The Underworld (The Atlas Series Book 3) (8 page)

Derek nudged her shoulder affectionately. “You thinking how weird this all is?”

“Pretty much,” Kala confirmed.

“I still can’t wrap my head around it. I mean… I can’t die. Does that mean I won’t age either? What do I tell my family? I know I look good,” he smiled, “but after a while they’re going to know.”

Kala thought about the drug she saw in the future that Fortski was going to invent. “You won’t have to worry about that for very long.”

When Derek gave her a look of amused puzzlement, she told him, “In five years Fortski is going to invent a pill that will make
all
humans immortal. Not like you where you could be chopped to pieces and regenerate, but the kind of immortality where they’ll never grow old. They’ll still be fragile as far as humans go, but they can’t die from aging.” On seeing the surprised expression on his face she added, “So you’ll fit right in. No one will ever know how bad ass you really are.”

Derek shook his head in amazement. “I thought this world was crazy before.” Then he genuinely lit up. “I was so worried I’d have to see my parents and brothers die while I lived on forever, but now I won’t have to.” In a sudden burst of emotion he leaned down and hugged Kala.

Then he pulled away, serious. “I can’t say I’m happy about what’s happened to me, but I’m glad I’ll be seeing your mug for the next… God, how many years? I can’t even comprehend it.”

“Don’t think about it. It’ll drive you crazy. I’m still dealing with a weasely Titan’s memories from the last however many thousands of years.”

Then Kala eyed him, solemnly. “But you saw my vision. When I wake up Hades, he is going to send me to the Underworld. I may not be able to die, but I could get stuck there… If I do, and I can’t complete the next Atlas mission, the world may end sooner than we think. And that future of humans becoming immortal will never come to pass.”

Derek cocked his head to the side. “Well, let’s just make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ve got your back, you know that. And now your little supernatural friends will let me tag along since I’m not a
fragile
human anymore,” he added with a grin.

Roberta motioned Kala towards her, breaking up the conversation with Derek. They walked over to Turner’s wife. Roberta’s spell preparation looked as if it was one of Fortski’s laboratory experiments, with bubbling beakers, Bunsen burners and Poseidon’s charm resting at the bottom of the glass container moving with the flow of boiling water.

Kala liked Roberta. She had an air of confidence about her that Kala respected, and she was always willing to do whatever was necessary to help Kala complete her Atlas tasks. Roberta and Turner had been the first people to help her fight Demons and Malaks with weapons that actually worked. Roberta was a powerful woman who harnessed magic like she had been born a supernatural being. Added to Turner’s scientific advancements, the two made a formidable pair. A pair that would rule the world someday if the future Kala foresaw came to pass.

Roberta nodded toward the beaker. “It’ll be ready soon, but now that we know you have Gaia in you, it would be helpful if I could harness some of your energy. I can only assume Poseidon is a powerful god if he lives up to his mythology, so the more mojo the better.”

“Of course. What do you want me to do?” Kala hoped Roberta wouldn’t drain her Gaia-battery like Zeus had, but she trusted that Turner’s wife would know when to pull back.

“I can channel your power through touch.” Roberta smiled. “All you have to do is hold my hand,” she glanced at Talan knowingly, “and Talan’s. We’ll form a circle.”

Roberta wasn’t blind. She could see Talan’s loving eyes every time he looked at Kala. And from the expression on Roberta’s face, she apparently thought Kala should feel the same way.

Kala refrained from commenting either way; she simply took Roberta and Talan’s proffered hands. Kala was starting to understand the power of a circle. Her only previous experience had been when Hephaestus first tried to pull the Grigori through the portal connecting this world to the Grigori prison. The sensation felt almost the same. A feeling of surging power traveled through Kala’s entire body, as if the three of them completed an electrical circuit.

Roberta closed her eyes and began chanting. Kala recognized the language as some dialect of Latin, but couldn’t understand what Roberta was saying. Kala watched Poseidon’s pendant flail in the bubbles of the mucky water, which then began to foam and spill down the side of the beaker.

Roberta’s voice grew louder and more intense. The murky liquid responded in kind. Until….

CRACK! The beaker exploded!

To Kala’s surprise the shards of glass flew up to the ceiling rather than out and around as she had expected. The water that had been inside the beaker kept its form for a few seconds, then dropped down onto the Bunsen burner, extinguishing the flame. The tiny pieces of glass quickly followed, falling down from above, harmlessly, and forming a small pile.

Magic. Roberta must have known that the beaker would explode, so she had created a spell to keep everyone protected. Kala respected the woman’s talent.

When Roberta opened her eyes, they were solid white.

It jolted Kala so much she pulled her hands out of the circle.

Roberta’s eyes instantly cleared and her face was awed. “I know where Poseidon is,” she said in wonderment.

Kala jumped when Zeus’s voice rumbled beside her. She hadn’t even noticed him joining her side. “Where?” His stance was aggressive as if he’d throttle the answer out of Roberta for no reason except to prove his power.

Turner immediately stood behind his wife, his hands resting protectively on her shoulders. He couldn’t do much against a god like Zeus, but that didn’t stop him from exuding an air of intimidating confidence. Even as a human.

Roberta patted one of Turner’s hands affectionately, looking up at him. “It’s alright, Geoffrey.” Then she turned to Zeus with a look that gave Kala shivers. “Zeus can’t hurt me.” The way she said it…

Kala knew it was true.

And so did Zeus.

It made him take a step back, his expression reevaluating. He had never seen humans as a threat before. The idea must have been so foreign to his way of thinking. Yet even Cronus had expressed a fear of humans taking the gods down. It was the reason why he wanted Kala to fail at her Atlas mission.

But Roberta acted as if her veiled threat hadn’t even happened as she warmly addressed the room: “Poseidon is in the Underworld.”

Zeus seemed pleased by this. “Fortuitous. It seems your Atlas mission is siding with me. Now we can all get him out.”

Roberta cocked her head, thoughtful. “Your father was no fool. Even I
can
sense the protection spells he has guarding the Underworld. Tell me, Zeus, have any of you ever tried to see if you can get inside?”

It was obvious from the expression on his face that the answer was no.

Penny motioned to Zeus. “I suggest you try now, to be sure she’s right. If we can’t enter the Underworld then the only way we can get in is to either break the spells or through Hades touch like Kala will have.”

Zeus nodded. Closing his eyes, his face tensed in concentration. This went on for a few more moments until he finally shook his head. “I can’t get in.”

Then understanding flooded his features as he explained, “This was why Cronus put him to sleep, so we couldn’t reach Poseidon.”

Roberta pointed her finger to correct him, “Not just Poseidon. Other Olympians are there: your siblings. Trapped. Stripped of their powers daily with a Grigori blade by their mother, the Titan, Rhea. Correct?”

Kala was impressed with Roberta’s knowledge of Greek mythology. But from the confidence in her tone, it seemed like the tracking spell itself gave her these specific facts.

Zeus nodded, “Yes, Rhea is my mother and mother to the first six Olympians. But what about the others: Athena, Ares, Hebe, Persephone and Dionysus? Are they there too?”

Roberta shook her head. “No. They must be imprisoned somewhere else.”

“Or hiding,” Penny blurted out.

Zeus turned to her angry, “Why would my children hide from me? They would want to fight the Titans.”

Penny shrugged. “A lot has changed since you were chained up. If Cronus isn’t holding your children, then chances are they made a deal with him for their safety – or are hiding until the war is fought and over.”

Zeus sighed heavily. “Too much time has passed. I can’t worry about the weaker Olympians now. We have to focus on my siblings.” His eyes were distant as he said, “When my mother conspired to save me from Cronus, I thought she’d always be on my side…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

Zeus turned to Kala. “You may be our only hope after all. Hades is leading you directly to where you need to be to save my family.”

“The briar patch,” Kala mumbled.

Zeus was confused. “I don’t understand that reference.”

Kala shrugged. “It means what you just said. But how in the hell am I supposed to get out of the Underworld if no one can get in to help me escape?”

Talan’s eyes met hers. “I’ll get in.” Then he elaborated, “Once we figure out how to break the protective barriers surrounding Hades, the walls to the Underworld shouldn’t be too dissimilar.”

Zeus’s stance grew more and more angered as the situation sunk in. “We’ll tear down that spell and bring an army to get you out. I won’t let my brother and sisters spend another day in Hades’s domain.”

Kala didn’t want to argue with the god, since he seemed so determined, but she wasn’t sure that what he wanted was possible. She had to think strategically, which meant she’d have to devise a plan that didn’t include a rescue party. There was no way she could plan now though since Kala didn’t have any clue as to what she’d find in the Underworld other than what she’d read in books. And how accurate could those really be? She’d have to figure out the lay of the land once she was inside.

Speaking of which, “We should get going. It looks like Hades might know what he’s doing when he sends me to the Underworld.”

Zeus was the only one who didn’t seem convinced of that statement.

From her Atlas memories Kala knew Zeus didn’t have much trust in his brothers, especially Hades. She guessed brotherly rivalry ran in gods families as well as human ones. It didn’t matter anyway. She wasn’t going to shirk on her Atlas duties, so the vision would come to pass if she had anything to say about it. It would be the first time she ever considered finishing the mission before her four-day mark. But Kala knew escaping from the Underworld would be a daunting and difficult task. She needed the full four days to find out her new mission, break out of the Underworld and accomplish the new task. Thinking about it too much would drive her mad though, so she focused on the present situation.

Breaking up the meeting, Kala headed toward the exit with Derek to prepare for their journey. As Kala opened the door, she felt a hand on her arm. It was Penny.

“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Penny asked, almost timidly.

Penny’s tone startled Kala enough to motion for Derek to go on ahead without her.

“What is it?” Kala said.

Taking a deep breath Penny spoke with a slight catch in her voice. “You’ll be going to the Underworld.”

“Yes,” Kala prodded, confused at Penny’s obvious statement and the girl’s apparent emotional state.

Penny paused as if unsure of how to proceed. Then she continued, “Jack will be there.”

Kala froze.

Her brain, her body… everything: frozen.

Seeing Kala’s paralyses, Penny plowed forward. “Don’t worry, his body is just a shell housing a soul, his mind won’t be there. It’s the way the Underworld works. He’ll be in the Fields of Elysium. It’s reserved for heroes.” Penny paused, trying to regain her composure. “I just thought you should know, in case… you see him.”

Too many feelings warred within Kala’s heart and brain, but finally she found her voice. “How do you know he’ll be there?”

“Because he was to be the next Atlas, and he was willing to sacrifice himself for you to complete your mission. It’s the way your world works. Your body and soul go to the mythos you believe in while living.” Penny paused, holding back tears. “Anyway… I didn’t want you to be blind-sided.”

Kala saw in that moment that Penny had been in love with Jack, too. Kala had never acknowledged it before, but it had been obvious from the very start. Penny had desperately wanted Jack to be the Fated One and not Kala. The way Penny looked at Jack…the devastation in her eyes when Kala had shot him…

It somehow bonded them in that moment, something Kala never thought would happen. Slowly, Kala nodded. “Thanks for telling me.”

Penny forced the wisp of a smile. “Of course.” Sighing deeply, Penny switched back to her familiar colder tone, distancing herself from Kala. “Good luck on your mission.”

“Thanks,” Kala responded.

As she watched Penny walk away, Kala stood in place, determination washing over her. Kala had one more goal when she entered the Underworld.

She was going to find Jack and bring him home.

An hour later they were standing on a military loading dock ready to depart. Kala surveyed General Clifton’s ship, or, more accurately, his super-submarine. That was the only way she could describe it. As she was recently a part of the Clifton/Turner elite unit, Kala was used to seeing technology beyond what the public knew existed, but even this ship blew her mind. Clifton called it the XV-4250. She never knew the reasoning behind the naming of all Turner and Clifton’s gadgets, but Kala was sure it had been cataloged in a very specific way. The two of them didn’t do anything by
accident
. The stealth plane Kala’s old crew used was an XV-350, so she figured the XV must stand for something.