Part 26 (2/2)

”No. Our deal was that I remain inside the statue as long as it was there to hold me. It broke, and my soul could no longer be held inside. I didn't break any part of our deal.”

”And that means you can't touch her, Hades.”

A smile crept across Hades' lips. It didn't look like it was ever going to stop widening. ”You'd think that, wouldn't you? But the way I see it, the deal was contingent upon your soul being trapped inside that statue. Look where you are. Even your soul recognizes that this is where it belongs. You came right to me.”

”No, she came to me.” I stood up, finding courage I didn't know I had.

”That's laughable.” Hades crossed his arms. ”How do you think you can protect her?”

I wasn't going to tell him. I'd show him instead. I willed my blood to mix, but he knocked me down again with a flick of his finger. ”I don't think so. You aren't putting her soul inside you. Though I see you've managed to restore your human soul to its former place.” He glared at me, like he was looking deep inside me. I felt violated by the stare.

Alex was still trapped on the other side of the gate. He looked better now, but he couldn't get to us. He pulled on the gate, but Hades had it locked firmly. Alex wasn't even a threat to him. h.e.l.l, I wasn't a threat, either. Medusa was the only one strong enough to fight him-maybe, and if I hadn't thrown away the entire plan to protect Alex, we might be on our way back to the school right now.

”Rethinking things?” Hades asked, enjoying the moment. ”If you've found a way to defeat me, please do tell. I'm very interested to hear what you've come up with.” He laughed like it was the most absurd notion. Maybe it was.

”What are you planning to do with her?” I had to keep him talking. Maybe he'd get overly confident and say more than he should.

He tapped his finger against his elbow as he stood there with his arms crossed. ”You would like to know my plans, wouldn't you?”

”What I'd like is for you to leave us all alone.” I said it before I had time to even think about the words coming out of my mouth. Medusa was in trouble, and it was my fault. Anger was fueling my actions. Of course, it might get us all killed, too.

Hades laughed. ”See, that's the thing about the underworld. I rule. I get what I want. Everyone else, well, let's just say if you aren't in the Elysian Fields...” He waited for me to fill in my own ending. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

”What do you want? Enlighten us.” I stood up again, tempting him to put me back on my a.s.s for the third time.

”You have s.p.u.n.k. I have to give you that. If we weren't enemies, I might actually like you.”

I doubted that. ”No, I think Chase was always more your style.” Chase. Was he still out there? I doubted he'd be of any help if he was. He was petrified of Hades, even more than the rest of us were. I was sure it had to do with Hades taking his mom. That, and the fact that Chase was a power-crazed idiot.

”I bet there's something you didn't know about Chase.”

Great. More surprises. ”What's that?”

”I have access to all his thoughts.”

”What?” How could that be possible?

”You and Chase have more in common than you think. You were both missing part of your souls at one point. I've had a piece of his since he got here. I took it. It allows me to see what he sees.”

No wonder Chase was terrified. He was a spy for Hades, and he knew it. That also meant he didn't want to be. d.a.m.n it. When was I going to stop feeling sorry for that creep?

”Why? If you wanted answers, you should've taken a piece of my soul.”

”Because I needed a willing partic.i.p.ant.”

Willing. So Chase had agreed to this. My guess was that he'd thought it was a good idea, but Hades' control over him became too much. Maybe this would teach him something about letting power go to his head.

”You heard everything Chase and I said on the way here, didn't you?” I stepped closer to Medusa, hoping to get close enough to call her soul to me without Hades noticing.

”Actually, no. I wasn't watching. But when I felt Medusa's soul enter the underworld, I tuned in. Convinced Chase to look for the both of you. What a happy coincidence he was still nearby.”

Alex let out a guttural cry and lunged at Chase. A whoosh of air left Chase's lungs as Alex slammed him into the ground. The sickening sound of breaking bone followed.

”Alex!” I rushed for the gate, not caring about Hades or what he might do to me. ”Stop! He isn't worth it.”

Chase had blood running down his face, and his nose was bent to the left.

Alex shoved himself off Chase and started toward the gate. I reached my hand through and touched his cheek. ”Don't become like them.” I couldn't help worrying that Alex would wind up like his parents-evil. He was a great guy, despite their terrible influence, but when situations like this came around, I worried he'd lose it and give in to that darkness that seemed to overtake so many Ophi.

He pressed his hand against mine. ”What are we going to do? He's been spying on us, Jodi. We have to get rid of him.”

”But not like that. Not by beating him to death.” I swallowed hard. ”I won't lose you just to get rid of him.”

His jaw clenched. ”I'll be okay. I won't become either of my parents, and I definitely won't stoop to his level.” He glanced back at Chase, who was holding the bridge of his nose and cringing.

”Good, because we have bigger problems right now.” I nodded back over my shoulder.

Alex peered around me, and his breath caught in his throat. I yanked my hand back through the gate and whipped around.

Hades was gone, and he'd taken Medusa with him.

Chapter 30.

I ran back through the fields to where they'd been standing. There was no sign of either of them or that they'd ever been here.

”d.a.m.n it! He used Chase as a distraction and took her.” I fell to my knees and pounded the asphodels. Twice my feelings for Alex had put us all at risk. Maybe I wasn't meant to be in a relations.h.i.+p. Maybe as leader, I had to sever my personal connections and put the needs of the group first. Only I couldn't. I wasn't human anymore, but my emotions still felt human. I loved Alex. I couldn't see how that could be a bad thing.

He banged on the gates until they finally opened. Hades wasn't keeping them locked now that he'd gotten away with Medusa's soul. Alex rushed to me and pulled me to my feet. ”We have to find her. My guess is, once Hades has her under control, he'll come back for us. We aren't going to sit here and wait for him.”

I nodded and wiped my tears with the backs of my hands. ”I can't believe I suck this bad as a leader.”

He gripped my shoulders. ”Don't do that. Don't sit there and feel sorry for yourself. Medusa wanted you to become like her. To take her place. She wouldn't have asked you to do that if she didn't believe in you. You're her only hope right now. So push whatever feeling of helplessness you have aside, and do your job.”

That was another reason why I loved him. He called me out when I was acting stupid. Medusa believed in me. Alex believed in me. Out of the people I still had in my life, they mattered the most. I wasn't going to stop until I fixed this-for them.

”I'm going to try to communicate with her. She used to be able to appear in my mind. We're both here, so maybe we still can.” Unless Hades was torturing her. Then she wouldn't have the strength to make the connection.

Alex let go of me, and I closed my eyes. ”Medusa? Can you hear me?” I waited, listening for even the smallest sound. ”I'm going to find you and join your soul with mine, but I need help. Can you give me any sign of where you are?” I wasn't even sure she could hear me, let alone answer or give me a sign, but I had to try. Still nothing.

<script>