CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
“Then you remind him that he doesn’t get to make decisions about what’s best for you.
Only you get to decide that.” Salem pulls back, her hands on my shoulders.
“Kennedy, I’ve watched you help people work through their trauma for years.
You’re brilliant at it. But now you need to remember that Reaver isn’t a patient.
He’s the man you love. And sometimes, love isn’t about logic or therapy techniques.
It’s about showing up and refusing to let them push you away. ”
Tears prickle my eyes. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’ve had you for a best friend since the third grade. You pick things up.” She grins. “Now come on, I need to teach you a few defensive spells before we go. Can’t have you dying in Heaven—it would be really awkward for everyone.”
*~*~*
Fifty-three minutes later, I’m standing with my team at the entrance to a secret portal. It doesn’t look like much, just a shimmering section at the base of a burnt-out tree, a half mile down the river Styx. But according to Asher, it leads directly into the gardens of Themis’s palace.
“A secret portal at the base of a burnt-out tree in the Underworld?” I comment as I stand looking at the slight glow coming from inside the trunk of the tree. “Yeah, that’s not concerning at all.”
“Reaver and I found it when we were kids,” Asher explains. “I don’t think Themis has any idea it’s there.”
The image of young Reaver and Asher as mischievous children is so at odds with the terrifying warriors they became that I smile at the image my mind creates.
Now, however, standing on the precipice of this insane mission, that smile begins to falter, and I hope that my strong warrior is still fighting for the right side.
“Everyone ready?” Hades asks, looking entirely too excited about breaking into his mother-in-law’s palace.
“Ready,” Salem confirms, her hand resting on the dagger at her hip—a blade Michael gave her, supposedly containing enough magical firepower to level a building.
“As I’ll ever be,” Aradia chimes in, though she looks pale. Going up against her mother can’t be easy, even if she knows it’s necessary.
My newfound friend Jenna just nods, her dark eyes unreadable. I hope that when this is all over, she and Gabriel can finally find peace and happiness together. If two people ever deserved each other, it’s them.
And me? I clutch the communication crystal and think about Reaver. About his rare smiles and the way he looks at me like I am his only light in his darkness. About the note he left on my refrigerator. You will always be my sunny day and the light that shines in the darkness.
I am so ready. “Ready,” I declare firmly.
Hades crouches and ducks into the tree hollow first, and I watch him disappear into the shimmer. Aradia goes next, then Salem, then Jenna.
I look over at Asher, and I can tell by the concerned expression on his face that he wants to go. “I’ll bring him back, even if I have to knock him over the head and drag is sorry ass here.”
Ash gives me a nod. “He loves you. He has a fucked-up way of proving it. But when you look at it, would you really have it any other way?”
I shake my head with a grim smile. “Maybe next time you can encourage him to send flowers and a nice card instead of going into league with a crazy woman.”
Ash tilts his head, and I know he’s about to give me some wise-ass comment, so I hold up my hand. “The irony that I am the crazy woman right now isn’t lost on me.” I take a deep breath and duck into the tree trunk.
The sensation of passing through a portal is like being dunked in ice water while simultaneously walking through cobwebs. It’s deeply unpleasant and thankfully over in seconds.
I stumble out the other side and into the most beautiful garden I’ve ever seen.
“Holy shit,” I breathe as I take a look around, trying to wrap my mind around where I’m standing.
The Heavens are more stunning than I ever could have imagined.
Golden light bathes everything in a warm glow that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere.
The garden is filled with flowers I’ve never seen before, their petals shimmering with iridescent colors that are painful to look at directly.
Crystal-clear streams wind through meticulously maintained paths, and in the distance, I can see the spires of Themis’s palace reaching toward an impossible sky.
And all I can do was stand there with my mouth agape, unable to move.
“Yeah, it’s something,” Hades says dryly. “Try not to gawk too much. We’re on a pretty tight schedule.”
Right. Save Reaver now, sightsee later.
“The palace entrance is that way,” Aradia interrupts, pointing toward a massive archway flanked by golden statues. “Mother’s private chambers are in the eastern wing. If she’s here, that’s where she’ll be.”
“And Reaver?” I ask.
“If he’s truly trying to lure Themis to the Underworld, he’ll most likely be in her throne room,” Aradia replies. “It’s the only place formal enough for that kind of confrontation. Central wing, top of the grand staircase. You can’t miss it.”
“Got it.” I touch the crystal around my neck. “Everyone’s comms working?”
Four confirmations echo in my mind through the crystal’s magic.
“Alright,” Hades chirps, his playful demeanor shifting into something harder and more dangerous.
“Salem, Aradia, Jenna—find Themis. Kennedy—find Reaver. I’ll make sure no one crashes our party.
And remember, we’re on a timer. The moment Pestilence springs the trap in the Underworld, all hell is going to break loose up here too. ”
“Literally,” Salem adds. “Let’s move.”
We split up at the archway. I watched the others disappear toward the eastern wing before turning toward the central staircase. My heart is pounding so hard, I can feel it in my throat.
The palace interior is even more magnificent than the gardens. Soaring ceilings, marble floors that look like captured starlight, tapestries that seem to move when I’m not looking directly at them. It should be inspiring, but in reality, it’s just another prison holding Reaver.
As I slink around yet another corner, I’m a bit unnerved that I haven’t seen anyone. Not a guard, maid, or any other servant that one might think would be needed to keep a fortress running. Without a person in sight, I pick up my pace.
It isn’t hard to locate the grand staircase.
There are few words to describe it other than monolithic and worthy of an actual goddess.
With a deep inhale, I begin to climb, my footsteps echoing in the vast space.
Each step that I hope takes me closer to Reaver, closer to the confrontation that will either save him or break both of us.
“You can do this,” I repeat to myself. Maybe if I say it enough, I’ll start to believe it. “You can do this.”
By the time I get to the top, I’m slightly winded and wishing I spent more time in the gym than doom-scrolling the internet.
The throne room doors are massive—at least twenty feet tall — and covered in intricate carvings depicting scenes of justice and judgment. Thankfully, they are also slightly ajar.
I press my palms against the cool metal and push with all my might. My feet slip slightly until they get traction.
The doors open silently, revealing a cavernous room dominated by a throne carved from a single piece of jade. But I barely notice it, because sitting in front of it, with his head resting in his hands, looking more tired and broken than I’ve ever seen him, is Reaver.