Apollyon (Covenant #4)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  The guards stopped and, without any words, dropped onto one knee and lowered their heads. A second later, the floor-to-ceiling gold and titanium doors next to the thrones swung open. Even though Hades was supposed to be in Olympus, I fully expected the god to come strolling through the doors, ready to toss the three of us into the fiery pits of Tartarus.

  Weak in the knees, I forced myself to keep my eyes trained forward. Sentinels didn’t feel fear… my rosy half-blood butt.

  But as the figure drew nearer, I knew it wasn’t Hades. It wasn’t even a guy. It was a female—and it was a goddess.

  She was beautiful—tall, damn near seven feet. Waves of curly red hair fell to an impossibly narrow waist. Her eyes were all white, cheekbones high, lips plump, and nose pert.

  And she was practically naked.

  Her white gown was gauzy and completely see-through. I got a good idea of her bra size… if she’d been wearing one, which she wasn’t. Underwear must be optional down here.

  Aiden was staring. So was Caleb, although he looked like he was quite used to all this… woman on display. Hell, even I was staring.

  She crossed the great hall, her long legs parting the chiffon of her skirt, playing peekaboo. Dear gods, I felt my cheeks start to burn, but I still couldn’t look away. As she neared, her all-white eyes flared, and then dimmed. Two bright, emerald-colored eyes appeared.

  Caleb relaxed beside me, a slow smile creeping across his handsome face—the face I’d missed so much. “Hello, Persephone.”

  My eyes widened on the beautiful goddess. So this was the infamous Persephone. Even though I was Team Boy, I could see why Hades had become so enamored with her, going as far as to pluck her away and bring her down to the Underworld.

  The first guard, not the one who’d cut Aiden, lifted his head. “We apprehended them as you wished.”

  “Apprehended” was so not a warm and fuzzy word.

  “You three look surprised.” Persephone’s lush lips were tilted with mischief. “These are my personal guards and they’ve been keeping an eye out for you. I’ve been expecting you.”

  “How?” I asked, stunned.

  Persephone smiled. “Caleb and I play Super Mario Kart every day at one, and when he cancelled on me I knew something was up.”

  I looked at Caleb slowly.

  He shrugged. “It’s not my fault she’s observant.”

  “And very bored when my husband is in Olympus. Caleb keeps me company.”

  I so hoped it was the platonic type of company, because Hades wasn’t known for his forgiving nature.

  “Guards, you may leave us now.” When they hesitated, she laughed. “I am fine. Please leave and do not speak of this to anyone.”

  One by one, they filed out of the room, sword guy eyeing Aiden like he wanted to slice his other cheek. Aiden held his stare as a smirk crossed his lips.

  Men. Sigh.

  Once the palace doors closed behind them, Persephone clapped her hands together. “I asked a few questions of a little nymph who had come into the Underworld just a few days ago—one of Apollo’s nymphs. And it doesn’t take a weather scientist to figure out it had something to do with his lineage.”

  “It’s rocket scientist,” Caleb corrected as he tugged down his hood and pulled off his cap.

  She frowned. “Anyway, I figured it had something to do with you… and I had a choice. Call my husband and he’d come rushing home, but then he’d be in a tizzy, and he’s such a pain like that. Or I could just find out what you guys needed. I’m sure it will prove very interesting.”

  Aiden shifted beside me, clearly caught as off-guard as I was. I glanced at Caleb and whispered, “Can we trust her?”

  Caleb nodded. “She’s pretty cool, and actually this makes my job so much easier.”

  The goddess raised a delicate eyebrow. “Do tell?”

  “I need to see the Calling Waters.”

  Calling Waters? I had never heard of such a thing, and from the look on Aiden’s face, neither had he.

  “And why would you need to use the Calling Waters?” she asked, folding slender arms under her breasts, like she needed help drawing attention to them. “If you would like to see someone, Caleb, you only have to ask.”

  “I know.” He dropped an arm over my shoulders, and the gaping hole that had been there since he’d died filled. “But it’s not for me. It’s for them. They need to use it.”

  Persephone was quiet for a long moment. “Who do they wish to call upon?”

  “Solaris,” I answered. The Calling Waters suddenly made sense—call a soul to you. “We need to talk to Solaris.”

  “Because of what is happening topside with the First?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  Her bright gaze slid to Caleb. “And what did you plan to do? Sneak them in here to use it?”

  “That was the plan.”

  The goddess shook her head. “If my husband were home and you were to do something so unwise, I would not be able to stay his hand.”

  A shiver danced down my spine. The last thing I wanted was for Caleb to get into eternal-damnation-type trouble.

  “I know,” Caleb replied, squeezing my shoulders. “But they are worth the risk, and Solaris could possibly hold information to stop the First. And that’s what Hades wants, right? That’s what the gods want?”

  “Most of them,” she murmured, her gaze slipping back to me, and then to Aiden. “But not all, it appears.”

  Something struck me. “Do you know who the god is—the one who’s helping Seth and Lucian?”

  She picked a glossy red curl and twirled it around one elegant finger. “If I knew such a thing, then that god would be taken care of. But I am rarely on Olympus and have little interest in the politics of who pissed off whom enough to end the world as we know it this time around.”

  Aiden cleared his throat. “This happens quite a bit, then?”

  Persephone smiled, and when she smiled, even I lost my breath. “More than you will ever know. The world has been on the brink of total devastation several times over for one reason or another. But now… it is like when we faced the Titans. It has gone beyond a few pretty words used to gloss over a perceived insult.” She let out a little sigh. “But anyway, I have very little to do, and if this Solaris can be of some help to you, then she will be of some help to my husband. Follow me.”

  As she turned gracefully on her heel, I was too shocked to move at first. Persephone helping us was not something I’d planned on.

  Aiden smiled. “This is good.”

  “Way good.” I turned to Caleb. “You rock.”

  “I know.” He pulled me in for a quick, tight hug. “Missed you.”

  Holding him close, I swallowed the happy tears. “I missed you, too.”

  Caleb kissed the top of my head, and then pulled away. “Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  The three of us followed behind the goddess. Poor Aiden was trying to look everywhere but at her, but underneath it all, he was a guy. Strangely, I wasn’t jealous—probably more amused than anything else, because he was doing his hardest to keep his eyes north.

  Slipping my hand around his, I squeezed. When his gaze flicked to mine, I grinned and he gave me a lopsided smile of apology.

  As we headed down a long, dark hallway covered with black velvet tapestries, Caleb watched Aiden and me, a strange look on his face.

  “What?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “You guys are really doing this—the relationship, out in the open and all?”

  Aiden’s hand wrapped more firmly around mine. “I think right now the world has bigger problems than a pure and a half being in love.”

  My heart did a happy dance at the last part. Just hearing him say that—the L-word—could chase away all the dark shadows and expectations.

  Persephone’s throaty chuckle drifted back to us. “Isn’t that the truth? Besides, they are not the first, nor the last.”

  Caleb’s sky-blue eyes settled on Aiden. “
And you’re not going to try to hide the relationship once everything settles down?”

  The challenge in his tone had me smiling.

  “Not going to happen,” Aiden told him. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll find a way.”

  “Good.” Caleb’s eyes hardened. “Because if you do her wrong, I will haunt your ass until you die.”

  I burst into laughter and so did Aiden, even though we both knew Caleb was being serious. Letting go of Aiden’s hand, I wrapped my arm around Caleb. “That won’t be necessary.”

  The goddess stopped in front of a bronze door. With a wave of her hand, it sprang open. Good thing she was helping us out, because I had no idea how Caleb would’ve pulled that off.

  At the rush of cold air, we stepped into the circular chamber. There were so many weapons on the wall - battle axes, spears, swords, and pikes. There were morbid items too, like the heads of long-forgotten animals slaughtered in the hunt and an entire section dedicated to cutoff ponytails.

  I cleared my throat. “Nice… room.”

  “It’s Hades’ war room.” Awe filled Aiden’s tone. “Damn.”

  “The weapons are my husband’s, but…” Persephone slid a dismissive glance around the war room. “These are mostly Ares’ trophies, not my beloved’s. Hades does have a tendency to swing a little on the morbid side, but the hair…” She gestured at the sheared ponytails tacked onto the wall. “Those belong to Ares. He likes to cut the hair of those he’s conquered and then strings them up for all to see. It disturbs most of the other gods, so he keeps them here.”

  Caleb’s brows rose. “Nice decorative touch, I guess.”

  There was something eerily familiar about the hair. Not the whole cutting it off and hanging it on walls, because, thank the gods, that was strange to me. But there was something that poked at my memory.

  “You know Ares,” Persephone said, drawing us further into the war room. “To him, everything is about war and its spoils. Peace practically emasculates him. He believes one should never turn his back on war…” She trailed off and gave a dainty shrug. “He should be thrilled now, with everything on the brink.”

  “He’s probably a happy camper,” Caleb said, sliding a WTF glance my way.

  I shrugged, but that weird sensation was there, nagging at me. Did Persephone mean never turn their back on Ares, a.k.a. “Mr. War,” or just on war itself?

  “Here we are.” She stopped in front of a marble pedestal. Demonic faces were etched into the marble of the basin and ruby-red water filled it. “All you have to do is stand before it and call for the soul you wish to speak to—any soul—and they will be summoned here.”

  “Any soul?” My breath caught as an image of my mother filled my head.

  “Yes, but I can only allow you to use it once. So choose wisely.” Persephone giggled. “I feel like I’m in Indian James and the Lost Ark.”

  Aiden cast his gaze to the floor, jaw flexing to hide his grin.

  Caleb rolled his eyes. “It’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

  “Oh.” She shrugged. “Same thing.”

  My gaze dipped to the basin. My mom’s name was on the tip of my tongue, and I knew without looking at Aiden that he was thinking about his parents. Either of us would probably give anything to see them, especially after how wrong the spirits had been at the portal.

  Persephone’s gaze turned knowing. “Ah, the chance to see a loved one is a hard one to pass over.”

  “You would know,” Aiden said quietly.

  Her smile slowly faded. “I would. Perhaps some find me selfish for the decisions I have made and the impact they have had.”

  Recalling the myth of Persephone, I shook my head. “No. You were smart. You made sure that both could have you—Hades and your mom.”

  If she felt smug for how it all turned out in the end, the whole splitting of time and the seasons, she didn’t show it—surprising, since the gods weren’t a humble bunch of folks.

  Turning back to the basin, she clasped her hands in front of her. “It is time to make your choice, and then you must leave.”

  I looked at Aiden, who nodded. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, reflecting what I knew shone in mine. Caleb placed his hand on my shoulder. As much as I wanted to see my mom, as much as I wanted to gift Aiden with the chance to see his parents, neither of us could be that selfish.

  Stepping up to the basin, I stared into the still red water that reminded me of blood. Actually, it was thick like blood, and there was a faint metallic scent. Ew.

  A second passed, and then I said, “Solaris.”

  Nothing happened at first, and then the water rippled as if I had blown a soft breath upon it. Part of me expected her face to appear in the basin, but the water settled again. Then there was a sudden fissure of energy that crawled up the walls and rolled over the floors. Tiny hairs on my body rose and a shudder worked its way across me. There was a soft gasp of surprise and I turned.

  Solaris had arrived.

  CHAPTER 26

  When I’d stepped into the Underworld, I really hadn’t known what to expect. The same could be said for Solaris. I’d really had no clue, and still I was blown away.

  Solaris stood directly in front of Caleb and she looked a lot better than I’d thought she would. For some reason, I’d expected that she and the First would be serving it up in Tartarus, but her white gown was pristine and intact. Silvery-blonde hair, long and wispy, settled over thin shoulders. She was tall and willowy and her eyes were like mine—a bright amber color. Her delicate, porcelain features reminded me of a frail, exotic flower, which I hadn’t been expecting. Maybe I was rocking one hell of an ego or something, but I’d thought she’d look like me.

  She was the complete opposite of me.

  Solaris looked around the room, her pale brows rising as she took in where she was. Surprise and a little bit of fear flitted across her face, but when her eyes landed on me, a keen understanding seeped into those ashen eyes. A sense of familiarity washed over me, mirrored in her expression.

  Striding forward, Solaris stopped a mere foot from me, her head tilted inquisitively. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “You are the Apollyon.”

  There wasn’t much time for me to figure out how she knew what I was. “I’m one of them.”

  Another flicker of surprise shot across her face, quickly followed by sorrow. “So there are two again?”

  I nodded.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “And neither of these are he. I can tell. One of them is dead. One of them is a pure-blood.”

  I ignored Caleb’s offended look. “No. The First isn’t here.”

  Solaris faced me, brows knitted. “You have Awakened. I can see the marks of the Apollyon.”

  “You can?” I glanced down, surprised to find that my visible skin was all marked up. I hadn’t even felt them.

  “How can you be Awakened and not be with the First? You are not dead.”

  Yet. “It’s complicated. That’s why we’ve come to talk to you.”

  “Oh.” The sorrow deepened and her lashes swept down. “He is like mine?”

  Everyone in the room, even Persephone, was fixated on Solaris, but she seemed wholly unaware of them now. I took a breath and fought the sudden tightening in my throat. The grief rolling off Solaris was palpable.

  “Yes.” My voice sounded hoarse. “He’s like yours.”

  Twisting away, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Then there is nothing that I can do for you.”

  I stared at her. “But we haven’t asked anything.”

  “If he has lost himself to the aether, to the call of akasha, there is nothing to be done.” Her chin tipped down, causing her hair to slip forward, shielding her face. “And there is nothing to be done for you. I tried… but the power transferred.”

  “Wait.” I stepped toward, pushing down on the frustration roaring inside me. “I haven’t transferred my power to him. He’s only the Apollyon. Not the God Killer.”

  Solaris sti
ffened. “That’s not possible.”

  “It is. I haven’t been near him since I Awakened. There is something about the aether and akasha with him, but he’s still just the Apollyon.” I paused, drawing in a long breath. “I need to know how to stop the transfer.”

  She remained quiet.

  “And I think—I know—that you know how to do it.”

  Her head swung toward me. “There is no way. I blocked that knowledge so no other Apollyon could learn it.”

  “Well… I saw something when I Awakened. You turned to him, tried to stop him. You knew how, but the Order found you first.”

  Solaris laughed a dry, brittle laugh. “Is that what history tells you?”

  I glanced at the goddess, figuring she’d know, but she looked as confused as I felt. “But I saw it—”

  “Did you? The Awakening is what the previous Apollyons wish for you to see. At the moment of your death, when it does come, you will implant your memories. Some of them may be as you wished to see them, but not how they truly existed.”

  Well… daimon butt. Did Seth know that? “What happened, then?”

  Her lashes swept down again. “When I first met him, he wasn’t like he was in the end. He was a beautiful, kind man who just happened to be the Apollyon.” A small, sad smile pulled at her lips. “We really didn’t understand any of it. We were the first to exist in the same generation. He didn’t even understand why he came to find me. It was like he was drawn and I didn’t understand what was happening when I Awakened. The pain… I thought I was dying.”

  I winced, unable to imagine going through that without Aiden and without any knowledge of what was happening.

  “But when we met, it was like it was destined. For many months, we got… we got to know each other. I do not think even the gods knew what could happen.” A distant look crept into her eyes, not quite overshadowing a pain that still hadn’t healed. “He seemed to grow more powerful the longer we were around each other, able to harness akasha with little effort, and he would not grow tired. But he was more unstable. Never toward me, but I knew… I knew that it was because of me. There was a situation…”