“Maybe that’s not the worst thing,” Beatrix said. “We could use their help.”
The icy look he gave her made her mouth snap shut. I glared at him, and he had the grace to look uncomfortable. He gestured at the chairs. “Please, sit.”
A wooden table was surrounded by half a dozen chairs. I chose the biggest, most ornately carved one and sat. Beatrix, Mac, and Eve joined me. Gratitude for their presence warmed me. They had my back, and I was glad. I’d invited them here so that we could plan our attack on Chronos, a plan we’d make as a group. Working together was how we’d defeat the Titan.
Sitting at the table surrounded by my friends, I was surprised that Hades had allowed them to come. Not only to the Underworld, but to his castle, a big concession on his part.
The old Hades had dragged me to hell. The new Hades was trying to win me over.
Was it working? Yeah, maybe a little.
He took the seat across the table from me and met my gaze. The intensity of the connection could have made my friends disappear, but Mac was determined not to let that happen.
“So, Seraphia has fixed her power,” she said. “She’s a full goddess now. What next?”
Hades nodded. “We must find Chronos. To do that, we will first find what he seeks—the Crown of Destiny.”
“We don’t want to just find him?” Eve asked.
“If we can. But that’s going to be difficult. He is likely warded against magic.”
“What about FireSouls?” Mac asked. “What if we had one of them?”
FireSouls were a rare type of supernatural who could find anything of value. Since value was subjective, they’d certainly be able to find Chronos. If he wasn’t hidden by powerful magic. We knew a few FireSouls—I’d seen them at the city square when Chronos’s curse had first been discovered. They’d surely be looking for him now.
“Why don’t you see to that,” Hades said. “If you find him, let us know.”
“Don’t try to brush us off,” Eve said. “You just want us out of the way.”
Hades nodded once. “That is correct.”
“You want the Crown of Destiny,” Mac said.
One more nod. “That is also correct.”
I ground my teeth. This was the tricky part. Maybe it was the only way to find Chronos. But it also gave Hades the crown he wanted.
“You really don’t think the FireSouls can find him, do you?” I asked.
“I think it’s doubtful anyone can find him. He’ll be protected by powerful magic, hidden from all who seek him. The only way to get him is to draw him to us. And the only way to do that is with the crown.”
Okay. If that was the case, I just had to keep Hades from donning the crown himself. Surely, I could do that. “Then how do we find the thing?”
“Now that your magic is complete and you’ve fully ascended to godhood, you and I will visit the Astra Planeta, the gods of the wandering stars.”
I blinked at him, surprised. “Really? What have they to do with it?”
He looked between me and my friends, as if debating what he should tell us. Finally, he relented. “History is written in the stars. The Crown of Destiny was hidden long ago by Titans. Chronos does not know where it is because it was erased from the memory of all living beings. Only the stars know. For us to find the crown, we need to consult the Astra Planeta, the five gods who are capable of reading the history written in the stars.”
“Wow.” That was incredibly cool. “I had no idea.”
“It’s an ancient part of Greek history, long forgotten by most.”
“Why did the Titans hide the crown?” I asked. “I had no idea they knew about it.” Hell, I hadn’t known about it until yesterday.
“They fought over it too fiercely. In fact, it was one of the reasons they were confined to Tartarus. It is the reason that Chronos seeks it, I am sure. The gods do not want any of the Titans to wear the crown. When we tell the Astra Planeta of our intention to stop Chronos, they will help us.”
Would they help us if they knew he sought the crown? I wanted to ask but decided to save it for later.
“Why didn’t you go to them to start with?” I asked.
“You and I are prophesied to stop Chronos. Together. They would not tell me if I were alone.”
That made sense.
“Can we help you with the Astra Planeta?” Eve asked.
Hades shook his head. “Where we go, only gods can travel.”
“Well, that counts us out.” Mac grinned. “We’ll keep looking for Chronos. You might be surprised at what we’re capable of.”
“But hurry,” Eve said. “The Earth is more than fifty percent frozen, and our forces are barely holding it back.”
Hades nodded, then stood. The rest of us joined him, and I met his gaze. “I’m going to walk them back to the library.”
“I will send a messenger to the Astra Planeta, alerting them of our arrival.” He inclined his head in farewell at my friends, then swept through the door.
The three of them looked at me.
“Whew. He is quite the presence,” Mac said.
“Do you think he’s evil?” I didn’t think so, not entirely. But what kind of impression did he give?
“Um.” Mac pursed her lips, clearly debating.
“I don’t think he’s evil,” Beatrix said. “When he caught me breaking into his realm to visit you, all he did was banish me. He could have snapped my neck. I was just a raven.”
“I don’t think he’s evil either,” Eve said. “I think he’s capable of it. But I see the light in him, too.”
“I guess I’m with them,” Mac said. “But I’m still skeptical.”
I hoped they were. Because if Hades was evil, I didn’t know what I was going to do.
13
Seraphia
An hour later, I returned to the castle. Echo kept me company on the walk back, but he deviated when I entered the castle, flying off toward the back, possibly to visit Alia, the apothecary.
As I entered the main foyer, I caught sight of Lucifer walking toward me. I raised an eyebrow at him. “Did Hades sic you on me?”
“No, as a matter of fact, he did not.” Lucifer grinned, cocky as ever. He wore dark trousers and a thin dark sweater, and the bruise around his eye was very out of place. How did the devil himself get a black eye? Before I could ask, he kept talking. “He trusts you, you know.”
“Trusts me not to leave, at least.”
“Trusts you full stop, Seraphia.” Lucifer’s gaze turned serious. “You took the Tartarus curse from him. You saved him.”
“I didn’t know what I was doing when I did it.”
“You wanted to save him, though,” he said. “Didn’t you?”
“I did.” Desperately. I still did, in fact.
“So would you do it again?”
“No, I—” I stopped. Would I do it again if I knew? I’d save him, yes. But would I take the Tartarus curse for my own to spare him? In the heat of the moment, when I’d been trying to save him, I’d thought only of ending the suffering and isolation, the utter aloneness, that had hardened him.