“What?”
“The ‘singing’ comment?”
“Skyla has a way of taming…things…with her voice. It’s how she and Orpheus got me out of the Underworld when I was freaking out.”
Maelea’s heart bumped as they headed for a steel door. Thank the Fates for Skyla, too.
Gryphon typed numbers into a keypad and the door hissed open. A small, dimly lit set of circular stairs looked as if they led down into the bowels of the realm. They moved inside. The door closed behind them. They seemed to descend forever. When they reached the bottom step, Gryphon dragged her toward a wooden door, illuminated only by the dim yellow lights in the ceiling.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“The undercroft. It’s where we store extra weapons.”
He typed another code into yet another access panel. The door swung open. Inside sat racks and racks of weapons—knives, swords, throwing stars, things with serrated teeth she didn’t know how to define.
He grabbed a multitude of weapons. Strapped on a scabbard, which he slung over his head so it cut across his back. Slipped others into pockets she didn’t know he had. He handed her a dagger.
Her stomach rolled at the thought of having to use the weapons. Obviously, he expected someone to come after them. The Argonauts? This so-called Council? Would they really try to kill them? For the first time she realized everything he was leaving behind by being with her. “Gryphon—”
He grasped her hand, pulled her back out of the room. “Come on, we don’t have a lot of time.”
The door closed and locked behind them. He led her down a long narrow tunnel through a maze of twists and turns that made her thankful he was with her. And then finally they came to a third access panel. He typed in more numbers. The door hissed open. Nothing but darkness beckoned.
Trepidation rushed over her spine as she stared into the black abyss. “Gryphon, maybe we should rethink this.”
“Rethink what? This tunnel leads out into the mountains.”
She turned to face him. “Rethink leaving. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. You’re walking away from your kin, from your order. From your life. I don’t want to be responsible for that. I—”
“Sotiria.” His hands framed her face, forced her to look up. Heat rushed over her spine when she saw the soft, needy look in his eyes. “Don’t you know that I would give up anything for you?”
“Oh, Gryphon.” Tears filled her eyes, and love wrapped around her heart, squeezed tight as a vise, making words nearly impossible to get out. “Ditto” was all she could manage in a rough whisper.
She melted when he eased down and kissed her. When his body brushed up against hers. When his tongue slid into her mouth and his heart beat so close to hers she could feel it inside her chest.
He nipped her bottom lip. “I will keep you safe, sotiria. Trust in me.”
She had no idea where they were heading or what would happen when they got there, but she trusted him more than she’d ever trusted anyone before. Her fingers gripped the denim at his hips. “I do.”
A ghost of a smile splayed across his face as he let go of her, as his hand closed over hers and he pulled her into the darkness of the tunnel. “Good. Because I won’t let you down.”
The door snapped closed behind them. At her side, Gryphon flicked on a flashlight. “In a few minutes we’ll be home free.”
Home free. Maelea closed her hand around his and hoped he was right. But something in the back of her head warned there was no such thing as home free for her.
***
Gryphon was gone.
Word had spread through the castle quickly. The Executive Guard and the Argonauts were already searching for him. The Council was in an uproar. It was like a repeat of what had happened at the half-breed colony, except this time Max was thankful for the distraction. His parents were too busy with other things to pay any attention to what he was doing.
He stood outside the queen’s chamber and breathed slowly to settle his nerves. And had a flashback of standing outside Atalanta’s chamber, doing almost the same thing.
The difference now was, he knew exactly what came next. Thanks to Lachesis.
Something in the back of his head said Lachesis would never encourage him to get the Orb, but he ignored it. Because he knew its strength. And he knew that with it, he could do what needed to be done. He could finally prove to everyone he was as strong as the Argonauts.
He turned the knob, was relieved when he found the door unlocked. He stepped inside, shut the door softly at his back. The queen’s personal suite consisted of several rooms with high ceilings and arching windows that looked out at a view of the Aegis Mountains. But the view wasn’t what he’d come for. He closed his eyes, focused on the energy swirling in the room. Tried to locate it.
There.
Power seeped into his veins. Now that he knew how to consciously use his gift of transference, he could feel the power radiating through his skin. Could feel every ounce of strength settle in his limbs.
He opened his eyes, crossed the sitting room toward the wall of bookshelves on the far side. The energy was stronger here. He scanned the leather tomes and trinkets on the shelves. Paused when his eyes locked on a wooden box marked with nothing more than the winged omega symbol.
He lifted it from the shelf, set it on the desk to his left. Flipped the latch on the front.
But the top didn’t budge. It was protected by some kind of magic.
Frustration welled inside him. He’d take the box, but he sensed whatever spell kept the lid latched likely also kept the box confined to this room. And now that he could sense the spell, he could also sense another, near the doorway, preventing any sort of magic from entering the room. The queen’s mate was part witch. He’d obviously set up a host of spells in an attempt to keep the thing safe.
Damn Demetrius. Max ground his teeth. Ran though options in his head. Nothing would work. Nothing—
The door opened in the antechamber. Max’s heart rate shot up. He let go of the box and dove under the bed. If he got caught in here, his father would skin him alive.
His pulse roared in his ears as he peered out from under the bedskirt. Heavy boots clomped across the floor. Then stopped near the desk. “Skata. What the hell is this?”
Demetrius. Oh, shit. Demetrius.
Every muscle in Max’s body froze.
He definitely didn’t want to get caught by Demetrius. Not only was he the biggest of the Argonauts, he was Atalanta’s son.
Max held his breath while Demetrius’s boots turned a full circle. He knew the Argonaut was searching the room, looking for anything else out of the ordinary. If he looked under the bed…
Demetrius’s witch powers hit Max square in the chest, the force so strong, it drew a gasp from Max’s lips. He slapped a hand over his mouth, held his breath. But power was seeping into his veins. Power and spells he’d never known before. All without consciously pulling them forward.
Demetrius’s boots echoed across the floor. Stopped in front of the bookshelf, then retreated toward the door. Max stayed still as stone until the door closed and silence settled back over the room. Only when he’d counted to twenty and he was sure he was alone did he crawl out from under the bed.
He crossed quickly to the bookshelf. Took the box down again. And used the powers and witchcraft he’d pulled from Demetrius to open the latch. Inside sat nothing but a gold bracelet. Disappointment trickled through him, but he lifted it out of the box anyway. Then realized it wasn’t a bracelet at all. It was only enchanted to look like a bracelet.
A wide smile spread across his face. And revenge—a revenge he’d been plotting since he’d escaped Atalanta’s clutches—reformed in his mind all over again.
Chapter Twenty-one
Gryphon’s heart hammered against his ribs as he led Maelea through the dark tunnel. Things had gone more smoothly than he’d expected. More smoothly than they should have. In a matter of minutes they’d be in the mountains beyond the walls of Tiyrns. He tried to shake the tickle in the back of his throat, the one that warned something would inevitably go wrong—but couldn’t.
He gripped Maelea’s hand tighter. Tried to calm the nerves radiating from her skin. When they reached the far side of the long tunnel, he shined his light over another access panel and typed in the same code he’d used before.
The steel door opened with a hiss. Sunlight burned his eyes as they stepped from darkness into light. As seasons in Argolea mirrored those in the human realm, it was late spring in the Aegis Mountains, and the trees rising around them swayed in the light breeze, the leaves rustling with their movement.
He closed the door behind Maelea. While she blinked several times, he took his first good look at her in the daylight. Someone had brought her fresh clothes. She was dressed in slim jeans, a white fitted T-shirt, and a cardigan. But the bandage on her forehead near her temple stood out in stark relief against her dark hair, and the stress of the day’s activities showed heavily in her eyes.
“Hey, come here.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, drew her close. Loved the way her hands felt against his biceps and her head tipped up to his. And when he kissed her, his own worry over what lay ahead slowly dissipated into the high mountain air.
“It’s all going to be okay,” he said when he eased back, trying to reassure her.
“You do too much for me.”
“I would do more if I could. I love you.”
Her eyes darkened as she brushed soft fingertips over his cheek. “I love you, too, Gryphon. So much more than I expected. So much more than I can even explain. This…it’s sudden and crazy, but…for the first time in my life, everything feels right. Being with you feels…like home.”
She eased up on her toes and kissed him again. Wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on tight. And in her kiss he tasted relief and desperation and hunger. The same things he’d been feeling the whole damn day.
“What an attractive couple you make.”
Gryphon pulled back from Maelea’s mouth and whipped around. Only to falter when he came face-to-face with Persephone.
“Oh, gods,” Maelea muttered at his side.
Oh, gods was right. Not only was the goddess Hades’s wife, she was also Maelea’s mother. What the hell was she doing in Argolea?
Gryphon pushed Maelea behind him. Reached back for his blade, but as soon as he pulled it from his scabbard, some sort of power latched on and yanked. The weapon flew through the air and landed in the trees to his right.
Persephone lowered her arm and grinned. “You won’t be needing that.”
“What are you—?” Gryphon started.
“Doing here?” Persephone finished for him, stalking across the forest floor in a long, black gown, her jet-black hair so much like Maelea’s tumbling down her back, like a river of onyx silk. She looked past Gryphon toward Maelea. “Should I tell him, darling, or do you want to?”
“Oh, gods,” Maelea whispered again, growing tense against his back.
Unease made Gryphon looking over his shoulder. “Tell me what? What’s going on here?”
Guilt rushed over Maelea’s face.
“What’s going on here,” Persephone answered, drawing his attention her way again, “is that I’ve come for the Orb. I’ll take it now, darling daughter.”
“The what?” Gryphon’s eyes shot to Maelea.
“I…I don’t have it,” Maelea sputtered, looking past him toward her mother.
His brow lowered. “Why would she think you would?”
“Because…” Her eyes darted around like a cornered animal, searching for an escape. And in the silence that followed, that tickle in the back of Gryphon’s throat grew to a roaring vibration that echoed all through his skin.
“Because,” Persephone said when Maelea wouldn’t go on, “we made a deal. She gets the Argonaut to trust her, gets him to take her to Argolea, gets the Orb for me, then I get her into Olympus. You gave him the elixir, did you not, daughter? That’s why he’s so besotted with you, right? So where is it? I grow tired of this delay.”
Maelea’s gaze darted to his. And fear erupted in her eyes. A fear that said she knew exactly what Persephone was talking about. Because she’d made that deal.
I would do anything to get to Olympus.
Her words from the beach house ricocheted through his mind. Stole his breath. Words she’d spoken with conviction. Words he thought meant nothing after their week together. But now he knew that had just been an act. The anything she’d needed to say and do to get her here. To Argolea. To the castle. To the Orb.
Holy Hades. He thought back to how groggy he’d been after using his gifts at the motel. Way groggier than he should have been. To that drugged-out feeling on the boat. To being hornier than hell. And now he knew why. Because she’d fucking drugged him with some potion her mother had given her.
Fury erupted inside him. Obviously, screwing him blind and professing undying love was no big deal to her. After all, she’d tried to kill Orpheus to get to Olympus months ago. And thievery…well, that was way easier than going after Zagreus, Hades’s son, as she’d told him she’d planned to try next. All this time he’d been telling himself she was different from any other female he’d ever met. And now he knew why. Because she was the daughter of the Queen of the Underworld. The most conniving, backstabbing, and licentious goddess ever to walk the planet. And obviously, she was just like her mother.
His heart shattered at his feet. Leaving behind a black, gaping hole, as deep as the darkness that lived in his soul, all thanks to Krónos and Atalanta.
Skata. Could he be more fucking gullible? He’d left her alone in the castle. Others probably had as well. Could she have found the Orb so quickly? Knowing her and her desperation to get to Olympus, yeah, she probably had.
“Where is it?” he asked in a low voice, fighting back the darkness bubbling up from the depths of his soul.
“Gryphon.” She stepped toward him. “I didn’t take it. I promise. I didn’t make that deal. I wouldn’t use you like that. She offered, but I didn’t agree to it. I only used the potion because I needed you to cooperate so we could get away from those daemons. You weren’t listening to me and I needed your help. I didn’t…What are you doing?”
His hands landed on her shoulders. Harder than necessary, but he just couldn’t seem to be gentle as he patted her down all the way to her feet, ignoring the curves at her waist, the softness of her breasts, fighting back—even now—the desire building inside when he touched her.
Dammit, he was such a fucking idiot!
He didn’t find the Orb. Which only inflamed his anger. As he pushed to his feet, Persephone chuckled at his back. “Where did you hide it, daughter? Tell me and we’ll be on our way.”
“Go back to hell!” Maelea yelled at her mother. “I didn’t take it!” She looked at Gryphon, heartache and panic alive in her eyes. “Now do you believe me?”
He wanted to. Needed her to be telling the truth. Prayed he wasn’t the fool he suddenly felt.
A beeping sound echoed around him. Gryphon looked right and left, then realized it was coming from him. He pulled the high-tech gadget that Orpheus had given him from his pocket and pressed a button. Orpheus’s voice boomed through the clearing. “Gryphon, shit, where are you?”
All kinds of chaos could be heard on Orpheus’s end of the line. Voices and footsteps and the beep of several machines. “Why? What’s going on?”
“What’s going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on. The Orb is fucking missing. They think you took it, you dumbass. Please tell me yo
u didn’t touch the damn thing. Because if you did—”
Gryphon didn’t hear the rest of his brother’s words. Because rage and anger and darkness erupted as he stared at Maelea’s guilt-ridden and now very panicked face.
He’d been so naïve to think there was any kind of happily-ever-after for him. She was his soul mate, after all. And like all the Argonauts, he’d been cursed by Hera because of her hatred for Heracles—the first guardian. Fated to be drawn forever to the one woman who would torment his existence. That right there was a great big red warning flag he should have paid attention to.
“Gryphon,” she whispered. “Just listen to me. Please. I—”
“Maelea has it,” he said to Orpheus. Her face blanched, but he didn’t care. He suddenly didn’t care about anything anymore. Anything except revenge.
“What?” Orpheus said in a shocked voice.
“She took it. Was planning to give it to Persephone in exchange for entrance to Olympus. I just found out. We’re standing outside the tunnel that runs from the undercroft. Get here now.”
Persephone swore at his back.
He clicked the end button before Orpheus could ask anything else. And in the silence, tears filled Maelea’s eyes as she stared at him. Tears that only enraged him more.
“I trusted you,” he said with more calm than he expected, though inside, retribution cut through him like a hot, sharp knife. “I should have known better than to put my faith in a female whose soul is as black as mine.”
“Gryphon—”
“Thanks to your mother, I realized what you really are before it’s too late. I can’t believe I nearly got killed protecting you from Hades’s hellhounds.”
At his back, Persephone hissed. And he felt, rather than saw, the goddess dissipate into nothing but her own fit of rage.
Beside him, Orpheus materialized. “Gryphon, what the hell—”
Tears ran down Maelea’s cheeks as she stepped forward. “Just let me explain—”