Page 17 of Deadly Games
“I take it you’re no longer interested in winning the Games.”
“Odin’s poor management skills have kind of taken a backseat,” she admitted, folding her arms.
I snorted. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Tell me about it.”
I glanced down at her, mesmerized by the way the dull light from above danced through her hair. “How are you doing with all this? Ares especially.”
“I’m kind of just numb,” she answered, staring off into the distance. “I’ve wondered who my father was my whole life, and now that I know, I’m not really sure how to feel.”
“That’s understandable.”
She glanced up at me, her gaze troubled. “About the other night…”
“Don’t,” I said, realizing I wanted to go numb myself in some ways. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
She frowned and I could tell she wanted to say more, but she finally gave up with a sigh. “It’s hard to believe none of this is real.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, tilting her head.
“It’s just another plane of reality. In that sense, it’s as real as the one we come from.” I smirked. “Who knows? Maybe this is the real world and we’re going to wake up in a dream.”
She grimaced. “That’s too philosophical for my tastes. I’ll just stick with the most basic explanation.”
I laughed. “No argument there.”
“Kore, Fenrir. Get your asses up here. The portal’s open and I miss my bed,” Loki yelled from the top of the hill.
I sighed. “We’d better get going.”
“Yeah,” Kore agreed, following me up the sandy incline. By the time we reached the top, I saw that Loki was right. Another portal like the one we’d come through sat in the middle of the path. This one was a pale green hue, and it looked slightly less foreboding, but not by much.
Ares stood beside a hooded figure I could only assume was the mage who’d opened the portal. Knowing he’d had the ability to send us back this whole time was unsettling, to say the least, but I could understand. The pain in his voice when he’d spoken of sending her back had been plain as day to me, but I wasn’t sure if she recognized it or not.
“Are you ready?” Hades asked. I knew his question was directed at me as much as it was her, but I chose to pretend otherwise.
Kore nodded absently, going to stand before Ares. “Am I going to see you again?”
“I expect you’ll find a way if you want to,” he answered. “But your purpose is much greater than this world, my daughter.”
“You’re wrong,” she murmured. “I thought I could go up against Odin, but I’m not even cut out for that. I can’t do anything to stop Cronus.”
“Perhaps not alone,” Ares said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “But sometimes we only become the person we’re meant to be because we have to.”
Kore frowned up at him, clearly trying to parse through the cryptic words. He was just as bad as Odin.
“Let’s go, before anyone up there realizes something more is going on,” Hades said, always impatient.
“You go up ahead,” I told him, lingering behind to give Kore as much time with her father as I could. Then again, what were a few moments in comparison to a whole lifetime without each other?
Hades scowled, but he passed through the portal and Loki was quick to follow him. I turned back in time to see Ares take a chain off his neck and place it around Kore’s.
“What is this?” she asked, looking down at the blood red jewel set in some kind of metal that looked neither silver nor gold.
“A family heirloom of sorts,” he answered. “Should you ever wish to return to me, this jewel will be your key.”
