Page 51 of Deadly Games
“Let me go,” Kore said, giving her hand a tug. When I refused, her eyes met mine with a look that took my breath away for more than one reason. “Trust me.”
My instincts warred against each other, but eventually, one of them won out. I let her go and she turned to face the beasts, materializing a thick whip made of the same green vines she used to such great effect. I knew she didn’t have much to draw from in this world, and I was intent on making sure that she didn’t drain herself trying to fight, but Loki and Hades could use all the help they could get.
Loki had managed to get in several deep wounds and his speed was keeping him just out of the hellhound’s reach. Hades wasn’t as fast, but he was stronger—the white flame he’d summoned in place of his fallen blade seemed to be doing even more damage.
Hades’ hellhound let out an earth-shaking snarl as his flame danced across its eyes, filling the room with the foul odor of sulfur and burnt fur. It retaliated by striking out blindly and managed to pin him against the wall. Even blinded, it was more than capable of tearing him apart and my heart bottomed out as I realized there was no way to reach him soon enough.
Kore’s whip sailed past, wrapping around the beast’s neck before it could bring its massive jaws down on its prey. She yanked hard, but the element of surprise wasn’t enough to unseat the beast. I came up behind her and reached around her to grab the vine and pull with her. With our combined efforts, we managed to redirect the hellhound’s attention, but now its glowing eyes were locked on us.
Shit.
Hades wasted no time retrieving his blade and leaped onto the creature’s back, plunging the sword deep between its shoulder blades. It let out another guttural howl that echoed through my soul, and he kept forcing it down until it pierced the hellhound’s chest on the other side.
Hades jumped off the hellhound’s back before it hit the ground and pulled the blade the rest of the way through its neck, nearly severing its head. That must have taken a staggering amount of strength, but a pained cry drew my attention back to Loki. He was still fighting the other beast, but it was slowly backing him into a corner and I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long. Hades was too far away to reach him in time and Kore was struggling to stand upright since she’d exhausted so much of her power already.
I ran forward while the hellhound was distracted and lunged, pushing my hand against its side. Its thick fur bristled and it turned to face me with a bewildered snarl, but I pushed every ounce of Euphoria I could spare into the beast’s veins. At first, it didn’t seem to have an effect, but it staggered the creature long enough for Loki stab it through the skull.
“Not bad, pretty boy,” he taunted, glancing my way for a split second before he severed the hellhound’s jugular. Blood sprayed us both before I had the chance to close my mouth, and once I’d wiped it out of my eyes, I shot him a filthy glare.
“That’s the last time I save your life.”
It was an empty threat, and his smirk said he knew it.
We barely had a moment to celebrate our victory before it all came crashing down. The hellhound at my feet disappeared with a puff of black smoke and the one next to Hades did the same.
“What the hell?” Kore muttered, turning back to the King as he rose from his throne.
“I think you’ve amused me enough,” Cronus said coldly.
Kore gave a startled cry and before I had the chance to look over and see why, I found out firsthand. My feet were surrounded by stone that was quickly crawling up my legs, and no matter how hard I tried to pull away, I couldn’t get them to budge. In a matter of seconds, the stone had encapsulated my lower half, and I looked over to find Loki and Kore in the same predicament.
“Fuck, no,” Loki snarled, chipping at the stone with his blade. It traveled up and sealed his arms to his sides in response, trapping him from the shoulders down. I decided against struggling in favor of assessing the situation as much as my frenzied brain would allow.
Hades was the only one of us who wasn’t affected. He held his blade in hand and seemed ready to attack his father. “Let them go,” he snarled.
“Come, by boy. Let’s not be foolish,” Cronus scolded, his staff still firmly in hand. “You’ve proven yourself, but it’s time to dispense with the games.”
“The only thing I want to dispense with is you,” Hades countered. “You’ve destroyed this realm, and I’m not going to let you do the same to them.”
“Is that so?” Cronus asked, unnervingly calm. “What if I offered something you desire even more?”
Hades frowned, but the other god’s words filled me with unease. Maybe it was just the fact that Hades seemed to be listening.
“What are you talking about?” Hades demanded. Even Loki was dead silent, watching his friend intently. Not a good sign.
“Your mother,” Cronus answered. “Have you grown to care more for that wretched world than you care for her?”
“Stop it,” Hades seethed. “Stop trying to get in my head. You’re the one who killed her.”
“You say that as if she’s lost,” said Cronus. His words seemed to affect Hades as much as I’d feared. He wasn’t just listening now, he was captivated. Cronus continued, “I know you’ve tasted the forbidden magic. You’re too much like me.”
He smiled at the look of shock on Hades’ face. “You think you’re so difficult to read, but recklessness is the folly of youth. A folly that can be corrected.”
“She’s been gone too long,” Hades said, sounding uncertain of his own words. “It’s not possible, even for you…”
“Not now, that much is true,” said Cronus. “But with the power that lies beyond this world, anything is possible.”
The vast room was so silent I could hear my own heartbeat. I still wasn’t sure what Cronus was offering, or if any of it was true, but the fact that Hades hadn’t told him to fuck off yet didn’t bode well. I knew Kore trusted him, but I was a long way from that.
