The Goddess Test Boxed Set: Goddess Interrupted\The Goddess Inheritance\The Goddess Legacy (108 page)

She snuggled against me, wrapping her arms around my torso as
if I was a pillow. Soon enough her chest rose and fell evenly, and her heart
beat slowly but steadily.

I would give that to her no matter what it took. Even if I had
to walk away from the council, even if I could never see my family again—I would
have a new family with her and the boys. I
did
have
that new family. And I wasn't going to give them up for anything.

Iris arrived shortly after midnight, appearing in the cell with
a burst of rainbow. Her red hair hung in waves, and she wore one of her fancier
outfits, as if she'd taken time getting ready.

“Hey,” I whispered. “Thanks for coming.”

“Sure thing.” She eyed Tuck, who had shifted sometime in the
past hour or so. Her head was in my lap, and she snorted softly. “Who's
this?”

“A friend. Her name's Tuck. I need your help.”

“Of course.” But Iris didn't tear her eyes away from her. “What
sort of help? I don't have much time before Zeus figures out I'm gone.”

“I need your help getting a few kids out of here. They're in a
cell a little ways down—I can show you where. They need to be brought to a safe
spot in the woods where no one except us can find them. Go through the walls if
you have to.”

“But—”

“No buts,” I said. “I've already shown them my powers. They'll
be surprised, but they'll go along with you. I need you to do this fast, Iris.
As fast as you possibly can. And as soon as you're done—”

“Let you know,” she said. “I'm not an idiot.”

“No, you aren't. Just—please. This is important. Life-or-death
for them.”

“Right.” She eyed Tuck again. “And what about her?”

“As soon as we find the kids, I'm coming back to get her.”

Iris twirled a curl around her fingers, and finally she nodded.
“I'm always in the mood for a little trouble. Let's do this.”

Reluctantly I shifted Tuck's head out of my lap, running my
fingers through her dark hair one more time. “I'll be back soon,” I whispered,
and once I could stand, I offered Iris my hand. “Walk right on through. The more
scared they are of us, the more likely they'll be to leave us alone.”

“Can't imagine anyone ever being scared of you.” A split second
later, we walked together through the thick stone wall opposite the door,
arriving in the passageway. It was almost completely dark in here, but I guided
Iris through the cells, careful to avoid the ones that were occupied. Much as I
wanted to release them all, now wasn't the time.

At last we arrived in the cell the boys shared. Sprout leaned
against Mac, twitching every few seconds in his sleep. Mac, however, was
wide-awake, and he didn't so much as blink when we walked straight through the
rock.

“You're all right,” I said, relieved. Mac nudged Sprout awake,
and the moment he opened his eyes, he sprang to his feet.

“James! You came!” cried Sprout, catching me in a bear hug.
“See, Mac, I told you he would. Is Tuck all right? And Perry?”

“Tuck's fine. Perry—” I hesitated. “I don't know. But we're
going to find out, all right? This is my friend Iris. She's going to get you out
of here.”

Sprout turned toward her as if he'd only just realized she was
there. And upon seeing her, his mouth dropped open. “You're pretty.”

“And you're very handsome,” she murmured, taking his hand and
offering her other one to Mac. “Come on. This will be quick, I promise, but
we're going to walk through walls, so it might be a bit odd.”

Sprout gasped, and while Mac looked dubious, he took Iris's
hand anyway. Before she led them off, however, Mac clapped me on the shoulder
and looked me in the eye properly for the first time.

“Thanks,” he rumbled, his voice hoarse with disuse. But that
was more than I'd ever expected to hear, and I patted him on the arm.

“Any time. I'll see you both soon.” All three of them, if
Apollo had done his job, but I wouldn't find out until Tuck was safe. Wasn't
sure I wanted to know until then anyway.

I watched as Iris guided them through the stone wall. It wasn't
far to the edge of the castle; they'd make it in under a minute, even at such a
slow pace. Which meant it was my turn to get Tuck out of here.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to open the cell door—and walked
straight into a solid wall of immortal. Dazed, I shook my head and stepped back,
my eyes widening when I saw who it was.

Zeus.

“I thought I told you to remain in Olympus,” he said, and
before I could protest—before I could so much as utter a single syllable in my
defense—he gripped my hand, and we disappeared.

* * *

“You can't
do
this to me,” I
howled, pacing up and down Zeus's office. “She's relying on me to get her out of
there, and the moment that damn earl finds out the others are gone—”

“I have no idea what you're going on about, nor do I care,”
said Zeus mildly, sitting at his desk. “Mortals are none of our concern. Forcing
Apollo to save the life of that boy was foolish and wasteful. He is just a
mortal.”

“That's exactly the kind of attitude that's making us go
extinct.”

“That's quite easy for you to say. You are not the one who must
explain to the Fates why he is still among the living.”

Despite my anger, a bubble of hope formed inside my chest.
Perry was alive. But if I couldn't convince Zeus to let me go back down to the
surface, Tuck wouldn't be, not for long. “Please. Ten minutes, that's all I
need. If you don't let me go, she'll die.”

“You should've thought about that before you disobeyed me,”
said Zeus. “You will remain here in Olympus, as I have ordered. Do you have any
idea what you've done to your mother and me? We thought you were dead.”

“Like you've talked to my mother in the past thousand years,” I
said. “If you don't let me out of here, I'll—”

“Leave anyway?” said Zeus calmly. “Run away, as you've already
done? So be it. If you leave Olympus, I will see to it that you are permanently
removed from the council and banned from ever setting foot here again. Your
duties to the Underworld will be revoked, you will be replaced, and I suspect
that soon enough, you will fade completely. Is that what you want?”

I swallowed. “I want to keep my promises.”

“And is your promise to the rest of the council no longer a
priority?”

“Not when my friend's life is on the line.”

“Then it is your choice. But I hardly think you'll have any
chance of reaching her in time, so do choose wisely. Mortals have an afterlife,
and even if she does unfortunately die before her time, she will live on in
Hades's realm. But if you go…well, I would rather not see that happen.”

“That's a comfort,” I snapped, and he stood.

“Do not blame me for this mess, Hermes. I am only doing what I
must to keep this council intact.”

“Until we all fade because no one's doing a damn thing.”

“We are doing all we can. Just because you are not privy to
everything that happens does not mean we are doing nothing.” He waved his hand
dismissively. “Go to your chambers. Tomorrow I will come up with an appropriate
punishment for what you have done.”

“You mean practically killing the only friend I've had in
centuries isn't enough?” I said, but he wasn't listening anymore. Instead Zeus
flipped through several sheets of parchment, and the office melted away,
replaced by my chambers.

Perfect. Now I really was trapped.

I slammed my hand against the golden wall, and the room
trembled. Not all of Olympus shook though, as it would have if my father had
done it instead. Another reminder that I was replaceable. Next to nothing
compared to the original six. And Zeus's neutrality to whether I lived or
died—

I should've protected Tuck. I should've done more somehow. They
were my real family, not this, and even if I outlived them all, at least I
would've had them for a moment. It couldn't end like this. Not for Tuck, not for
the boys, not for anyone.

But even if I did drop from Olympus, I'd be stuck on the other
side of the world. I didn't have the ability to travel in the blink of an eye
like the original six—I relied on that drop-off point, and the best I could do
was go down at sunset and hope to hell they hadn't hanged Tuck early. It wasn't
enough to guarantee her life, and I couldn't settle for anything less than that
now.

I paced. And paced. And paced some more. I practically wore a
path in the floor of my chambers as the hours passed and Tuck's sunset grew
closer and closer. She had to be awake by now and wondering where I was, and the
thought of her fear only made my anger boil over. I couldn't let this happen no
matter what it cost me. I couldn't live with myself otherwise.

At last I cursed and headed for the door. I didn't have a
choice—dropping down at sunset was the only way I could hope to get to her in
time. It had to be enough. Any other possibility was unacceptable.

Before I could cross the room, however, a soft knock sounded on
my door. I threw it open, prepared for a fight, but instead Iris stood on the
other side, looking pale and disheveled.

“Iris? Are you all right?” I stepped aside for her to come in,
and she slipped past me, hugging her arms.

“I'm fine,” she said with a weak smile that didn't reach her
eyes. “Or I will be soon enough. Zeus wasn't too happy with me helping you
out.”

I touched her elbow. She set her hand over mine, holding it as
if it was the only thing keeping her grounded. “I'm sorry,” I said. “I should've
never asked—”

“Don't be ridiculous. If I hadn't wanted to help, I wouldn't
have,” she said. “Did you get the girl out of there?”

I shook my head, the pressure of Tuck's impending fate weighing
heavily on my chest. “She's going to be executed in a few minutes. If I don't
get to her—”

“Don't worry about that. I've got it covered.”

I blinked. “Iris, you can't—you're already in hot water, and if
Zeus finds out—”

“I don't care.” But there was a tremor in her voice that said
otherwise. “It'll be worth it if we can save her life. I know Zeus doesn't care
about that kind of stuff, but I do. I've met countless mortals, and while some
of them aren't exactly savory, she doesn't deserve to be executed. And those
boys love her so damn much.” She shook her head, her eyes watering. “Don't
bother arguing with me. I've already made up my mind. Like you said, I'm the
only goddess who puts up with Zeus's antics, and even if he fires me, he'll hire
me back soon enough.”

I opened my mouth to protest. With the gods fading, even
temporary unemployment wasn't safe. But before I could say a word, the sky-blue
ceiling and sunset floor dissolved, replaced by clouds and rain and the smell of
wet dirt.

The forest. And just beyond it, the serfs, the walls, the
village—

Without giving it a second thought, I kissed Iris on the cheek
and bolted down the path. I felt the tug of Mac and Sprout and Perry behind me,
but I didn't have time to celebrate. I pushed my mind forward, searching for any
sign of Tuck, and my heart skipped a beat. She was in the town square, by the
gallows.

I raced through the gates and across the dirt road. The square
wasn't very big, with only a few shops surrounding it. Maybe a quarter of the
village's population could fit inside, but I didn't care about them. I'd blast
them aside if I had to, if that's what it took to save Tuck's life.

When I burst into the square, however, it was empty. No sign of
onlookers, no executioner—just a stout man dragging a wagon from underneath the
gallows.

I knew what was happening. I knew what the tug that led me to
that wagon meant. But even as I shattered into infinite pieces, I ran up to the
man and pulled the crude canvas from his load.

Tuck's body, pale and still, lay underneath. Someone had
mercifully closed her eyes, but I could see them in my mind, glaring at me for
something I'd said or done. It would've been easy to pretend she was sleeping,
if it hadn't been for the ring of deep purple-and-blue around her broken
neck.

My own body seized, and anger and hurt and grief beyond words
ripped out of me. The stout man took one look at me, glowing with fire and the
screams of a thousand dead souls, and he ran.

Tuck. My poor Tuck. How could this have happened? It wasn't
sunset yet. We should've had time—it wasn't supposed to be over yet. I was
supposed to have time to save her.

A shuddering sob escaped me, and I gently cradled her body. I'd
failed her. Because of me, she was dead, and I'd lost the one friend I'd had in
a very, very long time. That agony and guilt swirled around inside me,
compounding my grief for a girl I'd barely known two days. But time didn't mean
a damn thing when it came to love, and as I stood there, rocking back and forth
and trying to force the world to right itself, any last ounce of hope I'd had
disappeared.

I don't know how long I stood there—long enough for shutters to
be drawn and the villagers to escape into their homes. They weren't my targets
though, and their fear only made my fury worse.

“Hermes?”

Iris's soft voice brought me crashing back down into myself,
and I turned to her. Her face swam in front of me, but even through the tears I
could see her concern. “She's gone,” I choked. “He killed her.”

Iris wilted, and her eyes grew red. “Oh, Hermes. I'm so
sorry.”