“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Caleb.
He shrugged. “Like old times, though.”
“Yeah, but this is different. There’s a dragon made of fire that will—”
“No talking.” The guard who liked to play with his sword rode up beside us. “Or I will make it that none of you can talk again.”
Like my father? Sweet, hot rage exploded. My mouth opened, but Aiden’s warning glare closed it. We were herded toward the palace in silence. Two guards on horses in front of us, two behind us, and one on the ground made it impossible to do a damn thing.
And then the gates to the palace were swinging open and we were ushered in across a sparse courtyard. Everything was happening so fast. My heart pounded; sweat dotted my brow. I felt naked without the damn cloak, and there was a freaking hellhound sleeping on its back by the entrance, its meaty paws kicking in the air as it dreamt of chasing souls or whatever hellhounds dreamt of.
Guards dismounted from their horses and strode toward the entrance, pulling open the palace doors. The guys on either side of me seemed to be handling all of this better than me, or they were just better at pretending not to be one step from spazzing out, but Caleb probably wasn’t blown away by Hades’ palace like I was.
After all, he played Wii with the gods here.
But Hades’ palace was… opulent.
Gold and titanium plated everything—the walls, ceiling, furniture, and even the floor. Hades’ symbols were everywhere. The bull and the two-prong spears were engraved into the floors, stitched into the elegant tapestries. Black velvet chaise lounges filled the great hall, but it was the covered thrones occupying the dais that caught and held my attention. They were truly fit for a king and queen, but it was also what was near them.
Slumbering beside them were smaller hellhounds—maybe puppy hellhounds. Their multiple heads rested on their paws, and acid drool pooled under the lolled tongues.
The guards stopped and, without any words, dropped onto one knee and lowered their heads. A second later, the floor-to-ceiling gold and titanium doors next to the thrones swung open. Even though Hades was supposed to be in Olympus, I fully expected the god to come strolling through the doors, ready to toss the three of us into the fiery pits of Tartarus.
Weak in the knees, I forced myself to keep my eyes trained forward. Sentinels didn’t feel fear… my rosy half-blood butt.
But as the figure drew nearer, I knew it wasn’t Hades. It wasn’t even a guy. It was a female—and it was a goddess.
She was beautiful—tall, damn near seven feet. Waves of curly red hair fell to an impossibly narrow waist. Her eyes were all white, cheekbones high, lips plump, and nose pert.
And she was practically naked.
Her white gown was gauzy and completely see-through. I got a good idea of her bra size… if she’d been wearing one, which she wasn’t. Underwear must be optional down here.
Aiden was staring. So was Caleb, although he looked like he was quite used to all this… woman on display. Hell, even I was staring.
She crossed the great hall, her long legs parting the chiffon of her skirt, playing peekaboo. Dear gods, I felt my cheeks start to burn, but I still couldn’t look away. As she neared, her all-white eyes flared, and then dimmed. Two bright, emerald-colored eyes appeared.
Caleb relaxed beside me, a slow smile creeping across his handsome face—the face I’d missed so much. “Hello, Persephone.”
My eyes widened on the beautiful goddess. So this was the infamous Persephone. Even though I was Team Boy, I could see why Hades had become so enamored with her, going as far as to pluck her away and bring her down to the Underworld.
The first guard, not the one who’d cut Aiden, lifted his head. “We apprehended them as you wished.”
“Apprehended” was so not a warm and fuzzy word.
“You three look surprised.” Persephone’s lush lips were tilted with mischief. “These are my personal guards and they’ve been keeping an eye out for you. I’ve been expecting you.”
“How?” I asked, stunned.
Persephone smiled. “Caleb and I play Super Mario Kart every day at one, and when he cancelled on me I knew something was up.”
I looked at Caleb slowly.
He shrugged. “It’s not my fault she’s observant.”
“And very bored when my husband is in Olympus. Caleb keeps me company.”
I so hoped it was the platonic type of company, because Hades wasn’t known for his forgiving nature.
“Guards, you may leave us now.” When they hesitated, she laughed. “I am fine. Please leave and do not speak of this to anyone.”
One by one, they filed out of the room, sword guy eyeing Aiden like he wanted to slice his other cheek. Aiden held his stare as a smirk crossed his lips.
Men. Sigh.
Once the palace doors closed behind them, Persephone clapped her hands together. “I asked a few questions of a little nymph who had come into the Underworld just a few days ago—one of Apollo’s nymphs. And it doesn’t take a weather scientist to figure out it had something to do with his lineage.”
“It’s rocket scientist,” Caleb corrected as he tugged down his hood and pulled off his cap.
She frowned. “Anyway, I figured it had something to do with you… and I had a choice. Call my husband and he’d come rushing home, but then he’d be in a tizzy, and he’s such a pain like that. Or I could just find out what you guys needed. I’m sure it will prove very interesting.”
Aiden shifted beside me, clearly caught as off-guard as I was. I glanced at Caleb and whispered, “Can we trust her?”
Caleb nodded. “She’s pretty cool, and actually this makes my job so much easier.”
The goddess raised a delicate eyebrow. “Do tell?”
“I need to see the Calling Waters.”
Calling Waters? I had never heard of such a thing, and from the look on Aiden’s face, neither had he.
“And why would you need to use the Calling Waters?” she asked, folding slender arms under her breasts, like she needed help drawing attention to them. “If you would like to see someone, Caleb, you only have to ask.”
“I know.” He dropped an arm over my shoulders, and the gaping hole that had been there since he’d died filled. “But it’s not for me. It’s for them. They need to use it.”
Persephone was quiet for a long moment. “Who do they wish to call upon?”
“Solaris,” I answered. The Calling Waters suddenly made sense—call a soul to you. “We need to talk to Solaris.”
“Because of what is happening topside with the First?” she asked.
I nodded.
Her bright gaze slid to Caleb. “And what did you plan to do? Sneak them in here to use it?”
“That was the plan.”
The goddess shook her head. “If my husband were home and you were to do something so unwise, I would not be able to stay his hand.”
A shiver danced down my spine. The last thing I wanted was for Caleb to get into eternal-damnation-type trouble.
“I know,” Caleb replied, squeezing my shoulders. “But they are worth the risk, and Solaris could possibly hold information to stop the First. And that’s what Hades wants, right? That’s what the gods want?”
“Most of them,” she murmured, her gaze slipping back to me, and then to Aiden. “But not all, it appears.”
Something struck me. “Do you know who the god is—the one who’s helping Seth and Lucian?”
She picked a glossy red curl and twirled it around one elegant finger. “If I knew such a thing, then that god would be taken care of. But I am rarely on Olympus and have little interest in the politics of who pissed off whom enough to end the world as we know it this time around.”
Aiden cleared his throat. “This happens quite a bit, then?”