Page 36 of Guided by the Stars
He takes a seat and listens as I recount everything. He focuses on the details, considering each word before asking, “You think Aetos Dios picked up on Nora?” It’s not surprising to me that his voice is full of worry, he’s a loyal god and this simple mortal girl has us under her damn spell. The idea of a creature, or anyone, catching her is haunting us.
“I’m sure he did. Even Hera caught a whiff of that damn lavender she wears. But I checked, there’s no chance anyonefelt her power. For now, at least,” I reassure him and his eyes drift behind me, penetrating the wall. Despite being hidden and securely locked away, her sadness lingers in the room with us. “She’s too emotional, Daemyn. It’s overwhelming.”
He shakes his head and places his hand on my shoulder. “Remember, her world flipped around. Help her understand instead of expecting her to.” He pushes his chair out, standing. “I can’t stay to watch the shit show you’re about to deal with. Got a message to send.” He says walking to the back door, heading out.
As I wave him off he calls out, “She was worried about you. You could start with feeding her. After all, she said something about you promising to come home to eat.” Then he shut the door. I roll my eyes at him, get up, and prepare myself to make that grilled cheese thing she likes.
Kai
When Punishment is Swift
That bastard. Leave it to fucking Hades to hide the palace and waste our time, only to demand my immediate presence when we arrive. I stare at the reflection in the mirror and don’t recognize myself. A pale, ashen creature with dark circles under his eyes stares back. My stash of nectar is depleted and without it, I’m weak.
I shouldn’t have wasted my energy making a bed for her, or fruit trees to feed her. She even asked for an apricot, and did I do it? Yup, like a fucking chump. Her face softened and her eyes danced as she took it from my hands. The smile she graced me with was dazzling, and that’s when I knew something was wrong. It had to be, because why else would I care about making her happy or comfortable? I haven’t been either of those things a day in my life, and here I was using my energy on some human. Sure, she had to eat to survive, but Jax brought a ton of snacks from their hotel room. I should have just let her eat those, but instead I used too much powerand now I’m vulnerable. This morning I vowed to myself that if we had to spend another night, all she’d receive was a plain green apple. Bitter, just like me.
I exit the bathroom, heading to my closet to find a clean shirt. I may not have time for a shower, but that doesn’t mean I have to walk into the king’s lair looking like shit. Adriane is sitting on the couch, unaware of my company. She’s rubbing her wrists that are still raw from the cuffs. For half a second, my brain falters and I want to ask Jax to go find some salve, but her death glare penetrates the haze.
I ignore her, peeling off my shirt and throwing on a black v-neck tee. When I turn back, her eyes are wide and full of confusion. Ah, there it is, right on cue. Miss Perfect Life has seen the real me at last, scars and all. As I lean against the door frame, I raise an eyebrow at her, begging her to say something sarcastic to prove she’s the heartless human I need her to be. Instead, her brows crease and she looks away.
“Stay here, do you understand? I know you don’t take direction very well, but you’ll do as I say if you value your life.”
Her eyes snap back to mine, full of anger. “Like you care about my life, or anything else for that matter. It’s not like you warned me about drinking that water or gave a shit when I almost got eaten by Cerberus.”
“It’s not a request,” I say, walking toward the couch. “You’ll do as I say or face the consequences. And trust me, Red, you’ll be much worse off with anyone else.” I pat her head and she tries to slap my hand away, but I’m too quick, already striding out the door with a smile on my face.
Jax stands in the hallway, smirking at me. “I honestly don’t think Hades knows what he signed up for. She’s a hellcat!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ve gotta go take care of this bullshit, but I’ll be back.”
“Don’t play me like that, Kai. Girls like Rose don’t have the same appeal because they don’t provide the challenge you need. In there, though? Now that’s a fucking challenge. I’ll get her some food so she’s got some energy when you return,” he says with a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
With a shake of my head, I turn and head down the hall, stopping just inside the stairwell. My chest is heavy as I draw in lungfuls of air, trying to calm myself before seeing my father. There’s no fucking way he knows Alexius fucked this up, and I won’t be passing that information along either. It’s just a debriefing, nothing more. Was I expecting a gold star and a pat on the back? Big fucking nope, but I have no idea what he wants the descendants for, or how pissed he’ll be that I only have one.
I steel my spine and continue my descent. Thoughts flow through my mind of what this encounter will bring. It feels like this mission was a test and I’m about to get a failing grade. As I plot out the best way to avoid telling him the full truth, I turn the corner and find Persephone. She’s waiting in the hallway, dressed in an over-the-top blood-red gown that trails behind her on the floor. Her dark hair is pulled back, accentuating the sharp angles of her beautiful, pale face. There’s an evil glint in her eyes when she notices me, and her red painted lips turn up into a hungry smile.
“It’s so good to have you home, darling,” she says as I bow to her. When I straighten, she reaches a hand out to caress my cheek and molds her body against mine. “Mother will miss me if I’m gone too long, but I just had to see you. Lets not keep your father waiting.” She spins, leaving me no option but to follow her down the hall and into the room. Hades lounges in a chair with a goblet of nectar clutched in his hand, and the look on his face puts ice in my veins.
“You know I don’t like to wait, boy. Did you get them?”
“We’ve arrived, yes. I left everyone in my room,” I say with confidence. And though it’s not a lie, it’s not the full truth either.
“Oh, really? They must be attractive then, if you’re keeping them all to yourself. Perhaps I’ll stop by and have a taste myself,” he says, one eyebrow raised, and chills dance across my skin.
“Oh, there’s no need for you to—” My words cut off as a vine wraps around my throat.
My father stalks toward me, his mouth turned down in a scowl. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice that you only brought one human here? This is my realm, my kingdom, and I think it’s time you remember what that means.”
He grabs me by the hair and forces me to the table. Persephone stands near her gardening basket, digging through its contents and adding ingredients to a bowl. Before I have time to worry about what she’s mixing, I’m flipped over and slammed face first onto the table. Vines wrap around my arms, legs, and throat and I’m tempted to fight them off, confident that I could banish them with my power. But I can’t. My father can’t find out how strong I am. No one can. So I don’t fight. Instead, I retreat to a quiet space in my mind, somewhere far away from here.
A strong hand presses my face into the table and Hades looks down his nose at me. “Not only did you fail to retrieve both the weak humans I sent you for, but you had the gall to lie to me about it. I knew you were pathetic, boy, but now I know how utterly useless you are.”
He turns and walks toward Persephone. Not bothering to lower his voice, he speaks to her. “Seph, my sweet. Is it ready?”
He blocks her from view so I can’t see her response, but she must nod because he continues. “Cover the entire area, let’s see if we can teach him some fucking respect.”
He disappears from my line of sight, and the bitch glides toward me. A sly smile pulls at her lips, making her appear ugly and cruel. Her true form.
There’s a bowl in her hand and she stirs the contents while coming closer. She brushes the hair from my face in what could be mistaken as a maternal gesture, but I see it for what it is. The lust that shines in her mean eyes is unmistakable. She drags her fingers down my back before taking something out of her pocket.
