Dark Goddess

by J. N. Colon

  Ixion halted in front of me, a stony expression hardening his face. He crossed his arms against his chest, bunching up his navy button down shirt. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” Another demand.

  I nonchalantly rubbed chalk on the end of my pool stick. “They’re not my friends.”

  “Oh really?” he asked, suspicion lacing his voice. “They sure seem to know you.”

  “Well I don’t know them.”

  He shot me an incredulous look. “They know your name.”

  I shrugged. “Some I’ve seen at school, but I don’t know their names and some I don’t remember at all.”

  Ixion cocked his head, surveying me with curiosity, his expression finally loosening. A smile melted across his face. “You are worshiped here.”

  I grimaced. “No I’m not. I’m just popular.”

  He shook his head. “They worship you Hartley.” He stepped so close I could see tiny flames of excitement in his gaze. “They think you’re human and yet they adore you like a goddess. I bet if you made an altar they’d bow on their knees and praise you.”

  Ixion was too close. His expensive cologne was crawling through my brain and his jeans were rubbing against my bare legs. I took a step back and he took one forward. Another step and I suddenly hit the pool table without anywhere to go. Panic shook through me, making my chest heave and breath uneven. I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. I didn’t like the look in Ixion’s eyes. Not one bit.

  “I think I underestimated you. You’re much more than a teenage demigod.” His gaze focused on my lips as he licked his. “And not to mention your beauty outshines even some of the full Olympian gods.”

  My head shifted back, but he gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “No, no Hartley. We’re on a date.”

  I could barely struggle in his grasp, his fingers like an iron vise. If I was full human he’d bruise me. “Maybe I don’t kiss on the first date.” The thought of letting him that close had my inside filling with wriggling worms I wanted to puke all over him. If we were in the Underworld I could at least fight back.

  Who was I kidding? I was just as useless against him there as I was here. He’s got all the power and was holding Hayden’s life over my head. One false move and Hayden was toast.

  Not for long though. I would learn to become the goddess and get my god back. Until then I’d have to put up with Ixion’s antics.

  I just hoped he didn’t expect more than a kiss. A single kiss was far enough.

  He tilted my chin up to meet his lips, his crashing into mine in a bruising kiss. It wasn’t like Hayden’s. It was too harsh, too possessive like I was here for his pure amusement. His hand left my chin and tangled in my hair, pulling hard. If I tried to twist away he’d simply yank me back. My own hands gripped the edge of the pool table so hard it was beginning to crack.

  A flash of electricity lit the air and I knew without looking Zeke appeared, rain and electricity scenting the area. Ixion finally released me, hot breath blowing raggedly into my face. His lips were wet and eyes half-lidded, dancing with ominous, tainted crimson flames. He glanced over his shoulder to see the king of gods. “What do you want?” he asked, annoyed.

  Anger hardened Zeke’s expression while pure lightning flashed in his eyes. “Get away from her,” he growled.

  Laughter tumbled out of Ixion’s mouth as he wiped it with his fingertips. “We’re on a date. Kissing is what people do on a date.” He turned back to me. “You wanted to kiss me, right Hartley?”

  I nodded without looking at him. Instead I focused on Zeke, trying to telepath with my eyes that I could handle this. If he pissed Ixion off I was afraid he’d go after Hayden.

  Zeke was either not getting it or didn’t care. He stalked closer, the muscles in his entire body trembling with tension. “I thought you wanted Hera.”

  A dangerous smile curled his lips as Ixion ran his fingers down my arms, goose bumps—and not the good kind—exploding across my skin. “Maybe I’m moving on to better, younger things.” His touch felt like snakes crawling over me, slithering with the malicious promise to deliver a poisonous, deadly bite.

  I gulped, a sinking feeling sliding through my stomach for what was in store if he continued to pursue me.

  Hayden

  Another snarl slipped out my mouth as I trudged toward the spot Ixion’s wheel used to spin, battling those souls still brave enough to challenge me. One sent a punch toward my face, but he was too slow and I smacked his fist away. I gripped his neck so tight his eyes began to protrude out.

  “I am not in the mood for this shit!” I tossed him back, his body landing in a small crimson flame he quickly shuffled out of.

  A female soul with ragged black hair and milky eyes started for me. I gave her a warning growl and cracked my knuckles. “Don’t even try it. You won’t last long.” It was true, my gaze surveying her emaciated body beneath black tatters of clothes.

  With a hiss she reluctantly backed away.

  Finally after what seemed like hours of fighting the souls’ advances I made it to the location. The soul pointed me in this direction and I couldn’t think of any reason for him to lie—other than he was evil of course. I had a feeling he didn’t wish for my return though. He wouldn’t like being on the receiving end of my brand of torture.

  I kicked at the dusty dirt, a small cyclone whirling around my boot, revealing the remnants of a few broken binds. I bent down and brushed the grime from them.

  “How did he break the chains in the first place?” I asked out loud to no one. I was tired of living in my head. And I was tired of wasting away in this place while that lowly demigod was abusing my power. If I found out he laid one finger on Hartley, I was going to rip his spine from his body while he watched.

  Something sharp bit into my finger and I brushed the dust away, revealing a jagged piece of silver. My brows furrowed as I flipped it over to see a small fraction of my reflection.

  A mirror. And not just any mirror. I could feel the power humming through it, tickling my palm. It was a seer’s mirror.

  Chapter 24

  Hartley

  The same courtyard from my dream with Hayden glimmered around me, the dark stone reflecting crimson Underworld fire. Jewels shimmered and the amethyst columns framing the hearth appeared liquid in the dim, ever rippling light. I sat on the silver chaise we laid on, my heart aching from the memory and yet at the same time it made me feel close to him. It gave me strength.

  The flame in my hand brightened, turning a burning, hypnotic crimson. I opened my palm further, willing the fire to swirl into a tiny red tornado.

  “Impressive.”

  My head snapped up to see Ixion leaning against a hematite column, watching me with a smirk and a dark, foreboding glint in his obsidian eyes.

  Shit. I needed to be more careful. “I was just messing around,” I remarked, refraining from blinking the fire from my eyes.

  He strolled closer, folding down on the chaise beside me. His fingers reached up and brushed the hair off my shoulder, lingering on my bare skin.

  Bile rose in my throat, mixing with anger. He shouldn’t be next to me on this couch. He shouldn’t be in the castle at all. I hated it, but I could do nothing. Not yet.

  “I was thinking,” he began, tilting his head to the side as his eyes flickered down to my cleavage. “We should go on another date.” His tongue flicked out and wet his lips. “One a little more intimate.”

  I swallowed hard and tried to keep my heart from slamming against my ribcage in wild protest. This couldn’t be happening. Ixion wasn’t going to take no for an answer and I could image what he meant by more intimate. I’d rather kill myself.

  His fingers slowly drew circles on my shoulder, puckering my skin in a chilling manner. “How about tonight Hartley.”

  Still not a question.

  Someone cleared their throat.

  Ixion’s jaw flexed with anger at the interruption, but that tension quickly melted whe
n he saw the figure before us.

  Hera stood regally in a risky off the shoulder dress in a deep sapphire blue with a slit up the side, revealing a peek of creamy skin. Her hair was in wild ringlets down her back, darkened and tinted red by the fire. Adornments of gold and sapphire sparkled around her. A forced smile curled her lips while her gaze took in our close proximity, narrowing. If I didn’t know better I’d say there was a definite look of jealousy in her eyes.

  But I did know better. Hera was acting jealous. That was anger flickering in her expression.

  Ixion was instantly enthralled in her shining presence, his pupils dilating and cheeks flushing.

  Hera crossed her arms against her chest. “You two seem—cozy.”

  A smirk curved Ixion’s mouth and he rubbed my arm. “We were just hanging out. We’ve been getting to know each other, getting close. We do live together.”

  “So I’ve seen. Apollo showed me a picture of you two on something called Facebook.”

  While he was distracted I wriggled out of his grasp. “Yeah. We were out.”

  Her bronze brow arched. “On a date?”

  I could practically feel the glee coming off of Ixion. “Maybe. Does that upset you Hera?”

  She averted her eyes and pinched the material of the dress between her thumb and forefinger. “Maybe.”

  Shock showed on his face. “Really?”

  She was playing him like a fool and he was falling right for it.

  Her eyes flickered toward me, displaying the actual anger she held. I had a feeling Zeke was the one that told her about our date and the kiss Ixion forced on me. Before he could notice she donned a furtive smile. “Maybe you could teach me about this Facebook thing sometime Ixion.”

  He stood so fast I nearly fell off the chaise in his wake. “I could teach you now.”

  “That would be wonderful.”

  Without looking back Ixion wound Hera’s arm around his and led her away. She glanced over her shoulder, shooting me a knowing glance.

  I bristled in my seat, mixed emotions coursing through my veins. I hated to need her help and yet thankful she pried Ixion away from me.

  Hayden

  I fitted another piece of the seer’s mirror together, the screams of the dark souls echoing outside the cave. I’d been gathering every fractured piece found in hopes I could seal it back together and somehow use it to get out of here. In the very least I could use it to communicate with my brothers—even Zeke—and Hartley. I was desperate to know if she was okay. If she was safe. And the Underworld.

  In my bouts of boredom I walked the edges of the burning plains, noticing their inexplicable and foreboding growth. When I was first thrown down in the Underworld Tartarus almost encompassed the whole of it. I forced it back to this region and decided to send only the most evil of souls.

  It hasn’t changed since. Until now.

  A few days ago I also detected a shift in the Underworld. I wasn’t the official god anymore, but my essence still shared a connection. This was my domain, my home. Something was happening. Something big and unfortunately I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad.

  My fingers dragged through my hair, sighing at my bedraggled appearance in the broken mirror. “I need more pieces,” I said out loud. Recently I had taken to talking to myself. It was either that or start conversations with rocks. Unlike Tom Hanks in Cast Away I’d rather keep company with myself than an inanimate object.

  I left the cave and trekked toward the area where Ixion’s wheel used to spin, ignoring the souls that reached for me. I had to kick a few that still had hopes of breaking me. Most of them knew better by now. I searched with my foot first, scrapping up dust and debris in search of anything reflective.

  Finally a shard caught my eye and I squatted, my fingers digging to pull up the glass piece. I dug a little more in the area, hoping to find the remaining fragments. The magic of the seer’s mirror wouldn’t work unless it was brought back together in its entirety.

  As dust swirled, something caught my eye a few feet away. I stood and surveyed the vibrant spot of green in an otherwise gray and crimson world. I slowly stepped over and kneeled, running my finger along the small, no more than an inch stalk.

  My brow furrowed in confusion. How was a plant growing in Tartarus?

  I searched the ground and found something else out of place near a flame of crimson. I reached over and pulled out a sprinkle of died, burnt seeds.

  Tartarus was inhospitable to even the strongest forms of life with the exception of illusions. This was real. Not only did a plant manage to grow in charred ash, seeds ended up in this wasteland to form its sprout.

  Plants… seeds…

  Something Reese said when he returned to Northwood floated through my mind, something I paid no attention to. I was beginning to realize I should have. I really should have.

  A yowling chasm of rage that came with my awareness opened up in my gut. I ripped the plant out the ash and tossed it into a crimson blaze. My hand crushed the seeds into dust, letting them fall to join the ash of its brother.

  “Demeter.”

  Chapter 25

  Hartley

  My gaze lingered over the Asphodel Meadows in the distance from my spot on the bedroom balcony. I was glad the flowers had been recreated, but it pained my heart with anxiety to see the sky above still darkened and the burning fires of Tartarus continuing to grow. I’d come a long way. Just not long enough.

  Earlier today I sat with the tribunal to help sentence souls to their final places. Thankfully only one soul was destined for Tartarus. I hated to send her knowing Hayden was in the same place. I didn’t want to add yet another dark soul that might harm him, but I couldn’t deny the darkness in her heart, eating up anything that may have ever been good. She’d done terrible things and I couldn’t give her pass simply because I wanted to. Being goddess of the Underworld didn’t work that way.

  The stone double doors creaked open and Zeke walked in dressed in threadbare jeans and a light blue t-shirt. His dark blonde hair was disheveled and stubble shadowed his chin, a far cry from the perfectionist he’d been when we first met. I hoped this wasn’t his way of trying to dress more like Hayden to win my affection.

  “Hi,” he said, leaning against the balcony beside me. “How are you?”

  “Fine.” My gaze surveyed his sky blue eyes, trying to decipher his motives. Sincerity reflected back at me, but of course he’s fooled me before.

  A grin chased his lips. “I heard about your impressive show of powers with Reese in the Asphodel Meadows. The flowers look more beautiful than ever.”

  “Thanks.”

  Zeke leaned forward and brushed a stray lock of hair from my face, tenderly tucking it behind my ear. “I think you’re ready for the last step.”

  My brow arched as I ignored the flirtatious gesture. “What is it?” A sudden feeling of trepidation laced my bloodstream, slowly eating away my confidence. What if I failed? What if the Underworld deemed me unworthy?

  My self-doubt was unusual and unfamiliar, eating away at the lining in my stomach.

  Zeke dragged his fingers through his hair, mussing it up more. “The last thing Hayden did to become the god of the Underworld, its true ruler, was to make his onyx ring.” He motioned toward my hand. “You’ll need to fashion your own out of mystical onyx.”

  Great. I had no clue how to begin that task. I wasn’t exactly the master of stones and gems like Hayden. And where in the Underworld was I supposed to find mystical onyx? Instead of asking Zeke all this I blurted a different question—one I’d been wondering since he stormed into my room with this crazy idea.

  “Why are you helping me? Why would you want me to bring Hayden back?”

  Zeke’s brow furrowed and he pursed his lips in thought, stalling and maybe even attempting to concoct an elaborate lie. He didn’t exactly seem surprised by my suspicions. It wasn’t that long ago he’d done a spell to keep us apart that altered the entire world. Without Hayden in the way, he could
try to whittle me down.

  Finally after several moments of silence he crossed his arms against his chest and sighed, his shoulders drooping as if defeated. “As much as I’d like to say it’s not for entirely selfish reasons I’d be lying. I do love my brother and I don’t want him suffering in purgatory unjustly. This is his domain and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and let some unworthy demigod steal it from him.” Lighting flashed in his blue eyes, a storm brewing on the horizon. “And of course it’s because of you.”

  My eyes narrowed and I backed away when he tried to caress my cheek. “Keep going Zeke.”

  He wasn’t put off by my rebuff. He probably expected it. “This situation is dangerous for you. Hayden’s not here to carry you between worlds in case you’re above and the Underworld is calling. I know Hermes and Reese have been there, but you need Hayden.” His jaw clenched tight, nostril flaring. “And let’s not forget Ixion forced you into a date, into a kiss.” His hands curled tight, tendons straining beneath his golden skin. Electric anger swelled around him, pressing uncomfortably against me.

  I clamped my mind shut on those horrible memories, but Ixion’s threats still lingered in the air. He stole a kiss from me. What else was he willing to steal if Hera didn’t cooperate?

  Zeke’s thumb and forefinger suddenly caught my chin and tilted it up to meet his lightning gaze. “Has something else happened? Has Ixion done something else to you?”

  “No.”

  “Hartley, tell me the truth.” His voice dropped several octaves, fury lacing every syllable until it sounded far too much like Hayden’s. “Has he forced you…?”

  I quickly pulled out of his grasp, unsettled by the sudden resemblance. “Stop Zeke. I can handle myself.”

  His dark blonde brows slammed together. “Not against him. Not yet.”

  “Whatever. So why else are you helping me?” I asked in an attempt to steer the conversation back on topic and quell his anger. “Because everything you’ve said so far doesn’t seem that selfish.”