“Deal.”
“This is stupid, Lucian.” Jasmine shook her head. “You’re stupid for agreeing to this.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to find Melany. She’d do it for me.”
For a moment there, I thought she was going to say “No she wouldn’t” but she sighed and didn’t say anything else.
“So, how do you take it? A knife?” I raised my arm toward Hecate.
She gently held my arm in both her hands. “You will need to be very still for this.”
Her head twitched and spasmed again, and then it turned, but the opposite way from before. I didn’t know what I was looking at, but it wasn’t a face. It was some horrifying amalgamation of human and animal. Before I could do anything, its maw opened revealing rows of long pointy teeth, some of them like needles, then the jaws snapped shut on my arm and I screamed.
The immediate pain was searing, burning through my skin and flesh. I tried to pummel her head with my other hand, but it was to no avail. She was strong, gripping my arm tight in her claw like hands. I could feel my blood being sucked out of my veins.
Ren, Jasmine and Georgina all rushed toward Hecate, but she immediately let go of my arm, took a step back, I heard the squishy noise of her teeth coming out of my flesh. She raised her hands toward my friends, freezing them in spot. They could no longer move. Only their eyes were left mobile to blink.
The creature snarled and growled, then it shook and spasmed, and Hecate’s original pretty face came back into view. She reached into the clothes that she wore then pulled out a small glass bottle. She put it to her lips, and spit out my blood into the container. My stomach roiled and I nearly retched up the meager meal I had hours ago. When she was done regurgitating my blood, she wiped her mouth with her hand, streaks of red glaring against her pale skin, and slid the bottle back into a pocket in her robe.
“Thank you, Lucian.” She bowed her head, and then waved her hand in the air, releasing Ren, Jasmine and Georgina from their frozen state.
I looked down at my arm, amazed as the holes she bit into my skin knitted back together. There was no longer sharp pain, but a deep throb.
“What the hell was that?” Jasmine growled.
Hecate stepped aside from the tree, and waved her hand toward the entrance. “Hades Hall is down the stairs and through the tunnel.”
I frowned. What stairs?
“Come.” She gestured for us to step into the tree.
Ren grabbed my shoulder. “This doesn’t feel right.”
I shook him off; I was determined to find Melany at any cost. I stepped through the door in the tree, uncaring if the others followed me. After some hesitation, they finally did.
Inside the tree defied the laws of physics. It was as spacious as my dorm room with a small bed, and kitchen and table and chair. Curved along one wall were shelves crammed full with glass bottles and herbs and plants.
Hecate gestured to the floor in the corner. I stepped up to it and peered down into a hole. There were crudely built stairs in the wood and dirt spiraling down into darkness.
“The stairs will take you to a tunnel. There you will be greeted by Orphne, who will guide you the rest of the way.”
“Thank you.” I started down into the hole, cautious that I didn’t slip on the stairs as they weren’t very sturdy. Jasmine followed me in, another ball of fire in her hand to light our way. Georgina came next, then Ren at the last.
I didn’t know how far we descended, but I’d counted the steps in my mind. Eighty-five steps down into the earth. When we reached the bottom it was, as Hecate said, into a dirt tunnel. I was thankful it wasn’t as narrow as I thought it was going to be, as the air down here was stale and thick, not pleasant to breathe in.
I looked at the others. “Anyone claustrophobic?”
They shook their heads.
“No, but I am thirsty,” Georgina said. “And none of us thought to bring a canteen.”
“Hold on.” Ren reached into the air, and then brought his hand down. Cupped inside his hand was a small pool of water. He brought it to Georgina’s mouth. It was a bit awkward but she managed to drink the water he’d captured. “Anyone else?”
I shook my head, as did Jasmine. Then I peered into the pitch black tunnel. “Looks like we’re on our own.” Before we could enter though, I spied a yellow glow in the darkness and it was getting closer by the second.
Eventually the glow manifested itself as a small bald woman, warm yellow light shining through her translucent skin.
“Are you Orphne?”
She nodded, and then gestured for us to follow her into the tunnel.
I asked her a bunch of questions about Hades and his hall as we trudged through the tunnel, but she didn’t answer. She either couldn’t talk, or wouldn’t. Maybe Ren and Jasmine’s reservations were warranted and we were walking into some kind of trap. I wasn’t sure I really cared, as all I wanted was to see Melany. I needed to know she was okay.
After I didn’t know how long—time seemed to be distorted down here, I could feel it move differently—Orphne led us out of the tunnel which opened up into a huge underground cavern and into a marsh. Beyond that I could hear the rush of raging water.
“Where do we go?”
She pointed toward the sound of water, and then she went back into the tunnel which looked to be dug out of the core of the Earth.
Out of nowhere, a sense of dread washed over me. Maybe it was just this place, getting nearer to Hades Hall and Hades himself. I didn’t want to consider that we were walking into something ominous.
We crossed the marsh easily. Moonlight illumined the way, or at least I thought it was moonlight, although when I looked up at the cavern ceiling I didn’t see any breaks in the rock. Then we stood on the shore of a dark raging river that I identified as the river Styx; the barrier between this world and the underworld. Between us and Melany.
“How do we cross it?” Jasmine asked as she stood beside me and looked out over the turbulent water. “Can we swim it?”
I shook my head. “Too wild. We’d get swept downstream and end up Gods know where.” I looked over at Ren. “What do you think? Could you create a path through it?”
“I can try.” Ren took a few steps forward so that the toes of his boots touched the water’s edge. Crouching, he thrusted his hands into the river.
I watched him, as he clamped his eyes shut, his brow furrowing, deeper and deeper, until his eyes snapped open again and he glared out over the water. I didn’t know what I was expecting, the bubbling of the river maybe, the parting of the water, but I didn’t expect what we got—nothing.
Ren stood, shaking his head. “It won’t respond to me.”
I kicked at the rocks on the shore. “Damn it!” I refused to be blocked. I had to get to Melany.
I thought about charging up my hands, but lightning wasn’t going to do anything for us, except maybe get us all electrocuted. Electricity and water were a deadly mixture.
I looked at Georgina. “Can you make us a bridge of some sort?”
She bent down and touched the pebbles that lined the river’s shore. She dug her fingers past them and into the ground. She kept digging, and her brow furrowed like Ren’s had. Eventually she stood. “I can’t either. The ground won’t talk to me.”
I unfurled my wings out from my back, and flapped them once. “We’ll fly over.” I flapped again, but the air felt different here. Thick and constricting. I flapped again, but couldn’t get off the ground. It was like trying to fly through viscous liquid. I guess we weren’t flying anywhere. I folded my wings back.
“Shit!” I pounded my fists against my legs. How could we have come this far, only to be stopped from going any farther? It wasn’t fair. “There has to be a way across!”
Jasmine gripped my arm, and gestured with her head. “Look!”
Across the river, I could see the mouth of a large cave, and something was emerging from it. It was a large black creature with three sets of glowing red eyes.
&nbs
p; “It’s Cerebus,” Georgina said. “Hades guard dog.”
As the creature got closer, I could see someone was riding on top of it. The three-headed dog stopped at the river’s edge, and the person slid down onto the ground. It was Melany. I’d recognize that blue hair anywhere.
My heart jumped into my throat at the sight of her.
Smiling, she waved. “Hey!” Her voice carried across the water and it was like soothing music to my ears.
I waved back. “Blue! We’re here to rescue you!”
“I don’t need rescuing, Lucian.”
Confused, I quickly glanced at Jasmine. She was frowning just as hard as I was. “Mel, you’ve been gone for a long time. You should come back with us.”
“I’m exactly where I need to be, Jas. I’m learning so much.”
“Blue…?”
“I’m okay. I promise. Don’t worry about me.”
I didn’t understand. Surely, she wanted to come back to the academy. To be with her friends, to be with me.
“I want to be here. I want to train with Hades. He’s not who you think he is. Zeus and Poseidon lie about him.”
I glanced at the others, wondering if they were buying this. The looks on their faces matched mine—confusion, sorrow.
“Go back to the academy. Don’t come for me again.”
“Blue!” I took a few steps forward, the river gushing over my boots. I could feel it pulling at me, trying to take me down. But I wouldn’t let it. “I…I love you. Please come back with us.”
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting in return. A declaration of her love for me probably, but all I got was a smile and another wave. Then she climbed back onto Cerebus and the big creature turned and lumbered back into the cave.
I felt Ren’s hand on my shoulder. “Come on, let’s go back.”
I didn’t say anything, just stared out over the river at Cerebus’s retreating back.
Jasmine put her hand on my arm, and tugged me out of the water. “She’s made her choice, Lucian. I don’t understand it, but she probably has a reason for it.”
I stepped away from the river, and turned around. I started across the marsh. The others fell in step with me. No one spoke, which I was grateful for. I had no words for this crushing feeling inside. I didn’t think I could explain it to anyone, so I didn’t try.
Head down, I concentrated on my steps, and not on the despair that rolled over me.
Chapter Ten
MELANY
I bolted straight up in bed, sweat covering my body, and my heart hammering in my chest. I took in a few gasping breaths as the remnants of my nightmare still lingered in my mind. I scrubbed at my face with my hands trying to brush the horrifying images away.
I’d dreamt about Lucian, Jasmine, Georgina and Ren. They were standing on the opposite shore of the Styx River, shouting my name. Then the dark water started to bubble and boil. From the swirling river, a large black creature emerged. It was Cerebus. Growling and gnashing his teeth, he leaned down and tore at my friends. Blood and body parts spewed into the air. I saw Lucian’s throat torn open. Their collective screams still echoed in my ears and I shuddered violently.
The worst part of the nightmare was that I rode on top of Cerebus, laughing at it all. My stomach roiled over and I thought I might get sick.
I tossed aside the blanket, and rolled out of the bed. When I stood, my legs wobbled a little, but I forced myself to walk into the bathroom. At the sink, I filled it with ice cold water then dunked my face into it. I stayed submersed until my skin stung from the biting cold then went numb.
I refused to stay a prisoner any longer. I wanted to see my friends.
After I dried my face, I put on the black robe over my pajamas, and then marched out of my room and down the corridor. I was going to find Hades and demand to be allowed to return to the academy. The thing was I had no idea which door led to his room.
I checked the library first, but he wasn’t there. Then I looked in the dining room, also empty. Just in case, I went into the training studio. It was also empty, or at least I think it was. I heard some rustling up near the ceiling, so it was highly possible the Furies were perched up on a ledge. Did they sleep there? Weird.
That left two rooms to check.
I tried the door that was right across from my bedroom. It was locked. I jiggled the handle over and over, hoping if he was in there that he’d get annoyed enough to come open the door. But that didn’t work and it stayed locked. I marched across the corridor to the other closed door. I tried it and it too was locked.
“Damn it.” But I refused to give up.
If using the shadows to get past the main doors worked, I could do it here. Looking for a deep shadow near the door, I found one, and quickly stepped into it before I lost my nerve. I reached out with my hands and gathered more of the darkness around me, until I was completely shrouded in the gloom and the corridor faded.
I could feel the change in the air, the buoyancy of it. Like floating in salt water. Taking in a breath, I moved through the darkness trusting that I was going the right way. After a few steps, I searched the shadows for a pinpoint of light. I found it, moved toward it, and then stepped out into another room.
It was a bedroom suite similar to mine, but twice the size. Of course Hades would have a bedroom the size of an entire floor in a castle. The room was dimly lit by a low fire crackling in the hearth. It cast a warm orange glow over all the furniture and bookshelves and the canopied bed on the far side.
I marched over to it. The dark curtains were drawn around the bed, so I didn’t know for sure if he was there, but I think it was safe to make the assumption. I felt odd confronting him in his bedroom. I was a bit uncomfortable with the fact that he could be sleeping naked or even have a companion under the sheets with him.
But it still didn’t stop me from gripping one of the drapes and yanking it aside.
He was there, lying on the bed, fully clothed thank the Gods, eyes closed, his hands resting on top of his chest. He looked dead. Like Dracula asleep in his coffin. It was a bit unsettling looking down at him.
Then his eyes blinked open and I jumped back.
“If you had a bad dream, you can’t sleep with me. It would be inappropriate.” He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why are you here? In my bedroom at this late hour?” One eyebrow went up with amused curiosity.
Something pricked at my mind and I frowned at him. “How did you know I had a bad dream?”
“Lucky guess.” He got to his feet and scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Is that why you’re here then?”
“I demand to return to the academy.”
He brushed past me and walked over to the wooden stand near the fireplace. He picked up a glass decanter of water I assumed and poured some in a glass. Lifting the decanter, he glanced at me. “Do you want some water?”
“No.” Then remembering myself. “Thank you.”
He drank the water, and then turned to me. “You woke me up to demand to return to the academy?”
“Yes.”
“Do you wish to go now in the middle of the night while everyone is sleeping?”
“No. But I didn’t want to wait until you disappeared somewhere like you do sometimes when I’m training. I thought it was best to catch you by surprise, so I could tell you what I wanted.”
He made a face. “Okay, you’ve told me. Now can I go back to bed?” He yawned and stretched.
I took a couple steps toward him. We were no more than a foot apart. I could smell the spiced cologne he always wore. It was light and subtle and pleasant. He grinned as if he knew what I was thinking. The light from the fire danced in his dark eyes and I shivered.
I cleared my suddenly clogged throat. “I want your word that you’ll let me return to the academy tomorrow.”
His gaze travelled my face, spent too much time lingering on my mouth for my liking, then came back t
o my eyes, looking deep inside. “You can return to train, they are doing a mock war game tomorrow, then you must come back here.”
“Why can’t I stay up top for a few days? I could stay in—,”
“No. It’s out of the question. It’s not how it works, Melany.” He moved to the fire, picked the poker and stoked the flames. “Every cadet must stay in their assigned clan.”
“Why? What’s going to happen if we don’t? Is the world going to fall apart?” I knew I was pushing him, but I was tired of the rules. I hated rules.
“It’s how it’s done. In a past age, it wasn’t like that, but now under Zeus’s lightning fist…” He poked the fire again. “If we want to stay, we have to play.”
“What do you mean a past age? How old is the academy? I thought it was just over a hundred years.”
“Too many questions. You’re giving me a headache.” He put the poker away and turned to look at me. “You can have your day at the academy with your friends. Be happy with that.” His eyes flashed again, but it wasn’t from the fire in the hearth.
He frightened me. I wasn’t going to lie to myself and say he didn’t. But I wasn’t going to let him continually push me around. So I didn’t back up when he moved toward me, knowing he wanted me to. I stood my ground.
“Don’t push me, Melany. I’ve given you a lot of leeway since your arrival, don’t make me put on the restraints.”
“Fine. You can go back to sleep now.” I turned and marched toward the door.
“Good night, Melany. Have sweet dreams.”
I froze in the doorway. I turned to look at him. He gave me a wink and my blood ran cold.
I continued out of his room, and quickly returned to mine. I climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to my chin. Although I was still tired, I didn’t think I could go back to sleep. Hades had sent me that dream, I was sure of it. And now that I got in his face, I feared what he’d send me next.
Chapter Eleven
MELANY
When the wake-up bell rang, I was already awake, sitting up in bed staring into the darkness, anxious to see my friends. I jumped out of bed, did all my washing, and then went into my closet to get dressed. It shouldn’t have surprised me to see only one outfit hanging in my closet, all the rest of the clothes vanished. Hades was obviously very concerned about appearances and didn’t trust me to make the best decision about that.
Demigods Academy - Year Two Page 7