41. A Poisonous Shade of Green
41
A Poisonous Shade of Green
Calliste
The scent of green apples marked Hypnos’ arrival not much later.
She rose to greet him, but her words died at his narrowed, incisive gaze, running over her robe and loose hair.
“Shall we?” He eventually strode to her and lifted her up.
She closed her eyes as he transported her to the Underworld, soon feeling its chill in her bones. It seemed even colder than usual.
But tonight, she was defiant in the face of it all, still tingling from Theron’s touch, confronting the truth that had awaited ever since he’d plucked her out of depths of the water in the forest lake.
And she knew that somewhere between then and now, she’d fallen for him.
For the light in his eyes and the darkness in his voice.
For the fierce love for his little son.
For his magnificent body, his battered soul, and a hundred other reasons. And she never thought that this dead thing in her chest would awake with such hunger.
If only he hadn’t told me I’ve been his fixation. But it’s not like him to hide.
“You’re smiling differently tonight,” Hypnos observed in a breezy manner. “In your lovely new robe.”
She carefully avoided his eyes. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” he repeated with a strange inflection in his voice. “You’re wearing new earrings. You’re armed with your knife again. I can smell jasmine and… spices in your hair. Why is it undone?”
Heat spread on her cheeks.
“Who touched your hair?” he inquired in a colder tone.
Everything about him was glacial tonight, but her mind was too hazed from the kiss to worry about it. “He just… let it down.”
“The king?” He paused, suspended in the air, his silver eyes blazing like ice in the sunlight. His hair fluttered around the angles of his face, outlined by the light of his wings, which glowed alarming, incandescent azure. “What else did he do?” For the first time since their travels to the Underworld, he held her too tight. “Did he kiss you?”
Heat exploded on her cheeks.
“He did?” His grip tightened.
And then, suddenly, they were plummeting.
Her stomach somersaulted. Her muscles tensed in fear. “Hypnos!” She clung tighter to him as her hair whipped about them. “Hypnos! What’s wrong?”
There was no answer.
They tore through mists and the Underworld opened up beneath them. Her anxiety spiked inside her as she glimpsed the lead surface of River Styx racing toward them at a nauseating speed.
If we crash into Styx—
Her heart kicked in her chest as Hypnos suddenly pulled up, correcting his deranged course, hurtling just above the surface of the river. The cold azure reflection of his glowing wings streaked across the dark waters below, and then Hypnos twisted horizontally, so that she sagged against his frame. The wind swept around them as he rose higher and then slammed onto the ground with his back, his wings spread out underneath him.
The impact threw her against him. Disoriented, she opened her eyes.
A cloud of shimmering dust was settling around them. They were lying on the silvery shore of Styx, a few paces away from the river.
He lay beneath her, his wings spread out in their full length, his eyes cold and accusatory, chest heaving.
Her own heartbeat was still erratic as she pushed herself up against him. “What happened? Did you feel unwell?”
He gave a disdainful snort before he spoke, icily. “How could you let him get so close? You were supposed to be untouchable.”
A chill seeped into her. “What do you mean?”
Hypnos reached for her face but then withdrew his hand. “If only you were more perceptive.”
“More perceptive?” She reeled from their mad fall and stared at him for a long moment before finally exhaling. “I’m in no mood for jokes.”
He lifted himself on his elbows. “Jokes?” He moved his face closer, a flawless ode to beauty framed by flaxen hair. His crown of poppies glinted like rubies, but his eyes, usually serene, were now bottomless pits of ice. “You’re a priestess chosen to walk among us and yet you consort with the king who defies us?”
Her head still spun. “If he defies you, it’s because the Fates have tested him beyond what’s fair for anyone. They nearly wiped out his line.”
“The Fates would never wipe out a line descended from immortals,” he hissed. “It’s a shame he forgot about that.”
She stared at him. “He’s related to immortals?”
“Royalty has always descended from immortals. This is why we’re helping him and why you were summoned to Anthemos. Not for seduction.” His mouth twisted. “Though it wasn’t that difficult, was it?”
It felt like a slap. “How dare you.”
“Oh, I dare, Calliste. I’m insulted that with the rare choice given to few, you chose a mortal.”
“And who else…” She trailed off, staring at him in earnest shock.
“I chose you years ago, Calliste. I supported you on your journey as a healer and answered your prayers. Looked after you. All I wanted back was you being steadfast to who you chose to be, so I could elevate and cherish you.” In an effortless move, he rose to his full, intimidating height and slowly spread his wings to rid of the silver dust. “And make you mine. ” The fine sand trickling from his wings and robe sparkled as it dissipated. He was dressed in black tonight and she’d only just noticed.
“But you’re an immortal,” she said, getting to her feet as well. The shore of Styx was windless and chilly. She was just as cold. “I never knew I could choose you.”
Hypnos laughed. “I am your future, Calliste. You’ve already chosen me.” He stepped closer, his massive wings glowing against the darkness. He reached out to her face, his palm cupping her cheek. “And I demand your loyalty.”
She wanted to pull away and step back, but his mesmerizing eyes kept her still and compliant. “Loyalty… of what kind?”
“You cannot allow anyone into your heart.” His deep voice dropped to honeyed tones. “You possess your own innate power, so beautiful that Epione chose you to be her vessel. Because you're worthy of her power and my affection.”
Her chest seemed packed with searing ice. “So, because you find me… worthy , I’m not allowed to choose who I love?”
“You can love me .” His face was like a glacial blaze: dazzling and hurting. “And when the time is right, I’ll show you what it’s like to be favored by a god. I will be your reward… or your punishment, if you don’t think carefully about your choices.” His irises burned like burnished silver in the sunlight, making her eyes prick with tears. His touch stung her skin like ice.
“Perhaps expecting me not to feel anything was a mistake, Hypnos.”
“You are not meant for him, Calliste. And you will regret it.”
“But I’ve never felt that way, even though…” She trailed off.
“Even though you know you shouldn’t,” he finished tonelessly. “Because it’s a mistake.”
“If falling for him is a mistake, I choose to make it. Because I’m certain I won’t regret it.”
After a beat of silence, he replied in an undertone, “Then I’ll have to wait until you realize it. What do you hope to gain from this, a few nights of passion? And then what?”
She faltered.
“You haven’t thought it through, have you, Calliste?”
“I didn’t need to… so far.”
“No?” His voice turned low and mocking. “Have you considered what it means to you as the High Priestess?”
“As my patient on Mount Hellecon, he would be forbidden to me, but outside of that—”
“I’m not saying you’re doing something immoral,” he scoffed. “But it’s doomed, Calliste. Neither of you can escape your obligations. He’ll remain the king and you’ll have to go back to Mount Hellecon and never see him again—”
“Let me take it as it is.”
He bared his teeth, his face suddenly too close. “So you can get a little glory by spreading your legs for the king?”
“Stop!” She slammed her palm against his chest, immediately pulling away from his grip. Her fingers tingled. “Stop tarnishing it… like that.”
Hypnos watched with a strange, complex expression. “No other mortal could do this and live.”
“I’m sorry. Just… stop.”
“I haven’t even started. Have you told him the truth about what you’re doing when he thinks you’re merely sitting beside his son? Have you asked him the truth about his marriage?”
The truth about his marriage? “If he allowed me to keep my secrets, then I have no right to question him.”
“Oh?” His smile was frigid. “You both are building this risky relationship on secrets and half-truths. Did you know that your dear king has been trying to track down your marital records ever since you came to Anthemos?”
Suddenly, the air became impossible to breathe. “He what ?”
“He doesn’t trust you as much as you think.” Hypnos backed away across the silvery sand. Behind him, the riverbank of Styx was a landscape in lead and silver, making him a focal point of ruby, azure, and gold. “Ask him.”
It cannot be true. “I will,” she replied evenly, swallowing hot, bitter fear.
Only then his eyes dimmed. “Do that. I’ll wait until you crawl back to me, cradling your broken heart and admitting that I was right. Trust me, it will be much worse than surviving a man who never truly loved you. This folly will cost you your heart, and it pains me to imagine how it will destroy you.” His features thawed. “But perhaps this is what we both need… so I can piece you back whole.”
Emptiness and exhaustion settled in her chest. “Just take me to the Roots.”