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Chapter 22
Ares
The Underworld wasn’t my favorite place to be. Goosebumps slithered down my arms, and I hated that we had to go farther than that ferryman who kept running his mouth. But we were all here for Elyse, to save Catina, and there was no turning back now.
As if that Hound of Hades hadn’t been eerie enough, now we’d run into the three Fates. Three old witches with one eye shared among them? Who’d come up with that shit? Of course, I’d heard of the Fates many times, but I was one of the few gods who hadn’t actually run into them personally. Until now.
I’d made a point of staying away from them. They couldn’t cast me out if I wasn’t there. It was the motto I’d lived by for a very long time. And it had worked so far.
But I’d changed that rule—for Elyse. In fact, it was only because of her that I’d started seeing myself as part of the team. And even though it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it’d be, there were definitely a few things I could’ve done without.
The trip to the Underworld was definitely at the top of the list at this point. I was creeped out.
“Do we have to go in there?” I asked when we’d passed the Fates and stood in front of the large doors that led into the palace. The whole building was black with red lights that pulsed like a heartbeat. It was ironic, considering everyone who came here—aside from Hades, Persephone, X, and the Fates—were dead.
Maybe it was supposed to be a joke. The palace was the only heartbeat around.
“I bet she’s at the top of the tallest tower,” Apollo said.
Like this was some kind of fairy tale. But he was probably right. X had a dark sense of humor and turning this into something that humans were familiar with would be right up his alley.
“So, I guess that’s ayesto going inside,” I remarked when no one had answered my question.
Maybe they’d thought it had been rhetorical. And maybe it had been. We’d come here for Catina, and we weren’t leaving without her.
Dead or alive.
I shivered when I thought that. Alive. We’d definitely get her back alive.
As soon as we stepped into the palace, a chill ran down my spine. The place was a representation of death. Everything was carved from black stone. Mirrors hung everywhere, and it gave a house of horrors effect. Here and there, the pulsing red parts of the stones showed. How fucking depressing.
As we walked through the rooms, we encountered occasional cutesy heart shaped decorations, candles everywhere, and some random pieces of tasteful furniture. But none of it made up for the horrible feeling of doom that hung in the air.
How had Hades held out down here? If I had to spend an eternity in a place like this, I was pretty sure I’d get creative about finding a way to end the life of an immortal. Namely me.
We traveled down every hall and checked every room we passed, discovering more tasteful furniture. But no X.
Down here, darkness reigned, and we couldn’t tell X apart from any of the other shadows. When we were about halfway through the palace, going from room to room, each lavishly decorated and ready for guests, I looked out one of the windows.
In front of me lay the Asphodel Meadows. To my left were the Fields of Mourning where those with broken hearts ended up, and to my right, Tartarus, reserved for those who’d sinned in their lives, who didn’t deserve pardon.
And on the horizon—if the Underworld had a horizon—were the Fields of Elysium. It was where the heroes were allowed to reside, and where Elyse’s entire family awaited her. It was technically part of the Underworld, but not really. I read a lot of books in my spare time.
Elyse came to stand next to me and glanced out across the areas beneath us, beyond to the Fields. I knew she was thinking about her family, about where she was going when she died one more time. If X didn’t get her first.
I took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Not today,” I said.
She only nodded, but her breath hitched. I hoped she believed that we’d succeed as much as I did. But her fear danced over my flesh like a bitter cold. She was worried. Silence and tension permeated the air between us, and there were only grim faces among the group. My stomach tightened.
“Let’s keep moving.” Poseidon broke the quiet.
I turned, and Elyse followed.
It took us a while to work our way through the palace, moving up and up. Always silent. Never finding Catina. The farther we traveled, the fewer rooms there were to inspect until we found the spiral staircase that led up to what could only be the tallest tower.
How ironic. And Apollo had called it.
When we arrived, the door was locked. It wasn’t hard to break it down, though. I stepped up for the job and kicked my heel into the wooden door, the loud thud reverberating around us as the wood splintered and the door swung open inward.
