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I waited for him to tell me more, waffle on about his heroic deeds. But it sucked when people brought up the past. We’d all had it hard sometimes. Heracles could get over it.
“If X can take souls, I don’t see why he can’t prevent Catina’s from slipping into the stream with the rest of them. From what I’ve heard, he’s looking for trouble with Elyse, so it would make sense. And it’s the last place any of you would look.” Heracles rubbed a hand over his stubbled jawline.
“Yeah, don’t remind me how badly we’ve failed the last week and a half.”
Heracles sat on his coffee table, as if it were a seat. “Look, this isn’t my problem, so I’m staying out of this one. Not because I don’t care about Elyse, but because it’s not in my job description.” He sounded so damn bitter. What the fuck was his problem?
“Thanks for that,” I said sarcastically.
“But,” Heracles continued, pulling a face at me for snapping at him, “I got in there once, and even went on the edges one time with Elyse to help her understand her powers by meeting the Fates. So I’m sure if I could do it, you can pull off some miracle, too.”
“Nice of you to believe in me.” My response came out a little scornful, but Heracles and I weren’t always on the best terms. He was one of the gods who thought I was a coward.
They all did, but I was changing my ways. And soon, Heracles would come to see he’d been a prick for too long.
“Thanks,” I said when there was nothing more to say. “I appreciate it.”
He nodded, and I let myself out. I had no reason to stick around with Mr. Unhelpful. Besides, I had to get going. Hero’s mission and all that.
Going to the Underworld wasn’t exactly a party. I shut my eyes and pictured the Underworld, stretching my energy out for the location underground, and my flesh prickled. I opened my eyes to find I’d ended up in a great stone hall I could only describe as the lobby of the dead. It smelled stuffy, like an old trunk that hadn’t been opened in a century.
Silvery walls spread behind me while black tiles ran under my feet. An antique gothic lounge sat against the wall, with red velvet fabric and black wooden feet carved in elaborate patterns that resembled oversized paws. It overlooked the River Styx, which stretched out before me.
Charon lounged on an old wooden beach chair near the water, as if he were on a fucking vacation.
“What do you want?” he asked when he saw me.
“What everyone desires when they get here,” I stated. “To get to the other side.”
He laughed at me. Laughed. As if this were funny.
“Does it look like I’m joking?” I snarled.
Charon snorted loudly. “No. But you immortals always think you can call the shots. If you have your coin and you’re dead, I’ll take you over. But seeing you’re immortal, and you don’t actually belong here, you don’t get to go.”
I started getting pissed off, my pulse racing. He was an arrogant little shit.
“So, you only take dead people over, huh?” I questioned. “What ifyou’redead?”
Charon rolled his eyes. “Seriously? A threat is pathetic. You can’t kill me, asshole. Only two people have come across here alive, aside from Hades, Persephone, and X.”
“Two?” I asked.
Charon yawned as if he were bored by my company.
“Heracles, way back when. And that little human X dragged with him the other day. He has the ability to take people across the river.”
Oh, goodie. We were finally getting somewhere, and I was right about my suspicions.
“Is she still alive?” I coaxed, lowering my voice to attempt to connect to his compassionate side.
Charon kept staring out over the still water. It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything beneath its surface. “Not really my problem, is it? Seeing that she’s already over there, so even if she’s dead, my job’s done.”
I felt like punching the asshole in the face. He rubbed me the wrong way. That happened when your job was secure—you started being unhelpful.
“Thanks,” I said.
Charon whistled, looking out over the river that ran black. I turned around and returned to Earth. I hadn’t seen Catina with my own eyes, but I’d found out what I’d gone to the Underworld for. Or at least, I knew that X took Catina there. I still didn’t know if she was alive. But Heracles had crossed and survived—and he was half-human—so there was hope yet.
