have twenty-four hours to get me the Orb. If you fail, I will destroy this forest and all who dwell within it, including your precious little nymph kingdom.”
Zagreus’s eyes widened, a reaction he couldn’t stop.
An evil smile twisted Hades’s mouth. “Oh yes, my wicked son, I know all about your little perverted palace and everything that goes on there. My spies are like the stars, and your scheming has grown boring and predictable. You may be strong as far as minor gods go, but you will never be as powerful as me. And you will never control the Orb and my birthright.”
Hades pushed to his full height and scowled down at Zagreus as if he were a spider he wanted to squash beneath his boot. “I’ve shown you mercy in the past, because your mother begged me to and because I could not prove you were not of my line. But this time, if you betray me, any punishment you endured before will pale in comparison to what I will do to you. And I promise you, son, if you cross me again, my wrath will be limitless, and your torture at my hand will last for all eternity.”
He disappeared in a swirl of black smoke, taking what little moonlight had been shining down with him.
Darkness descended, and the air became silent. Nothing moved in the forest around Zagreus—no leaves, no creatures, not even the wind.
He gasped in a breath and let it out. Winced because his cracked ribs were already knitting back together and they hurt like a motherfucker.
When the pain eased a touch, he drew in another breath, slow and steady, as he worked to reinflate his lungs.
Okay… That was an ass-kicking he hadn’t seen coming. He could have gathered his strength and fought back, could have given Hades a real brawl if he’d wanted, but he’d restrained himself. Partly because he hadn’t wanted to trigger something worse. But mostly because he needed to rebound from this quickly if he had any hope of keeping Talisa safe.
Talisa…
Hades hadn’t mentioned Talisa. Hadn’t even referenced her. His father knew about Ehrendia, but that didn’t mean he knew about Talisa or who she really was.
Cringing at the pain in his arms, his shoulders, his back, Zagreus slowly pushed himself up to sitting, knowing he had to get to her. To make sure she was safe. His head was still in a fog but slowly clearing. He might have severed his spine with that last fall because a tingly feeling was just coming back to his thighs and shins and feet.
His mind came to a spinning stop.
Holy shit. His father had mentioned spies.
The nymphs were too timid to ever betray him. And his silens were as loyal as the satyrs were perverse. The only person who’d been anywhere near Ehrendia recently and who could be a spy was…
Pandora.
A dark energy swept through Zagreus, giving him strength, stimulating his healing. Pandora knew everything about Ehrendia. Everything about its inner workings. Everything about Zagreus’s activities. About Talisa. And now she had Max. Which meant…
Shit. Which meant those satyrs she’d gathered at that fortress really were an army.
An army with one purpose.
He glanced around the dark forest as he slowly pushed to his feet, seeing none of it. Swaying, he reached out to the closest tree trunk to steady himself, but he barely felt the pain anymore. All he could focus on was Ehrendia. And Talisa. And what he knew he could no longer stop from happening.
His pulse picked up speed. Plans swirled in his head as his strength returned. The one option with even a miniscule chance of success meant abandoning the only thing he’d ever wanted.
“There’s more to life than misery and revenge. So much more than I ever knew was possible. And it’s not dark, it’s light. All it took was doing the right thing.”
Cynna’s words echoed in Zagreus’s mind again, only this time they brought a pain to his chest that was sharper and hotter than anything Hades had ever done to him. He breathed through it, though, knowing Cynna was right.
There was more to life, no matter what it cost him. And this time he was determined to finally be more. For Talisa. Even for himself.
Before he could change his mind, he opened a portal and stepped through.
“And that’s all he gave you?” Casey asked, trying not to be frustrated as she stared at Cynna, standing in the middle of the queen’s office. “Nothing more?”
Cynna cast a worried look from