Chapter 57
Chapter fifty-seven
ILIANA
Iliana stood unmoving as dust drifted around her while the worm dragged Hypnos away.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing—she refused to. The beautiful yurt was in ruins. The wet squelch of the monster’s flesh—
This was a nightmare. It had to be. She screamed and reached for Hypnos. Their hands touched, but the monster wrenched him away.
No. This couldn’t be happening.
Looking across the wreckage, she spotted a broken leg of the coffee table. Useless—but better than nothing.
She lunged for it as flashes of memories brought tears to her eyes: pizza grease on cardboard, bickering over movies, Hypnos beside her in a sun-warmed field—
Strong arms wrapped around her waist before she could reach it, and she kicked and fought. Dream or not, her only thought was getting to him. Helping him. “Hypnos!”
Her feet left the ground an instant later. Her surroundings blurred, shadows and rushing wind replacing the chaotic battlefield.
When everything stopped moving, she faced the familiar door to Hypnos’ home. The one she’d tried to escape through not so long ago. She could only stare, struggling to catch up.
She spun and faced her captor.
Hermes.
For a second, he looked relieved.
Then Iliana shoved at his chest. “Take me back. Now!”
He narrowed his eyes. “No. You’re safer here until we care for Hypnos and fight off the creature.”
“Then why did we ever leave this place if it was so safe?” she asked angrily.
A muscle spasmed in Hermes’ jaw, and he looked away. When he turned back, his eyes were hard, as if he’d decided something. “Very few gods can access this place. Even fewer can enter Hypnos’ home.”
It wasn’t an answer. They both knew it.
“You’re safer here than out there, but safe doesn’t mean invulnerable. And I—” He cut himself off, strain showing at the corner of his eyes. “I need to know you can defend yourself if something goes wrong.”
A dagger appeared in his hand. It was inside a dark leather sheath decorated with engraved symbols that she didn’t recognize. “Take this.”
The pommel was cool as he pressed it in her hand. “What is this for if I’m so ‘safe’?”
“Peace of mind. Mine, not yours.”
The admission surprised her.
He looked uncharacteristically uncertain. “Look, you should be safe here. I believe that. But I’ve been wrong before, and I…” He shook his head. “I can’t protect you and help them. So—take it. It’s my favorite. Don’t lose it.”
She tied the sheath to her hip with unsteady hands, letting the hem of her loose top cover it. The action felt empty, though. Being armed wasn’t enough.
“Take me with you.” She wasn’t begging. She wasn’t. “I can help.”
Hermes didn’t answer right away. Instead, he cradled her face, startling her with his tender touch.
She lost all thoughts as she stared into his gorgeous blue eyes.
“You’re human,” he said. “There’s little you can do for him.”
Iliana flinched at the stinging words.
“Just stay safe, beautiful.” Hermes pressed a kiss on her forehead, lingering as if he wanted to say more.
But then he left, leaving her alone in the Underworld.
She stood staring at the space where Hermes had been.
You’re human.
The words mixed with the image she couldn’t shake.
Hypnos flew to her, his one good eye wide as he flew to her side. The worm lunged toward him before he even reached her. His hand was outstretched, touching her shoulder, waking her up before—
Her breath came in quick gasps as panic squeezed her lungs. Hypnos had saved her, throwing himself between her and the monster. He woke her from the curse even though it meant the worm would attack him again.
And she’d just stood there. Useless.
Human.
The feel of Hermes’ warm lips hadn’t faded from her skin before fury surged in its place.
You’re human.
Her hands fisted, nails biting into skin. She wasn’t weak. She refused to sit in Hypnos’ home while the gods risked their lives for her.
The door—the one he’d kept out of reach.
It felt like a dare.
Before she could talk herself out of it or let panic paralyze her again, her feet were moving.
Leaving was stupid. She knew it was stupid. She was one mortal woman with a borrowed dagger against whatever waited for her outside of this sanctuary. Against whatever had sent those worms after her.
Hypnos was out there. Hurt. Possibly dying. All because he’d saved her.
And she’d be damned if she did nothing.
Hermes’ dagger on her hip was a small reassurance that spurred her on. She grabbed the door handle and turned it.
The cavern was huge. Stalagmites hunched like figures in the dark. A wide river cut through the middle, its current slow and hypnotic. Smooth pebbles under her bare feet crunched, the sound eerie in the beautiful and ominous cave. She focused on the sound of the water rushing past.
Overwhelming exhaustion slammed into her.
A trick. Like Hypnos’ power. The cave itself was drenched with sleep magic. It wasn’t just a cave, but an extension of Hypnos himself. The place between his domain and the rest of the Underworld.
She shook her head hard, clearing her thoughts and the false drowsiness, pushing the sound of the river to the back of her mind.
She concentrated instead on the sound of her breathing, her heartbeats.
Thanatos had mentioned once that entrances to the Underworld were disorienting, changing or disappearing based on rules she didn’t fully understand.
She should’ve pressed him for more information about that.
Her eyes followed the river toward the mouth of the cave. Adventure and danger waited for her beyond the dark beauty around her.
She stopped moving.
What was she thinking? She was in the Underworld.
She didn’t doubt that there were things she’d see beyond this cave that would fascinate her and satisfy the curiosity hounding her.
But so were dangers and creatures she’d never considered real before meeting the gods.
Her plans to hunt out another god or some other being to help her reach those men now seemed like a foolish idea.
The instinct to go back inside was almost as overwhelming as the sound of the river had been.
She reached for the door—
Stone. Cold and rough. Not wood.
Panic slammed into her. “No, no, no.”
She scraped her hands along the wall, searching for the doorjamb, the handle—anything.
Nothing. Just solid rock where the door had been seconds before.
It was gone.
Her legs gave way. Iliana sank to the ground, pressing her back to the wall as panic and self-loathing threatened to make her fall to pieces.
Hermes told you to stay, and you just had to leave, didn’t you?
A hysterical laugh almost burst from her as she dragged her knees to her chest. She’d wanted to prove she could fight. That she wasn’t just a fragile mortal clinging to gods for protection.
Now she was alone. Exposed. And it was her own damned fault.
No.
She forced herself to breathe. To think. The door hadn’t vanished. It had moved. Thanatos had warned her. The Underworld—and its inhabitants—messed with thresholds. With minds.
If the entrance moved or hid itself, she could find it again.
She pushed herself to her feet and scanned the rock—an edge, a seam, a shadow that didn’t belong. Anything—
A sound near the river snapped her attention away, and her muscles locked. The cave had been silent. Other than the running water she was attempting to ignore, there hadn’t been another sound. There had been no noises of wind or scurrying animals. Nothing.
Until now.
Her hand went to the dagger on her hip as she turned, scanning the shadows. She strained her eyes, looking for the source, for any sign of a threat.
Then she saw them—Hypnos and Thanatos—standing near the banks of the river. Relief crashed through her, momentarily making her lightheaded.
She ran toward them, scanning Hypnos’ body for wounds, but there wasn’t even a scratch.
Wait.
She slowed her steps, her relief quickly morphing into unease. She’d seen the worm drag him away, his face half-dissolved by acid, his chest torn open. Even gods couldn’t heal that fast.
Or could they?
It wasn’t just the lack of wounds that jarred her senses. Hypnos would never gaze at her with that peaceful expression. He should’ve looked at her with chiding or annoyance.
Then she looked at Thanatos; what she found there was just as wrong. His eyes were cold. There was no warmth in them like there had been whenever she walked into a room. They didn’t show the humor, comfort, or desire she adored. Nothing.
“Where’s Anubis?” The question came out calm as she attempted to hide her nervousness.
“Come here,” Thanatos ordered sharply, waving her over.
She didn’t move. This was all wrong. They were all wrong.
Iliana shook her head. Behind her, she heard footsteps, and she spun.
Anubis.
But he wasn’t her Ani. It wasn’t even a good copy. His golden eyes were lifeless, devoid of the protective fire that burned while teaching her. This Anubis looked at her as if she didn’t matter to him at all.
She backed away from them as they prowled toward her, fighting the impulse to run away. This was a trick. Her gods weren’t here. But could they still harm her?
An amused voice called out to her. “I wouldn’t take any more steps in that direction if you value your memories.”
Iliana turned, halting a few feet away from the river.
The Lethe.
Her attention snapped back to the danger.
A woman was standing where the false gods had been.
She was stunning. Tall and elegant, with flawless pale skin.
Her flowing blue dress draped over the cave floor.
Her hair was dark brown, twisted into an intricate crown with poppies pinned to it.
Her icy blue eyes were hard and calculating in contrast to her almost tranquil smile.
“Who are you?” Iliana demanded despite the uneasiness twisting inside her.
The woman laughed, the sound musical and unnatural. “I am surprised you noticed. I have not seen them in centuries, but I cannot imagine they have changed that much.”