Page 25 of Touch of Death
Someone he can actually touch.
She must not have meant it in the way I’m thinking, or perhaps I’m remembering things wrong. Perhaps Anteros is a different god entirely.
Perhaps he’s not a god at all.
“Are you alright, little one?” Death asks, startling me out of my thoughts as we reach the bottom of the stairs.
“Yes,” I answer quickly, giving him a small smile.
“Hmm.”
He doesn’t sound entirely convinced, but thankfully he doesn’t press me on the matter as we turn down the small alley Persephone mentioned. The walls of two palaces line either side, flowering vines cascading over the tops to create a sort of canopy above us.
I’m still admiring their beauty when the small goddess steps out from a small niche to greet us. Her emerald eyes sparkle; the soft flush of her cheeks somehow made even prettier here amidst the blossoms.
“Quickly, follow me,” she says, taking the lead as she begins detailing how she plans to convince Anteros to help us.
“I thought you said he would bewillingto help,” Death says coldly.
“Yes, but it never hurts to give someone more than one reason to help,” she laughs. “The Fates must truly be smiling upon you because he owes me a favor.”
“A favor for what?”
“For helping him realize his true love was right in front of his eyes. Thanks to me, he has never been happier or more in love than he is now.”
Death makes a sound that only encourages her to continue as I try to think of something, anything to say to her.
Unaware of our silence, she continues, “Yes, it seems that even the God of Love can be blind to it at times. Funny, is it not, how we often do not notice what is staring us right in the face?”
So, I was right about who Anteros is.
I don’t know what to make of the look she sends our way, but I have a hard time believing this simple favor will be enough to convince him to help us.
Silence once more wraps around us as we turn down several alleyways before stopping outside a set of extravagant golden gates.
Stopping outside the gates, Persephone turns to face us, her eyes flashing to Death’s face before landing on me. She gives me a smile that I think is meant to be reassuring but only makes my heart pound harder.
I find myself unintentionally leaning forward, eager to hear whatever she’s about to say. Hoping against hope that she might finally explain what she meant by her earlier comment.
“You must remember that in this city, each god rules over their own home,” she pauses for a second to glance up at Death. “It would be best if the mortal were not to speak unless absolutely necessary.”
“You need not worry about Hazel,” Death answers, bristling at her words. “I can protect her.”
“Things have changed since you were last here, Death. I would tread more carefully if I were you.”
“I’ll try my best to remain quiet,” I say, breaking the tension between my two companions as they continue to stare each other down.
“Thank you,” Persephone says with a gracious nod before turning to push open the gates.
She leads us through the main courtyard toward a pearly palace trimmed in gold with architecture so ornate it’s almost too stunning to be real. I can’t help the way my fingers itch to paint it.
The main doors stand wide open as Persephone steps through them without hindrance. There are no guards here, and my eyes widen to take in the way the sunlight filters through the glass ceiling to dance at our feet.
As we move further into the palace, I notice paintings hung along the walls. In my excitement, it takes me a moment to realize they’re paintings of lovers in varying stages of undress and intimacy.
My cheeks burn as I quickly look away, focusing my eyes on the delicate pieces of furniture that fill the palace. I don’t know why I’m shocked to see such depictions, especially in the God of Love’s palace.
But, as we make our way deeper and deeper into the palace, I can’t help but feel like something is off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, though, as I glance nervously about.
