by Mila Young
Apollo
A loud knock reverberated through my skull, calling to me, waking me, but darkness cloaked my vision. Where was I?
The banging continued. Louder and louder, and with each passing moment, the panic coiling around my chest tightened.
I searched deep within me and drew on my power, unleashing the brightest light inside, the magic crawling down my arms. In a heartbeat, the shadows around me dissolved, and I stared up at the white ceiling as I lay on the floor behind my couch.
What the fuck? I hadn’t been drinking, and the last thing I remembered was coming home for a shower before I visited Elyse.
I got to my feet, fists clenched, and scanned my living room. No one there. Had I passed out?
Another round of knocking, and it came from my front door.
I scratched my head and crossed the room before opening it.
Hades stood there. He hadn’t just materialized inside my place, but maybe that was a good thing. I wouldn’t have asked questions if he had; I would have simply knocked his block off when I woke up from whatever nightmare I’d had, assuming he was to blame.
He wasn’t my favorite person right now. Elyse told me what Persephone had told her. But I didn’t care—he was a dick, and I didn’t like him. The rest of us were teaming up together to help Elyse take on X, but Hades was too fucking selfish to do anything other than watch out for himself.
Sure, the guy had gone through some stupid heartache. But we’d all had our hearts broken. Some of us more than others. And you didn’t see us doing stupid things, did you? Everyone else seemed to be managing their difficulties and ugly pasts in a healthy way.
But Hades had to be the one looking for attention by acting out. He was like a millennia-old child.
“What?” I snapped when he gave me a sheepish look from the doorstep. “I can’t imagine you’re here for a friendly little visit.”
He breathed deeply. “I thought I’d let you know that Elyse died.”
“What?” I asked, my tone of voice very different this time, and ice pierced my chest. I didn’t feel her fighting X. “Are you fucking with me?”
Hades shook his head. “Believe what you like about me, but I thought I’d tell you.”
I grabbed him by the throat. “What game are you playing?”
He smiled at me, despite my death grip. Of course, I couldn’t do him any real harm. But, by Zeus, I wanted to.
“What happened?” I inquired when Hades didn’t answer me. I still held his neck, even though I couldn’t hurt him. And Hades didn’t struggle too much to escape from my grip.
“It was an accident, indirectly caused by X attacking her, believe it or not,” he choked out. “But no matter how it happened, this was her second-to-last death. You know what it means.”
I let go but not without shoving him backward. “Of course I know what it means,” I snapped. “When? Where is she?”
“Oh, yesterday. I spend most of Sunday, all night, and this morning by her side. She’s probably still out as it should take her a few days to wake up,” he said. “So, I wanted to let you know since you’ll probably want to be with her. Especially considering none of you seemed to come to her rescue when she fought X.” He snarled the words.
“Wait! Isn’t today Sunday?” I asked. “And are you blaming this on me?”
He glared at me as if I were an idiot, his brows raising, his head tilted slightly. “It’s Monday.”
I ran a hand down my face, convinced it was just Sunday. I remembered waking up cloaked in darkness. But I’d lost a full day and hadn’t sensed Elyse fighting with X. I always did in the past.
“Fuck!” I gave Hades a fast run down of my guesstimation. “That asshole trapped me so I couldn’t help Elyse. Want to the bet he did the same to Poseidon and Ares? Of course, he didn’t touch you, because he’s part of you.” My voice darkened, and my nails bit into my palms as I curled my hands into fists because I was going to kill X.
Elyse had been dead since yesterday, and none of us knew about it and we couldn’t help her. Anger very quickly replaced my shock, and my fist shot out, landing on Hades’s jaw.
“You released X, and now he’s going to kill Elyse.”
His head jerked to the side, but he turned his face to me again almost immediately—as if he wanted me to do it again, like he was daring me to do more. But I wasn’t in the mood to fight him. If I could kill him, I probably would have.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I hissed through gritted teeth, not knowing what else to say to him. I had to go see her. I was pissed he didn’t seek us out earlier, but in the back of my mind, I reminded myself Hades probably used the time with her to grieve, to have alone time with Elyse while she recovered. The thought didn’t ease the burning fire in my chest.
He lowered his gaze and sauntered out of my house as if nothing was wrong. As if nothing had ever been wrong. The son of a bitch had to stay out of my way if he wanted me to be civil toward him at all. Because there was no way I’d able to hold back a second time. Sure, he cared for Elyse, but it pissed me off that he acted so nonchalant when Elyse’s life was in peril. And he should make it his mission to eradicate X but didn’t.
I left the house immediately after Hades did and transported to Elyse’s place. As soon as I knew she was all right, I’d check in on Ares and Poseidon.
Heracles arrived at the same time as me.
“Elyse died,” I said.
He nodded.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“I was visiting Zeus. He told me. So, I came straight here to check on her.”
I told him about X trapping me and the other two. But I was furious as to why the fuck Heracles hadn’t told any of us about Elyse right away either. A burning blaze tore through me. Together, Heracles and I hurried toward Elyse’s front door. We didn’t bother knocking; we just reappeared inside.
Elyse wasn’t in the living room. Heracles rushed to the bedroom with me on his heels. Elyse lay on her bed sleeping. She wasn’t dead anymore; she was breathing.
“She’s awake already.” Heracles pointed out the obvious. “Zeus said the third death would bring her back fast, but this is incredible.”
“Nice to know it’s entertaining you.” I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my fingers through her hair, not caring how long it took her to reawaken, just that she was alive. The strands were still matted with blood. I didn’t even want to think about how she’d died. It looked as if it’d been painful.
“Hey, Elyse,” I said softly.
Her eyes rolled behind her eyelids, and her face looked younger in a way, but she didn’t wake up yet. I went on stroking her hair, gently nudging her until her eyes fluttered open. She looked as if she didn’t want to come back to reality.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked, my heart aching at finding her in this state.
She looked from me to Heracles. “Where were you?” she croaked.
“I came here as soon as I heard about your death from my father. Apollo didn’t know,” Heracles explained.
“Hades just told me,” I added.
Elyse touched her temple while closing her eyes for a brief moment.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I probed.
Elyse looked at me, and her voice wavered. “Oh, Apollo,” she whispered, and her eyes filled with tears.
In all the time I’d known her, I couldn’t remember ever seeing her so lost. I collected her in my arms and held her against me while she fell apart. She’d always been incredibly strong, but today she was still just a human. And she’d been through so much. Not just for the sake of the other humans, but in part for all our sakes as well.
Heracles came closer and hugged Elyse also. I let her go long enough for him to embrace and hold her. He’d trained her from a young age and watching her in such pain, losing life after life, would have to be difficult.
“You’re going to be okay,” he said. Then he looked at me. “Take care of her. I need to go talk to our
dad again.”
My mouth opened to ask him what he was seeing Zeus about, and if it was related to the shitstorm X was causing, but he’d disappeared. Elyse curled her body against mine again, shuddering. I held her as she cried, trying to shake everything that had happened.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do this anymore,” she finally admitted, her voice thick with tears. “I don’t think I’m the right person for the job. Zeus chose wrong.”
I shook my head. “Zeus doesn’t make mistakes,” I reminded her. “And I’m sure after Heracles goes to speak to him, he’ll come back and tell you the same thing. You’re a warrior, stronger than anyone I’ve ever seen before. And that includes us immortals.”
She kept her head against my chest. She didn’t believe me. And I understood why. She’d been to hell and back three times already.
“How am I going to save her?” Elyse wondered, and she was talking about Catina. X still had the human girl. He’d taunted Elyse, and the fucker needed to be stopped.
“We’ll do it together,” I said, holding her tight, wanting more than anything to scoop her into my arms and take her to a place no one could find her again. A place I knew didn’t exist, but if it did, I’d whisk her away in a heartbeat. She didn’t deserve everything happening to her.
“I don’t think I can go with you to the Underworld,” Elyse confided. “There’s just so much darkness, and I can’t get away from it anymore. It’s inside my head, in me. I’m scared it’s going to pull me under and not let me go.”
I caught a tear rolling over her chin. “Do you know what brings you back every time?”
Elyse lifted a tear-stained face to me and shook her head.
“It’s the power of Zeus inside your veins,” I explained. “That’s what keeps dragging you back from the darkness, from the edge of death. I know you’ve gone through all the deaths you can recover from, but that doesn’t mean Zeus’s power isn’t in your veins anymore.”
She nodded and tucked herself against my chest once again. Maybe this was exactly what she’d needed to hear. Reassurance that all wasn’t lost yet.
“I just don’t think I’m the person to help her,” she mumbled, even though she’d agreed.
“This isn’t just about Catina,” I added. “She’s the embodiment of the people you’re supposed to protect. See this as symbolic. If you can save Catina, one person, you can save them all.”
“I wish I believed that.” Elyse huffed as she pulled away and lowered her gaze from mine.
“You don’t have to,” I said gently. “Not yet. But you should know, I believe in you. I know you’re stronger than anything out there. The reason why X is doing all these things to you is because he knows he can’t beat you. He’s terrified he might never be able to. He’s pulling out all the stops, and it tells me he’s scared.” And I believed that without a doubt. Why else would he taunt her, kidnap her friend, and stop three gods from getting in the way? If he viewed Elyse as a normal mortal, he’d have killed her right away and been done with it, rather than playing these games. He saw her as an adversary who stood in his way, who could take him down, who was capable of so much more greatness than him. She needed to see for herself.
“What’s he afraid of?” she asked.
“Of you. And you owe it to yourself to prove him right. Show him and the rest of the world who you really are. You are Elyse Lowe, the woman who held out, the woman who, against all odds, carried her legacy for us. And no matter what, I know you’ll make it. When I look at you, I see you beaming as bright as the sun. You will shine in victory and light will always follow, all else paling in comparison. I believe in you, Elyse.”
She didn’t respond at first, but she lay against me, her body warm and small and so fragile, but that was an illusion. A warrior lay inside her. Eventually, she pulled away, sitting up. She met my gaze as she wiped her eyes, and a new expression slid over her features. Gone was the girl needing rescue. Before me was the Elyse I’d first met—fiery, powerful, and determined. She was ready for war.
“Okay,” she finally conceded.
“Okay?” I asked, uncertain what decision she’d finally come to.
Elyse sighed. “Okay, I’ll try one more time.”
I smiled, leaned forward, and pressed my lips against hers. “That’s my girl.”
Chapter 21
Poseidon
When Apollo told me Elyse had died again, I grew furious, shaking with rage and needing to punch someone. I’d woken up in my backyard, frozen in time by X, just as Apollo and Ares had been. The bastard got us out of the way so he could take her out. We hadn’t expected him, but next time, we’d be ready.
Hades hadn’t told any of us right away, and I was sure it was some kind of trick to stop us from bringing Catina back after all.
The thing was, as eager as I’d been to believe Persephone that Hades wasn’t a real villain, it was so easy to look back to my previous beliefs and decide that Hades meant for this to happen. Why else would he not tell us right away Elyse died? Why not tell us the moment she lost another life? And how had she perished? Everyone said it had been an accident, but I was starting to wonder if Hades had been involved. All we heard was that he’d saved her, but I had doubts over his intentions.
Yes, it was unfair of me. But old habits died hard, and Hades didn’t make it easy for anyone to think well of him.
We all congregated at Heracles’s place. He was willing to host us while we prepared to go to the Underworld. But even though Hades wouldn’t be with us, Heracles refused to accompany us.
I didn’t blame him. He’d performed his twelve acts of valor, and he survived Hera’s attacks. None of us expected him to get involved in a fight that had nothing to do with him.
“Don’t get stuck in the Asphodel Meadows. There, you’re not going to remember anything about the life you have on Earth. You’ll forget everything you’ve ever fought for and not see a reason to leave.” Heracles was trying to break down the Underworld to Elyse. We all knew what it was like down there—at least, we understood the concept. None of us gods had actually been there, aside from Heracles.
But Elyse had been there according to Heracles, except he hadn’t taken her deep into the Underworld, not over the river. And the Greek myths were taught in school didn’t exactly cover the layout of the Underworld. No human could really know what it was like since the souls that went to there never returned.
“What do I do?” Elyse asked. “Get across the river, and then…?”
“You have to get past that god-awful dog of Hades’s, but I think you should be okay, as he only goes after the dead,” Heracles continued. “And then you should be able to enter Hades’s home. He lives on neutral ground. That’s where X will be hiding—if he takes Catina anywhere else, she dies. And for that same reason, as long as you’re close to one of the gods, Elyse, you should be okay until you reach that safe ground.”
X had found a loophole in the Underworld. It was understandable; he lived there. We were the ones who hadn’t taken the time to find out what it was like, to know if it was plausible he’d even be able to take a living human down to hell.
“We’ve got it covered,” Ares stated, staring out the window.
He was dressed for war, wearing his armor, his leather, his sword. Next to me, Apollo also wore his leather, his body draped with weapons. We had to travel down there, retrieve Catina, and get back up here without any incident. I didn’t want Elyse involved in any more fighting than absolutely necessary.
And knowing X, he planned on just that.
“Hey,” Heracles called to Elyse, putting his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“How do you know?” Elyse wondered, and doubt threaded her voice.
“Because I know you. I’ve watched you and your family for years. I know who you are and what you’re capable of. You need to believe in yourself now.”
Elyse eyes narrowed, though the lines across her
brow told me she worried a lot. Heracles had been there since the beginning, and she trusted him. He could convince her better than any of the rest of us could.
“Are we ready?” I asked when everyone was dressed and had their weapons strapped on. Ares was practicing his punching moves. Elyse had two swords crossed on her back and her scythe in her hand. She also wore a dark outfit, but it wasn’t leather. Rather, the outfit offered her a bit of protection—it had supernatural material from Olympus woven by Athena, not too different than a bulletproof vest that would keep her safe from at least one blow of something serious before she’d have to deal with the aftermath.
Elyse had never felt the need to fight with armor before, but she was destabilized now. Her magic remained a little out of control, and she was aware of how vulnerable it made her. I wished we had more time for her to train, to become comfortable with her new magic.
But this was exactly what X had intended. To strip her of power, the ability she controlled. He’d taken the risk her new energy might be something she’d use against him and it had paid off.
But she wasn’t going down there alone. We were all with her, and we were angry as fuck. Nothing was going to happen to her, not on our watch.
We’d suggested she take at least a little longer to recover after her death, but she had refused. And I understood—Catina’s time was running out. X wouldn’t keep her alive forever.
“Let’s go,” Apollo said, turning to Ares and me.
“I tried to find a way to join you, but Zeus has forbidden it.” Heracles’s gaze fell momentarily. “Good luck,” he mumbled before we left his house.
I took Elyse’s hand and the four of us vanished out of Chicago, reappearing in a cloudy mist, suspended in the sky.
The Underworld didn’t have an entrance the way a lot of the Greek mythologies suggested. In the days of old, everyone had though there were entrances and exits to hell. But it was much simpler than that. All we had to do to get there was descend. I held Elyse’s hand tighter while Ares took her other one, and when we descended, she came with us. Along with Apollo.