I stormed toward the front doors of the manor, yanking hard. “Great, so if I ever decide that Henry’s life isn’t worth it, I’ll be sure to let you know. Help me with these, will you?”
James didn’t say a word as he joined me and opened the heavy doors as if they were made of feathers. I slipped inside and forced a smile, expecting to see Henry waiting for me in the magnificent entrance hall made of mirrors and marble. But the foyer was empty.
“Where is everyone?” I said, my smile fading.
“Waiting for you, I suspect.” James stepped in after me, and the door slammed behind us, echoing through the hall. “You didn’t think we were going to stay here, did you?”
“I didn’t know there was anywhere else to stay.”
He draped his arm over my shoulders, but when I shrugged it off, he shoved his hands in his pockets instead. “Of course there’s someplace else. Follow me.”
James led me to the center of the foyer, where a crystal circle shimmered with a rainbow of colors in the center of the white marble floor. When I tried to continue to the other side of the hall, he grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“This is our stop,” he said, looking down.
I stared at the crystal beneath my feet, and finally I saw it. A strange, shimmering aura seemed to emanate from where we stood, and I jumped out of the circle. “What is that?”
“Henry didn’t tell you?” said James, and I shook my head. “It’s a portal between the surface and the Underworld. Totally safe, I promise. They’re like shortcuts so we don’t have to take the long way around.”
“The long way around?”
“If you know where to look, you can find an opening into the Underworld and travel through various caves and that kind of thing,” he said. “Dark, gloomy, timeconsuming, and trouble if you’re skittish about having millions of pounds of rock pressing down on you.”
“There’s nothing underneath the surface except lava and dirt,” I said, ignoring the thought of being buried alive. “Every eight-year-old knows that.”
“We’re gods. We’re excellent at covering our tracks,” said James with a boyish grin, and this time, when he offered me his hand, I took it and stepped back into the circle.
“What else are you good at?” I grumbled. “Turning water into wine?”
“That’s Xander’s specialty,” he said. “I’m surprised he hasn’t turned the Dead Sea into one big keg party by now. Must be too salty for him. As for me, I can find anything or anyone or anyplace you want. Didn’t you notice we never got lost in Greece?”
“Except that one time.”
“We weren’t actually lost then, either,” he pointed out.
“Still.” I gave him a look, and he turned pink. “I just thought you knew the area well.”
“I did, thousands of years ago. They’ve made some modifications since then. Close your eyes.”
A rush of electrifying power swirled around us, and a roar filled my ears. Without warning, the ground dropped from under us, and I shrieked.
My heart leaped into my throat, and my eyes flew open as I tried to pull away from James, but his arm wrapped around me like steel. We were surrounded by rock—no, we were inside rock, and we went through it as if it weren’t any more substantial than air. James’s expression was as calm as ever, as if slicing through stone and earth and god only knew what else was perfectly normal.
It seemed to last for ages, but only a few seconds later my feet landed on solid ground. James loosened his grip on my shoulders, but my legs trembled so badly that I clung to him even though all I wanted to do was thwack him upside the head.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said cheerfully, and I glared.
“I will get you for that,” I snarled. “You won’t see it coming, but when it’s over, you’ll know what it was for.” “I look forward to it,” he said, and at last I felt steady enough to stand on my own. I bit back my retort as I looked around, and my eyebrows shot up.
We were in a massive cavern, so big that I couldn’t see the top. The only way I could tell it was under the earth—besides the harrowing journey I’d barely survived—was the lack of sunlight.
Great. Apparently Henry lived in a cave.
Instead of the sky, rivers of crystal ran through the rock, providing a glowing light that illuminated the entire cavern. Giant stalagmites and stalactites joined together in rows of columns that couldn’t have possibly been natural, and to my relief, they formed a path to a magnificent palace made of shiny black rock that looked [ th to aas if it had grown out of the side of the cavern.
“If I may,” said James. “On behalf of the council, let me be the first to welcome you to the Underworld.”
I opened my mouth, but before I could say a word, Henry’s enraged cries filled my ears, and I fell to my knees as the world went black.
Guide to the Gods
Zeus …………… Walter
Hera …………… Calliope
Poseidon …………… Phillip
Demeter …………… Diana
Hades …………… Henry
Hestia …………… Sofia
Ares …………… Dylan
Aphrodite …………… Ava
Hermes …………… James
Athena …………… Irene
Apollo …………… Theo
Artemis …………… Ella
Hephaestus …………… Nicholas
Dionysus …………… Xander
Also by Aimée Carter from Harlequin TEEN
The Goddess Test
Goddess Interrupted
Praise for The Goddess Test By Aimée Carter
“A fresh take on the Greek myths adds sparkle to this romantic fable.”
—Cassandra Clare, New York Times bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments
“This absorbing, contemporary take on the Greek myth of Persephone features romance, mystery, suspense, and an engaging, fully dimensional protagonist.”
—Booklist
“[A]bsolutely unique, fresh and fascinating.”
—BewitchedBookworms.com
“The narrative is well executed, and Kate is a heroine better equipped than ^ th toign="c most to confront and cope with the inexplicable.”
—Publishers Weekly
If you enjoyed this story, don’t miss the first two Goddess Test novels:
THE GODDESS TEST
Every girl who has taken the test has died. Now it’s Kate’s turn.
It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.
If she fails….
GODDESS INTERRUPTED
Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she’ll have to fight for it.
Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.
As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.
Henry’s first wife, Persephone.
Aimée
Carter was born and raised in Michigan, where she currently resides. She started writing at age eleven and later attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a degree in screen arts and cultures. Currently she spends her time continuing with The Goddess Test series and working on new projects. You can tweet her at @aimee_carter or catch updates on her website, www.AimeeCarter.com
Plus, visit Aimée online:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aim%C3%A9e-Carter/179011832122566
Twitter: www.twitter.com/aimee_carter
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Blog: http://aimeecarter.wordpress.com/
Tumblr: http://aimee-carter.tumblr.com/
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3415-8
The Goddess Hunt
Copyright © 2012 by Aimée Carter
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Table of Contents
Pollux
Kate
Henry
Kate
Henry
Kate
Henry
Kate
Goddess Interrupted Excerpt
Guide to the Gods
About the Author
Table of Contents
Pollux
Kate
Henry
Kate
Henry
Kate
Henry
Kate
Goddess Interrupted Excerpt
Guide to the Gods
About the Author
Aimee Carter, The Goddess Hunt
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