“Why only that?”
“Things from Hades cannot leave,” she explained. “If you were to take something from here into your system, it would become part of you and you would have to stay.”
“Has that ever happened to anyone?” I asked nervously as she touched the stones.
“It is how Hades tricked his wife Persephone into staying.”
“Oh,” I said softly.
She stepped back from the blockade and it opened up to us, revealing a shimmering river. We stepped through the entrance and walked down the bank to a waiting boat, heat much worse than home’s slapping me in the face.
As soon as we both sat in our ferry, it began to move over the water on its own, heading to an unknown destination.
“You’re sure I’ll be able to leave here fine?” I asked again nervously.
“That depends on if Hades would like you to stay,” she said mysteriously.
“What?” I shrieked.
“I will protect you,” she reassured with a smile.
After some time, I finally could see a huge palace at the end of the river, swallowing the water up. It appeared that several other rivers fed into it, including one of fire.
“Is that where the heat comes from?” I asked, trying to think of anything but how scared I was.
“Part of it,” she said, nodding.
My heart hammered harder as we glided smoothly under the first wall and were greeted by guards all in black.
“Athena,” one said in a surprised voice.
“Calm yourself, Hades knows we are here. It won’t be longer than needed.”
“I will inform the others,” he said in a commanding voice, motioning to his fellow workers.
“No one can leave permanently unless Hades gives his permission,” she explained to me as we continued on. “Only Gods are free to come and go as they choose, once he grants them access.”
I swallowed the lump that kept reappearing in my throat and looked forward, praying that I would make it out in one piece.
As we rounded another bend in the river, everything opened up before us and we came out from under the castle. The other rivers ended here as well, creating not only a massive heat wave, but also a confusion of pathways to the only land in sight.
There were people everywhere I looked. Some of them sat at the edge of the dirt and rocks, other standing ankle deep in the water. Everyone looked so . . . empty. Was this really all there was after life?
As my gaze swept over the numbers around us, I caught a glimpse of familiar face, trudging further back into the crowd.
“Dad?” I called.
“Let him be, Audrey,” Athena warned. “He’s been here a long time. He won’t remember you.”
“That was my dad though!” I argued.
“Leave him alone,” she commanded again as we came ashore. “We are here to see one person only.”
“Why is my dad in Hell? He was one of the greatest people I know!”
“Everyone who dies comes here,” she said like it was common knowledge. “Those who have the money to pay to cross the river stay on this island.”
“Money?” I asked, confused, still watching his back as he went further away.
“It could be as simple as a dime in their pocket at the time of their passing,” she said with a shrug. “Not everyone has it though.”
“Where do they go?” I asked, losing sight of him.
“Somewhere else.”
I looked at her, disbelief and confusion written on my face.
“What about Heaven? And why would they forget who they are?”
“So many questions,” she sighed. “We don’t have time for them. Suffice it to say, this is where the dead roam. Once you’ve been dead long enough, you remember only this place.”
“I don’t understand,” I argued.
“It is time for what we came for,” she said as we came ashore.
I gave her one last burning look before turning back to the crowd in front of me.
As I stepped out onto the soil, I was instantly crowded by the dead, all of them reaching out to touch me.
“Move forward and they will leave you alone,” Athena said, stepping out herself.
“That’s easy for you to say,” I said, swatting away a hand. “They won’t even come near you.”
She had a wide circle around her—apparently they were afraid to touch her at all.
“I am a Goddess,” she stated. “They know better.”
She strode over to me, the bodies scrambling out of the way, and grabbed my hand, propelling me forward with her.
“We do not have much time,” she said.
“What are we rushing back to?” I asked confused.
“The longer you are here the better chance you have of being stuck. I am confident we will be fine, but I don’t want to risk it.”
“Great,” I mumbled, panic rising up once again.
We walked for several minutes before I finally saw someone I recognized.
“John!” I called out, happy tears suddenly spilling from my eyes.
I broke free of Athena’s hold, running towards my dear, sweet husband.
He turned around, surprised, just in time to catch me as I jumped into his arms, showering his face with kisses and crying.
“Oh, John. My John!” I sobbed. “I thought I was never going to see you again. I’ve missed you so much, John. Say something so I can hear your voice again, please!”
He set me back on the ground and held me out to look at me, confusion on his face.
“Do I know you?”
My heart shattered into a million pieces.
“I’m. . . I’m your wife—Audrey. You remember me, don’t you?” I couldn’t breathe, my chest hurt so bad. To come all this way and have him not remember me was like I’d died for real.
“Audrey,” he said slowly, testing the feel of it. “Audrey . . . my wife, Audrey. My wife! Audrey Willis!”
He wrapped his arms around me in a crushing hug and laughed.
“Audrey. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see you,” I laughed through my tears.
“I’m sorry, I have a hard time remembering my reincarnations,” he said. “My name was John, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I laughed again pulling back but still holding his hands. “You look so good!”
“So do you!” He beamed at me, excitement plain.
“Odysseus,” Athena said, nodding her head in greeting.
“Great Goddess,” he said, breaking away and bowing.
“Odysseus,” I laughed. “You’re my John, no matter what anyone says.”
“Oh, Audrey,” he said, hugging me again and planting a kiss on my forehead. “I am Odysseus. I remember that very plainly here. It is part of my curse.”
“I don’t care,” I said, wiping away my tears. “I’m just happy to be with you again.”
“You seem different,” he said, looking me over.
“She has fallen in love with Poseidon,” Athena said.
“No, I didn’t!” I rushed. “I would never—I love you.” I frowned, remembering everything that had happened since he left.
“I’m so sorry,” I cried. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have even spent time with him.”
“Audrey,” he laughed, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. “Why are you so upset?”
“I kissed another man,” I sobbed. “I let him sleep in my bed. I even thought that I was falling in love with him! But I don’t want anyone but you.”
“Audrey,” he said softly, as if trying to remember. “I was happy with you, yes?”
“I thought so,” I asserted, nodding.
“John loved you,” he said slowly. “But we were not soul mates.”
“What do you mean?” I asked tearfully.
“I mean, you and I were in love and happy. I remember very well now how much I loved you. But we are not soul mates.”
“How can you love someone so much
and not be soul mates?”
“My first wife—Penelope—is my soul mate,” he explained, wiping away my tears as I cried harder.
“So I don’t matter at all?” I couldn’t believe that I was finally with my husband again and he was tossing me out into the wind.
“Of course you did,” he laughed. “Just because we aren’t soul mates doesn’t mean we loved each other any less. But think though; how does Poseidon make you feel?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said bitterly.
“It does though. I imagine he puts your emotions in a spin? Makes you feel so happy at one moment and so mad at the next?”
“Yes,” I agreed haltingly.
“That is because you are his soul mate.”
“What?” I questioned, yanking away in shock.
“Your emotions match his—like waves in the ocean. That’s why you always felt so unstable around him. As I look back, it makes sense. You are perfect for him.”
“Do not say that!” I yelled, tears splashing onto the ground around me. “I was married to you! I love you!”
“I know you do,” he acknowledged, smiling. “And I love you. But it’s not the same as finding your soul mate.
“Penelope makes me feel all those things and more. I have never experienced such joy and such anger as when I was with her. Think about it, Audrey. You feel the same way for Poseidon. It doesn’t mean you love me any less. It means that you can be happy again, something I want for you.”
“But what about you?” I cried, so many feelings swirling inside me.
“I have my Penelope.” He smiled and gestured behind him. “She is somewhere here. Whenever I die, I come and find her and we are together again. ”Unfortunately, she did something to anger Persephone a long time ago and that is why I keep getting reincarnated—to punish my soul mate by taking me away from her.”
“I don’t think I can do this,” I said tearfully. “I want you, not Sy.”
“That’s what you think,” he argued. “Because you have never given yourself the chance to truly let go and love him fully. Do it, Audrey,” he urged. “You will understand what I’m talking about.”
“I can’t,” I cried.
“You can!” He pulled me into another bone crushing hug. “Let yourself feel that bond. Let go of the past and move forward.”
“We were going to have a baby,” I sobbed. “Am I just supposed to forget everything we went through together?”
“Your past makes you who you are,” he said softly. “Don’t banish it, grow from it.”
“We must leave,” Athena spoke up.
“No!” I cried out.
“It will be okay, Audrey,” he comforted me, rubbing my back. “You’ll see.”
“Don’t make me go,” I sobbed. “Don’t send me to where you aren’t.”
“I will always be with you.” He smiled and released me, stepping backwards.
“Please, John. Don’t go.”
“Go to your soul mate, Audrey,” he said, slipping into the crowd of people around us. “Tell him you love him—because you do, even if you don’t believe it.”
And then he was gone. I felt the same as I did when I’d first learned of his passing.
“He didn’t even want me,” I gasped tearfully. “He couldn’t wait to pass me off to someone else.”
“That’s not what I heard,” Athena came to his defense. “I heard a man telling a woman he loved to find happiness.”
“I guess,” I shrugged, my face still getting soaked. “That’s not what it feels like.”
“Sometimes things are better meant that said?” she suggested.
I stood in the same spot, looking at where he had disappeared. I wanted to run to him, to hear him say that I was the only one he loved, and proclaim that no one would ever separate us again.
“Is he happy?” I asked tearfully.
“Wouldn’t you be, if you were with your soul mate?”
Was Sy my soul mate? I couldn’t even think of him right now. He wasn’t who I thought he was—not even the murderer of my husband. I cringed when I realized he still would have been if Athena hadn’t stepped in. Either way, I had lost my life. It hadn’t felt like I was really back to normal until Sy came around.
“Can we go?” I asked, frustrated. “I can’t think straight down here.”
“Of course,” she said, turning and walking back to our boat.
I made sure to follow her closely to avoid more grabbing, my head reeling from the events of the day.
“You’re the Goddess of Wisdom,” I said, turning to her as we began to move away from shore. “What do you think of all this?”
“I think that love is a tricky business.”
“Of course you do,” I sighed, turning to face the front.
“I also think that I have never seen anyone so matched for Poseidon, or he them.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
The rest of our boating trip was made in silence, as I relived our conversation over and over again. My heart hurt. My own husband had cast me off. To say I hadn’t been expecting him to do that was an understatement.
We reached land again and I got out of the boat without saying a word, heading for the opening in the wall.
“Wait!” A panicked voice called out behind me.
I turned and saw Hades running along the shore after us, something obviously wrong.
“What is it?” Athena asked, shock on her own face.
“Poseidon is dying,” he said breathlessly.
Chapter Seventeen
“I don’t understand,” I panted as I rushed through the tunnels of the cave behind the two Gods. “You can die?”
“Only if stabbed by a blade dipped in the River Styx,” Hades said. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on it since our nice family reunion last year.”
“Huh?”
“Are all of the Titans accounted for?” Athena asked, ignoring me.
“Yes!” Hades growled.
“Wait!” I said, stopping in my tracks. “No they’re not!”
“What are you talking about?” Hades huffed, turning to face me.
“I just spoke to one today. Her name was . . . um . . .”
“Spit it out already,” he ordered, obviously not wanting to waste any more time.
“Mnemosyne!”
“If one has escaped Tartarus, all of them could be loose,” Athena warned.
“Shut up,” Hades said, turning on her. “I do my job just fine. Besides, you know as well as I do that Mnemosyne sticks to herself.”
“She said she was there to punish Sy,” I interrupted them quietly, afraid of how he would take it.
Hades rolled his eyes before turning and punching the wall, bits of stone breaking off from the impact.
“It could be any one of them,” he growled. “If we stand around much longer though, it won’t matter. He’ll be gone.”
I felt a pang in my heart and my eyes prickled with tears as I realized how bad this really was.
“Will he end up here, if that happens?” I asked with a shaky voice.
“No,” Hades said quickly.
“When a God dies, they are gone forever,” Athena sadly informed me. “We are not like mortals. What we have now is everything.”
A heavy silence fell on us as we continued on, following the twists and turns of the rocks around us. Frustration boiled inside me—we were going in circles! All I could think of was how I was losing Sy, just like I’d lost John.
I was angry with him, more than he probably deserved. He had done things I couldn’t—wouldn’t—condone. On top of everything, he was mostly responsible for the destruction of my family. The only thing he hadn’t done was the actual deed I’d hated him so much for.
I was afraid of losing him in spite of all those things. It was one thing to know he was out there somewhere and another to think of him gone forever, no chance to reconcile.
Do I want that? To make up and go on like nothing ever went wrong?
I bit my lip and looked up from the ground I’d been intently staring at, making sure not to trip.
Panic seized me as I looked at the empty space around me. Hades and Athena had disappeared without even saying anything.
“Hello?” I called out nervously, feeling like a thousand eyes were watching me. “Where did you go?”
I ran back the way I’d come, my heart rate picking up at an alarming speed.
“Hello?” I called again. Was I imagining the faces peering around corners at me?
My breath was coming in short gasps as I turned every which way, unsure of where to go and what lay in wait for me.
“Audrey,” a voice gasped behind me.
I yelped, turning around to see a soaking wet Hades, coughing up water on the ground.
“What happened?” I asked, my heart still in my throat.
“You need to get out there,” he said, straightening and reaching out for my hand.
“Out where?!”
“Trust me,” he said gruffly, grabbing my arm and yanking me forward.
“Don’t freak out,” he said, shoving me towards the very solid wall next to him.
“Wait,” I yelled, trying to hold onto him.
“No time.”
He shoved me forward and I snapped my eyes shut, preparing to ram right into the rocks. A scream ripped from my throat and suddenly I was standing knee deep in water, wind whipping my hair all over the place.
I squinted, trying to see through my tresses as they attacked my face. Dark skies greeted me from up above, a tropical beach in front me. There was no other person in sight—I wasn’t even sure if anyone lived here.
The water around me was shrinking away quickly, heading out to sea. I whipped around, holding my hair back, and froze in terror at the wall of water growing at an alarming rate behind me. Instinct picked my feet up and pointed me towards shore, eyes searching for any higher ground I could find.
I sunk into the dry sand, slowing my progress much more than I would have liked while the water continued to rise behind me. There was nothing I saw that was high enough to escape what was about to happen.
I ran into the tree line, palm fronds slapping me as the foliage was whipped around in the air. Some palms had already fallen, leaving me with hardly any path to run on.
The roar of water filled my ears as I jumped over a fallen trunk, looking for a tree I could climb and hold onto—praying it would hold its ground once I did.
Poseidon (The God Chronicles) Page 13