Page 34 of Guided by the Stars
They move me forward and I make sure that I count the steps we take. If I had any hope of leaving, it is getting smaller and smaller with each step. Finally, I hear doors opening, the air is warmer inside. I smell wood burning, so I guess they don’t have air conditioning and heaters here.
That is just great. Cherry on top of the fucking cake.
We continue to walk. My feet hit a smooth floorboard, and then carpet. I listen to the noises around me, soft footsteps come close, but no one ever speaks as we pass by. The sounds they make are so soft, like whispers in the wind. The scent of lavender lingers here, and once again I’m reminded of Nora. It’s not the only smell in the air; I’m assaulted with the smell of pomegranates. The scent is so strong it makes me want to gag.
Finally my feet hit stairs, and I am so ready to sit down. After walking through the Underworld, I am beyond tired. It feels like I have been walking for weeks. I will have blisters by the time I get my shoes off, I’m sure of it.
The scent of apples, along with fresh-cut grass surrounds me. It’s Jax. It’s true what they say when you lose sight, your other senses are heightened. “Beautiful, I didn’t know you could be this quiet,” he chuckles and I won’t lie, that chuckle sends chills through me. But not enough to distract me. I keep counting, wanting to memorize the stairs we climb.
“I swear, even though that evil bitch isn’t here, you can still smell her everywhere,” Kai says.
I feel Jax move away from me. “Let’s hope her absence plays in our favour. Though, you know how I feel about all this.”
“She is not ours. Like you told me, this was a job, remember? Our ticket out of here,” Kai says gruffly.
“Your ticket out of this hellhole is standing right here, so it’s pretty fucking rude to discuss me while I am standing in front of you two assholes,” I say, stomping my foot.
“Why? You’re nothing to me,” Kai says, and shakes me a bit. I raise my hand and flip him off again. I think it is becoming my signature move. Even though I knew all along that he was taking me to his father, his words still sting.
I stop, and they have no choice but to stop as well, unless they plan to drag me. “Take off the blindfold and handcuffs,” I say and hear a chuckle. “You’re both leading me to a god who rules the dead and everyone is afraid of. I’d rather go in with a fighting chance than to go in blind and unable to defend myself,” I say, stopping myself before I beg.
My heart rate picks up, my body starts to get hot and I can’t seem to take a deep breath, it is as if the oxygen has been sucked out of my body. “Hey, calm down,” Jax says, and I feel something try to push into my own emotions and I shrug him off. “You’re not seeing him today, but this is a better place than with any other god.”
“That doesn’t help me. Where is Nora? Is she here with Hades now?” I ask, still blindfolded and handcuffed. “Please, just tell me she is ok. If she is ok, or you let her go, I am more than willing to bargain with myself.”
Kai drags me along. “It doesn’t matter where she is, honestly, you have nothing to bargain with.” He pulls me towards him and I feel the heat his body gives off. “Your. Life. Is. Mine!”
I raise my hands up, pushing him away from me. He lets me go and I fall hard on the floor. I don’t know what goodness I thought I had noticed in him, but I was mistaken. This man in front of me is a heartless god, and I am doomed. I won’t have a chance to leave. I allowed those couple of tender moments to cloud my mind, even when I knew I shouldn’t. Kai is ruthless, and I bet just as deadly, if not more so, than his father. After all, didn’t he go to Earth to kidnap two girls?
One of them lifts me roughly and drags me somewhere. A door creaks open and he shoves me inside before closing it loudly behind me. I know I won’t be walking out of here alive, but I won’t go without a fight either.
Alexius
When Glass Shatters
Shooting pain reaches an unbearable limit. It’s like a thousand knives wrapped in the flames of the burning sun, slicing into my skin.
“My son. I’m always in charge and I can break you just as easily as I made you. Let this mark be a reminder. One day you will be thankful. All of this will prepare you to be the prince under my throne.”
Zeus pulls the energy from the rays above, calling the blaze of the sun into his body and infusing it into his bolt. Upon contact, the heat of the flames sear deep into my body, tearing through tissue. My flesh is permanently burned as a constant reminder to never disobey.
“Fuck!” I scream, unable to hold back. With the intensity of the current he sends through me, every part of me is on fire, scorching under his power.
Hera leans her face in, pulling on my chains, spreading my arms wide high above me. “This mark is perfect. I pickedit out myself. But don’t worry, what I have planned next will be even better.” Her giddy voice fades as exhaustion takes over, and as my eyes close, sky blue eyes appear in the darkness.
***
“Alexius, you’re back,” Hera’s menacing voice jolts me out of the haze. “Now the real fun begins.”
I strain to lift my head, groaning with the movement, and focus my eyes, looking forward. Through blurred vision, I can make out the pond up ahead with her fucking lotus flowers floating around. It’s smaller than her personal garden, but is her favorite view from this damn stage she’s built for punishments. It’s beautiful on the outside with roses lining the gazebo, yet the white pillars are used to keep you held in place, putting you on full display for anyone walking around the Assembly Garden. The stage is to set an example of what could happen if you disobey them.
Hera’s deep, sinister laughter is next to my ear. She’s close, holding the whip in her hand. She lowers it, and cool leather tangled with the sting of eagle feathers rubs against the back of my thigh. “Yes, I do love the time we spend together when you visit,” she purrs, trailing the whip over my bare ass and over my burn.
I tug against the chains binding my wrists. I scream, spit flying everywhere as she snaps it down. Feathers slice into my torched skin. Leather erupts against my flesh like molten lava. Her laughter mixes with the whistles of each strike. Over and over again.
Another piercing scream rips from deep within my lungs as Zeus pierces bolts through my feet, holding me in place. Thecurrent from his lightning surges through my limbs, making my veins explode. His power combining with mine overloads me, and the pain of it brings a tear to my eye and guttural screams to my throat. I want to beg, scream for them to stop. Instead I bite into my cheek, and my body trembles, as blood fills my mouth. With each hit, I grow weaker.
“There, there, my dear boy. We’re not done yet.” Hera’s face appears, hugging her serpents like fragile pets as she reaches up, releasing them onto my arm. They slither along my skin, making their way to my neck, and wrap themselves around me. Little by little they tighten, the pressure building with their hold. With a hiss, they snap down, digging their fangs into my jaw and releasing their poison.
