myself. She wants us to go first because I have no chance of surviving a run-in with a cerberus on my own.
I sigh. “Fine.” I want to cop an attitude, to call her out for doubting me. But she’s right. Cass knows me too well. I can’t defend myself against a cerberus. I was lucky to even survive last time. It was only Persephone’s timely intervention that saved me from becoming a dog treat.
I don’t know whether to hug her for her generosity or scream in frustration at my complete and utter lameness.
Tallon holds out his hand to me, and once again the electric tingle shoots down my arm. Cass already holds his other hand. We step into the water, which is oddly warm. I gag at the stench. This close I can taste the dead fish in the air. I clamp my mouth closed and try to take as few breaths as possible.
Tallon adjusts his grip on my hand before looking over to Cass. The water barely covers Tallon’s hips, but it’s a little more than waist high on me and hits her in the center of her chest. I never realized how small she was.
Tallon looks down at me. “Are you ready?” I give a quick nod.
He steps forward, and we go under. I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes closed. There’s a moment of warmth, and then blistering cold.
And then I am nowhere.
I wake suddenly. It’s strange, because I don’t remember falling asleep. It takes me a moment before I remember the portal, and Tallon.
And the Mortal Realm.
I sit up. Little explosions of pain protest the movement, and I know I pushed myself too hard trying to get to the Styx. I ignore the aches. It’s hard to think about a little hurt when the sun is shining on your face.
The sun. Actual sunshine. It’s bright and warm and utterly amazing. I giggle, euphoria sweeping over me. I made it. It’s almost impossible to believe.
But this is definitely the Mortal Realm. I sit in the middle of a cow pasture, and a little ways off a few black and white cows moo their disapproval at me. I look around, noting the trees, a nearby pond, and the sweet, sweet scent of somewhere that isn’t the Underworld. Everything is so blessedly normal.
If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.
I creakily climb to my feet, feeling much older than I am. I’m lucky to be alive. The old stories are full of cautionary tales about what happens to heroes who try to travel the Underworld. I’ve managed to escape Tartarus, outrun a chimera and a pack of cerberus, and make the jump across the Rift dividing the realms. That’s pretty impressive, even for one of the old heroes.
But for a failure like me? It’s a gods-damned miracle.
Now I just have to find my sister’s shade. I don’t have any idea where to start, and the realization dampens my joy a little, but not much. Because I’ve already done the impossible by escaping the Underworld. For the first time since I discovered that her shade wasn’t in the Elysian Fields I feel like I have a real chance of helping her. And that’s kind of awesome, as long as I don’t remember that the gods want me dead.
There’s a rustling sound, and Cass stumbles into view. For the first time since I met her in Tartarus, she actually seems lost and maybe a little uncertain. She spots me and walks over. Cass glances around. “Where are we?”
“I think it’s a cow pasture.”
She sniffs. “The Mortal Realm hasn’t changed much.”
I fight back a smile. “When exactly were you sent to the Underworld?”
“Right after the Spartan War. A very long time ago.”
I think of the rustic clothing of the villagers in the memory Hades showed me, and I nod. That had to be about two, maybe three thousand years ago. Cass’s head is going to explode. Gods, she’s missed so much. How in the hells am I supposed to explain something like the Internet to someone who doesn’t even understand indoor plumbing?
I nod and push aside my worry. One thing at a time. I need to make sure we have a place to hide so the gods can’t find us. Then I need to figure out how to
I sigh. “Fine.” I want to cop an attitude, to call her out for doubting me. But she’s right. Cass knows me too well. I can’t defend myself against a cerberus. I was lucky to even survive last time. It was only Persephone’s timely intervention that saved me from becoming a dog treat.
I don’t know whether to hug her for her generosity or scream in frustration at my complete and utter lameness.
Tallon holds out his hand to me, and once again the electric tingle shoots down my arm. Cass already holds his other hand. We step into the water, which is oddly warm. I gag at the stench. This close I can taste the dead fish in the air. I clamp my mouth closed and try to take as few breaths as possible.
Tallon adjusts his grip on my hand before looking over to Cass. The water barely covers Tallon’s hips, but it’s a little more than waist high on me and hits her in the center of her chest. I never realized how small she was.
Tallon looks down at me. “Are you ready?” I give a quick nod.
He steps forward, and we go under. I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes closed. There’s a moment of warmth, and then blistering cold.
And then I am nowhere.
I wake suddenly. It’s strange, because I don’t remember falling asleep. It takes me a moment before I remember the portal, and Tallon.
And the Mortal Realm.
I sit up. Little explosions of pain protest the movement, and I know I pushed myself too hard trying to get to the Styx. I ignore the aches. It’s hard to think about a little hurt when the sun is shining on your face.
The sun. Actual sunshine. It’s bright and warm and utterly amazing. I giggle, euphoria sweeping over me. I made it. It’s almost impossible to believe.
But this is definitely the Mortal Realm. I sit in the middle of a cow pasture, and a little ways off a few black and white cows moo their disapproval at me. I look around, noting the trees, a nearby pond, and the sweet, sweet scent of somewhere that isn’t the Underworld. Everything is so blessedly normal.
If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.
I creakily climb to my feet, feeling much older than I am. I’m lucky to be alive. The old stories are full of cautionary tales about what happens to heroes who try to travel the Underworld. I’ve managed to escape Tartarus, outrun a chimera and a pack of cerberus, and make the jump across the Rift dividing the realms. That’s pretty impressive, even for one of the old heroes.
But for a failure like me? It’s a gods-damned miracle.
Now I just have to find my sister’s shade. I don’t have any idea where to start, and the realization dampens my joy a little, but not much. Because I’ve already done the impossible by escaping the Underworld. For the first time since I discovered that her shade wasn’t in the Elysian Fields I feel like I have a real chance of helping her. And that’s kind of awesome, as long as I don’t remember that the gods want me dead.
There’s a rustling sound, and Cass stumbles into view. For the first time since I met her in Tartarus, she actually seems lost and maybe a little uncertain. She spots me and walks over. Cass glances around. “Where are we?”
“I think it’s a cow pasture.”
She sniffs. “The Mortal Realm hasn’t changed much.”
I fight back a smile. “When exactly were you sent to the Underworld?”
“Right after the Spartan War. A very long time ago.”
I think of the rustic clothing of the villagers in the memory Hades showed me, and I nod. That had to be about two, maybe three thousand years ago. Cass’s head is going to explode. Gods, she’s missed so much. How in the hells am I supposed to explain something like the Internet to someone who doesn’t even understand indoor plumbing?
I nod and push aside my worry. One thing at a time. I need to make sure we have a place to hide so the gods can’t find us. Then I need to figure out how to
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