Dark Goddess (22 page)

A sliver of panic sank into my chest.  Was he going to notice the newly shining blossoms and vibrant green grass?  Would he remember my pleading with him weeks ago to fix the dying meadow that was now miraculously healed? 

“Is there something you wanted?” I asked, tugging on his arm to pull his attention away from Asphodel Meadows.

His dark eyes flickered toward me, a smile curling his lips.  “Actually, now that you mention it there is.”  He grabbed my wrist, sliding his fingers all the way down to my palm.  I had to clench my teeth to keep from shuddering.  “I’d like to take you to dinner.”

Trepidation swallowed me whole as my fears were suddenly manifesting.  Ixion was either truly interested in me or simply trying to make Hera jealous. Either way it was bad.

His brow arched.  “Well… can I take your silence as a yes?”

There was no getting out of this.  Ixion wasn’t asking.  He was
telling
. 

“Yeah,” I answered, feeling a yawning pit of dread opening in my stomach. 

Ixion wanted to go someplace my friends hung out.  Surprise.  But I sure as hell wasn’t going to subject them to his psychotic personality or put their lives in danger.  Before we left I asked Will and Callie to occupy our friends, keeping them away from Giovanni’s for the night.

I picked at the paper wrapper from my straw as we waited in a small booth for our pizza, the green vinyl seat sticking to my short clad legs.  I nearly wore a skirt until I weighed my options and figured it would be easier to fight him off in shorts.  I also wore a pair of short boots.  Better to kick his balls with.

“I thought your friends chilled here,” Ixion said, his head shifting around to view the nearly empty restaurant.  “Where are they?”  His eyes narrowed in suspicion when he turned back to me.

I shrugged noncommittally.  “It’s a school night.”

He thought for a moment and instead of getting mad like I expected, a slow, treacherous smile curled his lips.  “I guess it’s just the two of us then.  Maybe this is better.”

Great. 

He stood.  “Let’s take some selfies.”  He slid onto the bench beside me, practically crawling into my lap and held his new phone in front of us.  “Smile pretty Hartley.”

I didn’t follow his instructions, frowning instead.

Angry flames flashed in his irises.  “I said to smile.  I can’t post this picture when you look miserable.”

I swallowed hard, choking back the fear and anger.  “I wasn’t ready.”  I shook my hair out my face and forced a smile.  “Come on.  This one will be better.”  I leaned even closer, getting bombarded by the strong scent of his expensive cologne and hair gel.

“I’ll count,” he said.  “One, two, three.”  Ixion viewed the picture with a grin.  “Perfect.  We look cute together.”  He tilted his phone to show me.

My stomach churned, threatening to toss my lunch.  This was so much worse than I imagined.  Now he doesn’t seem to want to move back to his seat, his body plastered against my side and the heat coming off him was making me swelter.

“There.  I just posted it to Facebook.  I’ll read it to you.”  He brushed a dark curl from his face.  “Out on a date with Hartley.”

I cringed at his words.  I stanched the urge to correct him for fear he would lash out at my friends or someone else in the Underworld. 

Thankfully the waitress returned with our steaming pizza.  “Here you go.”  Her gaze traveled between us curiously, her lips quirking.  “I guess you dumped the other guy.”

My jaw flexed, clenching my mouth shut before I verbally assaulted her. 

Ixion threw his arm over my shoulders, irritating me further.  “She sure did.”

The waitress smiled.  “And traded up.”

I might have thrown up a little in my mouth.  I hoped she was only sucking up for a tip.  Who in their right mind would think Ixion was hotter than Hayden?  He wasn’t bad looking, but his obsessive, manic personality marred any beauty he might have had.

I shrugged out of his arm.  “Let’s eat.”

His brow arched questioningly.  “What?  I can’t put my arm around you?  We
are
on a date.”

“I’m hot,” I blurted.  “Your powers are leaking out and I’m going to start sweating.”  It was the closest to the truth I could get.  Hayden was much more skilled in his powers.  He knew how to control them all the time unlike Ixion. 

“Oh.”  He grinned.  “I guess I’m just so powerful my strength can’t stay contained.

I nodded in agreement instead of what I really wanted to do, which was wipe that smug look off his face by rubbing it in the pizza.

After we ate Ixion asked—or rather told—me to teach him how to play pool.  I wasn’t stellar at the game, but I knew the basics.  As we were playing several people waved hello to me.  Some I recognized from school and others I wasn’t certain how they knew me.

Ixion halted in front of me, a stony expression hardening his face.  He crossed his arms against his chest, bunching up his navy button down shirt.  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”  Another demand.

I nonchalantly rubbed chalk on the end of my pool stick.  “They’re not my friends.”

“Oh really?” he asked, suspicion lacing his voice.  “They sure seem to know you.”

“Well I don’t know them.”

He shot me an incredulous look.  “They know your name.”

I shrugged.  “Some I’ve seen at school, but I don’t know their names and some I don’t remember at all.” 

Ixion cocked his head, surveying me with curiosity, his expression finally loosening.  A smile melted across his face.  “You are worshiped here.”

I grimaced.  “No I’m not.  I’m just popular.”

He shook his head.  “They worship you Hartley.”  He stepped so close I could see tiny flames of excitement in his gaze.  “They think you’re human and yet they adore you like a goddess.  I bet if you made an altar they’d bow on their knees and praise you.”

Ixion was too close.  His expensive cologne was crawling through my brain and his jeans were rubbing against my bare legs.  I took a step back and he took one forward.  Another step and I suddenly hit the pool table without anywhere to go.  Panic shook through me, making my chest heave and breath uneven.  I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering.  I didn’t like the look in Ixion’s eyes.  Not one bit.

“I think I underestimated you.  You’re much more than a teenage demigod.”  His gaze focused on my lips as he licked his.  “And not to mention your beauty outshines even some of the full Olympian gods.”

My head shifted back, but he gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger.  “No, no Hartley.  We’re on a date.”

I could barely struggle in his grasp, his fingers like an iron vise.  If I was full human he’d bruise me.  “Maybe I don’t kiss on the first date.”  The thought of letting him that close had my inside filling with wriggling worms I wanted to puke all over him.  If we were in the Underworld I could at least fight back.

Who was I kidding?  I was just as useless against him there as I was here.  He’s got all the power and was holding Hayden’s life over my head.  One false move and Hayden was toast.

Not for long though.  I
would
learn to become the goddess and get my god back.  Until then I’d have to put up with Ixion’s antics.

I just hoped he didn’t expect more than a kiss.  A single kiss was far enough.

He tilted my chin up to meet his lips, his crashing into mine in a bruising kiss.  It wasn’t like Hayden’s.  It was too harsh, too possessive like I was here for his pure amusement.  His hand left my chin and tangled in my hair, pulling hard.  If I tried to twist away he’d simply yank me back.  My own hands gripped the edge of the pool table so hard it was beginning to crack.

A flash of electricity lit the air and I knew without looking Zeke appeared, rain and electricity scenting the area.  Ixion finally released me, hot breath blowing raggedly into my face.  His lips were wet and eyes half-lidded, dancing with ominous, tainted crimson flames.  He glanced over his shoulder to see the king of gods.  “What do you want?” he asked, annoyed.

Anger hardened Zeke’s expression while pure lightning flashed in his eyes.  “Get away from her,” he growled.

Laughter tumbled out of Ixion’s mouth as he wiped it with his fingertips.  “We’re on a date.  Kissing is what people do on a date.”  He turned back to me.  “You wanted to kiss me, right Hartley?”

I nodded without looking at him.  Instead I focused on Zeke, trying to telepath with my eyes that I could handle this.  If he pissed Ixion off I was afraid he’d go after Hayden.

Zeke was either not getting it or didn’t care.  He stalked closer, the muscles in his entire body trembling with tension.  “I thought you wanted Hera.”

A dangerous smile curled his lips as Ixion ran his fingers down my arms, goose bumps—and not the good kind—exploding across my skin.  “Maybe I’m moving on to better, younger things.”  His touch felt like snakes crawling over me, slithering with the malicious promise to deliver a poisonous, deadly bite. 

I gulped, a sinking feeling sliding through my stomach for what was in store if he continued to pursue me.

Hayden

Another snarl slipped out my mouth as I trudged toward the spot Ixion’s wheel used to spin, battling those souls still brave enough to challenge me.  One sent a punch toward my face, but he was too slow and I smacked his fist away.  I gripped his neck so tight his eyes began to protrude out.

“I am not in the mood for this shit!”  I tossed him back, his body landing in a small crimson flame he quickly shuffled out of.

A female soul with ragged black hair and milky eyes started for me.  I gave her a warning growl and cracked my knuckles.  “Don’t even try it.  You won’t last long.”  It was true, my gaze surveying her emaciated body beneath black tatters of clothes.

With a hiss she reluctantly backed away.

Finally after what seemed like hours of fighting the souls’ advances I made it to the location.  The soul pointed me in this direction and I couldn’t think of any reason for him to lie—other than he was evil of course.  I had a feeling he didn’t wish for my return though.  He wouldn’t like being on the receiving end of
my
brand of torture. 

I kicked at the dusty dirt, a small cyclone whirling around my boot, revealing the remnants of a few broken binds.  I bent down and brushed the grime from them.

“How did he break the chains in the first place?” I asked out loud to no one.  I was tired of living in my head.  And I was tired of wasting away in this place while that lowly demigod was abusing my power.   If I found out he laid one finger on Hartley, I was going to rip his spine from his body while he watched. 

Something sharp bit into my finger and I brushed the dust away, revealing a jagged piece of silver.  My brows furrowed as I flipped it over to see a small fraction of my reflection.

A mirror.  And not just any mirror.  I could feel the power humming through it, tickling my palm.  It was a
seer’s
mirror.

Hartley

The same courtyard from my dream with Hayden glimmered around me, the dark stone reflecting crimson Underworld fire.  Jewels shimmered and the amethyst columns framing the hearth appeared liquid in the dim, ever rippling light.  I sat on the silver chaise we laid on, my heart aching from the memory and yet at the same time it made me feel close to him.  It gave me strength. 

The flame in my hand brightened, turning a burning, hypnotic crimson.  I opened my palm further, willing the fire to swirl into a tiny red tornado.

“Impressive.”

My head snapped up to see Ixion leaning against a hematite column, watching me with a smirk and a dark, foreboding glint in his obsidian eyes. 

Shit.  I needed to be more careful.  “I was just messing around,” I remarked, refraining from blinking the fire from my eyes. 

He strolled closer, folding down on the chaise beside me.  His fingers reached up and brushed the hair off my shoulder, lingering on my bare skin.

Bile rose in my throat, mixing with anger.  He shouldn’t be next to me on this couch.  He shouldn’t be in the castle at all.  I hated it, but I could do nothing.  Not yet.

“I was thinking,” he began, tilting his head to the side as his eyes flickered down to my cleavage.  “We should go on another date.”  His tongue flicked out and wet his lips.  “One a little more
intimate
.”

I swallowed hard and tried to keep my heart from slamming against my ribcage in wild protest.  This couldn’t be happening.  Ixion wasn’t going to take no for an answer and I could image what he meant by
more intimate
.  I’d rather kill myself. 

His fingers slowly drew circles on my shoulder, puckering my skin in a chilling manner.    “How about tonight Hartley.”

Still not a question.

Someone cleared their throat.

Ixion’s jaw flexed with anger at the interruption, but that tension quickly melted when he saw the figure before us.

Hera stood regally in a risky off the shoulder dress in a deep sapphire blue with a slit up the side, revealing a peek of creamy skin.  Her hair was in wild ringlets down her back, darkened and tinted red by the fire.  Adornments of gold and sapphire sparkled around her.  A forced smile curled her lips while her gaze took in our close proximity, narrowing.  If I didn’t know better I’d say there was a definite look of jealousy in her eyes. 

But I did know better.  Hera was
acting
jealous.  That was anger flickering in her expression.

Ixion was instantly enthralled in her shining presence, his pupils dilating and cheeks flushing.

Hera crossed her arms against her chest.  “You two seem—cozy.”

A smirk curved Ixion’s mouth and he rubbed my arm.  “We were just hanging out.  We’ve been getting to know each other, getting close.  We
do
live together.”

“So I’ve seen.  Apollo showed me a picture of you two on something called Facebook.”

While he was distracted I wriggled out of his grasp.  “Yeah.  We were out.”

Her bronze brow arched.  “On a date?”

I could practically feel the glee coming off of Ixion.  “Maybe.  Does that upset you Hera?”

She averted her eyes and pinched the material of the dress between her thumb and forefinger.  “Maybe.”

Shock showed on his face.  “Really?”

She was playing him like a fool and he was falling right for it.

Her eyes flickered toward me, displaying the actual anger she held.  I had a feeling Zeke was the one that told her about our date and the kiss Ixion forced on me.  Before he could notice she donned a furtive smile.  “Maybe you could teach me about this Facebook thing sometime Ixion.”

He stood so fast I nearly fell off the chaise in his wake.  “I could teach you now.”

“That would be wonderful.”

Without looking back Ixion wound Hera’s arm around his and led her away.  She glanced over her shoulder, shooting me a knowing glance.

I bristled in my seat, mixed emotions coursing through my veins.  I hated to need her help and yet thankful she pried Ixion away from me.

Hayden

I fitted another piece of the seer’s mirror together, the screams of the dark souls echoing outside the cave.  I’d been gathering every fractured piece found in hopes I could seal it back together and somehow use it to get out of here.  In the very least I could use it to communicate with my brothers—even Zeke—and Hartley.  I was desperate to know if she was okay.  If she was safe.  And the Underworld.

In my bouts of boredom I walked the edges of the burning plains, noticing their inexplicable and foreboding growth.  When I was first thrown down in the Underworld Tartarus almost encompassed the whole of it.  I forced it back to this region and decided to send only the most evil of souls. 

It hasn’t changed since.  Until now.

A few days ago I also detected a shift in the Underworld.  I wasn’t the official god anymore, but my essence still shared a connection.  This was my domain, my home.  Something was happening.  Something big and unfortunately I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. 

My fingers dragged through my hair, sighing at my bedraggled appearance in the broken mirror.  “I need more pieces,” I said out loud.  Recently I had taken to talking to myself.  It was either that or start conversations with rocks.  Unlike Tom Hanks in
Cast Away
I’d rather keep company with myself than an inanimate object.

I left the cave and trekked toward the area where Ixion’s wheel used to spin, ignoring the souls that reached for me.  I had to kick a few that still had hopes of breaking me.  Most of them knew better by now.  I searched with my foot first, scrapping up dust and debris in search of anything reflective. 

Finally a shard caught my eye and I squatted, my fingers digging to pull up the glass piece.  I dug a little more in the area, hoping to find the remaining fragments.  The magic of the seer’s mirror wouldn’t work unless it was brought back together in its entirety.

As dust swirled, something caught my eye a few feet away.  I stood and surveyed the vibrant spot of green in an otherwise gray and crimson world.  I slowly stepped over and kneeled, running my finger along the small, no more than an inch stalk.

My brow furrowed in confusion.  How was a plant growing in Tartarus?

I searched the ground and found something else out of place near a flame of crimson.  I reached over and pulled out a sprinkle of died, burnt seeds.

Tartarus was inhospitable to even the strongest forms of life with the exception of illusions.  This was
real
.  Not only did a plant manage to grow in charred ash, seeds ended up in this wasteland to form its sprout. 

Plants… seeds…

Something Reese said when he returned to Northwood floated through my mind, something I paid no attention to.  I was beginning to realize I should have.  I
really
should have.

A yowling chasm of rage that came with my awareness opened up in my gut.  I ripped the plant out the ash and tossed it into a crimson blaze.  My hand crushed the seeds into dust, letting them fall to join the ash of its brother. 

“Demeter.”