by J. N. Colon
I swallowed hard as a lump rose in my throat. Were Hayden and I simply doomed to be ripped apart?
A coolness drifted through the air, prickling my flesh and forcing a shiver down my spine. I glanced around my room and found a ghost staring at pictures tapped to the mirror above my dresser. I’d seen the same delicate strawberry blonde teenager in my room before, admiring my things without ever noticing me. A blank expression rested on her gossamer appearance.
That was exactly how I felt—blank, incorporeal, and empty. Hayden had brought warmth back into my life and it disappeared the moment he was taken.
I leaned up on my elbows. “Hey. Can you hear me?”
The girl didn’t break her attention from the sparkling jewelry hanging from the metal tree on my dresser.
What if she could help me find Hayden or knew where he was? She was dead. Didn’t the dead know thing?
I waved my hand, trying to get her attention. “Hey. Look over here.” Still nothing. “You-who…”
Nothing.
“HEY!” I yelled. “Look at me!”
She didn’t even flinch.
A biting edge of anger was slowly uncoiling through me. I jumped off my bed and stood less than an inch from her, her icy presence making me shiver. “HELLO!” I frantically waved my hands in the air, careful not to actually go through her. I hated that feeling.
After yelling for another few minutes I gave up and collapsed back on my bed.
“Well that was stupid,” I said out loud.
A flash of lightning lit my room and Zeke appeared at the foot of my bed, his dark blonde hair disheveled while dark blonde stubble coated his chin. He wore a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that brought out his tan. It was very un-Zeke. When I first met him he typically stuck to slacks and button down collared shirts. He also never sported stubble.
“Ugh,” I groaned and rolled over on my side. “Go away.”
“I heard you yelling. What’s wrong?”
My brows knit. “You heard me yelling all the way in Mt. Olympus or were you across the street in Hayden’s house, spying on me?”
His footsteps sounded and I was suddenly faced with a pair of jean clad legs. “I wasn’t spying.”
I rolled over to face the other side of my room. “Yeah right.”
“I was just keeping an eye out for you.” He came around the other side of the bed.
My jaw clenched and I rolled on my back, looking up at the ceiling in an attempt to ignore him. “Go keep an eye out for someone else Zeke.”
“Who were you yelling at?” he asked, ignoring my cold, prickly attitude.
I glanced up and noticed she was gone. “A ghost.”
“Hartley, will you please look at me.” His deep, usually silky voice was strained with desperation.
It wasn’t enough to make me forget Ixion was a psycho angry demigod because Zeke threw him in Tartarus. “No.”
“I’m sorry Hartley.” The edge of the bed bent under his weight. “I’m really sorry. How was I supposed to know this would come back to hurt me after all this time?”
I finally met his sky blue eyes that were darkened by the shadows beneath them. “That’s just it Zeke,” I snapped. “This isn’t hurting you. It’s hurting Hayden and me while you get off scot-free.”
His face hardened. “That’s where you’re wrong Hartley. This is affecting me too. He’s my brother. Do you think I like the idea of him missing or Ixion ruling the Underworld?”
I opened my mouth the refute him, but he pressed his index finger against my lips, shushing me. I shot him a narrowed glare and moved his hand.
“And it hurts me that you’re hurting.” He gripped his chest. “I don’t like seeing you upset even if it is about my brother. I worry about you constantly.”
I swallowed the emotions he was dredging up. “Worry about Hayden. Not me.”
Zeke tossed his hands in the air. “I can’t help it. And I know you care about me.”
I scoffed. “Nope.” The lie tasted sour on my tongue.
He shot me an incredulous look and held his index finger and thumb together, pinching. “Not even the tiniest bit?”
I shook my head, but the smile twitching his lips told me he suspected the lie.
Hayden
I dodged another punch to my face and rammed the soul with my shoulder, sending him crashing to the desiccated dirt. Another soul clipped my chin, but I kicked him in the chest and he landed in a crimson flame, screaming in agony as he scrambled out.
My body was bruised and battered, my clothes ripped. The dark souls continued to pummel me, attempting to break me and force me to my knees. But I fought back. It wasn’t in my nature to give in to those lesser than myself. And they were beneath me. They were scum on the bottom of my boot after I’d crossed a fetid wasteland. I’d been reduced to a mere demigod after Ixion stole my powers yet I was still stronger than the darks souls. And saner.
My last glimpse of Hartley seemed like eons ago. Ixion had brought my image into my throne room to taunt and threaten her and Reese for compliance. I hated it. And I especially hated he used my powers to hold her against her will.
A deep growl resonated out my mouth, catching the soul off guard. My anger wasn’t for him, but I harnessed it anyway, crushing his ribcage and sending him flying across the burning plains. Even though they were already dead, I could still incapacitate them for a while. I’d do just that to every single one in Tartarus to get to Hartley.
A male with shaggy blood red hair, a crooked nose as if it had been broken several times, and bottomless dark eyes strolled forward, his slight appearance masking the strength within. He killed many in his life and used his small, unassuming demeanor to trick his victims. This particular soul was very familiar to me. This had been the very one Hercules sicked on Hartley in her house. He had clawed his way inside her, forcing his foul, rotten essence into her body.
Anger surged through me, churning my blood into fire and darkening my mood. I wanted to wrap my hands around his scrawny neck until his eyes bulged from their sockets and every blood vessel and capillary popped.
“I see you remember me Hades.” His voice was dry and raspy like sandpaper against wood.
“How could I forget? You hurt Hartley.” We began circling each other, my eyes never leaving his. “I don’t think you’ve been punished enough. I don’t think you’ll ever be punished enough for that.”
His long tongue snaked out, slowly licking his parched, cracked lips while his lids fluttered, savoring a memory. “It was well worth it. Mmm. She was tasty. All sweet and sour with a hint of darkness.”
A snarl slithered out my mouth. “Watch what you say.”
He laughed. “What are you going to do? You’re not the god of the Underworld anymore.” He spread his arms wide. “You’re the same as us Hades. You’re stuck here in Tartarus without your powers and without your succulent girl.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Regardless I cracked my knuckles and rolled my neck, readying for another fight. “I can still hurt you.”
The dark soul shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change the fact I possessed your girl.” His teeth snagged his bottom lip in a vulgar, suggestive manner. “I slithered into her mouth and filled her up, my soul rubbing against every wall and crevice in her body.” His eyes pierced mine. “That dark hole in her just welcomed me right in. And she liked it. She liked my evil corrupting her goodness.”
A deep, vicious growl shook my insides. “Keep it up and when I’m free I’ll impression you in fire and let you burn for the rest of your sad eternity.”
He ignored me, continuing his taunts. “Do you know what it’s like to be inside that girl?” A twisted smile curled his lips. “I bet you do.” He grabbed himself and rocked his hips. “This part of me was in her too. I guess in a way we’ve both tapped that.”
Blazing anger erupted through me and I lunged for him, tackling him to the ground. Dirt flew around us and fires stirred. Souls scurried out o
f the way of our rolling bodies.
“You piece of shit,” I snarled and punched him in the nose. Blood spurted out, staining his pale skin. I punched him again, his head slamming into the ground with the full force of my anger. If I had my full god powers his face would have been crushed into pieces and concaved into his broken skull. Instead I continued to beat him for the same affect.
When I was done he was a mere bloody pulp on the ground, barely able to move. He’d heal, but the satisfaction of cracking nearly every bone in his body was worth it. He should have known saying those disgusting things, tainting Hartley, would push me over the edge.
I stood and brushed myself off, my knuckles smeared with both our bloods. “Anybody else want a go?” I shouted, holding my arms open wide in challenge.
The few souls that remained slowly backed away as if any swift movement would catch my attention and send me after them. I wiped my hands on my tattered t-shirt and stalked toward the cave I woke up in. I had no idea how long I’d been gone. It could have been mere hours or several long years. Time did not pass the same here. Things were endless and meaningless.
I desperately needed Hartley like a heart needed a beat.
There had to be a way to escape this forsaken place. If Ixion was able to do it, it should be cake for me. But how did Ixion, an insane demigod, manage to escape my purgatory? He couldn’t have done it on his own. He was tied to a spinning will for god sakes.
He had help. He had to. But who and why?
Chapter 16
Hartley
“OMG. Don’t you just love those shoes!” Callie pulled me to a stop outside a shoe store in the mall to stare at a pair of pink strappy wedges. They were definitely her.
I glanced down at my tattered jeans, flip-flops, and wrinkled tank top. The shoes were so not me.
I was awoken this Saturday morning to a hopeful Callie jumping on my bed and begging me to go to the mall. I eventually gave in after those big blue eyes of hers began watering.
The loud chaos of the mall definitely wasn’t my scene anymore and even worse, my demigod senses were overloading. I winced every time a preteen ran by, screeching with excitement. The little kids were the worst, crying because they wanted to be held or were hungry or tired.
“You should get them,” I said.
Her jittery blue eyes shifted toward me as she chewed on her lip bottom. “What if they don’t have my size?”
Her feet were even smaller than mine and I had trouble finding shoes. “I’m sure they can order them for you.” I grabbed her arm and tugged her inside.
Once we were over the threshold she skipped toward the display of wedges while I slowly strolled behind her without any real purpose other than keeping her company, which I was sucking at. The tiled floor was light pink and black with matching décor and silver accents. Plush chairs spotted the room and mirrors were stationed near every display. Groups of girls chatted while trying on shoes—some I recognized from school—and pop music played over the speakers.
I didn’t even know why I agreed to go to the mall of all places. She caught me at a weak moment when I was only half awake. Otherwise I would have suggested she take Laurie or Kathryn and Leslie and that we could do something like a movie later. It was much easier pretending to enjoy something in a dark, silent theater than a loud, obnoxious mall.
A squeal tumbled out of Callie’s mouth. “They have my size! Ooh…” Her gaze flickered to a pair of tan and blue wedges. “These are cute too.”
“Try them both on,” I suggested, sitting on a cushioned ottoman, sipping my hot mocha latte unable to withstand an iced one like Callie. Unfortunately it did nothing to melt the glaciers inside my chest.
Eventually Callie settled for both. I didn’t get anything, not caring to lug around a bag. I barely had energy to walk.
“Well, well, well, look what we’ve got here.” Jake and Will were standing outside the shoe store with mirrored fake macho expressions. “Two hotties.” Jake grabbed Callie, lifting her off her toes and kissing her. “Don’t tell my girlfriend.”
She giggled and swatted his chest. “Behave.”
Will grinned down at me, his baby blues bright and warm like a summer sky. “Hey Hart,” he said, shaking his blonde locks out his face. “We came to get Jake’s little sister a birthday gift and we need help. What do you get a preteen girl?” He hooked his thumb toward Jake. “This idiot wanted to get her Cinderella crap. She’s not even my sister and I know she’s way passed that stage.”
A ghost of a smile touched my lips. “It’s a good thing you found us.” I could only image Maddie’s little face when she opened those gifts. “I’m sure some hair burettes, nail polish, and makeup will do the trick.”
Will nudged Jake who was busy sucking Callie’s face off. “See. I told you we should get her girly stuff like that.”
Jake pulled away from Callie, both their cheeks flushed. “Whatever.” He grabbed her hand. “Where to?”
“Claire’s Boutique,” Callie and I said in unison.
The mall was too bright, lights beaming down on glossy tiles and shiny gold and silver railings. A vast array of food mixed with perfume and the occasional BO lit my nostrils. The four of us got on the elevator, dim classical music playing in the background that did nothing to drown out the chaotic sounds outside as we descended to the bottom floor.
I leaned against the clear glass overlooking the mall. Crowds moseyed around, carrying shopping bags and socializing, completely oblivious to the other world that was out there—the one with gods and ghosts and souls. I even spotted a few spirits hovering over people, observing.
Was I destined to watch life pass me by like the dead? I was already part dead and going deeper in the darkness every day.
Below us was a giant fountain, silver and bronze coins glistening beneath the bubbling water. My lips twitched thinking of Charon. Plants too green to be real fanned out around it, concealing a couple making out. I squinted and was pretty certain it was Meredith and Vaughn.
Not wanting to witness their intimate moment—especially when I wasn’t having any myself—my gaze shifted, falling on a familiar bleach blonde head of hair paired with an overly made up, slightly orange face. Darby. And she was sitting at the fountain with none other than my enemy, Frankie Santana.
The last time I saw Frankie she was plastered to Hayden at the Halloween dance, but she didn’t remember that. Her black hair was mixed with long, unnatural extensions and a fake tan glistened oddly under the bright lights. Dramatic makeup lined her eyes and sheer gloss slathered her lips.
Frankie was like a bad Kardashian look-alike.
A gasp echoed out Callie as she noticed the two girls giggling together. “That little hoe-bag traitor!”
“Who?” Jake asked, looking over our heads.
Will sucked his teeth and glanced down at me warily. “There’s not going to be a fight, is there?”
I rolled my eyes. “I could care less who Darby talks to even if it is Frankie Santana. Those two deserve each other.” If Hayden was here it might be a different story. In our alternate, spelled reality both those sluts had their tongues down his throat.
I wanted to throw up at the mere thought.
“Well I care.” Callie marched off the elevator, heading straight for them.
“Uh-oh,” Jake said. “Little bit’s ready to rumble.”
“Hi Darby.” Callie propped her hand on her tiny hip.
Darby jumped, surprise flashing across her face before she could cover it with a sneer. I guess she was done playing nice. “Oh look, it’s Hartley’s sidekick.” She pointed to Callie and then turned her attention to me. “And a sad Hartley look alike.”
I almost laughed thinking how right she was. Instead I gave an indifferent shrug.
“Knock it off Darby.” Will crossed his arms against his chest, bulging his biceps. “I thought you were our friend.”
“I am. I happen to be friends with Frankie too. It’s a free country.” She blew a pink
bubble with her gum.
“Hi Will,” Frankie drawled in a sexy, smoky voice. “You’re looking good as usual.” Her long, fake nails trailed across his forearm. “You should quit slumming with Laurie Mason and date a real ten.”
Will shot her a grimace and stepped out of her reach. “Don’t talk about my girlfriend like that.”
“I seriously hope you don’t think you’re a ten Frankie.” Jake flashed a lopsided smirk.
“More like negative ten,” Callie mumbled under her breath.
Jake snorted at her joke while Frankie’s dark eyes bore holes into them both.
She turned her glare on me, scrutinizing my appearance. “Darby, you were right. Hartley does look like shit.”
Darby nearly choked on her soda. “No duh,” she said through a cough.
I didn’t care what I looked like or what these two hyenas thought.
A malicious smile spread across Frankie’s face, displaying her overly whitened teeth. “I guess it is true. Your boy toy dumped you and went back home. And now look at you. You’re just a pathetic cast away.” She and Darby cackled, their high pitched laughter echoing loudly in the mall. “I bet he got sick of you and left without even saying goodbye.”
Emotion must have flickered in my expression because excitement suddenly lit her dark eyes, brightening them with a spiteful kind of glee.
“Awe poor baby. Did he leave you all alone, wondering what could have happened?”
It was so close to the truth a pang went off in my chest, squeezing my lungs so tight it was difficult to breathe. I’d rather experience the pull of the Underworld than this agonizing heartache.
Frankie flicked her dark extensions over her shoulder, revealing her extreme cleavage, a proud expression forming. She turned to Darby with a grin. “She’s so pathetic.”
I didn’t even remember grabbing Callie’s iced mocha latte, but it was suddenly in my hand and I was prying the lid off. Then I was pouring it all over Frankie Santana’s head, the frigid, tan liquid raining down her hair and face like a mud slide. I dropped the empty cup at her feet, splashing her white sandals.