Page 56 of Harbinger

“This is important, Menippe,” Thetis said in a hard voice.

The sea Goddess pursed her lips.

“His presence in our realm only lasted a few minutes,”she finally muttered.“By the time I reached the place where I’d seen him, he was gone. But I did catch a glimpse of the realm he fell to as the crack closed.”

Cassius’s nails sank into his palms. “Where did he fall?”

Menippe hesitated. “It was the kingdom of man.”

The Goddess sighed while the rest of them exchanged shocked looks, like she knew they wouldn’t believe her.

“Wait.” Tisiphone lowered her eyebrows. “You’re sayingLadon fell toEarth?!”

Cassius studied the floor blindly. “I’ve never heard any accounts of a dragon being sighted during the Fall.”

Dione rubbed her chin. “Considering his size, he would have caused quite the splash.”

“And with the amount of divine power he carries, he would eventually have been detected, even if he wasn’t at the time of the Fall,” Thetis mused, puzzled.

Menippe grimaced. “Well, he wasn’t exactly in his original form when he was plummeting down there.”

Cassius stared. “What do you mean?”

* * *

It wasdawn by the time they returned to Earth through the portal Thetis had opened for them. Now that Theo had awakened as a Guardian of the Nether, all the realms had begun to realize that the once stable interdimensional doorways that had been destroyed during the Fall could be revived again.

Something soft and furry collided with Cassius the moment he stepped out onto his terrace. He staggered back a step before righting himself and holding on to the quivering imp in his arms.

Loki whimpered miserably against his chest. “Cassius.”

Cassius hugged the imp back and ruffled his head with a tired smile. “We were only gone for a few hours.”

He stiffened at what he sensed.

Tisiphone’s eyes flashed gold.

“Ivmir,” she mumbled.

The hairs rose on Cassius’s flesh as he followed her gaze to his apartment. He could feel the darkness inside Morgan’s soul core even from a distance.

Tenebra’s Rot had spread in their absence.

Cassius pulled back and grasped Loki’s shoulders, his touch rougher than he’d intended. “How bad is he?!”

Loki’s ears and tail drooped. “He’s…sleeping.”

Cassius clenched his jaw. Loki wasn’t meeting his eyes.

The sliding doors opened. Theo and Victor stepped out. They both looked pale.

Theo came over and wordlessly embraced Cassius. Cassius’s throat tightened as he fought back tears. Theo and Victor’s silence could only mean one thing.

“Come,” Tisiphone said somberly.

Cassius didn’t know how he got to the bedroom. He could barely feel his legs, so deep was the fear twisting his insides. He hesitated for a moment before crossing the threshold.

An unearthly force throbbed across his skin.

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