Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) (16 page)

Since entering the underworld, Mirissa’s key had come to
life. It warmed against her chest, indicating they were at least in the same
realm as the box. Finally making some headway would have felt great, if she hadn’t
been walking through the scariest place imaginable. Although the unrelenting heat
caused her to break out in a sweat, a chill had entered her bones the moment
they’d materialized. The conflicting sensations were unnerving.

They’d been walking through a dark tunnel carved out of some
strange black rock, for the last twenty minutes. Mirissa made sure to stay as
close to the middle of the walkway as possible to ensure she didn’t once again
brush up against the wall. The first time that happened, tiny black tentacles
had sprouted where her shoulder touched, attaching themselves to her clothing
with what looked like sucking mouths. She’d never considered herself to be
skittish, but it had taken every bit of self-control she could muster to not
scream like a little girl at the first slimy contact.

Flip stopped short in front of her, gesturing for her and
Greco to do the same.

“We’re going to have to cross,” Flip said.

“Cross what?” Greco asked as he crept forward to get a look.
“Oh, come on! Are you serious?”

Mirissa really didn’t want to know what had caused that
reaction in Greco, but leaned forward anyway. What she saw made her wonder how
he’d forgone the use of every curse word known to man.

The tunnel opened into a vast cavern carved in the same
creepy rock as the tunnel, with stalactites of all shapes and sizes descending
from the ceiling. A gelatinous ooze defied gravity by creeping up and around
each protrusion before sliding down to begin its journey again. The floor, if
it could be called that, was a series of misshapen platforms floating on a
bubbling mass of yellow liquid. The light emanating from below the surface
reflected off of the stalactites’ viscous coating, creating a grotesque glow
blanketing the cavern.

Mirissa wanted to just close her eyes, like a toddler
playing hide-and-seek, believing that if she couldn’t see her opponents, they
couldn’t see her either. Except, in her case, it would have made very little
difference. The visuals weren’t the only terrifying aspect of the place. The
sounds and smells were almost as bad.

She’d noticed the low hum in the tunnel, at first thinking
of it as ambient noise, then realizing its pitch and tone changed at random
intervals. As she entered the cavern, the sound became clear. Moans, echoed off
the walls and ceiling in such a way as to make their origin impossible to
determine. Add to that a stench of decay so powerful it made her eyes water,
and the scene was complete.

Why were the gods so damn dramatic? Mount Olympus was beautiful
perfection on a level Mirissa had never dreamed of. In contrast, Tartarus
assailed all of her senses with fear and misery. Even the rock walls looked
tortured by their very existence in the Hell realm.

“Quick question,” Greco said. “Why don’t you just teleport
us across?”

Flip raised his eyebrows and answered, “Sure. Easy as cake.
Except, we don’t know where to teleport to. Remember? We’re following the key.”
He shook his head as though tired of explaining the obvious.

Mirissa tugged on Greco’s arm to keep him from assaulting
the little guy.
I really need to stop
thinking of this god as “the little guy.”

“It’s all right. We’ve come this far without any real problems.
Let’s just find the box,” she said.

She took a tentative step forward, half expecting a monster
to jump out at them from the shadows. When none did, she let out the breath
she’d been holding and continued toward the yellow lake.
 
When they reached its edge, Mirissa grabbed
the key and closed her eyes.

“That way,” she said, pointing forward and a little to her
left.

One of the platforms floated less than three feet away and,
as a group, they jumped onto it. Instead of the hard landing she’d expected,
Mirissa’s feet sunk in momentarily as the surface acted like a memory foam
mattress. She crouched low to get a better look, and immediately wished she
hadn’t.

They weren’t standing on a platform after all. Instead, a
collage of blackened bodies were twisted together in impossible contortions,
writhing against one another. They were the source of the moaning that had
become the unofficial soundtrack for Hell in Mirissa’s mind.

“Keep moving, Mirissa,” Greco said. “There’s nothing we can
do for these poor souls.”

Knowing he was right didn’t make it any easier. Walking on
these
people
felt symbolic of
everything she hated in the world. The less fortunate being downtrodden by the
more fortunate. With every step, the bile in her throat threatened to expel
itself, yet she pressed on. If she didn’t close the box, there was no telling
how many more platforms would be created by the mass exodus of human lives.

The closer they got to the halfway point, the smaller the
platforms became, until they were forced to continue in single file. Greco took
the lead, with Mirissa, then Flip following closely behind. They paused while
Mirissa once again checked her key.

“We’re still on track,” she said.

Greco nodded and turned to make his next jump. His left foot
stretched forward, but before his right lifted off, he was pulled down into the
mass of bodies. It all happened so quickly, Mirissa didn’t have time to react
before he’d been completely consumed.

“Greco!” she screamed.

She whirled around to check on Flip, but he’d disappeared.
Mirissa swung her head left and right, searching for anything to help her make
sense of what happened. When she glanced down, she understood.

These
people
that
she’d felt so sorry for, that she’d hated herself for stepping on, had turned
their faces upward. She saw the gleeful look in their eyes, and the perverse
smiles on their faces, the instant before she was sucked into their midst.

********

Mirissa awoke to agonizing screams. Her eyes opened and took
in her surroundings. She sat in a cell, complete with three walls of solid rock
and one of iron bars. She bolted upright but found she could do little else. With
her wrists trapped in shackles and attached to the wall by a chain measuring no
more than five feet in length, she could barely move.

A groan from the floor sent a shiver through her, as she
remembered the body platform that had pulled her in. But this time, the source
of the groan made her smile. Greco lay curled up in a ball at her feet. He
appeared to be just waking up, so she knelt down and brushed a lock of damp
hair out of his eyes.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said.

“Not morning, check your watch,” Mirissa replied. “It’s
evening. We lost almost eight hours.”

Greco pushed himself up, tugging at the shackles that bound
him to the wall. “Where’s Flip?”

“No idea. It looks like it’s just you and me now.”

“He left? Unbelievable.” Greco looked around the cell. “Okay,
you teleport to the other side of those bars and see if you can figure out
where we are. But first, break these damn shackles,” Greco said.

Mirissa focused on the iron around his wrists, but nothing
happened. She tried again with the same results. When she failed to teleport,
the stark reality of their situation became clear.

“I can’t do it. Something’s blocking my powers.” Mirissa
paused, her fear escalating. “I can’t even call on my ring.”

Greco looked at his own ring and shook his head. “Me,
neither.”

“What the hell do we do now? We’re running out of time.” Without
her powers she was useless, and being held captive in Tartarus with no way of
escape didn’t bode well for their future.

Mirissa yanked on her chains, straining her muscles with
every tug, until the futility of her efforts set in. Whatever these shackles
were designed to hold must have been a lot stronger than her, because the only
damage she’d caused was to her own wrists.

“You needn’t bother struggling,” the deep voice reverberated
through her chest, setting her teeth on edge. “You will remain here until I
decide upon a permanent punishment.”

A column of black smoke swirled just out of reach in front
of them, materializing into human form. Draped in a gray tunic, the man’s black
hair hung in waves to his shoulders. It framed a face that looked almost
feminine in its perfection, with piercing gray eyes, a slender nose, and full
lips. He was beautiful, but in a menacing sort of way.

“And you are?” Mirissa felt grateful for this god’s
presence. It gave her a target other than herself at which to lash out.

“I am Hades,” he said flatly. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
One manicured eyebrow rose, daring her to deny it. “And, who might you be?”

Mirissa copied his expression as best she could. “Mirissa
Colson. I’m sure
you’ve
heard of
me.
”

One corner of his mouth twisted up in a smirk. “I can’t say
that I have, but I will most definitely enjoy making you tell me all about
yourself.”

His mesmerizing gaze held hers until she couldn’t help but
look away. So much for the tough act. She’d crumbled under nothing more than a
mean look. When he casually strode toward her, she had to fight the urge to
cower. Greco stepped between them, but was thrown to the side with a flick of
Hades’s
hand.

“It’s such a rare occurrence to have humans here, living
ones anyway. I’m going to enjoy my time with you.” Hades ran his finger down
her cheek, scraping his nail against her skin. “Oh yes, your screams will fill
these halls.”

His fingernail continued its path downward, drawing blood
from her neck. Never breaking eye contact, he opened his hand and slammed her
in the chest, bouncing her off the rock wall behind her.

“Aah!” Surprisingly, the scream came from Hades. He grabbed
his hand and stared at the wound on his palm. “What
is
that?”

Mirissa grabbed her key and held it out for the god to see.
“It’s my key,” she said, trying to hide the grin that sprouted when he’d been
burned.

Hades’s
eyes widened. “You’re the
key-holder,” he said. “Why are you here?”

Greco stood beside her. “We’re looking for the box, and you
aren’t allowed to interfere, if I’m not mistaken.”

Hades turned slowly, giving Greco the same look he’d given
her earlier. “You are not mistaken. Zeus has decreed that I cannot interfere
with
her.
You, on the other hand,
have no such protection.”

Mirissa stepped in front of Hades, blocking Greco from his
view. “It seems to me you’ve already broken that rule by imprisoning us. Why
don’t we make a deal? You release both of us, and I won’t tell anyone you
interfered in the first place.”

Hades squinted his eyes as he returned his attention to
Mirissa. “I won’t be making any deals with you, my dear.”

Mirissa shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, I hear Zeus is the
forgiving kind, anyway.”

Hades stared at her for a moment longer, then rolled his
eyes as he flicked his wrist. Their shackles fell to the floor and Mirissa felt
her powers once again fill her.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I do have one question for you. Why would you be looking
for the box here? It’s on Earth, is it not?”

“Nope.” A familiar voice joined the conversation from the
other side of the bars. Flip had come back, and he wasn’t alone.

The woman standing to Flip’s side most definitely didn’t
belong in that place. She was stunning in her bright white tunic, with kind
eyes and an easy smile. She had the amazing hair every girl dreamed of—big
blonde curls cascading down her back.

“Persephone? You shouldn’t be here, my love.” Hades waved
his hand, and the bars separating them disappeared. “Your mother will be
furious.”

“She will understand.” Persephone placed a gentle kiss on
Hades’s
waiting lips.
 
“Flip came to me, asking for my help to free
his friends. When I realized one of them was the key-holder, I had to come.”

“It’s all right, my love. You needn’t worry.” He pulled
Persephone into a loving embrace. “The key-holder and I have worked out an
arrangement. Zeus will never know about any of this.”

Mirissa let out a giggle, before slapping her hand over her
mouth and mumbling through her fingers, “I’m sorry. I just …”

Persephone smiled. “I understand. It is a bit of a shock to
see the real Hades, especially after enduring his
King of Tartarus
persona.”

Hades turned toward Mirissa with a cheeky grin on his face.
“My reputation is important to me. That is why I will ask you to keep this
episode confidential.”

“Of course,” Mirissa said, still amazed at the change in his
demeanor. “I don’t mean to be rude, but we don’t have a lot of time left. Can
we go?”

Hades nodded. “You are free, but before you leave, please
tell me why you believe the box is in Tartarus.”

Mirissa gave the shortest version of events she could.
“Daedric stole the box for his father, and Ares hid it here. Flip brought us to
Tartarus so we at least had a chance.”

Hades turned an admiring eye toward Flip. “Well done. I’m
glad you’ve found a reason to stand against Ares, although you must understand
that breaking Zeus’s rule will incur a steep punishment.”

“I do,” Flip said, cringing at the thought. “But this is
worth it.”

Persephone gave Hades another hug and said, “I’ll see you
soon, love.”

“I’ll be counting the days until winter,” Hades whispered in
her ear.

Persephone stepped forward and grasped Mirissa’s hand. “We
wish you the best of luck in your quest, Mirissa. Artemis has told me much
about you. If anyone has the strength to lock Eris away for good, it’s you.”