Dark Goddess (20 page)

“Yes please.  I’d like my original sentence.”

My brow arched curiously.  “I thought you didn’t have faith in their choice.”

“I was wrong.  I was wrong.”  He clasped his hands in front of his chest, praying for mercy.  “Please Hartley.  I’m sorry.”

Will snorted on a laugh behind me, forcing Callie to slap his arm with a scowl. 

I sighed and waved my hand at Caius.  “Oh fine.  I’ll let the first judgment stand.” 

Michael practically kissed my feet as he bowed.  “Thank you.  Thank you.”  He dashed off toward Caius without glancing back, afraid I’d change my mind.

I watched the massive escort grip Michael’s bicep, his own arms bulging with muscles, and hauled the soul through the iron gates toward the inner regions of the Underworld, Cerberus growling as they passed.

Rhamanthus cleared his throat.  “Ah, Hartley, you weren’t really going to send him to Tartarus, where you?”

I shot him an incredulous expression.  “Of course not.”  I turned to the remaining souls, some of which were staring cautiously at me.  My eyes were still flaming and any recent souls wouldn’t know I had no control over it.  “Sorry.”  I smiled and pointed to my eyes.   “I can’t really make this stop.  They just have to fade.”  I shrugged.

Will stepped closer and grabbed my hand, forcing our fists together.  “That was bad ass.”  He ruffled my hair before I swatted his hand away.  “Remind me never to piss you off.”

Callie skipped over and threw her arm over my shoulders.  “You should flash those eyes at Darby next time you see her.  She’d probably choke on her bubble gum.”  Callie’s lips pursed.  “I wouldn’t want her to actually die of course.  I’m sure someone would give her the Heimlich.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, thankful my friends weren’t the least bit fazed by my inhumanness or the Underworld.  “Thanks.”  I cleared my throat and returned my attention to the souls remaining in the courtyard.  “From now on listen to the tribunal.  Just because Hades is missing doesn’t mean we can let this place fall apart, okay?”  I bit my lip to keep the tears from falling.  “He’ll be back and I don’t want his domain in a mess.”

They all nodded and some even mumbled apologies. 

Charon stepped forward and patted my shoulder with his boney hand.  “You did well Hartley.  Again.”  His shaded expression was suddenly unreadable, his gaze pensive.  “Well indeed.”

Hayden

My feet were digging a trench in the dry dirt as I paced back and forth like a caged animal.  Crimson fires raged around me while dark souls glared across the burning plains with vengeance boiling in their malevolent eyes, waiting for another chance to dig their fists into me.  I’d managed to beat most of them with my demigod strength.  Fortunately they didn’t work well together otherwise they would have ganged up on me and I doubted I was currently capable of fighting off several dozen at a time.

Some of the more damaged souls were constantly screaming or writhing on the ground, gripping their heads while their own personal hell played out before their eyes.  Some were reduced to a drooling mess, content with slumping to the ground, not even caring if they were stepped on. 

A snarl slipped from my mouth and I punched a nearby soul attempting to overtake me.  It wasn’t the soul that had me so violent—I hadn’t even noticed him until the last second—I simply wanted to hit something.  It was missing Hartley that had me walking a thin wire line over sanity.  After being with her even in a dream, feeling and tasting her, I was more determined to make it back.  And the fact I couldn’t get out of my own damn purgatory sent my temper soaring.  If I was still the god of the Underworld I’d be consumed in an inferno of flames. 

If I was still god of the Underworld I wouldn’t be stuck here!

I kicked the ground, sending a dusty rock sailing over the burning plains.  I needed to find the soul who helped Ixion.  I didn’t have time to search for him, but I knew someone who often had a bird’s eye view of Tartarus… of course before he had to go running down the mountain again.

A giant boulder tumbled beside me as I leaned against the edge of a rocky mountain, spraying dust and dirt on my filthy jeans.  Sisyphus came running down after it, a thick sheen of sweat glistening on his skin mixed with dirt.  His bare chest was spotted with scrapes and bruises while his pants hung in tatters around his legs.   His once blonde hair was gnarled and tainted by grime and soot. 

He sprinted passed without even seeing me, chasing after the boulder he was forced to roll up the mountain until he reached the peak where it would inevitably slip from his grasp and tumble back down.  This was his punishment for seduction, murder, and least of all thinking he was equal to the gods. 

“You’re looking tired King Sisyphus.”  I really shouldn’t goad him.  I simply couldn’t help myself.

He spun around, doing a double take.  “Hades.”  His green, almond shaped eyes traveled over me, noting my unkempt appearance.  “I didn’t expect a visit from you.”  He pointed to his boulder.  “Care to take a turn?”

A smirk lit my face.  “I’m good.”

He sat on it, running his fingers through his dirty hair.  “I heard you went and traded Persephone for a new model, someone a little more…”  He tapped his chin in thought, searching for the right words.  “A little more in tune with the Underworld.  Her name is Hartley, right?”

A warning growl snaked between my teeth.  “I’m not here to discuss her.”

Sisyphus waved a hand in the air.  “Fine.  How’s that little punk Hermes?  He still flying between worlds and doing your bitch work?”

“Don’t hate on Hermes just because he dragged your sorry ass back to the Underworld when Persephone let you out.”  I strolled toward him and propped my leg up on the boulder.  “You shouldn’t have been out anyways.  And you chained Thanatos to this stupid rock.”

Sisyphus rolled his eyes.  “Thanatos is such a girl.  He got his panties all in a wad because I trapped him here.”  He shrugged noncommittally.  “So Death took a break for a few days.  What’s the big deal?”

I shot him an incredulous expression.  “When Thanatos was finally free people started dropping like flies.  They blamed it on the gods, assuming we were angry at them.”

“Big whoop.  They got over it.”

I shook my head at his glib attitude.  “I’m not here to talk about that.”

He leaned back on his hands, relaxing as if we were friends.  “Why are you here Hades?”

My eyes narrowed, disliking his casualness toward me.  I was still a damn god.  Unexpectedly my foot pressed on the boulder, rocking it until Sisyphus tumbled onto the ground, kicking up soot.

“Damn it,” he coughed while struggling to stand.  “What was that for?”

“You know.”  This was one of the reasons he was pushing the rock up the mountain.  “Anyways… I’m here for information.”

He crossed his arms against his chest.  “Oh, so you want something from me?  Do you think being a jerk is the way to get it?”

I scowled.  “I was born that way.  I can’t help it.”

“Well I can’t help it if I don’t have what you want.”  He picked at his dirty nails.

Anger sifted through my blood, but intimidation wasn’t going to get me information.  Sisyphus thought himself better than every other inhabitant in Tartarus.  He sought special treatment as if he were closer to the gods than humans.  “Listen.  If you tell me what I want when I get out of here I’ll make your big boulder into a little pebble and all you have to do is walk up and down this mountain.”

He looked offended by my offer.  “I heard you promised the Danaides freedom.”

So not only does he see things, but he hears them too.  “I can’t release you.  You’re way too dark to let loose in Asphodel Meadows.”  He opened his mouth to deny it, but I interrupted.  “You’d corrupt the other souls or disturb them.”

“What about Nalia?”

My brows knit.  “Who’s Nalia?”

He scoffed.  “The oldest sister of the Danaides.  She’s as evil as they come.”

My lips pursed, picturing the suspicious brunette in the center of the line.  I’d definitely have to watch her if
Sisyphus
thought she was evil.  “I still can’t let you roam free in the Underworld.  Isn’t the rock enough?”

His green eyes glanced away, his dirty fingers rubbing his chin in thought.  “I guess.  For now anyways.  How about you promise to think of another place I can go in the not too distant future?”

“Sure fine,” I blurted.  That was highly unlikely. 

He reached his hand out to shake mine as if we were partners agreeing to a business deal.  I reluctantly took his grimy palm.

“What do you want to know besides how Ixion escaped because if I knew I wouldn’t be here now?”

“I want to know where to find this new, exceptionally dark soul that carried something here with him.”

“Ah.  I see.”  He nodded.  “I’m assuming you’re talking about the one guy that smells like a dark soul ate shit and threw it up?”

“That’s the one.”

“He hangs out near the east border.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”  He motioned toward the mountain.  “Every time I get to the very top I see his heavy, foul darkness pacing the line.”

I pivoted and stalked away.

“Don’t I get a thank you or something?”

I waved.  “Or something.”

Hartley

Callie and Will had returned, bringing fresh homework for me.  Yay.  At least they were willing to help.  We sat around a sleek black granite coffee table with silver flecks in the living room off the bedroom.  The fires from outside cast a warm, crimson glow over everything.  I liked it, but it was taking Callie some getting used to.  Will was easier.  He compared it to looking through a glass of cherry Kool-Aid, his favorite flavor.

I warned them not to eat anything until I inspected it.  I wasn’t taking any chances of them ingesting pomegranate seeds and getting bound by the Underworld.  They wouldn’t survive it.

“Mr. Tate really misses you,” Callie said with an amused grin adorning her cute face.

I grimaced.  “I bet he does.”

“Yeah.”  Will shook his hair out his face.  “He misses trying to look up your short skirts.”

I stuck my tongue out at him while Callie slapped his arm playfully. 

“What?”  His baby blues widened innocently.  “It’s true.  You girls know he’s a horn dog.”

I shivered before flipping to the next page in my history book.  “So true.”

Callie giggled.  “Yesterday when he was at the overhead projector I’m pretty sure he was looking down Laurie’s shirt.”

“Hey.”  Will pointed to his chest.  “That’s my girlfriend.”

I rubbed Will’s head.  “I don’t think Mr. Tate discriminates.”

The door suddenly banged open and Ixion strode in, wearing his usual attire of designer jeans and a button down shirt.  He could have just stepped out of a GQ magazine.  Of course if you scratched his charming, debonair surface you’d get to the juicy, unstable center that was more likely to have come from a mental institution.  His dark eyes shifted from me to the two human guests, his dark brow arching.  “Who the hell are you two?”

Before I could answer Will spoke.  “Friends of Hartley’s.”  His blue eyes narrowed and jaw flexed as he crossed his arms against his chest in defiance.

Anxiety seeped through my bloodstream as Ixion’s cruel gaze scrutinized Will.  When they moved to Callie I shifted until I was blocking half of her, feeling a tremor roll through her little body.

“Did I say you could have company?” he asked, stopping a few feet from the couch.

“I don’t need your permission.  This is my…”

He cut me off.  “This is
my
palace.  I decide who can visit.”

My muscles tensed, hating he was using Hayden’s powers over me.  “Well, they’re already here so…”  I shrugged noncommittally as if his presence didn’t simultaneously scare and piss me off.

A half-smile split his lips.  “Is this why you didn’t text me back Hartley?”

OMG.  He was freaking obsessed with texting and social media.  It was ridiculous.  I sighed.  “I’ve been busy with school work.”

He pursed his lips in thought before digging his phone out his pocket.  “Let me get your friends’ numbers.”

Incredulity played over Will’s expression, his gaze surveying the god like he was two crayons short of a full box.

I reached forward and grabbed Ixion’s phone, programming Will’s number.  “Here.”

He looked at it with a furrowed brow.  “What about hers?”  He motioned his chin toward Callie who was hiding behind me.  “The more the merrier.”

“No.” 

“No?”  Anger flared in his pitch eyes.  “Didn’t we go over this?  I’m your ruler down here and you’ll do as I say.  Now give it to me before I get it myself.”

His threat left a sour taste in my mouth and a hole in my stomach.  Will moved to stand, but I gripped his arm.  This wasn’t some rival football player.  Ixion could destroy Will with the flick of his wrist.

Instead I stood, anger washing over my senses.  “No Ixion.”

He snarled and made a move toward Callie.  Without thinking I pulled a flame in my hand and threw it at him.  It barely touched him, repelled by his own Underworld power.  He advanced forward.  Will scrambled up, but Ixion shoved him in the chest, sending him, Callie, and the couch sliding back several feet.

“Don’t try it again boy.”  Ixion’s voice had deepened, Underworld power lacing every syllable.  He pierced me with his dark, ominous gaze, sending chills of trepidation down my spine. 

I shoved the fear down, nearly choking on it.  “Leave my friends alone,” I snarled, my own voice surprisingly deeper.

A manic smile crossed his lips before he gripped my raised chin in his fingers hard enough to bruise.  “Oh beautiful Hartley.  Defy me again and I will hurt Hayden.”

Callie whimpered in the background.

I didn’t back down.  “I call your bluff.”  Was Ixion crazy enough to destroy his only leverage?

Surprise lingered in his expression moments before he broke out into a short, crazed laugh.  After he regained his composure he came so close I could smell his hair gel.  “I’ll hurt Hayden where it counts the most.”  His impenetrable eyes caught me and I feared I would fall into their murky depths.  “I will have you for myself,” he whispered.

Cold fear paralyzed my heart.  I knew his words were true.  This was one way he could keep his leverage and break me too.

***

I sat on Hayden’s bed sulking and wallowing in misery.  Hermes took Will and Callie home, their protests following them out the door.  I made Hermes promise not to bring them back for a while.  The Underworld was too dangerous for them.  Hell, it was even dangerous for me.  The echo of Ixion’s threat sent chills down my spine.

I picked up one of Hayden’s black t-shirts I yanked out of the closet, bringing it to my face to breathe in the warm spicy scent that still lingered.  My heart clinched and ached with every beat until taking a breath was painful.  Tears threatened to spill out, turning the bedroom blurry.  Why hold them back?  No one was here to see.

I was moments away from releasing the flood gates when the stone double doors slammed open, revealing Zeke and Hera followed by Hermes.  “What happened now?” I asked, trepidation seeping through my veins.

“We know how you can save Hayden.”  Hermes’ golden sandals were fluttering excitedly, lifting him a few inches from the ground.