Chapter 25
Charisma
Even before I opened my eyes, the cold space beside me confirmed Eros’s absence. I sighed, placing a palm on my chest and rubbing the area to numb the tugging feeling inside it.
Last night was . . . full of surprises, no doubt. I crawled on Eros’s body like a monkey and, unsurprisingly, his arms were the safest place I could’ve wished to be.
Still, in a clearer state of mind, I would’ve never, never spoken such words about my mother.
My heart hurt for an entirely different reason now. I shook my head, dismissing the unpleasant memory, and hauled myself out of the bed, limbs heavy.
It felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I couldn’t tell if the sensation was due to the lack of sleep or to the bonding, but it didn’t matter; knowing wouldn’t help the way I carried my body like a dead weight.
With a groan, I walked to the windows, dragging my feet behind me.
The sun, as glorious as ever, caressed every inch of my skin, kissing the places where muscles were most tense, whispering over the areas that needed soothing.
I took a deep breath, lingering in its embrace for a few more moments until I had to prepare for what was about to come.
Taking Charon’s staff wasn’t what made the hairs on my neck stand up or what caused my throat to become drier than the desert—it was the aftermath that made me feel this way.
Before Eros and I left to proceed with the bonding, we discussed our plan and reached the conclusion that the safest way to force Charon to show up was by calling his name.
When the trial proved difficult to continue and when the right moment came, I was going to desperately pretend to require Charon’s presence. We hoped Zeus would be fooled.
The legend of Charon, the Ferryman of the Forgotten, was a tale some would tell their children to scare them into listening—when lost souls couldn’t find their way to the Underworld, they’d summon Charon to transport them across the Styx.
Or to cast them into the depths of it if he deemed them unworthy.
The plan was to seize the staff the moment I was aboard his boat, and preferably before he decided I was undeserving.
That part I could handle. The only problem was the words that were written in a small paragraph the gods had missed reading.
When I first read it, my throat tightened and for moment, I considered abandoning the plot against Zeus.
Certainly Eros would’ve forced me to if he knew what that page held.
Instead, I had turned the page and nodded at whatever Artemis said, remembering who I was fighting for. My mother. And so, any doubt I had vanished.
I turned, the warm rays dancing down my back. On my way to the door, I paused as a note on Eros’s desk caught my attention. A thread seemed to stretch taut from my chest, each tug echoing the distance between us. Stubborn bond.
With the thin paper between my fingers, I read his message.
In the silent and empty room, I let out a laugh. Someone had done his research on speaking like a human.
“You did not.” 226688’s mouth hung agape as I strode out of Eros’s house, chewing on a pomegranate and licking the remaining syrup off my fingertips.
“Did what?”
“Bonded with him! Zeus will punish you for this,” he pressed, eyes wide.
The fairy let out a breath. “Don’t get me wrong; I knew you’d fall for him, but this .
. .” He paused to point toward my mark. “Exceeds any level of ignorance. I had low expectations for you since you keep breaking every rule, but what got into him? Eros knows bonds are prohibited before the Gods’ Gambit ends. ”
“I was told to pretend to be in love with him the best that I could. How could I refuse when he suggested we’d bond without raising suspicions?” I asked, the lie slipping past my tongue with ease. “Can we go now?”
He flew closer to my face, narrowing his gaze. “How did you fool him into thinking you’re in love with him?”
I pursed my lips. “Why does it matter? I did what the Shadow told me.”
“Hmm,” he murmured. “Too well if you ask me.”
If eye rolls could emit a sound, I’d swear I could hear his, echoing as he threw us into the suffocating darkness. I plunged to the ground a second later, my eyes finding the rest of the contestants.
Georgie. Yvonne. Riley, Theo, Verena and . . . Draven. My throat tightened at Nicolas and Adam’s absence. There were only seven of us left and four more trials.
“Good luck,” the fairy whispered before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Draven shifted on his feet beside me, his jaw locked tight as his gaze fixed on a distant point. Along with the nasty cuts I knew I’d see and a missing finger, his arm was suspended around his neck in a sling.
Perhaps a broken hand would suffice for the time being.
My lips pursed. When I heard Eros release those words into the night, I was certain it would prove to be an empty, mere threat. Not even for a brief moment did I believe he’d go through with it. Perhaps I should’ve learned my lesson not to underestimate him again.
From the corner of my eye, I observed Draven and the dark bruise that stood out against his pale skin. I couldn’t say I felt sorry for him. At all.
The bond stirred, stealing my breath as if someone had driven a punch into my ribcage. I gasped, struggling not to draw unwanted attention, my fingers curling around my neck. Tears pricked in my eyes, and the relief when the feeling inside me finally settled was sweeter than a hot bath.
I caught Draven’s narrowed gaze and gulped.
“What’s that? On your arm?” Yvonne asked, inching closer to me, her eyes finding the mark on my hand.
“I have no idea. I woke up with it. Maybe it has something to do with the magic in our systems?” I lifted my arms, aware that it wasn’t the best excuse.
Yvonne replied with a squint but didn’t push the subject further.
Theo’s eyes screamed at me to acknowledge him, but I turned my head, focusing on our surroundings.
Today’s trial belonged to Hades and Artemis. Even if I was someone with little knowledge about the two gods, I still would have anticipated that a game led by the Goddess of the Hunt and the Wild and the God of the Underworld would be far from merciful or pleasant.
My fingertips danced on my throat, sliding down to my chest and pressing my palm on the throbbing sensation that lay underneath. All I hoped was that the bond wouldn’t cause a problem today.
A dark fog, thick and heavy, rolled in as I took a deep breath, my lungs filling with mist as a vibration thundered over the ground.
“God, I hate this,” I thought I heard Georgie mutter.
I sharpened my gaze, trying to squint through the fog to locate the gods, but the swirling darkness offered no clues, only the promise of what was about to come. Even if Artemis and Hades explained the trial to me, knowing what was to come didn’t ease my nerves.
The dagger under my waist felt reassuring as it pressed against my skin, and I almost reached for it, wanting the solid comfort of its handle in my grip.
From the sky, a blanket of darkness descended toward the soil. “God of the Underworld, Death, and the Lord of the Dead—I stand before you, opening my gates to the next trial.”
“And I, Goddess of the Hunt and the Wild, will ensure you have the right motivators to make it out.” Artemis chuckled, the sound a distant echo.
I turned around, expecting to find her behind me, but I was met by the dense fog instead. My ponytail looped around my shoulder as I moved back into my starting position.
Hades landed on the ground, the smoke diffusing under him. “The dead shall rise.” His rough, gruff voice filled the space and as the last remains of the mist cleared, his eyes, darker than obsidian, blinked at us. “Those unworthy shall fall with them.”
Artemis’s black nails scraped over Hades’ black coat, her leather heels digging into the ground when she stepped from behind him, a vicious smile resting on her lips.
The woman who I met not long ago in the dim lit room inside Athena’s house and the one standing in front of me were drastically different.
A shiver ran down my spine. Artemis winked at me, her smirk not faltering.
“This game follows the narrative of a cat and mouse chase, or, how I like to call it . . .” she said, extending a hand in the air. “The predator and its prey. If it’s not obvious yet, mortals, you are the prey.”
“And wh-wh-who is the predator?” Theo’s gulp was louder than a thunderstorm.
Draven huffed. “Why are you hooting like a fucking owl?”
Riley let out a quiet laugh, stifling it inside her clenched fist but the sound died as soon as Artemis’s voice reached us.
“The dead.” Her deep-set blue eyes danced in their sockets, a mischievous glint lingering. If I didn’t know about her distaste for the games, I might have thought she was actually enjoying this. Or perhaps she was. She hadn’t earned her name for nothing.
The gods stepped aside as two skyscraping gates creaked open and a crimson surge cascaded on the Earth in a rising tide.
We didn’t receive any instructions to start.
The frantic drumming of countless feet at our backs told us to move.
I didn’t hesitate, my legs breaking into a run, carrying me forward as I entered the Underworld forest, the ancient trees reaching toward the vault like cadaverous fingers.
I dared to take a look behind, watching how the army of the dead poured through the gates, their skeletal frames and decaying flesh moving firmly forward.
I plunged deeper, ignoring the tremble in my limbs.
Beside me, Georgie and Yvonne ran hand in hand beside me, the sound of their feet drumming on the ground accompanied the hurried steps of the group behind.
The horde barreled after us, screaming and howling like lonely wolves ready to dissect any innocent animal who comes into their way.
Jaw set tight, I pressed my feet to move faster, dodging the thorns clinging to the trees.