by P. J. Hoover
“Who lives here?” We’re at the top of the hill now. Almost at the front door. It reminds me of a retro Hollywood home. Lots of glass windows and steel beams, but the front door is ten feet tall and made of thick black wood—like the door of a fortress.
“Minos.”
I guess my blank expression tells Shayne I need more explanation.
“An old Cretan king. He’s the overlord here in Asphodel.”
“A king from Crete runs Asphodel?”
“An ancient king runs each of the territories. Minos here. Rhadamanthus in the Elysian Fields. And Aeacus in Tartarus.”
“Rhadam is a king?” I guess I never thought to ask this when I met him.
Shayne shakes his head. “Was a king. Here in Hell he’s only an overlord. They all are. I’m the only king in the Underworld.” He scowls. “Which more and more seems to be a point of confusion among the lords.”
I remember Rhadam’s deference to Shayne, so solid a part of their relationship it could never be in question. “Not Rhadam?”
“No, not Rhadam.” Shayne brushes his sleeves, and dirt vanishes off them. “He’s true to me through and through. And as it happens, the only one I can trust.”
We’re at the imposing door now, but Shayne doesn’t open it. Can he sense the evil which touches each and every one of my nerves? He lets go of my hand, and I look at him, ready to open my mouth and ask another question. But I stop. In a single moment, he’s ceased to be Shayne, the guy I’m sure I’m in love with, and has become Hades, supreme King of the Underworld. A force to be reckoned with.
He lifts his hand and knocks on the thick door—a knock so hard I hear the echoes through the windows inside the house. Nobody answers, but Shayne doesn’t knock again. Instead, he waits, and we stand there in silence until, after what feels like eternity, a lock clicks, and the door creeps open. Dead eyes greet us inside.
“I’m here to see Minos.” Shayne doesn’t ask; he states it.
The man who’s opened the door stares at Shayne. He’s got sandy blond hair, and from his engorged biceps, it’s obvious this guy spent way too much time in the gym back when he was alive. But now, here in Hell, does it really matter how much time someone spent in the gym? I wonder if he spent more time with his loved ones and less time working out if he’d have ended up in the Elysian Fields instead of Asphodel—Land of the Walking Dead.
“King Minos is busy.”
It’s the first time someone in Asphodel has spoken. Until this point, I’m not even sure they can speak.
Shayne’s face hardens, and I almost hear electricity sizzle off him next to me. “Tell Minos that King Hades demands to speak with him.” He omits the word king in front of Minos.
The man doesn’t nod or agree or shake his head. It’s only when he walks backward, away from us, and toward a long hallway that I realize he’s simply obeying Shayne’s command. The command of the King of the Underworld must supersede commands from one of Shayne’s minions.
Shayne and I stand there, still on the doorstep, watching him leave.
I lean close to him and put my lips to his ear. “Why don’t you go in and find him?”
He whispers back, not turning his head away from the room ahead. “Because even here in Hell, we have courtesies.”
“It doesn’t seem like Minos is being very courteous to you.”
Shayne gives his head an almost imperceptible shake. “No, it doesn’t.”
Another ten minutes later, and the blond shell of a man returns. “Follow me.”
Chapter 25
Minos
We follow the steroid-ridden ghost man in silence. He has his back to us as he leads us first down a hallway, then through a breezeway to another wing of the house. Every step I take, a sense of dread weighs heavier inside my stomach. I look down and realize I’m clenching Shayne’s hand so hard my knuckles are white.
But Shayne doesn’t turn to me or comfort me aside from a brief squeeze of my hand. His face is frozen in a hard stare straight ahead. At the end of the breezeway, we stop in front of a glass room overlooking a flat, gray ocean with nothing else in sight.
“King Minos will see you in here.” The man moves aside, and gives us a clear view of the room ahead. Every wall is glass, and in the center is a stone chimney so large a Spanish Oak could burn inside without being cut.
Shayne doesn’t acknowledge our guide as he opens the glass door. He walks in, and I follow. I can’t see anyone in the room, but Shayne doesn’t hesitate. He skirts around the giant fireplace and stops at a chair on the other side. Amber liquid sits in a crystal tumbler on a table next to the chair.
“Minos.” Shayne’s voice sounds like razors slicing glass.
“Hades.” Minos doesn’t turn to face us; instead, he’s facing the windows overlooking the dull ocean. “So you finally decided to grace us with your presence here in Asphodel?” Every word Minos speaks scratches in his throat as it comes out, making it sound like it pains him to speak. A hand reaches from the chair and picks up the glass. He swirls it, making the ice inside clink up against the crystal.
“Unlike you, I have other duties here in the Underworld.” Shayne lets go of my hand and shoves the side of the chair around, causing Minos to spin and face us. The drink flies out of his hand and crashes to the ground, and the air is filled with the sweet smell of alcohol.
Minos looks at Shayne, but manages to keep his face impassive. But when Minos’s eyes see me, they grow as big as the gold coins Charon collects. He half stands up, but Shayne throws an arm in front of me. “Sit down!”
Minos continues to stare at me but obeys the command.
“To what do I owe this honor?” Minos forces his eyes away from me, but his eyes dart back to me every so often as if he can’t control them. Minos gestures toward an empty chair, but Shayne stays standing, and I follow his lead.
“We can start with the escape attempts.” Shayne’s fingers are unclenched, but he shifts them around like they are prepared for battle.
I’m starting to wonder just what Shayne’s gotten into here. What he’s gotten me into.
Minos waves a hand. “A couple restless souls crossing the river. So what of it?”
Shayne grits his teeth. “Why are they crossing the river, Minos? They shouldn’t have anything to cross back for.”
Minos looks at Shayne and narrows his eyes. “You tell me, oh wise ruler of the Underworld. Why would anyone want to leave Asphodel?”
“They wouldn’t.” I can hear Shayne’s breath now, and his presence has shifted to something feral. “Unless someone’s been telling them to.”
Minos spreads his arms wide, palms up. “Why would anyone in Asphodel tell the dead souls about their past? And besides, as we’ve seen from the recent attempts, crossing the River Lethe only results in being devoured by the monsters.” His eyes shift to me again. I meet them, and he stares at me with such cruelty, I’m forced to look away.
Shayne moves in closer to Minos. “I think somebody’s trying to exchange souls. Trying to get people out of Tartarus.”
The silence that descends on the room is so real, it pushes at me from all sides. My heart is beating so fast, I’m pretty sure everyone both below and above ground can hear it.
Neither Minos nor Shayne looks away from each other. The heavy quiet is so oppressive, I feel like something needs to be said, and neither of them is going to say it.
“Nobody can leave Tartarus.” I’m not sure how the words manage to escape my mouth, but when they do, Minos turns his head and looks at me. Shayne leans away from Minos, and the silence is replaced with something even worse. Lies and secrets fill the air around us, so thick they’re like real creatures.
I’m trying not to look at Minos, but I see him still staring at me, and then he licks his lips. “So the beautiful criminal speaks.”
Criminal? He’s talking about me? I glance at Shayne and notice his fingers are now balled into fists. And I’m pretty sure by speaking, I’ve messed everything up.
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“It’s not her fault.” The words come out of Shayne’s mouth slowly and clearly, as if he wants to make sure Minos doesn’t misunderstand a single one. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I’m smart enough to know now’s not the time to ask.
Before I know what’s happening, Minos jumps up from the chair and grabs me, pressing something hot and sharp to the softest part of my neck. It’s not cutting me, but it’s so tight, I don’t think I can breathe. Minos holds me like a vise with his other hand. And he spins me to face Shayne.
“You know the penalty for killing a phoenix.” Minos’s scratchy voice snarls in my ear, mixing with the sound of my pounding heart.
My eyes flash to Shayne, but he doesn’t meet them. He’s staring at Minos and looks like he’s ready to pounce on a kill.
“Let her go.” It’s a direct command, and the part of me that’s not worrying about staying as still as possible wonders if Minos will obey it.
Minos’s hot breath seeps into my ear. “You know the penalty.” And though I don’t think it’s possible, Minos presses the knife even closer until I feel it cut into my skin.
“Let her go. Now.”
I can’t believe how calm Shayne’s being, especially when I feel a trickle of blood moving down my neck. The knife is so close, I can hardly get air out, and my heart is pounding in my ears so loudly the room seems to spin.
“Consider this a direct order.” And Shayne is every bit the king when he says it.
I feel Minos’s muscles tighten, and I know he’s about to either slit my throat or let me go. In a single move, he shoves me away, lowering the knife, but not before slicing under my ear with the blade. Warm blood pours from the cut down my neck.
Shayne catches me, but still, he doesn’t look at me or talk to me. His grip is like steel, but it also fills me with comfort.
“She belongs in Tartarus.” Minos moves away, widening the distance between Shayne and himself. I think he knows he’s gone too far.
“It’s you who should be in Tartarus, Minos. If I need to come here one more time, I promise you that will be the end result.” Shayne turns his back on Minos. I’m not sure if this is a good idea, but Shayne is the king here. I try to convince myself he knows what he’s doing. And all I really want is to stop my heart from exploding and get out of here now. I try not to run, but Minos doesn’t follow us as we show ourselves out. The blond ghost man waits outside the door, but a single look from Shayne, and he doesn’t follow us, instead heading back into the glass room where Minos is. And it’s not until we leave the house completely and get down the hill that my heart slows down enough that I dare to speak.
“What the hell was that all about?” I’m holding a hand over the cut in my neck, but I still feel the blood seeping out. I want to stop and rest, but I don’t dare suggest it. If Minos really does want to send me to Tartarus for some unknown reason, I don’t want to help him.
We stop walking, and Shayne turns to me, taking a deep breath. “Minos is getting power hungry.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. “No! I mean the part about him trying to kill me and dump me in Tartarus. He said I’m a criminal. And yeah, I may not be the best person in the world, but I certainly haven’t done anything worthy of eternal torture.”
Shayne actually smiles. “No, you haven’t.”
“So what did he mean? Criminal?”
Shayne looks back at the house, which is still and haunting, and then back at me. “It means there are things I can’t tell you.”
“Can’t tell me? To Hell with that! I’m sick of hearing that!” I pull away from him and slam my fists down on his chest.
He grabs them and holds me. “Then remember.” For all the anger in my voice, his is a whisper. And I want so badly to know what he’s talking about. What secrets and mysteries lie in my past? Before I can stop it, the tears come, and I’m sobbing onto his chest. His arms are around me, and he’s stroking my hair. Holding me tight. Why does it seem like there’s so much I don’t know and no one will tell me anything?
We stay like that in Asphodel, and the ghosts avoid us. I’m not sure when I stop crying, but by the time all my tears are cried out, all I want to do is lie down and sleep. I don’t even want to find Randy anymore. I just want to find out why my life has gone crazy. But we still need to get out of this hellish purgatory and back across the River Lethe. Back to the safety of Shayne’s sanctuary. I don’t try to press him or question him on our trip back. I’ll figure out a way to get the information I need from him, because whatever it is, he knows it, and I plan to find out.
Chapter 26
Phoenix
Shayne pretends he’s got his anger under control, but the red flashes in his eyes so fast it looks like sparks.
It’s only when Cerberus pounds through the clay, meeting us on the bank of the river, that Shayne’s eyes finally stop their flickering madness and his muscles relax. I, on the other hand, can’t stop thinking about Minos.
Criminal. Tartarus. His haunting words keep coming back to me. Killing a phoenix. We walk down the long tunnel, Cerberus only steps ahead of us as if sensing Shayne’s unease. We’re almost to his sanctuary ahead. Already, I smell the fire burning. Once we’re inside, he pours us each a glass of wine. I finish mine in one long sip, and he refills the glass, but already the wine’s moving through my veins, flushing the fear out of my body.
Shayne lets out a long sigh. “Your visits haven’t gone so well, have they?”
I glance at him, but don’t respond.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“What does a dead bird have to do with anything?”
“Nothing. Everything.” Shayne gets up and walks to the bookcase. He pulls a red leather book from the shelf, bringing it back over to me. Flipping it open, he stops on a page with a hand-drawn purple and red bird amid a mass of flames. I suck in my breath when I see its tail: five long red feathers—feathers which look identical to the one I found in the box Melina had given me.
“What?” Shayne has turned away from the page and is studying me.
I shake my head. “Nothing.” But images of the box and the feather stay in my mind.
He doesn’t press me but turns back to the picture. “The phoenix lives for a thousand years, but when it’s time for the phoenix to die, it bursts into flames, burning until it’s nothing but ashes. Once the ashes have cooled, the phoenix is reborn again, all on its own.”
I look down at the picture, studying it. “Does that mean it can’t be killed?”
And why did Melina give me a box with a phoenix’s tail feather in it?
Shayne flips the book shut and turns to the fire which crackles when he looks at it. “It’s almost impossible to kill a phoenix.”
“But it can be done?”
Shayne nods. “Yes. It can be done.”
“And for someone who kills a phoenix…” I know how the sentence will end, and I don’t want to finish it.
Shayne takes a long breath. “The penalty is eternity in Tartarus.”
I’ve never seen a phoenix, and part of me doesn’t even believe they exist. But here I am in Hell drinking wine with Shayne—Lord of the Underworld, and I know it’s possible. There was a feather to prove it. Or maybe it was a feather to prove my guilt. “Did I kill a phoenix?”
Shayne moves so close, the warmth of his body smolders next to me. He takes my hands, and the smell of the wine on his breath sends a wave of exhilaration through me, blending in with his sweet burnt taste.
“No. You did not kill a phoenix.”
I let out the breath I’ve been holding, and can’t stop the smile that’s hiding behind my lips. Finally, an answer. “So Minos was wrong.”
Shayne nods. “Yes. Minos was wrong.” And then he’s leaning into me and kissing me, and I forget about phoenixes and Minos and Asphodel. He traces his fingers up my spine, and I respond by pulling him down onto the floor. Between the embers and Shayne, I feel like I’m on fire myself. I run my hands over
his chest, his arms; I just don’t want to believe we ever have to be apart.
We stay there forever, and even at that, it’s not long enough. I never want to go away, but as the wine leaves me, I know I have to. I need to get back to reality, to take care of Chloe, to deal with my mom. And then, of course, there’s Reese. It’s only once Charon takes us back across the River Acheron that Shayne mentions him again.
“Please stay away from Ares.” The concern in his eyes and voice is enough to catch me off guard.
“I will. There’s nothing to worry about.” I’m telling myself this as much as I’m telling Shayne because, when I say his name, I remember the kiss we shared and wonder if I’m being honest with myself.
“I’m serious, Piper. Ares will trick you and deceive you and do whatever he needs to do to win.”
“To win?” I stare at him. “Is there some kind of competition I’m not aware of? Am I like a prize or something?”
“No, Piper. Nothing like that.”
“Then what?” I need to know. “You can only win something when you’re competing against someone else.”
“Look. Ares doesn’t care about the prize. He only cares about the battle and the conquest. He thrives on it. You can think whatever you want, but just remember that. He’s the god of war.”
I roll my eyes. It’s not like this is some kind of amusement park game and I’m the giant stuffed animal up for grabs. This is my life. “I have no plans to go near Reese.” And it’s true. I can only hope he’s gone by the time I get back home and that I never see him again.
Shayne twists up his lips. “Yes, but I’m sure he has plans to go near you.”
I cross my arms. “I’ll be careful. As long as he doesn’t hold me at knife point and threaten to throw me into Tartarus, everything should be fine.”
Shayne doesn’t laugh. He caresses my ear, sending a wonderful chill down below my stomach. And then he gives me a wistful smile and walks away, leaving me to return to Earth above.