The Dark-Hunters (417 page)

D’Alerian offered her a kind smile before he released her.

“What’s really going on?” Solin asked D’Alerian as he turned to leave.

The humor fled from his face and he returned to being stoic again as he addressed Solin over his shoulder. “Nothing that concerns you, Skotos. Just know that we’ll keep M’Adoc away from you.”

She saw the suspicion on Solin’s face. “Given our history, why would you do that?”

There was true regret in D’Alerian’s eyes and in his stance as he turned to face Solin. The sincerity on D’Alerian’s face was heart-wrenching. “I was wrong for what I did to you, Solin. I’m sorry.”

Solin scoffed in derision. “Rote words to you, Oneroi.”

“No, it’s heartfelt, I assure you.” He hesitated as if considering the repercussions before he spoke again. “Things change, Solin, and so do people. Even gods.”

Solin froze as he finally understood what D’Alerian was telling him. “After all this time, you trust me?”

D’Alerian nodded. “Arik did, and you proved yourself by protecting Megeara even when it could have cost you your life. You had nothing to gain and everything to lose. I think that makes you trustworthy.” Then he did the most unexpected thing of all. He offered his hand to Solin. “Brothers.”

“Brothers,” Solin said, taking D’Alerian’s hand and shaking it. “Thank you.”

He inclined his head to them before he vanished.

Kat cocked her head as she frowned over their exchange. “What did I just miss?”

“Nothing,” Solin said quickly. “It’s just Oneroi weirdness.” He let out a deep breath as he faced them. He smiled at Geary. “Last I heard, Persephone was on Olympus with her mother. I can’t go there, but Kat can and she can take you with her.”

Geary didn’t understand that. He was a god and should be as welcomed on Olympus as any other god. “Why can’t you go there?”

“Solin is under a death warrant,” Kat explained. “There are too many gods who would kill him on sight if he were ever dumb enough to pop into their backyard.”

“Oh,” Geary said in understanding. How awful for him. No wonder he’d been so angry over them in the past. It sounded like he was fully entitled to it.

Geary stepped forward and kissed him on his cheek. “Thank you for your help, Solin. I really appreciate it and I’m sure Arik does, too.”

Solin nodded. “Just make me one promise.”

“And that is?”

His gaze burned into hers. “If you get Arik back, you won’t be stupid again. Love is a rare thing, Megeara. Hold on to it with both hands.”

Tears gathered in her eyes as she realized he was speaking from his heart and from a past he had no intention of sharing with her. But his words were too genuine to be an arbitrary recitation. “I fully intend to.”

“Then it’s worth it.”

That confused her. “What is?”

Solin chucked her gently on the chin. “Whatever they throw at me.” He inclined his head to Kat. “You two kids have fun, and good luck.” Then he vanished, too.

Geary frowned at Kat. “Is it just me or was that the oddest exchange?”

“No,” she breathed, “it wasn’t. You’re just missing part of the story. Remember, at one time the Oneroi had feelings. Some of them were in love and even had families at the time they were rounded up and punished.”

A bad feeling went through Geary as she noted the ominous tone of Kat’s voice. “What happened to their families?”

“Let’s just say Zeus was
really
angry.”

It didn’t take a genius to ascertain what that would have led to. “He killed them.”

She nodded grimly.

Even though Geary had guessed it, she was still aghast that he’d be so callous to his own family members. “
All
of them?”

Kat nodded again.

Tears gathered in Geary’s eyes as the magnitude of their punishment truly hit her. She couldn’t imagine the horror that they must have been put through. No wonder M’Adoc was psycho. “Did Solin—”

“No,” Kat said quickly, cutting her off. “He
was
the family they tried to destroy and he survived by the skin of his nose.”

“Arik told me that, too. God, I feel so bad for them.”

“All of us with any decency do, but there’s nothing to be done for them as a group. Not unless you go up against Zeus, and that takes more god power than what we have.” She offered Geary a smile. “But right now we have one god in particular we might be able to help.”

She was right. Before they plotted a war, they needed to win a battle, and Geary was ready to take on all of Olympus for Arik. “Let’s get on it.”

*   *   *

Geary didn’t really know what to expect from Olympus and the gods. True, she’d spent the whole of her life listening to her father and grandfather tell stories about them. But that had only been speculation on everyone’s part.

Now she was actually here.

And it was scary and invigorating to know that those legends were real. That things she’d taken for granted as fiction weren’t. Wow.

Just like the stories told, Olympus was breathtaking. The weather was perfect. Not too hot. Not too cold. It was like a mid-spring day. The sky was so blue as to be unreal in its celestial hue, and the mountains around her were lush and green. The air was fresh and laced with a sweet scent. She’d never experienced anything like this.

Dreamy
was the only word for it.

But what fascinated her most was that she could look down and see the world below in all its glory through the misty clouds that kept the gods isolated from the world.

“This is incredible.”

Kat smiled. “Yeah, I know.” She looked around with pride. “I was raised here.”

Geary couldn’t imagine having a childhood like that. “Really?”

“Yes.” Kat pointed to a large circular gold building at the end of the golden cobblestoned street. “That is Artemis’s temple. When I was a little girl, I used to sneak out of it and run to there”—she pointed to another temple at the opposite end—“to Athena’s temple, and play with her owls.” She laughed at the memory. “It used to make Artemis crazy.”

“Why?”

“They have a long-standing feud with each other over some nonsense that happened aeons ago. And Artemis wanted me to stay as far away from Athena as I could.”

“But you couldn’t resist, huh?”

Her smile widened. “Not really. According to Artemis, I’ve made a lifetime study of irritating her.”

Geary laughed as she looked around and saw three fawns sprinting across the walk ahead of them. The deer vanished into the woods, where she swore she glimpsed a centaur running. “I can’t believe this is real.”

“Oh, believe it. Scary as it can be.” Kat pointed to a huge hall made of gold and ivory that was on a hilltop above them. “And that is where Zeus resides with Hera. It’s the great hall where everyone gathers to mostly bicker and complain.”

It was as magnificent as the rest of the area. Truly, it was like walking in a dream. “Is that where we’re going?”

“No. Persephone doesn’t play politics. Even though Zeus is her father, she only goes there when she’s summoned, especially since Hera can’t stand her because she’s one of Zeus’s bastards. She tries her best to stay out of their business.” Kat pointed to another of the buildings down the street. “She’ll most likely be hanging out at her mother’s temple.”

Geary followed Kat as she crossed the street and they were almost run over by a blur.

“Hermes!” Kat shouted. “Watch where you’re going!”

“No time…” A faint voice drifted back to them as he vanished out of sight. It strangely reminded Geary of the Road Runner cartoon, as nothing but dust was left in his wake.

“That happen a lot?” she asked Kat.

“Yeah, he’s always in a hurry. You have to be really careful or he’ll run you down. It’s like being hit by a Mack truck, too. Bloody bastard.”

Okay … no hostility there.

But luckily no one else tried to mow them down as they walked the short distance to the smaller domed building. Geary paused outside to look up. It was only about half as tall as everything around it and not very large. Though it was still beautiful and bigger than any home Geary’s family had ever owned, it lacked much of the awe factor that the rest of the buildings around it had. “Why is this so small compared to the others?”

Kat shrugged as she looked up at it. “Demeter isn’t one for pretense. She’s very simple compared to the others.”

Moving forward, Kat opened the door to a massive foyer that was made of marble so white, it hurt her eyes to look at it. The entire room was surrounded by columns that were carved to look like people. And as Kat and Geary entered, one of the male statues on her right opened its eyes to stare at them.

“What brings you here, Katra?” the statue asked in ancient Greek.

Kat was completely unfazed by the fact that a living statue was addressing her, while Geary gaped at it. “I want a word with Persephone.”

“She is in the garden,” a female statue answered before she pointed to the opposite set of doors. “But she is not in a happy mood, so be warned.”

“Thanks, Chloe.”

Befuddled, Geary trailed along through the doors that opened of their own volition into a massive garden atrium. The wind was gentle as it stirred the scent of hyacinth and lilac. “Ooo, nice.”

At least that was what she thought until they heard someone cursing. Repeatedly and with relish.

“Gardening is crap, Mom,” the light, cadent voice whined from the bushes in front of them. “I hate it! Look at that. My manicure’s going to be completely wrecked and for what? Dig the earth, plant some crap, do this, do that. Blah!”

“Seph?”

The bushes rustled before a small woman wiggled out from between them. Geary hid her smile as a very petite and extremely beautiful blond woman stood up. Dressed in dark green overalls and a white T-shirt, she had dirt smeared across one cheek and on the tip of her nose. Her hands were covered by large gardening gloves while green and brown leaves were stuck in her upswept hair, that still managed to be breathtaking on her. She slung her hands out and sent the gloves flying to the ground.

“Hi, Kat,” she said as if completely unperturbed by the fact that they’d overheard her complaints. “What’s up?”

“I wanted…” Kat’s voice trailed off as a small set of flowers started to move toward the woods.

Persephone blasted them with some kind of energy from her hands. She laughed, then sent her gloves to go pull up more flowers.

“What are you doing?” Kat asked with a frown.

“Revenge,” Persephone said proudly. “It’s a small revenge, granted, but it’s these little things in life that mean so much.”

Kat cocked a brow and looked at Geary before she asked for clarification. “Revenge on who and for what?”

“My mother, who else?” Persephone gestured around the lush garden. “Sticks me in this godforsaken place nine months out of the year and thinks I ought to be grateful for it. Meanwhile all I want is to be with my husband.…” She gave them a meaningful look. “Have you any idea how hard it is to go nine months out of the year with no sex when you’re married to such a fine piece of male anatomy that he should have been the god of fertility instead of the god of death?” She paused in her tirade as she finally saw Geary over Kat’s shoulder. “And you are?”

“She’s a friend. Megeara, meet Persephone.”

Persephone frowned sternly as she raked a gaze over Geary’s body. “You’re not the Fury Megeara, are you?”

“No, but I was named after her.”

“Ah.” Persephone extended her hand as her features softened. “Nice to meet you then.”

“You, too.”

“So,” Persephone said, looking back at Kat. “What brings you two here?”

“We”—Kat indicated the two of them with a wave of her hand—“are in need of some serious help.”

Persephone scoffed. “
I’m
in need of some serious help.” She sighed as she gave Geary a hopeless smile. “I know we just met, Megeara, but bear with me. I’m so horny I could die and my mother’s answer to my complaints … weed her prized garden. Weed! What is she, insane?”

This was definitely more than Geary wanted to know about the goddess.

“Yeah, and on that happy note,” Kat said with a hint of laughter in her voice, “it’s your husband who brings us here.”

“Oh, what’d he do now?”

“Made a pact with a Dream-Hunter who wanted to be human. Now the Dream-Hunter has been killed and we’d like to get him back from Hades.”

Interesting summation Kat had come up with. Geary would have never been so succinct.

Persephone screwed her face up. “That’s a bummer. You know Hades doesn’t like to let anyone leave. Ever. He’s kind of attached to those souls.”

“I love Arik,” Geary said, her voice cracking. “I’ll do anything to get him back.”

Both of the women cringed at Geary’s words.

Persephone motioned for her to lower her voice. “Don’t say that too loudly around here. There are a lot of folks who would take you up on it, and bargaining with a god is what got you guys into this mess in the first place.”

“I’m sorry,” Geary said quickly. “But I do love him, with all my heart.”

Kat sighed. “The gods have really screwed her over. They’ve taken almost all of her family, and given that, I was thinking that we might be able to help her just this once.”

Persephone shook her head. “You know the rules, Kat.”

Geary frowned. “What rules?”

“Quid pro quo,” Kat said irritably. “You have to give something in order to get a favor from a god.”

Oh, that was just wonderful. But it still didn’t stop Geary. She had to get Arik freed. “Tell me what I have to do.”

Persephone looked surprised by Geary’s response. “She’s an eager little bunny, isn’t she?”

“She’s desperate, Seph. Of all people, I think you can relate to what it’s like to be taken away from the one you love.”

Persephone nodded. “Yeah, and you picked the right moment to approach me on this. I’m really missing my Hades.”

Suddenly Geary remembered the ring D’Alerian had given her. “Wait!” She pulled it out of her pocket. “One of the Oneroi gave me this. He said to give it to you and to tell you that Neco wanted to call in his favor.”

She saw the pain in Persephone’s eyes as she took the ring from Geary’s hand. Persephone’s eyes shimmered from tears as she traced the scrollwork on it with her fingertip. “How was he doing?”