Hades followed, shutting the door behind him, and we started for the center of town. The crowd rushing past gave us a wide berth, no doubt due to Hades. He towered above them, but it was the magic that rolled out from him that kept people at a distance.
The shop windows were eerily quiet as we walked, the magically dancing displays now still. On one side, they were frozen over by ice. On the other, the magic had faded as the shop keepers had left. My heart thundered as we made our way toward the towering church that dominated the center of town. The stones had long ago been blackened by fire, though half of them were now covered by shining ice.
In the square in front of the church, over fifty supernaturals had gathered. The highest-ranking members of the local government—the Council of Guilds—stood together in the center. Each guild had a representative. Spread out around them were the members of the guilds best suited to fighting this kind of curse—the witches, sorcerers, and fae.
Three other groups stood at the edges. The Order of the Magica from Chicago in the United States was represented, along with a contingent from Magic’s Bend, the largest supernatural city in America. From what I knew, they didn't always get along, but they’d joined forces for this. Lastly, there was a group from The Academy of Magic in Scotland.
It was a meeting of the most powerful supernaturals from Europe and North America. Presumably, the supernaturals on other continents were having similar meetings. Everyone was shouting at everyone else, and the cacophony was deafening.
I looked up at Hades, who stood out like a sore thumb in his armor. He looked like he’d stepped straight from hell. Smoke curled around his feet and legs, smelling of firelight and brimstone. His eyes gleamed with fire as he looked out over the crowd. Everything about him screamed ancient power.
Technically, I was a god as well. But there was no way I gave off the same impression.
With one powerful gesture, he raised his arms, then lowered them in a sweeping motion. Silence fell over the crowd, magic binding their lips.
Shocked, the group turned to him, dozens of pairs of eyes flashing. They landed on Hades. On me.
And suddenly, I felt like I’d been taken into the headmaster’s office at school. Every important person in the western magical world was looking at me, and it felt like they all knew I’d done something wrong. That I’d been the one to release Chronos.
And I had.
5
Seraphia
The crowd of supernaturals stared at us, and I shivered. It was every powerful person I’d ever met in my life, and many that I hadn’t.
But I was standing next to the most powerful one of all.
“I am Hades.” Though he didn’t shout, his voice carried easily over the silence, magnified by his magic. “As the goddess Seraphia has explained to me, you have gathered to find a way to defeat Chronos.”
Whoa.
I hadn’t expected him to refer to me as the goddess Seraphia. That was a head trip.
Eyes widened as they observed me, and I felt my cheeks warming. I straightened my spine, hoping I didn’t look totally unfit for the title.
“Is this correct?” Hades asked. “Your goal is to slow the spread of Chronos’ curse?”
Though their lips remained magically sealed, most of the people in the crowd nodded. The others just glared.
I didn’t blame them.
Some of them were used to being the most powerful supernaturals in any room. They’d never been silenced like this.
“Good,” Hades said. “Your assistance is necessary. This is a battle I did not anticipate, but we will be victorious.”
I met the gazes of my friends. As expected, I saw skepticism in their eyes. They knew what “victorious” meant to Hades, and it wasn’t what we wanted. But it was still better than turning into a Popsicle, so I just nodded, trying to infuse the gesture with confidence. I will take care of this.
“Seraphia and I are fated to defeat Chronos. And we will,” Hades said.
All eyes flicked toward me, and I felt my cheeks burn. I could see curiosity in the eyes of some and blame in others.
They thought I was responsible for the ice that covered Guild City. For the ice that covered the world.
I was.
I had released Chronos. My attempts to save my friends had led to this. I’d do anything to save them.
Including sacrificing so many other lives?
The memories of the people standing frozen in their houses flashed in my mind. Guilt tore at me. I drew a ragged breath and looked at Hades, trying to focus on the moment. There was no point in going down that ethical rabbit hole.
“Seraphia and I will seek Chronos,” Hades said. “But your assistance in slowing the progression of his curse will be most helpful.”
He didn't tell them about the crown, I noticed.
Smart.
The spell seemed to lift from the crowd. Hades gazed at them expectantly, clearly waiting for someone to step forward and say something.
A dark-haired woman came forward. Her ebony tresses were done up in a high bouffant, and her long black dress plunged to reveal a showgirl amount of cleavage. The look was completed with a massive sweep of black eye makeup that gave Cordelia’s mask a run for its money.
I’d never met her, but I knew who she was. Mordaca, a famous Blood Sorceress from Magic’s Bend. Her voice rolled with low power when she spoke. “My calculations suggest that you have three days to defeat Chronos. Longer, if we can organize ourselves well enough to repel his dark magic.”
There was a brief silence before everyone began to talk at once. All around us, the voices of the crowd grew louder. A group of witches hurried past us, and the commotion made it hard to think.
Hades looked down at me. “Come, we will go.”
I looked out at my town, at the people who’d come from all over the world to help, then up at Hades. “All right. Where do we start?”
“This way.” He gripped my hand, and a shiver raced up my arm.
My gaze flashed to his, and I caught sight of the briefest hint of heat. Then he turned and pulled me away from the crowd, pushing through the hordes of people who continued to stream from the town.
He found a quiet, dark alley and pulled me inside. When he dropped my hand, I swore I could still feel the warmth of his touch. I clenched a fist.
“It’s quieter here,” Hades said. “We can make a plan.”
I nodded and drew a deep breath, mind racing. “I need to discover who bound my magic, but how?”
“The answer is in your past.”
“My parents, do you think?” Just the idea of them hurt. If I’d met them, I didn’t remember and had no idea who they were. Long ago, I’d buried any desire to know. It had been a survival instinct.
But now that I knew I was a goddess, the floodgates had been opened, I wanted to meet them like I wanted my next breath.
“Likely your parents, yes. Do you know where to start looking for them?”
“In Cyprus.” I frowned, my heart hurting at the thought. “But I hardly remember it. I have family there, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen them, and my grandmother said it was too dangerous to visit them. If only I could ask my grandmother, but she’s at Kamarina.”
Hades cursed low under his breath. “Poseidon guards that place now. We’ve expressed interest, so he’ll have put watchers on the temple. As soon as we arrive, he will know.”