Face of Death (18 page)

“When what?” He leaned forward, almost halfway across his desk. “Is Hades…is he torturing you all?”

I nodded.

“My God. I thought he took your souls to strip your powers, but this is worse.”

“Wait, he can do that? Take our powers?”

“If he takes your souls.”

“But we’re all alive down there.”

He sat back again. “I’d assumed you were dead.”

He thought Carol was dead. That was why he’d moved on. Because he’d thought there was no hope.

“No. We’re all alive. I worked out a deal with Hades to get him to let us work for him in the underworld in exchange for being punished less.”

“Another deal?” He shook his head. “Jodi, when will you learn? Hades doesn’t make deals that don’t benefit him.”

“We’re giving him more time with Persephone. He loves her.”

Mason laughed, not a joyful laugh. More like a “God, Jodi’s an idiot” laugh. “Persephone hates Hades. He’s not using the time to be with her. She’s not even
in
the underworld right now. This is her allotted time with Demeter. You’ve been played.”

“What do you mean? What do you think he’s doing?”

“I don’t know, but you can be sure it’s not good for the Ophi. You may have cut down on the torture, but you’ve put the rest of us, those of us still here,” he tapped his finger on his desk, “in great danger.”

No. Could I really have walked right into another one of Hades’ traps? My throat closed, and I couldn’t speak. I’d come here for help, but all I’d gotten was more bad news. I was in over my head.

“You think Hades is coming after the Ophi here?” Matt asked.

Mason looked at him, studying him hard. “Who are you, anyway?”

“He’s human. I knew him before all this happened.”

Mason scoffed. “Tell me you’re kidding. Tell me you didn’t bring a human along for the ride.”

“Look.” I stood up. “I came here because I promised the Ophi in the underworld that I’d find a way to free them. I promised Carol. So, you can either decide to keep bashing me for the crappy job I’ve done leading the Ophi, or you can help me save them. Make up your mind fast because you’re wasting my time, and you’re putting Carol through more torture in the process.”

Matt stared at me. “I’ve never seen you like this. When did you get so strong?”

Strong?
I was terrified.

“She has to be stronger,” Mason said. “But at least this is a start.” He looked down at his desk. “I need some time to look into this.”

“I want to talk to Medusa, but I don’t know if I can connect with the statue at the school while I’m human. While I look like this. She won’t recognize me.”

“She might kill you is what you mean.” Well, if he wanted to be blunt about it, yes.

“Whoa, you could die?” Matt reached for my arm. “I don’t like this.”

Mason’s eyes traveled back and forth between Matt and me. “Well, this is interesting. Does Alex know about this?”

“Yes, he does. Alex knows Matt.” I left it at that. Mason didn’t need to know the details of my screwed-up love life.

“Like I said, I’ll need some time to look into this. Contact a few people and see if this sort of thing has ever been done before.”

“How much time?” I couldn’t sit around doing nothing while the others suffered, and who knew how badly I was suffering, too? I couldn’t hold off the double vision forever. I might be in agonizing pain when it hit me again.

Mason put his hands on his hips and bit his lip. “A few days at least.”

“We don’t have that long. I can give you twenty-four hours, tops.”

“Jodi—”

“It’s for Carol, Mason. Carol.” I had to make him understand. “You don’t know what Hades is doing to us. She can’t hold on much longer. Can you really make her wait another few days?”

His eyes closed as he took in a deep breath. “Twenty-four hours. I’ll have your answer.”

“Thank you.” I turned and started for the door.

“Jodi,” Mason called after me.

I looked back at him, noticing the worry lines creasing his forehead. “Be careful. The longer you’re human, the more you’ll distance yourself from being Ophi and from the people who care about you.” He glanced at Matt, and I knew exactly what he meant.

I nodded and left the office before he could judge me any more.

Matt rolled his eyes. “He’s a fun guy.”

“He’s under a lot of pressure. We all are.”

“What now? We have twenty-four hours to wait.” He looked toward the dance floor and playfully nudged my elbow.

“I can’t. With everything going on, I can’t dance my cares away. I’m sorry.”

“I understand.” He couldn’t keep the hurt tone from his voice.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, and I felt weak in the knees. My breathing was labored. “Matt.”

He grabbed me as I stumbled forward. Scooping me into his arms, he carried me to the ladies’ room, locked the door behind us, and placed me on the counter by the sink.

“What is it? What’s happening?”

“Tartarus,” I said, before slumping forward on him.

Pain surged through every part of my body. I heard Victoria’s laugh, but the searing heat that was attacking me kept me from seeing anything.

“Time is up!” Hades yelled.

My body slumped to the ground, motionless. Relief washed over me. At least I’d only checked in for the end of the torture session. A dark figured loomed over me as my vision returned. Hades. He stared into my eyes.

“Interesting.” He turned to Victoria and the others who administered our punishment. “Increase their punishment by two hours each day.”

What? We had a deal. “Why?” I managed to choke out.

“Come, come, Jodi Marshall. What kind of fool do you take me for?” Hades laced his fingers in front of him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He leaned down toward me, and the heat coming from his body made me flinch. “You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He disappeared in a swirling cloud of black smoke.

We all got to our feet and walked out of Tartarus. Alex stayed close to me, looking at me like he hadn’t seen me in days, which, considering how time moved down here, was probably true.

“Jodi?”

“It’s me.”

“When did you get back?”

“It happened during the torture. I was pulled out of Serpentarius. I was just talking to Mason, trying to get answers about the statue and connecting to Medusa.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Mason’s going to work on finding out if I can see Medusa without dying.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

I knew that. He was worried about me, not how I was doing with the plan. “I’m fine, but what was with Hades just now? Did I miss something?”

Alex lowered his head. “He knows. He knows you’ve split your soul, and he’s increasing the torture until you come back. We’ll all die, Jodi. He’s looked into your eyes a few times, and he saw you weren’t fully here. I’m the only one who knows. He came to me. He’s only letting me talk to you now so I can tell you this. So I can convince you to return.” He stopped walking and kissed my lips. The emotion behind the kiss was overpowering. It ripped my soul apart…again. “Don’t come back. Stay where you are. Be happy. Live the life you could’ve had if you hadn’t come into your powers.”

What? He couldn’t mean that. “Alex, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Yes, I do. I love you, Jodi. If this will save you,” he spread his arms out wide, “from all of this, then I want you to do it.”

Stay human? How could I? I’d be stuck like this forever, or at least until Hades killed my body and my Ophi soul with it. Then maybe I really would be free. But I’d be sacrificing all the Ophi to do it. Sacrificing Alex.

“Alex, I’m not leaving you here. I can’t.” My insides crumbled, and my legs weakened under my weight. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to do this. To fight
or
to flee.

He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I feel so weak. It’s like I’m not really me without my powers, but at the same time, I feel normal.” I lowered my eyes. “I saw my mom. I told her everything—about you, the school, my dad, Hades. She understood. I couldn’t believe it, but she listened, and she accepted this is who I am. She’s letting Matt and me stay with her while I’m there. After I go, Matt will continue to live there for a while so he can be near his family. They’re going to tell everyone he’s my mom’s nephew.”

Alex’s body stiffened. “Your mom took him in? Just like that?”

“That’s my mom.”

“I thought she was overprotective when it came to you and guys.”

“She is. I’m sleeping in her room, and Matt gets mine.”

He smiled, obviously pleased with that arrangement. “She doesn’t trust Matt to stay on the couch all night, huh?”

“Don’t look so happy. She definitely wouldn’t trust you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He looked hurt.

“That I love you. If she saw us together, she’d know we wouldn’t stay apart for the whole night.”

His frown righted itself, and he leaned down to meet my lips. His hands cupped my face, pulling me closer to him. I clutched the sides of his shirt in my fists and pressed my chest against his.

“Now that’s torture,” Abby said, walking out of Tartarus. “If I have to watch any more of this, my eyes will burn for sure.”

I shot her a look. “What are you doing out here? I thought Hades kept you guys locked up tight.”

“What, Queen of the Ophi Jodi thinks she’s the only one to get time off?”

I really didn’t miss her. I’d tried to sympathize with why she was such a bitch. I mean, if my mom and sister shipped me off and didn’t return my calls or letters, I’d be majorly pissed at the world too, but Abby didn’t let you feel sorry for her. She cut you down and made you suffer with her.

“What do you want, Abby?” Alex glared at her like she was the most vile creature in the underworld.

She walked closer. Too close to Alex for my liking. “Hmm, what do I want?” She eyed him up and down.

“Back off, Abby.” I stepped around Alex, blocking her from him. Before I could say or do anything else, I felt myself slipping away. I turned my head toward Alex and collapsed in his arms.

The last thing I heard before I was back in Liz’s body was Abby saying, “Don’t worry, Jodi. I’ll take good care of our boy.”

Damn it! Why now? I wasn’t ready to leave, and Abby’s little comment meant she knew what was going on with me, too. Did the whole freakin’ underworld know what I was up to?

“Jodi?” Matt’s eyes darted back and forth between mine.

“Yeah. It’s over.” I tilted my head back, silently pleading with the tears that wanted to come rushing out. These quick visits with Alex weren’t enough.

“You were in something like a trance. I was talking to you, but you didn’t respond. You stared back at me, and you didn’t move at all. Does that happen to your body in the underworld, too? When you’re here, I mean.”

“No. I’m stronger in my body. I kind of move on autopilot, but apparently, it’s not very convincing because Hades knows what I’ve done.”

“What do you mean he knows? How?”

“Alex said he looked into my eyes a few times. Saw my soul was split or something.” I hopped down from the counter.

“He can tell that just by looking at you?”

“He’s the god of the underworld. Souls are kind of his thing.” I checked out my reflection in the mirror for a whole two seconds before I turned away. I couldn’t even bear to look at it. I wanted the next twenty-four hours to go away. I wanted to find out how to connect with Medusa and save Alex. The question was, how long would I feel this way? The longer I was in Liz’s body, tuned in to my human soul, the more I became human. I really was going psycho.

“What are you going to do? Or should I ask what Hades is going to do?” Matt looked genuinely scared for me.

“Hades is torturing us overtime until I return. He told Alex to tell me that. He’s using Alex to try to make me go back there.”

Matt grabbed my arm. “Then you can’t go.”

“You’re kidding, right? Did you hear what I said? He’s torturing my body, and worse, he’s torturing the others. If I don’t get back there soon, he’ll kill us all.”

“But you won’t really die. Just the Ophi half of you will.”

“Matt, technically, we’re both dead. These bodies are rentals.”

He let go of me and stared at himself in the mirror. “Then why’d you bring me back?”

“What do you mean? I wanted to give you a second chance. Make up for all you’ve been through because of me.”

“But you said it’s only temporary.”

“You
don’t have to be. You can stay here for as long as you want.”

“This body…” Matt held a hand up, examining it like it was something completely foreign. “Will it decay on me?”

“No. It won’t change at all.”

“Ever?” His eyes widened.

I shook my head, seeing where he was going with this.

“So, while everyone else around me is growing old and dying, I’ll be in this never-aging eighteen-year-old body?”

I hadn’t thought about that. I was just so concerned with bringing him back, giving him more time. I looked away, ashamed of myself for not thinking ahead.

“I can’t stay here. You know that, right?”

I did now. “Matt, I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing for you. I’m still pretty new at all this necromancer stuff. I didn’t think this through.”

He sighed. “Let’s go home. I need something to eat, and then I’m calling it a night. We’ll figure things out in the morning after we’ve both had time to sleep on this.” I reached for him, but he shook his head. “Please, Jodi, let’s just go. I really don’t want to talk about it anymore tonight.”

What could I do? I followed him out of the bathroom. The line outside was about a mile long, and a bunch of drunk girls started cursing at us and making rude comments about why Matt and I had locked ourselves in there. On the outside, I ignored them, but inside I couldn’t help thinking how ironic it was that girls were thinking Matt and I had been hooking up in the girls’ bathroom, just like some random girl had thought about Alex and me in this very same bathroom months before.

Yeah, my life was a little confusing.

The drive home was completely silent. Matt didn’t say a word, and I was too upset to even put on the radio. I cracked my window, letting the coolness in the night air sting my damp cheeks. Up until then, I hadn’t even noticed I was crying. Human emotions were killer.