Page 91 of Love and Death
Finished, Hermes lets out a relieved sigh and then kneels to take Eros gently in his arms before turning back to me.
“Ready?”
“No, not really, but lead on.”
He gives me a kind smile, and I brush away the tears with the back of my hand as we begin our ascent. Hermes almost seems to move with no effort at all as Knax walks in solemn silence next to my exhausted, stumbling steps.
The climb is tiring, and far longer than I remember, though perhaps that’s in part due to the weight of the journey this time. Even Hermes barely says a word, aside from the occasional remark about the bland landscape or to warn me of particularly treacherous footing.
At long last, we reach the summit, and not a moment too soon.
“Hazel,” welcomes a new but not entirely unfamiliar voice, as an imposing, barefooted, and bald-headed man comes into view. He wears long, flowing robes of deep purples and reds that almost seem to float around his wrists and ankles, though the air is still. “Hermes, thank you for your help.”
“Hypnos,” Hermes greets, bowing his head once, “it is always a pleasure to serve you.”
I can’t help but stare at the new god. I know I’ve neverseen him before, but I can’t seem to shake the feeling that we’ve met. There’s a comfortable, soft presence about him, despite his formidable size.
“Dawn is nearly here,” Hypnos says, his voice like a mother’s lullaby in my ears.
“I brought them. Eros told me to find you.”
“I know. I told him.”
I blink up at him in surprise.
“How—”
“I am the God of Dreams,” he says softly. “I know how to walk them, even the seldom few that make their way into the Underworld. Come, we must place them on the altar.”
My eyes follow as he motions toward a stone altar built on the edge of the mountaintop.
“This is where I woke up,” I whisper, wondering why I hadn’t recognized it right away.
“So I have been told,” the God of Dreams says, my eyes growing heavier at his words. “Forgive me for not being here to greet you.”
“Would that have changed anything?”
He gives me a sorrowful look and shakes his head once.
“No.”
“Then I am happy to have had the chance at all.”
This brings a pleasant smile to his eyes.
“Well said. Come, there is not much time.”
Together, we step toward the altar, and I see that Hermes has managed to lay Eros and Death upon it already. It would almost be funny to see them like this,sleeping so peacefully side by side, if it weren’t so terrifyingly close to being their final resting place.
“Can you save them?”
Hypnos reaches out to place a hand on each of their chests, his midnight eyes opening wider as the air hums faintly around him. He blinks, pulling his hands back.
“No, I cannot,” he answers gently. “But you can.”
“How?”
“It will cost you greatly, mortal.”
