the man's arm dangles limply beside him. I take the man's vulnerable state as an opportunity and spin towards him.
Ari takes his neck and holds it while I punch his shoulder, his stomach, and then his face. Blood runs down the man's cheek, but the sight doesn't affect me.
"Screw you." The man spits in my face. Before I get a chance to retaliate, Ari twists the man's neck, breaking the skin. What looks like a geyser squirts from his neck, and I turn my back to block the spray from hitting me.
I feel Ari behind me. He grabs my shoulder and turns me around. He's very pale, but he's smiling. It's so out of place as people die beside us.
"I need to kiss you." He doesn't look around at the chaos surrounding us. A man lunges for Ari, and I go to attack, but Ari just shoves him aside with a straight-armed hit. Ari's gaze never leaves me, and he takes me around the waist, lifting me into the air.
"We can't." I look around me, and I can barely tell who is who. I don't recognize most of the people fighting, and I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that we're outnumbered three to one.
Ari tilts his face up and reaches towards my lips. I bend down to kiss him, but before I can, I'm punched right on the hipbone. I cry out in pain and then look for whomever hit me.
Ari drops me on the ground. He growls deep and feral as his eyes roam the canyon. We both see her at the same time. The light haired goddess sprints towards us, her arms pumping at her sides.
"I've got this." I push Ari back, noting some color is coating his cheeks. "Help the others." I run before he can say another thing. I meet the girl's speed. It's like a game of chicken as we both run at impossible speeds head first towards each other.
I don't sway to the side. With my last step towards her, I jump into the air. She must not see it coming, because she continues straight forward. She digs her feet into the ground to stop herself, but I've already landed on the other side of her and spun around.
I reach for her at the same time she reaches for me. Our hands clash, and it's a scramble to get the upper hand. I swipe my leg along the ground and catch both of her feet. As she falls to the ground, she grabs ahold of my hair and drags me down with her.
I scream as the hair from my head is yanked on and tilt my head to the side, trying to get free. She refuses to let go. I squirm and pin her to the ground with both of my knees. I jam my fist into her nose and then my other right at the corner of her pouty lips.
Blood gets into my eye, but I don't pull back. The thick, hot substance clouds my vision. I have to pull back one of my hands to wipe the redness out of my eyes. She uses my weakness to her advantage.
She wriggles free from my grasp and kicks her leg up, bucking her hips. I'm knocked to the side, and my head hits the ground again. It takes me a second to get my bearings, and when I look up, she's already rushing towards me.
I jump to my feet and spin in a circle, making her miss me by just a half a foot. I feel the air from her speed whip me in the face. I don't have time for a mini victory.
She doesn't stop running. Instead, she heads straight for Mikey and Carter, who are using each other to confuse a group of three demons. She catches them by surprise and grabs Carter around the throat before he can teleport away.
Not even a second later, she pulls his head from his body, lifting it off the spine. She kicks him to the side as his limp body falls like a rag doll, blood spilling from him. I scream at the top of my lungs in shock.
I turn to the side and unleash a round of vomit across the ground. My insides twist, and I want to murder this woman. I quickly run to her without another thought and grab her around the back. I throw her down on the ground as she laughs at me, her teeth coated in red.
I don't pin her this time. I kick her in the ribs. And then again, feeling them crack under the heel of my foot. She cries in pain. Her voice is childlike. But I don't even care. I refuse to take mercy on this girl. I kick her again, breaking more of her bones as I stomp her into the ground.
She's sobbing, her red lips trembling. For a second, I contemplate letting her go. But as I look up, Carter's lifeless eyes stare back at me from his decapitated head.
I watch Mikey drop to his knees. He clings to Carter's body as a demon grabs him from behind and flings him to the side. Luckily, Cristos appears beside Mikey and helps him with the demon, knocking the attacker to the ground before he can get a hit on Mikey. I turn away from them as Lex beats a demon to death beside them.
I place my foot on the crook of the girl's neck and slowly start to apply pressure. I cut off the air to her lungs, little by little, hating her more and more by the second. This woman deserves to suffer in the worst way.
"I've got this." I lift my foot off of her, and in her eyes I see elation, gratitude. But when she sees my dark soul mate glare down at her, the horror takes over.
Ari lifts the girl up from the ground by the neck, and in a split second, he's slammed her over his knee. Her eyes fall into the back of her head, and she passes out. I think Ari is going to leave her be, but he bends down and snaps her neck in one fast motion. He picks her up by the front of her shirt and then throws her to the side, her body landing against the black castle wall like a rag doll.
"I have to find Hermes." My eyes scan the area for him. I only want to kill him, and then after that we can run away. I need to kill him to avenge Megan, to make this all worthwhile. She deserves to be vindicated.
Two men attack Ari together, but I know he can hold his own. I walk through the fighting around me, the bodies parting like the red sea. As I get to the top of the canyon, near the altar, I spot Ollie.
His father has him stuck to the ground. His large hand slams into Ollie's face relentlessly. My stomach lurches forward. Just because Ollie isn't my soul mate doesn't mean that I don't love him. I step forward, but Ari stops me by placing his hand on my forearm.
"We'll help him." Ari nods to me, and grabs Magdelina's hand. Jealously rumbles through my bones, but I don't let it affect me. He's my soul mate, and Magdelina never stood a chance. Plus, I need her to help Ollie.
I turn around, and then a second later I look over the war-torn field to find Hermes. He's attacking someone with red hair, and instantly I recognize Martin and Shane. I don't think, just run.
Shane se
es me coming straight for them and subtly nods at my joining their fight. Hermes steps backwards, and I fall into line with Martin and Shane. Three on one isn't bad odds, but it is Hermes after all—an Original and brutal man.
"Ah, so you've decided to join the fun!" Hermes laughs in our faces, his snickering booming in the hollow room. We have him cornered between the castle wall and the side of the courtyard where a wall of rock blocks the exit. The only way he can move is to get through us. I have no doubt that he will, but hopefully we can take him down.
Martin cuts a steely look at me, nodding over towards Hermes, and I nod back. Martin flicks his fingers and a fire erupts at the tips of Hermes's toes. His clothes catch fire fast, igniting in a bright yellow ball. Hermes's face shows no reaction. He smiles and kicks at the flames like they were the size of a match.
Martin erupts the flames, making them lick at the elbows of Hermes. I can feel the heat from the surrounding fire against my face, and it instantly makes my skin sweat. Hermes just stands there, his hands on his burning hips and a smug grin on his face.
"I live in the Underworld. You think the heat bothers me? Foolish! All of you." He lunges for Shane first. I don't know why he went for him first, but within a second he has Shane by the neck with both of his hands. Hermes looks at me as if killing another one of my friends is just child's play. But I won't let it happen again.
I sprint and jump on Hermes's back. I pull his arms backwards so he can't kill Shane. Shane falls to the ground, scrambling to get up as I hold onto Hermes. A shoulder pops out of its socket, but the next second Hermes tosses me aside and twists it back in, throwing his arm around.
"So, you've gotten stronger. How strong are you?" Hermes spins around and lifts me by my back and feet. I'm parallel to the ground. He throws me against the castle wall. I try to cover my face before I hit, but I can't get my hands up fast enough.
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