I stared into my drink, unsure what to say next. There was so much on my mind. Where was I supposed to start?
“I hate this wall between us,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “It’s been there since we spoke to Nyx last night. I know you’re not happy about my decision… but I wish you would talk to me about it.”
“You volunteered to leave me forever.” I snapped my head up to look at him, my eyes hot with tears and anger. “You didn’t take time to think about it. You didn’t ask me what I thought about it. Because how am I supposed to get through every day without you, knowing that you’re going through hell on the other side of that portal—or that you could be stuck in the hellish Underworld there forever? I don’t think I can do it. I know I can’t.” The tears flowed freely down my cheeks again, and despite my attempts to wipe them away, they wouldn’t stop. I didn’t think I wanted them to stop.
“Of course you can.” He got up and joined me in my chair, pulling me to his chest and wrapping his arms around me. “I love you, Nicole,” he said, his voice full of so much strength and passion that I knew he meant it. “And it’s because I love you that I have to do this. If I don’t, then you’ll never be safe. No one on Earth will ever be safe. I couldn’t live with myself if I let that happen.”
“It didn’t have to be you.” I snuggled closer into him, resting my cheek against his chest. In his arms, I felt so warm and safe. I wished we could stay here in this moment forever. “It could have been… someone else.”
“You mean Danielle.” He said it as a statement, not a question.
“Yeah.” I sniffed. “Not that I want it to be either of you. But you didn’t even wait to see what she would say.”
“I’ve known Danielle for my entire life,” he said. “She’s smart, she fights for the people she cares for, and she goes for what she wants no matter what. But she’s selfish. She would never volunteer herself. It had to be me. I knew it had to be me the moment Nyx told us what we needed to do. And I think, deep down, you know it, too.”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged, not wanting to admit it. “But it’s not fair. I just got you back. You have no idea what it was like… you were dead, Blake. I saw your body. Your corpse. In that moment, believing I would never be able to see you again… everything in me shattered. But now you’re back. You’re here. You’re alive. And I refuse to believe that I got you back only to lose you again so quickly. The world can’t be that cruel.”
“It might not have to happen that way,” he said. “The Oracle could have the answer.”
“She might,” I said. “Or she might not. If she doesn't, then you’ll be gone. Forever. I already had to go through that once… I can’t do it again.”
“Is that why you’ve been distancing yourself from me this past day?” he asked. “Because you think you’re going to lose me again?”
“Yes.” I turned my head up to look at him, gazing into his eyes. “The thought of losing you—of what you’re inflicting on yourself by trapping yourself in Kerberos—it absolutely terrifies me.”
“It scares me too,” he admitted. “But if I don’t do it, the world will end because I was too scared to do anything about it. I couldn’t live with that. We’ve risked our own lives enough these past few weeks that you have to understand that. Right?”
“There has to be another way,” I said, refusing to answer his question. “There just has to.”
“If there is, we’ll do everything in our power to discover it,” he said. “But no matter what, never doubt how much I love you. I came with you down to the Underworld to try to find another solution to this problem. I will go with you anywhere if it means we’ll have a chance at a future together. No matter what happens, I hope you never forget that.”
“I love you, too.” I trailed my thumb over his cheek, trying to commit every inch of his face to my memory. “Knowing that there’s still a possibility—a big possibility—that you’ll have to make this sacrifice… it hurts more than I can say. But I don’t want to distance myself from you. If we only have a limited amount of time left… I want to spend as much of it together as possible.”
“I know we haven’t been together for that long, but we’ve been through so much that it feels like forever.” His lips were so close to mine now, electricity buzzing between us. “I don’t know if I can properly get across how much you mean to me, but we don’t know how much time we have left together, so I’m going to try. Because before you, my life was empty and void. I went through the motions, but I wasn’t fully there. Then you burst into my life with fire and passion and lit it up in ways I never thought possible. With you, I feel more alive than ever. I’ve told you a million times, but I’ll say it once more—I love you, Nicole. I don’t want you to ever doubt that. So tonight—if you’re ready—I want us to be together completely. I want to show you how deep my love for you goes.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I nodded, my heart fuller than it had been in my entire life. “Yes,” I said, and I crushed my lips to his, running my fingers up his chest and burying them in his hair. A moan sounded from deep in my throat, and I arched my body up, pushing it hard against his. But it wasn’t close enough. Every inch of me pulsed with desire for Blake. I wanted more. I wanted him.
And I told him just that.
So he picked me up and carried me to the bed, and that night, we loved each other more than we ever had before.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The next morning, a knock on the door jolted me out of my sleep.
My eyes opened, and Blake’s eyes staring back at me were the first things I saw. I smiled at the memory of last night and snuggled closer into him. We’d been holding each other all night, and I’d never slept better. Being with him, with his arms around me, it just made me feel so… safe.
The knocking started again, and my cheeks turned red at the realization that neither Blake nor I were wearing any clothes. They’d been removed and flung across the floor pretty quickly last night. But at least whoever was outside the door hadn’t taken the liberty of letting themselves in. If they had, they would have seen a lot more than they’d bargained for.
“One minute!” Blake yelled to them, and we both scurried around the room, throwing on the clothes we’d worn yesterday. They were rumpled and dirty from the journey to the Underworld, but since my only other choices in that closet were barely-there nightgowns or fancy dresses, they would have to do.
Once we were both dressed, Blake told the person on the other side of the door that they could come in.
Persephone glided inside, wearing a long lilac dress that flowed behind her. Her hair was down and in waves, her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyes were so bright that she looked like she’d already been awake for hours.
“The Oracle warned me not to teleport directly into your room,” she said with a knowing smile. “Not that I would have anyway—for privacy’s sake.”
“The Oracle?” My jaw dropped open—I was too happy to hear that Persephone had spoken with the Oracle to be embarrassed that she knew what had been going on in the bedroom between Blake and me. “You spoke with her?”
“I have.” She nodded. “She’s waiting for you in the throne room. And she said not to worry about your apparel—the jeans and t-shirts you’re wearing now are perfectly acceptable to her.”
But even though it was happy news, I noticed a falter in Persephone’s chipper appearance, and sadness passed over her eyes. She covered it up quickly, but now that I was looking closer, I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. She looked… defeated.
“What happened?” I asked her. “Why don’t you look happy that we get to speak with the Oracle?” I held my breath, bracing myself for the worst. “Is the news bad, but you’re not telling us so we can hear it from her ourselves?”
“No, no, nothing of the sort.” She waved away the possibility. “The Oracle wouldn’t say a word about what she knew until the two of you were present.”
“What’s wrong
then?” I asked. “Something changed since last night. I can tell.”
“Well, as you know, Hades wasn’t thrilled with the idea of bringing the Oracle here to speak with you.” She glanced at the ground, twisting her fingers together. “He views this allowance as not trusting Nyx, and he doesn’t want to offend the primordial deities. But I think the Oracle is the best chance in finding the answer you seek, so I bargained on your behalf.”
“What did you bargain?” I asked, my heart dropping at the possibilities.
“Hades has allowed you to speak with the Oracle… in exchange to my agreeing to spend one extra month with him in the Underworld each year.”
“What?” My eyes bulged at her confession. “But you don’t like it down here. Why would you offer to do that?”
“I am used to it down here,” she answered flatly. “I was born above, and will always miss Earth and my family there. But as centuries have passed, I’ve realized that my place is here, as the Queen of the Underworld. I have more to offer here than I do on Earth. The transition was going to happen sooner or later, and if I could use it as a bargaining chip to benefit the two of you in your quest, then that makes it all the better.”
My heart dropped at what she’d given up. But it was already done. And knowing what I did about bargains and oaths made by gods, there would be no taking it back.
“Thank you.” I bowed my head to her, wanting her to know that her sacrifice was appreciated. “I will not forget what you’ve done for us today.”
“I only hope that the Oracle has the information you seek.” She held her hands out, motioning for us to take them. “Come. We shall not keep her waiting any longer.”
Blake and I took her hands, and I closed my eyes, warmth filling my body as Persephone transported us to the Oracle.
CHAPTER FIFTY
We appeared at the base of the steps in the throne room.
Hades sat upon his throne, and Persephone walked up to take her seat beside him. In between them was a woman wearing a simple gray habit, with a matching hood that hid her hair and eyes. She looked like a nun. All I could see of her was the bottom of her face—her nose and mouth.
“The two of you have a question you wish to ask me?” She faced our direction and pressed her palms together, although with her eyes covered, there was no way she could see us.
“You are the Oracle,” Blake said, clearing his throat. “Surely you already know what we want to ask?”
I glared at him, resisting the urge to elbow him in the side for being snarky to the Oracle.
“Clever.” She chuckled, and I relaxed, glad she wasn’t offended. “I suppose it might have been funny the first time I heard it thousands of years ago, although with so many visions of the future swarming my mind, it gets rather difficult to recall the past.” She stopped laughing and stood straighter, turning serious again. “Of course, I do know what you wish to know. But I ask you to pose the question to me because there are many ways that a person can word their desires. Oftentimes, one does not understand exactly what he or she truly wants until the words are spoken out loud.”
“Okay.” I stared straight up at her, even though it was impossible to see her eyes. “Is there another way to seal the portal to Kerberos that doesn’t involve anyone sacrificing themselves and getting stuck there?”
She remained standing there with her hands pressed together, silent. I could barely breathe. I could barely think. Whatever she said would let me know if I had a future with Blake or not.
The anxiety made me dizzy, and I reached for Blake’s hand, steadying myself the moment his fingers wrapped around mine. We were a team. We were stronger together. We loved and supported each other, and there was nothing we couldn’t face.
I glanced at Hades and Persephone to see if this pause was normal for the Oracle. They were calm and composed, so I had to assume that it was.
Finally, the Oracle lifted the hood off her face, revealing empty, white eyes. The places where her irises and pupils should have been were blank. Murky. Blind.
I swallowed down a shudder, not wanting to offend her in case she could see me. From the way she looked straight at us, it seemed like she could, but the emptiness in her gaze said otherwise.
“Seek alternative answers all you wish, but I will tell you the truth right here—there is no other way to close the portal,” she said, her voice slow and hypnotizing. “The way Nyx instructed you is correct, and it is the only way to ensure that the Titans don’t return to ravage the Earth. You must seal the portal in this manner, or else the Titans will return, and everything on Earth—and in the Underworld—will be destroyed.”
The floor felt like it dropped out from under me. The only reason I remained standing was because Blake was still holding my hand in his. If his hand left mine, I would surely fall over.
“No,” I rasped. “That can’t be true. There has to be another way. There has to be…” I glanced up at Blake, desperate for him to have some sort of solution. But he looked just as crushed as I felt.
“I’m sorry,” the Oracle said. “There is no other way.”
And with those few words, any last sliver of hope I had was lost.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The Oracle was correct that I would seek other answers. For the next two months, that was all the group of us focused on. Not only did we want to find another solution, but having a goal helped keep our minds off of the deaths of Chris and Hypatia. We spoke to every Head Elder, read through as many books as we could in the New Alexandrian Library, and even spoke with a few gods. But the answers were all the same.
There was only one way to close that portal, and it involved either Blake or Danielle sacrificing themselves to Kerberos.
I felt like I was living in a fog. Every day that passed was one day closer to the day that I would lose Blake forever. But despite the Oracle’s words, I pressed on, refusing to give up until time ran out.
I’d even tried—multiple times—to speak with Danielle. But talking to her was like talking to a brick wall. She just sat there and listened to my pleas, saying nothing. I wasn’t even sure if she was hearing what I was saying, and I certainly wasn’t getting through to her.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t blame her for shutting me out. I was basically asking her to die instead of Blake. It wasn’t right or fair, but I couldn’t help it. I had to try. I even tried to appeal to the love that she might still have for Blake—after all, they did date for months before I entered the picture. But still, nothing. I had no idea what was going through her mind, and any attempt to find out got me no results.
Eventually I stopped speaking with her altogether, instead spending my time with Blake and Kate as we continued to search for another answer. We’d basically moved into the library by now—it was easier to sleep here than to bother a Head Elder to create a portal for us every time we wanted to go back home. I spent every night with Blake, the two of us growing closer every day. And every day, my heart hurt more and more knowing that I might lose him. But I refused to push him away again. If these were my final weeks with him, I didn’t want us to be parted for a single second.
Now we were all sitting around a table in the library, each of us reading a different ancient scroll. We could understand the ones in Greek, thanks to the blood of our Greek god ancestors that ran through our veins, but the ones in other languages were gibberish to us. So we were hoping that we could find something in one of the Greek scrolls.
As for Danielle, we had no idea where she was. She’d been disappearing a lot recently. She would never tell us where she went, except to let us know that she was working on figuring out a solution, too. I wasn’t sure if she was being honest, but I didn’t push her, since I didn’t have it in me to speak with her any more than necessary.
But as hard as we tried—and we did stay awake for countless hours each night trying—we knew deep in our hearts that it was hopeless. The Oracle couldn’t be wrong. Still, at least researching gave us something to do, and a bit of h
ope.
Hope was the only thing keeping me going right now.
We were buried in the scrolls when our phones all buzzed—a group text from Jason.
More monsters escaped Kerberos. Creating a portal for you in the front of the Library.
We dropped the scrolls, grabbed our weapons, and raced to the front of the library. Danielle came flying in through the back entrance a second later to join us, the Golden Sword in hand. She must have been doing something outside—training, perhaps? There was no point in asking, since she was barely honest with us about anything anymore.
Seconds later, a portal appeared in the middle of the foyer, and we hurried through without hesitation.
I’d traveled through so many portals that led to different spots on Earth that I was used to the temporary darkness, and the feeling of the ground disappearing from under my feet.
My stomach flipped, and then I was standing on solid ground—staring straight at the entrance to the cave as a herd of centaurs stampeded out of it. There were so many of them that the sound of their hooves hitting the ground was deafening. It was already harder than usual to see because it was nighttime, but a cloud of dirt rose up from behind them, making it nearly impossible to make them out.
I coughed as I breathed in the dirt, trying to keep my eyes open despite the pain. There were too many of them to count, but all I knew was that there was way more of them than there were of us. And like most of the monsters who’d been escaping recently, the centaurs were strong enough to get past the witches barrier. We simply didn’t have the numbers or the power to keep these stronger creatures contained.
Kate cleared away the dirt with her power, and I strung my bow, shooting arrow after arrow at the centaurs. Blake shot fire at them, and Danielle shot icicles, but there were too many of them and they were running too fast for us to get them all. If we charged at them, we would surely be trampled. Kate even created a sinkhole in the ground, which consumed the centaurs near the back of the pack. But too many of the centaurs had already crossed the street into the town, out of range of the sinkhole.
Elementals 5: The Hands of Time Page 14