Apollyon

Slipping my hand around his, I squeezed. When his gaze flicked to mine, I gri

As we headed down a long, dark hallway covered with black velvet tapestries, Caleb watched Aiden and me, a strange look on his face.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “You guys are really doing this—the relationship, out in the open and all?”

Aiden’s hand wrapped more firmly around mine. “I think right now the world has bigger problems than a pure and a half being in love.”

My heart did a happy dance at the last part. Just hearing him say that—the L-word—could chase away all the dark shadows and expectations.

Persephone’s throaty chuckle drifted back to us. “Isn’t that the truth? Besides, they are not the first, nor the last.”

Caleb’s sky-blue eyes settled on Aiden. “And you’re not going to try to hide the relationship once everything settles down?”

The challenge in his tone had me smiling.

“Not going to happen,” Aiden told him. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll find a way.”

“Good.” Caleb’s eyes hardened. “Because if you do her wrong, I will haunt your ass until you die.”

I burst into laughter and so did Aiden, even though we both knew Caleb was being serious. Letting go of Aiden’s hand, I wrapped my arm around Caleb. “That won’t be necessary.”

The goddess stopped in front of a bronze door. With a wave of her hand, it sprang open. Good thing she was helping us out, because I had no idea how Caleb would’ve pulled that off.

At the rush of cold air, we stepped into the circular chamber. There were so many weapons on the wall - battle axes, spears, swords, and pikes. There were morbid items too, like the heads of long-forgotten animals slaughtered in the hunt and an entire section dedicated to cutoff ponytails.

I cleared my throat. “Nice… room.”

“It’s Hades’ war room.” Awe filled Aiden’s tone. “Damn.”

“The weapons are my husband’s, but…” Persephone slid a dismissive glance around the war room. “These are mostly Ares’ trophies, not my beloved’s. Hades does have a tendency to swing a little on the morbid side, but the hair…” She gestured at the sheared ponytails tacked onto the wall. “Those belong to Ares. He likes to cut the hair of those he’s conquered and then strings them up for all to see. It disturbs most of the other gods, so he keeps them here.”

Caleb’s brows rose. “Nice decorative touch, I guess.”

There was something eerily familiar about the hair. Not the whole cutting it off and hanging it on walls, because, thank the gods, that was strange to me. But there was something that poked at my memory.

“You know Ares,” Persephone said, drawing us further into the war room. “To him, everything is about war and its spoils. Peace practically emasculates him. He believes one should never turn his back on war…” She trailed off and gave a dainty shrug. “He should be thrilled now, with everything on the brink.”

“He’s probably a happy camper,” Caleb said, sliding a WTF glance my way.

I shrugged, but that weird sensation was there, nagging at me. Did Persephone mean never turn their back on Ares, a.k.a. “Mr. War,” or just on war itself?

“Here we are.” She stopped in front of a marble pedestal. Demonic faces were etched into the marble of the basin and ruby-red water filled it. “All you have to do is stand before it and call for the soul you wish to speak to—any soul—and they will be summoned here.”

“Any soul?” My breath caught as an image of my mother filled my head.

“Yes, but I can only allow you to use it once. So choose wisely.” Persephone giggled. “I feel like I’m in Indian James and the Lost Ark.”

Aiden cast his gaze to the floor, jaw flexing to hide his grin.

Caleb rolled his eyes. “It’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “Same thing.”

My gaze dipped to the basin. My mom’s name was on the tip of my tongue, and I knew without looking at Aiden that he was thinking about his parents. Either of us would probably give anything to see them, especially after how wrong the spirits had been at the portal.

Persephone’s gaze turned knowing. “Ah, the chance to see a loved one is a hard one to pass over.”

“You would know,” Aiden said quietly.

Her smile slowly faded. “I would. Perhaps some find me selfish for the decisions I have made and the impact they have had.”

Recalling the myth of Persephone, I shook my head. “No. You were smart. You made sure that both could have you—Hades andyour mom.”

If she felt smug for how it all turned out in the end, the whole splitting of time and the seasons, she didn’t show it—surprising, since the gods weren’t a humble bunch of folks.

Turning back to the basin, she clasped her hands in front of her. “It is time to make your choice, and then you must leave.”

I looked at Aiden, who nodded. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, reflecting what I knew shone in mine. Caleb placed his hand on my shoulder. As much as I wanted to see my mom, as much as I wanted to gift Aiden with the chance to see his parents, neither of us could be that selfish.

Stepping up to the basin, I stared into the still red water that reminded me of blood. Actually, it was thick like blood, and there was a faint metallic scent. Ew.

A second passed, and then I said, “Solaris.”

Nothing happened at first, and then the water rippled as if I had blown a soft breath upon it. Part of me expected her face to appear in the basin, but the water settled again. Then there was a sudden fissure of energy that crawled up the walls and rolled over the floors. Tiny hairs on my body rose and a shudder worked its way across me. There was a soft gasp of surprise and I turned.

Solaris had arrived.

CHAPTER 26

When I’d stepped into the Underworld, I really hadn’t known what to expect. The same could be said for Solaris. I’d really had no clue, and still I was blown away.

Solaris stood directly in front of Caleb and she looked a lot better than I’d thought she would. For some reason, I’d expected that she and the First would be serving it up in Tartarus, but her white gown was pristine and intact. Silvery-blonde hair, long and wispy, settled over thin shoulders. She was tall and willowy and her eyes were like mine—a bright amber color. Her delicate, porcelain features reminded me of a frail, exotic flower, which I hadn’t been expecting. Maybe I was rocking one hell of an ego or something, but I’d thought she’d look like me.

She was the complete opposite of me.

Solaris looked around the room, her pale brows rising as she took in where she was. Surprise and a little bit of fear flitted across her face, but when her eyes landed on me, a keen understanding seeped into those ashen eyes. A sense of familiarity washed over me, mirrored in her expression.

Striding forward, Solaris stopped a mere foot from me, her head tilted inquisitively. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “You are the Apollyon.”

There wasn’t much time for me to figure out how she knew what I was. “I’m one of them.”

Another flicker of surprise shot across her face, quickly followed by sorrow. “So there are two again?”

I nodded.

She glanced over her shoulder. “And neither of these are he. I can tell. One of them is dead. One of them is a pure-blood.”

I ignored Caleb’s offended look. “No. The First isn’t here.”

Solaris faced me, brows knitted. “You have Awakened. I can see the marks of the Apollyon.”

“You can?” I glanced down, surprised to find that my visible skin was all marked up. I hadn’t even felt them.

“How can you be Awakened and not be with the First? You are not dead.”

Yet. “It’s complicated. That’s why we’ve come to talk to you.”