“He unlocked it,” Ari said at Elysia’s side. “Now we wait.”
Elysia’s pulse raced. Now they waited for the guards stationed inside the gate near the small stone structure to follow Max and his diversion.
Long minutes passed in silence. The only sound was the roaring pulse in Elysia’s ears. One guard stepped out of the gatehouse and looked up the paved road that angled toward the gods’ temples. Something had caught his attention. Someone Elysia hoped stayed true to his word and didn’t do anything reckless.
The first guard motioned to the other. Seconds later, the two grabbed spears leaning against the gatehouse wall and jogged up the path toward whatever had piqued their interest.
“That’s our cue,” Ari whispered. “Quietly.”
Elysia’s stomach tightened as she followed Ari out of the shadows. They pulled the gate open wider and slipped through the space, then tugged it shut behind them so it looked latched but wasn’t. Ari ducked behind the gatehouse and moved into the forest on the far side, motioning for Elysia to follow.
The trek to Mount Olympus took longer than she’d expected. Without the power to flash in this realm, they had to move on foot. By the time they made it through the thick forest to the path at the base of the mountain, Elysia was hot and sweaty and wishing she’d worn a tank rather than the tight pants and long-sleeved fitted black shirt that made her blend into the shadows.
They paused for water. Elysia took the canteen Ari handed her, drew a deep drink, and gave it back.
“How do you know she’ll help us?” he asked, capping the canteen and reattaching it to his belt.
“I don’t.” Elysia started up the steep path that wound around the mountain. “But something in that memory Cerek showed me made me think Circe is as much a prisoner as he was. I don’t think she’s on this mountain by choice.”
“You think Zeus tricked her?”
“That or she made a deal with him that didn’t go the way she planned.”
“She’s still a witch, you know.”
“I’m part witch.”
“Yeah, but she’s the strongest witch in all the realms, whether she’s trapped on Olympus or not.”
Elysia was fully aware of that and hoped they could use it to their advantage.
Thirty minutes later, Elysia swiped her windblown hair back from her face as she stood on the stony path and eyed the opening of the cave high in the mountain. “Don’t draw your weapon. We don’t want to spook her.”
Something moved inside the shadows of the cave. At Elysia’s back, Ari muttered, “Something tells me she already knows we’re here.”
“Enter, warriors,” a female voice called from beyond the darkness. “If you dare.”
They could be walking right into a trap, but Elysia had to try. She just hoped that if they failed, Max would find Cerek and free him before it was too late.
Drawing a deep breath, she stepped into the darkness and paused to let her eyes adjust.
Rock walls, a stone floor. The tunnel led deep into the cave. At the far end, a red hue beckoned her forward.
Elysia followed the path, winding through the mountain until the tunnel opened to a massive room. Three steps led up to a raised platform where a woman dressed in a long flowing green robe stood in front of a golden pedestal topped with a bowl. Flames shot high from the bowl, twisting and turning in the darkness just as the fire-red curls spilled down the female’s bare spine.
“I saw you coming,” Circe said. “I see all in the flames.” She glanced over her shoulder with piercing green eyes. “Even your destiny. The Argonauts will fail.”
Urgency pushed Elysia forward. “I’m not an Argonaut.”
“No, you are not.” Circe turned fully to face them. “But you have the power of Athena within you, and that makes you as much a warrior as him.” She nodded toward Ari but kept her gaze locked on Elysia. “I cannot help you in your quest.”
“We don’t need your help,” Elysia said. “We just need to know where he is.”
“You already know where he is,” the witch responded. “Search your intuition. Zeus’s use for him is done. There’s only one place where he is wanted. Flesh or stone.”
Panic swelled inside Elysia. Stone… Zeus couldn’t have turned him to stone again…could he? She opened her mouth to ask the question when another thought hit.
Where he’s wanted…
Elysia turned toward Ari. “He’s with Aphrodite.”
Ari’s mismatched eyes widened. “He’s where?”
Elysia whipped back to Circe. “How do we bring him back? You brought him back once before.”
“That I cannot tell you.”
“You have to tell me.”
Circe only blinked.
Frustration bubbled inside Elysia. She moved up the three steps and grasped the witch’s arm. Circe didn’t step back or flinch. But when Elysia’s hand made contact, a memory hit Elysia. This one from Circe’s point of view. Standing over Cerek, chanting the spell that had brought him back to life twenty-five years ago.
Elysia gasped and stumbled back, breaking the connection.
“Now you know.” Circe eyed Elysia three steps down. “And I did not break the rules. Your powers are not strong, little witch, but you know the words. Cerek’s gift is that of augmentation. If you give him the words, he can amplify your powers and free himself from his confinement. But be forewarned, as soon as he is free, the gods will know. You will have to choose—him or the Orb. You cannot save both.”
It wasn’t a choice for Elysia. She’d choose Cerek a thousand times over any Orb.
“Thank you,” she whispered and turned to leave.
Ari captured her arm and looked up at the witch. “Wait.”
Elysia looked back.
“Why are you helping us?” he asked.
“Because no one deserves to suffer at the hands of the gods,” she replied. “Not even those who deserve it.”
Elysia wasn’t sure what the witch meant, but she had a feeling Circe was talking about herself, not Cerek.
“Go,” Circe said. “Go now before it’s too late.”
“Mm, erastis.” Aphrodite trailed her hand along Cerek’s buttocks as she circled his stone body. “How I’ve missed my favorite toy.” She slid her fingers down his chest, pausing at his waist. “I do have to say, though”—her hand dropped lower to cup his groin—“I rather like you hard as stone. It’s just a pity that the Siren’s poisoned arrow didn’t strike you when you were erect.”
Cerek couldn’t move, couldn’t respond to her teasing, but he felt every caress and squeeze. Tingles echoed all through his body as she tormented him with her hands. And the bitch knew that. Grinning, Aphrodite pushed to her toes and pressed her mouth hard against his stone lips.
“Luckily, there’s still enough here to work with,” she said, lowering to her heels as she palmed his cock once more. “More than enough. We’ll find a way to make do, I’m sure.”
Laughter echoed from a nearby room, and Aphrodite turned. With a licentious smile, she let go of Cerek and stepped toward the sound. “I’ll be back soon, erastis. And when I return, I’ll bring a friend or two to keep you entertained. Don’t you worry. We’re going to have all sorts of fun together. You’re my prize now. From now until the end of time.”
She swept out of the room like a breeze, her sheer white robe flowing in her wake, her curly auburn hair bouncing as she moved. The relief he thought he’d feel at her departure didn’t come. Only her words echoed in his head…from now until the end of time.
He was trapped. This truly was all that life held for him. And he deserved every minute of it for what he’d done to his father, to the Argonauts, to Elysia—
Elysia…
“Look at me…”
He could almost hear her saying those words. When she’d climbed over him on that beach after he’d flashed them away from Olympus and she’d told him she wanted him. When she’d grasped his face after they’d flashed to the human realm
and she’d transferred her memories to him. Gods, how he desperately wanted to hear her say those words now. To know she hadn’t given up on him. That she didn’t believe the worst about him. That she still loved him even after all the horrible things he’d do—
“Cerek, look at me. Just me. Focus on me.”
That was her voice. He could hear her. Concentrating his attention, he realized he could see her. She was standing in the middle of Aphrodite’s courtyard, her dark hair pulled back into a messy tail, her sexy body covered by a long-sleeved black T-shirt and fitted black pants that showed off her curves. And she was looking at him. Touching his face. Talking to him.
“Cerek, look at me. Hear me.”
“This isn’t working,” Ari said from somewhere close. Voices echoed from a nearby room. “We’re running out of time. Max can’t hold them off much longer.”
Max… Elysia’s cousin.
“Cerek. Listen to me. Hear my words. Your gift is the power of augmentation. You used it to help me open the portal from Pandora to the human realm, do you remember? Circe gave me the spell to break you out of this stone, but my witch powers aren’t strong enough to do it alone. You have to help me. Hear the words. Repeat them with me. Hekàs, ô hekàs, éste bébêloi.
He’d heard those words before. He’d said them. When he’d broken the spell protecting the Orb.
A wave of guilt washed through him.
“It’s not working,” Ari said again, his voice more frantic.
“Cerek.” Elysia’s fingers moved to his temples. “I can’t do this alone, and we’re running out of time.”
Footsteps echoed close, followed by a breathless voice. “We have to go. Those nymphs are crazed. And Aphrodite saw me. I think she went to tell Zeus.”
Max again. Cerek’s attention drifted toward the guardian. His clothes were ripped, his hair mussed, his face stained with bright red lipstick.
Elysia pressed her fingers against Cerek’s temples. “Focus on me. Hekàs, ô hekàs, éste bébêloi. Dammit, Cerek. I love you. Hekàs, ô hekàs, éste bébêloi. I love you.”
She loved him. Everything else came to a stuttering stop. She loved him even knowing what he’d done. A flood of memories filled his mind—him training her to fight in the moonlight on Olympus, the night they’d made love in Athena’s temple, the way she’d kissed him on the beach of Pandora, binding their souls together beneath the full moon of Argolea.
He focused on the words she said over and over again. Heard them in his head. Repeated them with his mind. And when he did, the stone around him started to crumble. The block in his mind broke free, flooding him with memories…of his mother, of his years with Ari, of training with the Argonauts and serving with his kin, the day he’d lost his father in a fire, only to discover he was alive fifty years later, followed by their reunion on that snowy mountain and Zeus’s Siren hitting him with that poisoned arrow.
He stumbled forward, but Elysia was right there to catch him. Her arms closed around his waist, and she leaned her weight into his to hold him upright. “I’ve got you,” she whispered. “I’m here.”
His muscles were stiff, his body tight, but he lifted his arms and scrambled to find her face with his hands. Pulling her close, he drew her mouth to his and kissed her with all the love and sorrow and guilt still swirling inside him.
“Guys.” Ari tugged at Cerek’s sleeve. “I hate to break up this happy moment, but we have to go. Now.”
Cerek drew back and looked down at Elysia. “I didn’t know what he had planned. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. I wouldn’t—”
“I know.” She squeezed his hands. “It’s okay. I already know.”
She did. Hope filled his chest. Hope and love and the promise of a future only she could give him.
Footsteps sounded close. Ari pulled on Cerek’s sleeve again. “I wasn’t kidding when I said now. Let’s go already.”
Cerek’s warrior instincts clicked into gear. He pulled Elysia with him and looked at his father. “What’s the plan?”
“To get to the gates as fast as possible.” Max handed Cerek a blade. “You steady enough to use this?”
Cerek closed his hand around the weapon, the grip heavy and familiar in his palm. As familiar as Elysia’s hand in his. “Yeah. I’m fine.” When he realized Ari was leading them toward the west wing of Aphrodite’s palace, his pulse ticked up. “No. That’ll take you to the grotto. This way.”
He led them under an archway, down a long corridor and into a rose garden filled with thousands of blooms. Footsteps sounded behind them. Echoes of voices. He pulled them into a row between two hedges and picked up his pace. “Hurry.”
“What is this?” Ari asked.
The hedges rose ten feet. The path turned to the right. They came to a T-intersection, and Cerek immediately shifted to the left, running through the twists and turns they needed to take in his head. “A maze.”
“Holy skata.” Max turned to look behind them. Voices had entered the maze. Were on the other sides of the hedges. “I hope like hell you know where you’re going.”
Cerek gripped Elysia’s hand tightly in his as he turned right, left, right again. After a series of switchbacks and angles, they finally emerged on the far side of the maze. A dark forest lay ahead, followed by a hill. At the bottom of the hill, the gates of Olympus opened to a vast open plain where they could flash back to Argolea.
“We’re almost free,” Elysia breathed.
“Almost,” Cerek said. “Through the trees. Come on.”
Freedom was the sweetest word, but it fizzled in Cerek’s head as branches and twigs crunched beneath his feet like snapping bones.
That freedom came with a price. The enormity of what he’d done hit him hard. Zeus had the Orb. Once the king of the gods found the last element, he’d have the power to release the Titans from Tartarus. He could start the war to end all wars. No one would be safe. Not those in the human realm, not those in the oceans or the heavens, not even his kin in Argolea. Because of him, the people he loved would never be free.
He stopped, drawing Elysia up short. She turned to face him. “What?” Her brow wrinkled; worry darkened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t go.”
“What?” Panic filled her voice. “You have to.”
“I can’t leave the Orb. Zeus has it. I gave it to him. Do you know what that means?”
“I know exactly what that means. It means we have to get out of here.”
Ari jogged back toward them, urgency filling his mismatched eyes. “Kids, now is not the time to have a marital spat. We’ve gotta keep moving.”
Cerek looked at his father. “I have to get the Orb. I can’t leave without it.”
Ari’s jaw clenched. He glanced down at Elysia. Behind them, Max appeared, his brow drawn low. “What the hell’s the holdup? Gotta go, gotta go. By now Zeus knows we sprung this boy. Time’s a-tickin’, folks.”
Cerek squeezed Elysia’s hand. “I have to go back. I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t. This was my fuckup. I have to make it right.”
Fear filled her eyes. “Circe said we couldn’t get both. That we had to choose. I don’t care about some stupid Orb. Zeus doesn’t have all the elements. He can’t even use the Orb yet. I won’t lose you for that. I choose you. I always choose you.”
His heart filled with so much love, he pulled her close and kissed her, sliding his fingers into her silky hair and breathing hot against her luscious lips. “All my life I’ve been an outsider looking in. I never thought I mattered. I never felt as if I belonged. Not with my family. Not with the Argonauts. Never on Olympus. But you… You changed all that. You gave me a purpose and a reason to live. That’s why I have to go back. So you can live. So Zeus can’t take anything else from us.”
“But—”
“I love you.” He kissed her again. “Just you. Always you.” Letting go, he looked toward Max and Ari. “Take her to the gate. Get her out of here while you ca
n.”
“No,” Elysia protested, “I won’t—”
“Take her and go.” Cerek stepped back and gripped the sword tighter. “Now, dammit.”
Max grasped Elysia’s arm and pulled her with him. “Come on, Lys.”
“No.” Elysia stumbled backward. “I can fight.”
“I know you can,” Cerek said. “But I need you to live. Do this. For me.”
She stopped her struggling. Tears filled her eyes. Tears that gave Cerek courage. A courage he knew he would never lose.
“Come on,” Max said again, pulling on her arm.
She let Max tug her with him down the hillside, but she didn’t look away, not until they disappeared from sight. And as tears burned his own eyes, Cerek knew hope wasn’t the life of love as his mother had thought. Sacrifice was.
“You got your memory back.”
Ari’s deep voice drew Cerek’s attention, and he looked to his left where his father stood with knowing mismatched eyes.
“I did. When Elysia broke the spell, it all came flooding back. How did you know?”
“I heard what you said to her.” Ari stepped closer and laid one hand on Cerek’s shoulder. “You do matter. You always did. To me, to the Argonauts, to everyone. I’m sorry I was such a shitty father and didn’t tell you that before. I should have. If I could go back, I’d do a lot of things differently.”
Cerek had waited a hundred and fifty years to hear these words. And now they were here when he didn’t have time to embrace them. He swallowed hard. “You have to go.”
Ari shook his head. “I’m not leaving you again. I made that mistake once before. I won’t do it again.”
His chest pinched. “But Daphne—”
“—will understand. She knew when I left that this might be a one-way trip. We talked about it. And she knows if I don’t make it back, I’ll be waiting for her on the other side.” He squeezed Cerek’s shoulder and grinned, his eyes sparkling in the dim light. “Now what’s your plan?”
What was his plan? Skata, Cerek didn’t have one. His mind spun. “The Orb will most likely be in Siren Headquarters. There’s a vault in the lowest level. I’m guessing Zeus stashed it there where his Sirens can guard it.”