by River Ramsey
In a panic, I tried to move back, but something was pulling me in. The shelf of the lake gave out and I was dragged deeper and deeper under the surface. Water rushed into my lungs and the downward torrent crashed over me, rendering my efforts to escape futile.
That singing voice turned wicked and the gentle cadence of my name became a cackle.
I was drowning. The realization swept over me like the violence of the water, but it felt like it was happening to someone else. My arms and legs struggled for a time, because that was what I was programmed to do, but they gave out just as independently.
The whole time, I sank deeper and deeper. Impossibly deep. The voice became a soft song once more as the water grew still, as if it had no more reason to fight now that I had stopped struggling.
I felt the darkness closing in and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I’d always imagined it would feel terrifying to know I was about to die, but it didn’t. Whether it was the same hypnotic spell that had lured me into the water in the first place or something else entirely, I felt only peace and tranquility.
Giving up wasn’t just inevitable. It seemed so inviting.
The sound of a bloodcurdling scream pulled me from the darkness, and I felt a hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, dragging me upward. My body lacked the strength to move on its own, and my oxygen-deprived mind could barely register the fact that the voice now screaming in agony was the same one that had lured me into the lake.
I couldn’t make out the sight of my rescuer through the water, and I blacked out again before I had the chance.
The next thing I was aware of was the agonizing pressure in my chest. Someone’s hands were on me, compressing my sternum rhythmically. CPR.
Given the sound of his furious cursing, it wasn’t working.
I recognized that voice…
The pain had stopped. It took me only a second to realize that probably wasn’t a good sign.
“Come on,” he said gruffly, putting all his agitation into the furious compressions. I could only feel it faintly, then not at all.
When I finally opened my eyes, I could see everything. Including my lifeless body stretched out on the grass beside the lake as Hades loomed over me in defeat.
When I looked down, I could see through my body. Shit!
I rushed forward, trying to move closer since I seemed to be hovering a few yards in the air. I managed to stand near him, but my attempt to reach out and touch my body just led to my hand going right through.
So Hades was the one who’d pulled me from the water. And it looked like he’d given up.
“Come on, you stupid asshole,” I growled. “Don’t give up now!”
If there was one thing that was worse than being dead, it was being rescued by him, but I sure as hell didn’t want to be both.
“You stupid bitch,” he muttered under his breath.
A surge of anger ran through my ghostly form and I clenched my fists. It soon became hope. “Can you hear me?”
No response. He was still looking at my corpse and when he reached out to touch my cheek with a tenderness I didn’t think he was capable of, I froze.
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s a mistake.”
A woman’s voice made me jolt, and for a moment, I feared it was the siren. When I looked up, I saw her walking over to him from the tree line. A beautiful woman with long, flowing hair like ink. She wore an exquisite blue gown with a soft red scarf draped around her shoulders. She drew closer and I realized she was transparent, just like me.
“Who are you?” I asked. “What’s a mistake?”
She looked right at me but didn’t answer, turning her attention back to the young god who was just sitting there, watching my body grow cold and blue.
“Resurrection magic is forbidden for a reason,” she said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. It looked like she was actually touching him.
Most shockingly of all, he looked up at her. “I know that.”
He could hear her. “Hades!” I cried, desperate to get his attention.
“He can’t hear you,” the woman said calmly, folding her hands. “He and I share a unique bond.”
Hades looked around, frowning. “Who are you talking to? Is that her?”
“Pay no mind,” she said casually. “The guides haven’t come to retrieve her yet.”
“That means there’s still time,” he muttered.
She frowned and in that moment, there was something so similar about their expressions. It was in the eyes and the Cupid’s bows of their lips. “Hades, you promised. Do not go the way of Orpheus or there will be consequences. There are always consequences.”
“You don’t think I know that?” he snapped. His anger faded immediately. “I’m sorry.”
Guess he got along with ghosts better than he got along with people.
The ghostly woman looked up at me, her expression troubled. “Hades, please…”
He ignored her and all I could do was watch helplessly as he held my fate in his hands. Resurrection magic. Was he seriously thinking of using that on me? Rumors swirled around what Hades was capable of, but no one really knew for sure. It looked like the blue flames were just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.
Hades began whispering words I couldn’t make out, but the cadence made me doubt they were in a language I couldn’t have understood anyway. At first, nothing seemed to be happening, but then his voice was joined by whispers all throughout the forest. The woman looked around nervously and gave me a pitying glance before she faded away completely.
Okay, so that was disconcerting.
The whispers grew louder, rising with Hades’ voice. I took a step back from my body as a blue flame shot up from the earth and formed a circle around me and him. Well, at least my physical aspect.
The flames grew and grew until they became a massive wall and Hades stretched out his open palms. As if obeying his command, the ring of fire jumped into his palms and shaped itself into a glowing blue orb. It looked like an entire universe contained within a single sphere, and when he opened his eyes, they were the same bluish white as his flame.
The sight made me breathless, but before I could process what was happening, he blew onto the sphere and sent streams of glowing smoke spiraling down to my lips. They were already turning blue, but somehow, the smoke forced its way past them. I watched as he funneled the infernal flame into my body and my skin began to take on a more lifelike color.
I felt myself being pulled again, only this time, I was getting sucked back into my body rather than the endless abyss of the water. The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes and gasping involuntarily. The rush of air into my waterlogged lungs was far more painful than drowning had been.
Oh, yeah. I was definitely physical again. Being dead didn’t hurt this bad.
My body sat up of its own accord and I found myself grasping Hades’s shoulders for support. It was a struggle to take even the shallowest of breaths, and it remained one for several minutes. He held onto me, saying nothing, and as the trauma of being pulled back into the realm of the living by the god of death begin to subside, the confusion set in.
“What did you do?” I sputtered, my voice ragged.
He just looked down at me for a moment, an unreadable look on his face. His eyes were back to normal. For him, at least. “I saved you from a Narcissus well. A few more seconds and you would’ve been siren food.”
“A Narcissus well?” I echoed doubtfully. “What the hell is that?”
He sighed. “You really are sheltered.”
Normally, I would’ve had a comeback ready, but the obligation of gratitude and the oppressive exhaustion that made my body feel like lead stayed my tongue. My lungs still ached with each breath, and I was trembling so hard that my teeth chattered, but I’d never realized pain could feel this good. Compared to the nothingness of being dead, it was bliss.
Hades was still wearing his uniform coat and he pulled it off to drape around my shoulders.
The material was mostly dry thanks to the flame. I found myself staring up at him, at a loss for what to say. Finally, I managed to stutter the two words I never thought I’d say to him. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said in a flat tone. “I saved your life because you belong to me, and I’m not in the habit of letting things go before I’m done with them.”
I clenched my jaw, partly out of frustration and partly to keep my teeth from chattering. Of course he’d find a way to be an ass about saving my life. “That woman. Who was she?”
He watched me for a moment and I could tell he was deciding whether or not to tell me the truth. Or maybe just whether it was worth answering at all. “That was my mother,” he finally said.
The words took me by surprise. I knew Hades’ mother was no longer around, but no one ever spoke of her. It was just one of those subjects you didn’t bring up in civilized company, one of the many unwritten rules of Olympus.
“She said there would be consequences for bringing me back. What was she talking about?”
“It’s not something you need to worry about right now,” he answered, standing. He offered a hand to me and I hesitated a moment before taking it. I was already in his debt, so what was one chivalrous gesture on top of saving my life? “We should get you to the infirmary.”
The rest was a blur. I didn’t really remember walking back to Academy with Hades, or the panicked reception that I was told followed. Somehow or another, I ended up in the comfortable hospital bed and despite the fear of drifting into the abyss again, I fell asleep.
Chapter 15
Loki
When Hades disappeared randomly in the middle of the intimate party we were throwing for our most loyal clients and minions, I didn’t think anything of it. He and Fenrir were both the types to run off and brood at random. When he returned hours later carrying a soaking wet Kore in his arms, I realize that even things that seemed normal weren’t. Not since the murder.
No… Not since her.
I listened in the shadows as he explained to my father and the infirmary staff what had happened. His lying was as plain as day to me, but it seemed to work on even my old man.
The official narrative was that Hades had gone looking for his fiancée after her mother had called him worrying that she wasn’t answering her phone. I knew that was bullshit because he’d never so much as spoken with Demeter, much less enough for her to have him on speed dial. It was, however, a convenient lie, considering that it made him the point of contact for reaching out to Demeter to let her know about her daughter’s accident.
For a split second, I had to wonder if it was an accident.
No… Hades wouldn’t go that far. Not even with her.
He wasn’t his father. We had that in common.
He claimed he’d followed her energy through the woods and out to the Narcissus well. That much I believed. There were only a handful of staff members who even knew about the well, since tales of deadly supernatural fixtures tended to draw attention rather than repel it.
Even I wasn’t risky enough to go near that thing.
The fact that Persephone had almost been drowned by a siren was almost more incredible than the fact that she had survived. Something told me she didn’t merely owe her life to my friend’s superior swimming skills, but I’d have to wait until they left to question him.
When he was finally alone in the room, I lingered a moment. Before I had the chance to come out, he muttered, “You’re better at shifting into animals than wallpaper.”
I smirked, stepping out of the shadows as the damask pattern faded from my skin. “That was a masterful performance back there. Care to give me the real story?”
He shrugged.
I narrowed my eyes. We never kept secrets from each other. If Hades was trying, that left only one thing it could be…
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “Tell me you didn’t.”
“I already got this lecture from my mother, I don’t need to hear it from you,” he muttered, brushing past me.
I threw my hand out against the wall, blocking his path. The look he gave me would’ve made me back down on any other occasion, but this was too serious. “Resurrection magic?” I hissed. “Do you have any idea what they’ll do to you if they find out? What your father will do?”
“No, it never occurred to me.”
“You can be a smartass all you want, but that won’t save you when they call you before the tribunal.”
“If you don’t go running your mouth, no one has to know.”
“You know me better than that,” I snapped. I jerked my head toward the unconscious girl in the bed. “She’s another matter.”
“She won’t tell anyone.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because we’re bound now,” he answered. “Without me, there is no her.”
I took a moment to process what he was telling me. “When you say bonded, what exactly do you mean? Are we talking girls swapping embarrassing stories at summer camp, or industrial-strength superglue?”
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “I’ve never done this before, and I haven’t exactly memorized the texts.”
“You obviously memorized enough to bring her back.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ve studied incantations before.”
I fell silent. This wasn’t the first time Hades and I had spoken of resurrection magic, but it was the first time in a long time. Once, while he was drunk off his ass, he’d mentioned a plan to use his power as the soon-to-be god of the Underworld to bring back his mother. We hadn’t spoken of it since, but I should’ve known better than to think he’d abandon the plan entirely.
“This was a test run for you, wasn’t it?”
“You think I planned for her to fall into a siren’s well?” he asked flatly.
“Don’t bullshit me,” I growled. “You saw an opportunity and you took it.”
“Like you wouldn’t do the same.”
“Hedonistic pursuits, sure. Flaunting the laws of nature? That’s ballsy, even for you.”
“What’s done is done.”
I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. He was right, it was done. Kore was alive and Hades was the one who’d brought her back from the dead. We were all going to have to live with the consequences.
“How much does she remember?”
His silence spoke volumes.
“Shit,” I muttered, raking a hand through my hair as I stalked across the room. “Shit, shit, shit.”
“Nothing has changed,” Hades said calmly. If anything, he seemed to be in a better mood than usual, even if the dark shadows under his eyes made it clear the forbidden magic had already taken a physical toll. “Except that now I know what’s possible.”
“You got lucky. You got to her before the guides came,” I reminded him. “Resurrecting someone who just died is different from bringing a soul back from Styx. You know that.”
“Of course I do. This is just practice.”
I wasn’t sure which scared me more: his hubris or his apathy. A deadly combination, to be sure.
Not that I should’ve been surprised. It figured the very thing that had drawn me to him would be the thing that got us all killed.
Chapter 16
Kore
“Would you stop worrying? I’m fine,” I told Dionysus for what felt like the thousandth time.
“It’s just a stupid party,” he muttered. “I don’t even have to go.”
“You’re my roommate, not my nurse,” I said, sitting up in bed. I had been out of the infirmary for a full day and while I still wasn’t feeling quite like myself, I had finally stopped coughing up water. It figured I’d have to go and get drowned on the weekend, so I wasn’t even going to get to miss class. “Go to the party, I’ll be fine. You’re supposed to be gathering intel, remember?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You mean you haven’t changed your mind about Operation Sabotage after Hades saved your life?”
“He’s n
ot getting off the hook that easily,” I answered. “Besides the fact that he’s the reason I had to come to this stupid school in the first place, he made it clear he had ulterior motives for saving me. He wasn’t going to let me die before he was done.”
Dionysus grimaced. “Man, that guy doesn’t know when to quit.”
“You’re telling me,” I snorted.
Dionysus bit his lip like he always did when he was fretting and studied me carefully. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“I don’t see any sirens in the room,” I said, looking around. “I’ve got a good book and Netflix in the background. I’ll be fine. Now go. At least one of us should go out and party on the weekend.”
He gave a sigh of resignation and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Be good.”
“Always.”
He gave me a “yeah right” look before heading out the door. I couldn’t exactly blame him for worrying. The amount of trouble I’d gotten to since coming to the Academy made my life back in New York look downright boring in comparison.
And to think I had been afraid I would lose my edge in college.
After surfing around, I found a documentary that looked entertaining but not so entertaining that I couldn’t focus on my book and settled in for a refreshingly relaxing evening.
Ever since I’d woken up, the events surrounding my drowning were a blur, with everything out of order. I remembered Hades’ mother in the strange conversation they’d had about resurrection magic, but when I tried to tell Dionysus about it, my mind went blank.
Maybe I had some form of retrograde amnesia. It was the only explanation I could come up with, but whenever I thought too hard about it, my head ached as if to guide me back to other topics. Since I wasn’t eager to approach him and he’d been equally scarce since dropping me off the infirmary, I was content with indulging my need for distraction. I could worry about the rest come Monday morning.