Heart

by Higginson, Rachel

  “Ryder, I cannot ask you to pay for anything. I’m the reason we’re running away. You keep your money and save it for when we get there.”

  “We’re not arguing about money,” he stated firmly. “I’m taking care of it. End of story.”

  “Weren’t you supposed to go to college on that money? This feels wrong.”

  He shook his head and his wild hair flipped over his forehead. “It is. I can’t have a future if Nix catches up to us and kills me, now can I?”

  “Well, when you put it like that…”

  He grinned down at me, “Just say, thank you.”

  “Thank you.”

  He slid his arm around my shoulder and walked me to the Delta counter. A bleary-eyed middle aged man stood slumped against the counter, but managed to greet us with a smile.

  We pulled out our passports and IDs and handed them over while Ryder doled out our flight instructions. The clerk’s back straightened immediately and his tired eyes shot awake when he realized we were buying last minute tickets out of the country.

  “Are you going for business or pleasure?” he asked in a conversational tone.

  I didn’t like the gleam in his eye, so I flipped my hair over my shoulder and turned on some charm. “Pleasure,” I murmured. “We’ve decided to see the world before school starts in the fall and we have to get down to business.”

  “Well, you’ve picked an ideal spot to start,” he said. Some of the suspicion drained from his expression, replaced with awe for me, or rather, my curse. “You’re headed for paradise.”

  I smiled at him, flashing him rows of white teeth and perfect lips. “That’s what we’re hoping for. We need paradise. Right, Honey?”

  Ryder rolled his eyes at my drama, but mumbled a semi-enthusiastic, “Right.”

  The clerk frowned at the computer and tapped so quickly his fingers seemed to blur over the keyboard. He looked up nervously at us and then back at the screen before his frown deepened and his fingers moved faster.

  “I’m sorry,” he told us. “It will just be a minute longer.”

  “Is there a problem?” I leaned forward and turned up my charisma. I did not like the deep crease between his eyes or how frantic his fingers moved over the keyboard. I needed to distract him until we had tickets in our hand.

  “There seems to be a flag on one of your passports. I’m sure it’s nothing.” While his attention was firmly on the computer, I knew that the only reason he had been honest with us was because of my Siren curse. I wasn’t even sure if he was aware he’d spilled the truth.

  “Which passport?” I asked him.

  “Ryder Sutton’s. The computer says I’m supposed to call this number if I should see this particular passport.”

  That made sense since mine was a forged one and it wouldn’t flag anything to do with Ivy Pierce. Nix had no idea Genevieve Carston existed. Thank the gods. However, if Ryder’s had been flagged then that was a major problem.

  The system would notify Nix immediately and give away our location and flight plans. Shit. Even if we managed to buy tickets, we were still going to be stuck here for the next two hours waiting for our plane. Nix would easily be able to catch up with us.

  I took an instinctive step back and licked my dry lips. “You know what? I’ve, um, changed my mind. I think we should rethink our trip, Babe. Like, maybe we want to go somewhere cold and snowy. Or backpack through Europe instead. Let’s take a few nights to mull it over.”

  Ryder finally caught on. “Good idea.” In a bold mood, he reached over the counter and snatched his passport from the bewildered clerk.

  I was pretty impressed with his initiative and I would have told him that if we hadn’t turned around to find all of our exits blocked.

  “Son of a bitch,” I moaned. “There are giants everywhere!”

  “I hate that when you say giants, you mean actual giants,” Ryder grumbled.

  “You and me both.”

  He chuckled darkly, “What now, Red? What’s the contingency plan?”

  “This was the contingency plan!”

  “Think fast, Ives. Gigantes are the least of our problems.”

  I didn’t know how he knew it, but he was right. Crete Haden stepped out of the shadows and walked slowly toward us. I couldn’t remember Ryder ever meeting the god more commonly known as Hades before, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out there was something much more than human happening in Crete’s soulless black eyes. The guy practically radiated death and despair. I could feel the death-like coldness coming off him before I ever got close enough to actually feel it.

  He gave me the absolute creeps. He was also the reason that when Anaxandra and Evaleen decided to let me help them escape, Eva had said yes.

  He had purchased her from Nix and she would have rather died than face what that meant for her.

  Actually, she did die. Anaxandra and Evaleen both died because they tried to run from Nix and this ugly world he was determined to chain us to.

  “Siren,” Hades called out from across the quiet airport.

  This early in the morning there weren’t very many people milling about. The shiny lobby floor glistened under the bright florescent lights between us. The whir of a floor polisher could be heard in the distance. Behind me, the clerk had gone absolutely still.

  There were witnesses, but not enough to deter Hades.

  “He’s using you,” I suggested on a total grasping-for-straws move. “All Nix wants is the mountain and you are just a tool to help get him there.”

  Crete’s slow smile told me I was not nearly old enough to play this game of wits with him. “Are you trying to turn me against Poseidon? Against my brother?”

  “I’m trying to give you options,” I replied confidently.

  “Ah, I see.” He took another measured step toward me. “He said you had spirit.”

  Ryder’s arm shot out and wrapped around my waist, tucking me behind him. I could feel the electricity build and pressurize inside of him. Whatever he had used to fight Nix that day was back and stronger than ever.

  “Do not come any closer,” he called out to Hades.

  “Orpheus,” Hades growled. “So the rumors are true.”

  Ryder raised a hand sparking with supernatural energy. “I beat you once, Hades. Are you sure you’re up for round two?”

  “You didn’t beat me, boy!” Hades bellowed. “You’re a clone of the real man! You’re nothing but an echo.”

  Ryder shrugged one shoulder as if he were bored with this conversation. “I guess we could find out. You’re not in your realm and I happen to be in mine, but it could be fun.”

  Hades bit out a curse. “I’m not afraid of two mortal children. But I think the two of you should be very afraid of two gods.” He inclined his head and we followed his focus. Ky Ares stepped forward from the other side of the wide lobby, grinning maliciously at us.

  He was right. We should be afraid of two gods.

  In fact, I was super afraid of two gods.

  A year ago, Ryder and I couldn’t defeat Nix and there had been two of us and one of him. In fact, we’d both ended up in the hospital and Ryder’s injuries had almost been fatal.

  What would these two ruthless killers do to us? Ares was the god of war for goodness sakes. He had to be one of the most creative killers of all time.

  My hand landed on Ryder’s shoulder and my fingers dug into his muscle. Shit just got very real and I wasn’t sure if we would make it out of this one.

  “It’s a pity we need you,” Ares sneered. “You would be very entertaining to play with.” He stalked toward me, uncaring of the threat Ryder posed or that humans had stopped to watch us with open curiosity.

  I could hear the airline employee speak to someone on the phone behind us. My guess was that he had called security the minute Ryder’s hand started glowing and lightning snapped back and forth between his fingers.

  I mean, that’s when I would have called security.

  Panic flared beneath my sk
in and boiled in my belly. I needed to diffuse the situation as quickly as I could. “He’s using you both. Why can’t you see that?”

  They shared a triumphant smirk. “Little girl, we know what he’s doing,” Hades laughed.

  “It’s exactly what either of us would do in the same situation,” Ares went on. “We applaud him for his manipulation this time around. He’s always been so obtuse in the past. It’s nice to see he’s finally taking things seriously.”

  “Well, he has to,” Hades put in as if Ryder and I had disappeared and this was just some casual conversation between two gods about their god-brother. “He finally has the power to do something. I would have killed him myself if he let this opportunity slip through his fingers.”

  “You mean the weapon? What is it?” I felt breathless at the mention of it. I couldn’t say why, but whenever the weapon was brought up, I got extra nervous. What was it? And what did Nix want to do with it?

  Hades raised a dark eyebrow, “The weapon? You mean, you don’t know?”

  Ares chuckled and his sardonic humor felt oddly at my expense. “I suppose you’ll find out soon enough.”

  A staggering shiver slithered down my back. I had no response to that. I didn’t want to find out, not soon, not later, not at any time.

  Ryder’s hand squeezed my hip tightly. I sucked in a sharp breath and tried to clear my whirling thoughts. He seemed remarkably held together despite the threats surrounding us. I wanted to borrow some of his bravado to get me through this.

  I knew we were out of options. There wasn’t anywhere to go and there wasn’t anyone here to save us. Ryder and I were well and truly caught.

  I wondered how far away Nix was… how much time I had before I had to face him. I couldn’t stomach the idea of being trapped with him again… of being enslaved.

  I would rather die.

  And I didn’t mean that in the dramatic sense of the phrase. Oh, no. The idea of living out the rest of my life chained to Nix and all of his nefarious scheming was so absolutely abhorrent to me that I would have chosen death every day of the week over living that out. I couldn’t do it.

  I wouldn’t do it.

  I supposed that was why when Ryder started tugging on my skirt that I started paying attention.

  “Get ready to run,” he mumbled under his breath.

  I wanted to ask him where he expected me to run to, but I didn’t get the chance.

  Ares and Hades had slowly moved together. They weren’t standing exactly side by side, but they were close enough for Ryder to hit them both. The energy in his palm brewed with intensity. I felt the energy in the air prickle my skin and the otherworldly nature of the power pulse in the air around us.

  I braced myself a moment before he released his supernatural power on the doubting gods. The energy spun from his hands in a shower of light and electricity.

  I heard men shout as Ryder’s power rained down on them, but I didn’t stick around to watch the damage. I turned to the right and started sprinting as fast as my flip-flops sliding across polished tile would let me.

  Ryder’s body was at my back, his palm pressing into the small of my back and his quick footsteps right behind mine. We skirted along the baggage check-ins, knocking over line markers and anything else in our way.

  Just as I felt pressure build behind us, like either Hades or Ares had released a power of their own, Ryder guided me to a sharp left and we ducked out of the way just in time.

  With more open space in front of us, we took off running as fast as we could. Ryder was in Toms, so his running was much easier than mine. I slid all over the place. Eventually I ditched my cheap shoes.

  I kicked them off, letting my bare feet slap against the cold tile. I heard a commotion behind us and I knew that the gods and their giants had caught up to us.

  My breathing wheezed in my chest. What would I do if they caught us? How long would I give myself to fight?

  This was the end of the line. I could feel it.

  We had nowhere else to go.

  Security showed up in front of us. They flooded the airport like a SWAT team. I reared back, afraid they would shoot us.

  Ryder spun around and I went with him. Giants behind us, human security in front of us. We were in an airport without tickets and Ryder’s Bronco was trapped back in long term parking.

  “What do we do?” I panted quietly. Security started shouting at us to raise our hands and lie down face first on the ground. “Ryder!”

  “Hermes,” Ryder answered quickly. Only it wasn’t a response to my question. It was a call for help.

  Nothing happened.

  My voice was a choked plea, “Hermes.”

  He appeared in front of us as quickly as I said his name. His mouth was twisted into a smug grin until he took in our position. “Oh,” he mumbled. He stepped between Ryder and me and put his arms around our shoulders while airport security tried to reconcile the man that had just appeared in front of them from thin air. Hermes turned to Ares and Hades and the cocky smile reappeared on his face. “Brothers,” he gloated as a greeting.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Messenger!” Hades shouted at him. “We will see you soon, little brother. You cannot keep us out.”

  “Race you there,” Hermes laughed.

  Hades’ face contorted with rage just before he disappeared. Or really, I disappeared. Hermes had moved us. One second we stood in the middle of a very volatile situation in the middle of the Kansas City airport; the next my bare feet were buried in warm sand and a Mediterranean breeze tickled my naked arms. I blinked up at a bright sun and cloudless sky. I could hear ocean waves crash against a rocky coastline and seagulls call to each other overhead.

  Clearly we were not on a mountain. But maybe Mount Olympus was metaphorical?

  I shrugged out of Hermes’ hold and turned to face him. “This is not Olympus.”

  “Oh? And you’ve been to Olympus before?” Hermes taunted.

  “This is a beach!” I countered.

  “I thought you liked the beach,” he tossed back.

  “I love the beach. Do you want to find out how much?” I started walking backwards toward the sound of the water rushing against rock and wet beach only to watch Hermes throw up a frantic hand to stop me.

  “You’ve made your point. Enough.”

  I raised an eyebrow and wondered how much damage I could cause in this much water. Looking out at the glistening surface of the body of water that stretched out from several yards away to the horizon, I felt the natural surge of power in my blood that came from the close proximity. I’d felt the same rush every morning on the island. I would wake to a thrumming in my veins and a quickened pulse.

  You’re home, my blood would sing.

  This is where you belong, my heart would beat.

  I trusted my reaction to the water about as much as I trusted Nix.

  After all, the Siren’s call came from women who were once half bird and killed men so they could feast on their dead carcasses. I mean… for real. I did not need that in my life.

  I thought back to the man I’d killed from basically wet cement back in Omaha. If that had been enough to take a life, what could I do with my feet in an ocean?

  Kill an entire ship of sailors?

  Obviously.

  Kill a god?

  Maybe.

  Possibly.

  “Where are we, Hermes?” Ryder called from a few feet away. He did not look impressed either.

  Hermes took a step toward Ryder and gave him an assessing look. “I’ve wondered something,” Hermes started. “Are you the same Orpheus? Or is the prophecy referring to a new man with Orpheus like powers?”

  “I’m not Orpheus,” Ryder said confidently. “I know that you all think I am. But I’ve done my research. Orpheus was definitely bad ass, but I’m me. One hundred percent. I’m not some reincarnated Greek myth or a prophecy waiting to be fulfilled. I’m mortal. I’m human. And I’m here to get Ivy somewhere safe.”

  I wa
s as unconvinced as Hermes. “But you knew about all of that stuff with Hades and I thought-”

  Ryder shook his head and stepped toward me. “I’ve been reading up on the guy. I thought it might throw them off. That’s all.”

  “We’re here to see Della,” Hermes interrupted suddenly. “She has much to tell us.” He turned around and started trudging through thick, golden sand in his once-polished black loafers. The man needed to wear more sensible shoes if he was going to keep popping up on beaches.

  Ryder sidled up next to me. He seemed surprisingly unfazed by the craziness of the last twenty-four hours. “Who’s Della?” he asked.

  “The Oracle of Delphi. She’s like the opposite of the Fates.”

  “Right,” Ryder hummed. “Nix isn’t going to know to find us here?”

  I rubbed at the back of my neck and ignored the unease blossoming in my core. “I have a feeling Nix doesn’t have to chase us anymore. If he knows we’re going to Olympus, can’t he just meet us there?”

  “They don’t have a restraining order on him yet?” Ryder asked dryly.

  I wished. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

  “Of course not.”

  We walked beneath shady palm trees as we made our way inland. My feet were mostly pillowed on rich, warm sand, but every once in a while I would step on a seashell and practically die. God, who knew they could be so painful! I missed my flip flops.

  Sweat had started to bead along my hairline when a pavilion came into view. Golden linen billowed in the breeze, stretched out over thick poles stuck into the sand. The thickest pole stood in the middle of a tiled floor. The tiles were in a mosaic design, alternating a rich blue with creamy white. And overhead, the gilded pieces of fabric tented in the shape of a pinwheel. Each separate piece was tied to a pole and flapped lazily in the slow breeze.

  Fires differentiating in size were spaced out along the perimeter in a perfect circle. Near the center pole stood a smooth stone slab raised up by two oval stones. If I had to guess, I would say it was some kind of altar. Mortars and pestles were spread out on the flat surface, along with what looked like brightly colored paints globbed right onto the stone. Finishing out the odd display were exotic flowers in the same colors as the paints. Vivid purples, oranges, yellows, blues and reds lay in careless heaps, dripping over the rough edge and littering the ground.