To use the power I held in my hands to change things.
“Wait!” I called out.
“Alex,” Seth said in a quiet voice.
I shook my head, breathing deeply. Apollo turned to me, inclining his head. I readied myself. “Wait. There’s something I want before we do this.”
Hades chuckled deeply. “What position are you in to bargain, Love?”
If he called me “Love” one more time… I reeled in my temper and focused on Apollo. “You want us to go down into Tartarus and fetch Perses, watch over him while he helps us, and then you want me to become the God Killer and take out Ares, right?”
Apollo shifted his weight. “That sounds about right.”
My heart turned over heavily. “I will only do this if you do something for me.”
Hades scuffed. “Again, Love, what position are you in to bargain with us?”
I slid my gaze toward Mr. Tall, Dark, and About to be Missing an Eyeball. “Without me, you don’t have a God Killer. You can’t make me become it, and you can’t make me fight Ares.”
“We can be very persuasive,” Hades growled.
“Yeah, and Ares tried to be persuasive, and I still didn’t give in.” I looked at Apollo. “I know you guys can’t make Seth or me do it. We could leave you guys to this mess. You need us willing.”
Apollo’s lips twitched as if he wished to smile. “What do you want, Alex?”
“I want you to free the half-bloods. I want you to get rid of the laws requiring them to either become Sentinels, or Guards, or servants. I want you to give them the same rights as pure-bloods. I want the Breed Order revoked.”
Silence.
It was so quiet that you could hear a fly run into a wall. Everyone was staring at me like I’d just pulled up my shirt and asked for some beads.
And then Seth chuckled deeply. “Clever, Angel.”
I ignored the nickname. I also ignored the way Aiden’s eyes went from the purest color of gray to silver in a nanosecond. “I know you can do it, Apollo. I know you can make the other gods agree. You do this for me, and I’ll be all about taking a tour of Tartarus.”
Apollo stared at me as he slowly shook his head. “There was so much more you could’ve asked for, Alex.”
My brows knitted. “Like what? What could be more important than that?”
His gaze held mine, and suddenly I knew what he meant. I could’ve asked for his protection, because once I took care of Ares, it would be open season on my arse. I knew Apollo would already do what he could to ensure that I walked away, but it seemed useless to waste this opportunity on something that Apollo might not be able to stop.
The god nodded curtly. “Okay. Once everything has settled, we will change the laws and the Elixir will be no more. You have my word, no matter the outcome.”
No matter the outcome. Meaning if Ares kicks our asses into the next generation. I wanted Apollo to do it now, because I had the patience of a hyena, but I could understand why he couldn’t. The last thing we needed was more half-bloods, thousands of them, coming off the effects of the Elixir in the middle of this mess.
My gaze traveled across the room, skipping over the shocked expressions of Luke and Olivia. I think, in that moment, they realized the same thing Solos must have by the look in his wide eyes. After all this was said and done, they would have something they’d never had before.
Complete and utter control of their future.
CHAPTER 14
Olivia hugged me so hard I thought my lungs would deflate. She held on, her lithe form trembling. It was a good hug, reminding me of the ones my mother used to give me. “The whole evil-twin god thing is so messed up. I’m sorry, but I’m glad they’re out,” she said, and then in a lower, hoarser voice, she added, “Thank you.”
I knew why she was thanking me—for the deal. I squeezed her back and then leaned away. I kept my voice low. “So what are you going to do?”
“After this craziness with Ares?” When I nodded, a far-off look crept into her pretty eyes. She dropped her arms, shaking her heard. “You know, I don’t know. I never thought about it, but now I do have something to think about, and it’s…”
“Amazing,” Luke said, dropping a quick kiss on my cheek. “I think I’m going to enroll in college.”
Both Olivia and I stared at him.
“What?” A flush spread across his cheeks. “I actually like school.”
“Freak,” I muttered.
Hades was growing impatient. Surly bastard. I said goodbye, giving my uncle a stiff and somewhat awkward hug. Tension and elation warred in the room. The agreement made with Apollo, who was actually going to remain here instead of popping back to Olympus, was obviously a big deal, but what the three of us were about to embark on could quickly become dangerous.
Perses could kill us all and make a run for it.
Continuing that line of thought wasn’t what I wanted to be focus on as I made my way over to where Hades stood between Aiden and Seth. My eyes bounced between the two guys. Then again, I wasn’t so sure that Perses was going to be the problem.
Aiden and Seth were sizing each other up like they were ready for a caged death match.
Sidling up to Aiden, I elbowed him in the side.
He glanced down at me, eyes the color of the ocean during a storm. “I’m proud of you.”
Oh, the swelling in my chest could’ve lifted me right up to the ceiling. I smiled up at him, smiled so widely my cheeks ached.
“I would’ve used that favor more intelligently, Love.” Hades smirked. “There was so much you could’ve asked for.”
Aaand Hades burst my bubble with a quickness I should have expected. “Thanks for your input,” I muttered.
“You’re welcome,” he replied. “Is everyone ready for our little field trip?”
With Apollo’s seal of approval, Seth was given his toys back, so all of us, even Seth, were decked out in our Covenant daggers and Glocks. Our eyes locked for a moment. There was something in his amber gaze that unsettled me.
Aiden reached down, threading his fingers through mine. “We’re ready.”
Without any warning, the floor dropped out from under us.
* * *
“Holy daimon babies!” I gasped, stumbling back as the world righted itself once more. “Good gods…”
Aiden patted his hands over his chest as if checking to make sure he was all there. Seth looked a little out of it. None of us had been prepared for that method of traveling.
The god of the Underworld watched us. Amusement bled into the air around him. “It’s easier that way, don’t you think?”
I smoothed my hand over my hair, relieved to find it still attached to my head. When the floor had moved under us, it had felt like we’d fallen a million feet. “Did you just…just teleport us?”
“Something like that.” Hades turned, putting his hands on his hips. Tipping his head back, he let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle, causing me to jump.
“So this is the Underworld?” Seth turned, taking in his surroundings.
Forcing myself to get over the fact that I wasn’t exactly sure how Hades had managed to teleport us, and the whole science behind that concept, I looked around. I recognized where we were.
“Thank the gods it’s not the Vale of Mourning, huh?” Aiden said.
I nodded. That vast, depressing stretch of the Underworld was not a place I wanted to visit again. We were just outside the Vale, several feet from the congested road that led to the Plain of Judgment.
Seth watched the recently departed making slow progress with a troubled look. A lot of the deceased were Sentinels, their black uniforms in various stages of distress. Seeing them…well, I had to think it was a painful reminder of what he’d been a part of.