Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1) (15 page)

Chapter

37

Hermes and I sit across from each other at the table. He is avoiding eye contact, and I suspect he knows what I am about to say. "You know Persephone, correct?"

"Obviously."

"Well, then you know what she went through to keep me safe."

He eyes me warily, "Yes." 

"Cass is what keeps me safe." 

"What about your warrior? Is he not enough?" 

"My physical safety isn’t the only thing at stake. Cass is my legal guardian. She takes care of everything else. Stuff only adults can take care of. Without her I could end up in foster care." 

"Look, Cass is a good friend of mine, but what you are asking is too much." 

Time to change tactics. “Did Cass tell you anything about what the prophecy means?" 

"Like I said, she was vague." 

"Well, the prophecy states ‘The Bright Fire said to be born of life and death must complete the Warrior's task to defeat the dark one’, do you know what that means?" 

"I’m not an idiot." 

"Then you know that I am supposed to bring down Hades, thus solving
your
problem as well. That is why Cass contacted you in the first place." 

"How are you going to defeat Hades? No offense." 

"I'm still working that one out, but it requires freeing Persephone." 

He jerks his head toward me. “That’s impossible, trust me." 

"It's impossible for you, not for me." 

He looks at me for a long time before speaking. "Do you really think you can free her?" 

His thoughts are written all over his face, and I know I have found my opening. "You love her." It isn’t a question. 

He looks down as if he's ashamed. "Yes. We spent a lot of time together. Her kindness and compassion were inspiring. We would have long talks and confided in each other." 

"Does she love you?" 

"I don’t know." 

"Did you tell her how you felt?" I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this. 

"No, but it was obvious." 

"You can't know that, sometimes people miss the signs. Don’t you want the chance to tell her how you feel?" 

Bingo.
I have him now. His shoulders slump. "More than anything." 

"Then, I need your help getting to the Underworld. Helping us will show her you are worth it. Don’t you think?" 

He sighs. “Fine I will help you, but I will only get you in. I'm not going any further than that." 

I nod. “Thank you." 

"I wouldn’t be thanking me. That place is Hell, literally. You can't imagine the things you will see down there." 

"Nonetheless, thanks."

~~~~

Alec
and Lyla are shocked to hear I convinced Hermes to help us. Even I have to say I didn’t think it was possible. Luckily, he has a soft spot for Persephone. The four of us are working on a game plan. Hermes is more focused on saving Persephone than Cass, but I persist on getting to her first. 

"Cass is probably in the dungeons. Hades isn’t particularly fond of her, what with foretelling the prophecy of his demise. It will be difficult to get to her." 

"I don’t care. I am not leaving there without her." 

"OK, fine." He draws a crude map of the Underworld and starts mapping out our path. "I am going to be taking you to this entrance." 

Lyla interrupts him for the fiftieth time, "there is more than one entrance?" 

"Yes, hundreds in fact. Think of the Underworld as an alternate universe that is the size of three of this planet." 

Her eyebrows shoot up. ”Wow, that’s big." 

"Understatement of the year," Alec’s frustration is getting the better of him. 

"Anyways, as I said, I will be taking you here." He points the location on the map. "Lyla you will be the bait and wait right inside the entrance. Once we lure Hades to this location you, need to keep him distracted for as long as you can. Under the siren’s spell he should be powerless, but if anything happens you need to leave immediately in order to get out safely." 

"Won't he just follow me?" 

"No he can't leave the Underworld. That’s why he sends Cela and Cerberus to do his dirty work." 

She relaxes her shoulders. "Good to know." 

"Delfia, you and Alec will go to the diamond gate to get into the palace via this route." He runs his finger along an S-shaped path. "I will warn you, it’s not a simple yellow brick road. You will be walking through dangerous territory. You see the first bend in the path? That is the Chasm of Lost Souls. It’s where all of the souls who have lost their minds end up. They spend eternity wandering with no purpose. This next bend in the path is a little trickier. You will be passing the River of Lamentation. Given recent events you are the most at risk." 

"Why is that?" 

"The River of Lamentation is also known as the River of Grief. The loss of your parents and the kidnapping of Cass has obviously affected you. This river will amplify those feelings time a hundred." 

"Is there another way?" 

"Not one that will get you to the palace." His face is grave.

 "Then I will just have to deal with it." 

"OK then, you will want to enter the palace at the northeastern entrance to go straight into the dungeon. From there you will need to go up this way to get onto the main level. Persephone’s quarters are on the third level. We have no way of knowing where she will be when you get there, so you need to work your way through the floors quickly if you want to avoid Hades." 

Alec stares at the map silently before speaking. ”And how do we get out?" 

"There is a portal here.” He points to the southwest corner of the palace. “But I can't guarantee that she can activate it. Given the fact that she is the daughter of Hades she may have the power, but we won't know for sure if it works there." 

Panicking I ask, "and if it doesn’t?" 

Hermes looks at me. "Let's pray that it does, but if it doesn’t you will need to come out the way you came in." 

"Great," I mutter under my breath. The more we plan; the stronger the sense of doom takes over me. I know it's not going to be as easy as walking through the front door, but I just wish it wasn’t as hard as it is. 

Lyla puts a hand on my shoulder. ”You’ll be fine. You’ll get Cass and Persephone and be back in time for dinner." 

Even though I see through her attempt at enthusiasm, just hearing her say it helps. "Yeah." 

"When do you guys plan on going?" 

Alec speaks for all of us. "Tomorrow, we all need rest if we want to be prepared and ready." 

"That's probably best." 

I roll up the map and put it on the bookshelf. "OK then, let’s get some rest. Lyla, you and I will sleep upstairs. Alec and Hermes, you sleep down here." They all nod in agreement. "Oh Hermes, if you try to run; Hades will be the least of your worries." 

Alec grins at my threat. "I've got him covered. Don’t worry about that."

Chapter

38

Lyla and I lay in my bed silently for a long time. It's hard to imagine sleep, when all I can think about is what we will have to face tomorrow. I can feel Lyla’s erratic breathing next me and I know she is feeling the same way. 

"Dell?" 

"Yeah?" 

She turns to me. “I’m scared. What if one of us dies?" 

"I'm scared too, but I have to believe that we are all going to be OK. I can't worry about whether or not one of us will die. If I do, I won't be able to go through with it, and Cass will be trapped for god knows how long. Maybe forever." I wrap my arm around her. “Besides you will have Hermes, and I will have Alec. We will be fine; you’ll see." I'm not sure if I believe it, but I say it anyways. 

"Hmph. Hermes, Mr. scared of the Underworld, yeah I'll be just fine." 

"He has been there before. He knows what to expect, and he can pull you out in time. Plus, he knows if anything happens to you because he chickens out; Persephone won't forgive him." 

"What is the deal with him and her anyways?" 

"He loves her." 

"Really?” she perks up. Gossip always lifts Lyla’s mood. 

"Yeah, that’s how I got him to agree in the first place. I just appealed to his feelings for her and convinced him that saving her helps him." 

"Do you trust him?" 

"Surprisingly yes. Maybe it's because he helped me escape when I was a baby or maybe it's his love for Persephone. Either way I doubt he will run away." 

"Good. Hey, do you think I should write a letter to my mom?" 

"It's a little morbid but if you think it will help, go for it. How are you going to give it to her?" 

"I’ll leave it with Hermes and hope if anything happens to me, he gets out OK." 

"Nothing is going to happen to you. Now roll over and try to get some rest we have a big day tomorrow." 

"Yeah." 

I lay here for a long time listening to her breathing before I finally fall into a restless sleep.

~~~~

I
look out the window, and it is still dark outside. The clock says 4:47 am.
Great
. I'm still tired, but also alert at the same time. The adrenaline from fear and panic is pushing me to get going. I get in the shower and turn the water on as hot as I can stand it. Then I turn it to ice cold. It instantly clears away the little bit of lingering exhaustion, and I get ready for the day. 

Once I'm dressed, I walk downstairs. I'm not surprised to see Alec is packing our gear from Endeis. "You're up early. Let me guess you never went to sleep?" 

He grins a little. “Actually I slept for a couple of hours. I don’t really need to sleep any more than that." 

"Lucky you." I take a long look at him and my heart squeezes. What if we don’t make it? Should I say something profound? Declare myself? I mean really what do you say to your soulmate before you head into the Underworld? 

He crinkles his eyebrows. “What are you thinking?" 

Right at this moment my mind goes completely blank. "Umm…” Think Dell, think. “Do you have everything packed?" Not exactly what I was going for. 

"Almost, I just need to grab a few things from the kitchen. We can't eat anything down there and who knows how long we will be down there." 

"Good thinking." I follow him into the kitchen trying to think of how to start this conversation. "Alec?" 

"Hmm?" 

“I…I just want to say…” He turns around and wraps his arms around me. "I know." 

It is so much easier to think in the comfort of his arms. I wonder if it is because of his warrior genes or something else. "I'm scared, like
really
scared. What if something happens to you? I just wish I knew for sure everything would be OK." 

"Shh. Everything will be ok. You have to have faith." He strokes my hair. 

“I…” I'm trying to get the words out, and as I say them I feel more and more that they are true. "I love you." My face feels very hot and I bury my head in his chest to keep him from seeing. 

He’s not having it. He pulls my head up and ducks his head to look me square in the eyes. "Stop blushing, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about." I stop breathing for a minute, not the response I was looking for but OK. He hugs me tighter and whispers, "I love you too." 

We stand here in each other’s arms for a while. I listen to his steady heartbeat and wonder how he is so calm. 

"Am I interrupting?" Lyla’s voice is thick with sleep. 

I spin around like I've been caught doing something I'm not supposed to. "No, we were just-"

 She holds up her hand. ”I don’t want to know. Just remember, when Cass gets back, you’re going to have to keep the PDA to a minimum." 

"Got it mom." 

Alec grabs some snacks out of the cabinet and drinks out of the fridge. "I'm going to go finish packing.” And he walks out of the room. 

Lyla walks over to me and whispers, "Did you mean that or were you saying it under pressure?" 

Obviously she heard me, "I meant it. I mean at first I wasn’t sure, but then I was. You know what I mean?" 

"No, but as long as you’re sure, then I am happy for you." She gives me a long hug. One of many for today I suspect. 

"I am, and I am glad you have my back." 

"Always."

Chapter

39

”Are we all ready?" Hermes doesn’t look happy, but he holds back his complaints. 

"I think so. Alec, Lyla?" 

"Yep,” they say at the same time. 

"Alrighty then, shall we go?" 

Lyla looks at him. "Do we like hold hands and teleport or something?" 

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not a magician; we are going to drive. I hope one of you has a car." 

Disappointed she murmurs, "Oh." 

We file out the door, and I turn to lock it. I look up at the inviting sign and say a little prayer for Cass’s safe return.

~~~~

We
drive for a few hours, and I'm already sick of the car. Hermes has decided not to hold back his complaints anymore, and I'm trying really hard not to turn around and smack him. 

"Are you sure it’s worth it? I like Cass and everything but maybe you should try to come back for her another time." 

I snap. “Listen up because I am only going to say this one more time. We. Are. Not Leaving. Without. Cass. If you want to see Persephone again, we are doing this my way, and I say we are getting Cass back. End of discussion. Now will you please keep your complaints to yourself?" 

He flops back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. I don’t really care what he thinks, but his negativity is wearing on my courage. I don’t admire the scenery this time because I am too busy thinking about the River of Lamentation. I let the walls down in my dad’s study, and that was painful enough. Was I ready to face it again on a larger scale? 

Despite Hermes’s constant nagging about saving Cass, I would still suffer through it to save her. If I’m being honest with myself, I am to blame for her kidnapping. If I hadn’t left, they probably wouldn’t have gotten to her. I’m also aware that I’m more concerned with saving her than Persephone. I know the prophecy says I
have
to save Persephone, but I don’t feel as strongly connected to her as I do to Cass. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I mean I know she is my biological mother, but I don’t see her as a parent. 

I wonder what is going to happen when they are both free. Will I stay with Cass or do I have to go with Persephone? Will Persephone stay with all of us? Will she try to fill the mother role? There are too many questions I’m not prepared to face yet, so I try to distract myself by reciting the plan in my head over and over. 

"Turn left up here," Hermes instructs Alec. "We are almost there.

"My stomach drops and I choke back the bile rising in my throat. I feel Alec squeeze my hand a little in an attempt to reassure me, but it doesn’t work. He turns left and in a quarter mile; we stop at a dead end in the road. Directly in front of us is the base of one of the mountain cliffs. Here goes nothing. I slowly open the car door and step out of the car. 

Alec looks at Hermes. "How do we get in?" 

"Well, considering none of you are dead, Dell is going to have to open it." 

My face drains of color. "What? How?" 

"I have no idea. I just assumed you would know when you got here." 

Alec is shaking. “That’s just great! You mean to tell me we either have to kill someone or hope Dell knows some magic incantation to get us in?" 

"Pretty much." 

I hold Alec back to keep him from pummeling Hermes. I have no idea what I'm doing, and the added pressure isn’t helping. I walk over to the wall of the cliff and stare at it for a minute. I can feel something stirring in my chest, but I can’t figure out what it is. I close my eyes. Without thinking, I lift my hand and place it on the wall. I imagine a crack forming an opening. I feel the shaking before I hear it. When I open my eyes there is a hole big enough for a person to walk through. 

Lyla’s eyes widen. "Woah, how did you do that?" 

"I have no idea, I just had a feeling and it worked." I step closer and peer into the opening. "OK guys, let’s go."