oak grew at the summit. It reminded me of the oak that had held my magic. It wasn’t leafless, however, and tiny green leaves sprouted from the tips despite the cold.
I climbed off Sally, nearly going to my knees in the snow. My legs were noodles, but I staggered toward the tree. Magic vibrated around it, and snow swirled in the air. Lucifer appeared at my side.
“Do you know how I summon her?” I asked.
“I don’t.”
“Damn.” I walked closer to the tree, hoping it would come to me. Snow gathered on my shoulders, and my limbs began to feel cold.
When I was nearly to the tree, the branches shuddered and reached for me. They formed a cage around me, and I could feel the magic of the seers vibrating on the air.
“Moirai,” I said. “I need help. Please.”
Make your sacrifice.
The words echoed in my head, and I shivered. A sacrifice. But what kind?
Blood.
Instinct drove me. I turned to Lucifer standing outside the branches that surrounded me. “Do you have a knife?”
He nodded and pulled one from the ether. I took the weapon and rolled up my sleeves, slicing at my arms. Pain flared as an image of Hades flashed in my mind. He’d been here before me, doing the same.
I let the blade fall and drew a shuddering breath, staring at the trunk in front of me. Bright red blood splattered the pristine snow, and I let thoughts of Hades drift through my mind.
If Lucifer was correct, he’d sacrificed himself for me.
The idea made my heart twist.
Soon, blood loss got the better of me, and I went to my knees, woozy with weakness. The snow around my knees had turned dark red. I was a goddess, but how much blood could I lose before things got really bad?
I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, mind swirling with thoughts of Hades.
“Seraphia, stop this.” Hades’ rough voice interrupted my thoughts, and I jerked upright, opening my eyes.
Instead of the snowy tree, I saw Hades surrounded by darkness. He was chained to a huge rock in the depths of hell. Flames rose around him, burning and bright. His beautiful skin was blistered and burned.
“Hades!” I struggled to rise, but I couldn’t. I was too weak.
Was I in Tartarus?
No, I was still cold. Still woozy from blood loss.
“Is this a dream?” I murmured, my head fuzzy.
“No.” Hades pulled against the chains that bound him to the rock, but he was unable to break them. The sight sliced my heart with a hundred cuts, and I reached out for him. “It’s a vision. The seers may be helping you to see me.”
“Why did you do this?” Tears poured down my cheeks.
“It was the only way to save you.”
“By sacrificing yourself?” I wanted to stagger toward him, to hold him, but I couldn't move.
Watching Hades suffer in Tartarus was the worst torture I could think of, far worse than feeling the flames on my own skin. “I’m coming to get you. I swear it.”
“Do not worry, Seraphia.” His voice was low, vibrating with intensity. “This is the way it was meant to be. You can defeat Chronos. You are strong enough.”
“We’re two halves of a whole. I’m not doing it without you.”
“You must. You can.” His belief in me shone through his words, lighting me up from the inside. “This is the path ordained by the stars.”
“I can, but I don’t want to. I want you.” I shook my head. “I know this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. I know it.”
The smallest smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, and then he disappeared.
I screamed, reaching out for him, but I was still pinned to the snowy ground on my knees. Tears poured down my face, and I blinked frantically, trying to clear them.
In front of me, golden magic sparked. The magic swirled and intensified, coalescing into a woman. Her thin white robes whipped in the wind, and her dark eyes gleamed with knowledge as she looked down at me.
“Persephone.”
Panting, I looked up at her. “How do I save him?”
“You truly want to?”
“I do.”
“Good. I told him he was interpreting my prophecy incorrectly, and it seems he finally believed me.”
“Please, tell me how to break the curse on him. How to save him.” Panic fluttered in my chest. She had to know the way. Had to tell me.
“You cannot, for there is no curse to break.”
Surprise flashed through me. “What do you mean?”
“When he took the curse from you and went to Tartarus,