I could see the stairs in front of me. As the illumination from above faded, torches flickered to life along the walls. The golden glow revealed carvings scratched into the ancient stone, ornate depictions of gods and Titans as they ruled the earth.
The stairs appeared endless, seeming to go into the depths of the rock, and I stopped, studying one of the carvings to my right. There was something almost familiar about it, though I knew I’d never seen it before. The lines dug into the stone formed a man of powerful proportions. As I stared at it, a dark mist seemed to rise up from the carving. I stepped back, frowning.
It took only seconds before the mist had formed a vaguely human-shaped figure. The being was semi-transparent, with no face that I could see, but enormous power radiated from it. It trembled through my bones, rare in its strength. The magic was dark and familiar, but I shook my head, trying to focus on what was in front of me.
“Are you Coeus?” I asked.
“I am not.” The voice reverberated through the stairwell. It sounded vaguely like the voice of the darkness that spoke to me.
Could this be that same voice? It had never had form before, never been more than a shadowy sound and a feeling. It was the universe speaking to me, a power greater than myself.
Or was it?
“Who are you?” I asked.
The figure ignored the question, and my suspicion flared. Before I could demand again, it said, “The moment toward which you have been working will come tonight at midnight.”
Shock lanced me. “Midnight? So quickly?”
“Everything has begun now. It will move quickly, or you will fail.”
“I will not fail.” Even the idea was anathema.
“Perhaps not. But you will face a great choice, Hades, Lord of the Underworld. If you choose incorrectly, eternal suffering will be yours.”
“More Tartarus.” I already knew that.
“Eternal Tartarus. This is your only chance to change your fate. If you do not choose correctly, you will never return to your realm. Instead, you will be a prisoner of Tartarus forever.”
My heart pounded. That was new. At worst, I’d thought I’d be sent back to Tartarus for another round of torture. But those rounds were temporary. Terrible, but temporary.
What this Titan was suggesting was not.
How had I never learned this before? And what could possibly turn me from my chosen path?
Nothing.
The figure drifted back toward the wall, and suddenly, I was alone.
“Tell me who you are,” I demanded of the silence. There was something here that I wasn’t understanding. Or perhaps, that I didn’t want to understand.
Confusion tore at me, along with the strangest sense of betrayal and anger.
But I could not turn away from the things I did not want to face. I needed to know.
He was gone, however, and magic dragged me from the stairwell back up to the temple. One moment I was on the stairs, the next, I was in the temple next to Seraphia.
“Well?” She stepped forward, eyes wide with curiosity.
She was such a welcome change from the darkness in the pit. I wanted to pull her into my arms and bury my face in her hair.
I clenched my fists, determined not to give in to my weakness. Instead, I drew in a ragged breath and said, “I have finished. You may go down.”
She frowned at me. “It didn’t take long.”
“No. But do not be afraid.”
She scowled at me. “I’m not afraid.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. My head was spinning with what I’d just seen. With what might be true.
“I’ll be back.” Seraphia turned away from me and descended. I watched her disappear, my heart thundering.
Fear for her shot through me, horrible and acid.
I’d spent nearly my entire existence without ever feeling fear. Dread and misery, yes, but never fear. Not even of Tartarus.
And yet, when she walked into danger, all I felt was the sickening spread of fear.
Breathing hard, I stood at the top of the stairs, looking down into the gloom, trying my best to hear any movement from her.
We were nearing my end goal—what I’d worked so long for—and the strangest sense of doubt was beginning to creep in.
The light.
I could blame the light and what we’d done last night. It had poisoned me, brought me over to her side. I ground my teeth, clenching a fist as I tried to regain control of myself.
This lack of focus was unacceptable. There was only one option ahead of me. I could not falter.
Seraphia
My skin prickled with