If it were possible for steam to pour out his ears, I was absolutely positive it would happen right about now. “Guards!” he barked. “Take them to the dungeons.”
“The dungeons? But—” Before Tuck could finish, a guard yanked her backward, half carrying her twisting form toward the door. “You can’t do this to them! I don’t know where the pendant is—I dropped it!”
“Perhaps your mother would have believed your lies, but I’m not soft like she was. Take them away,” the earl said again, and the guards marched the rest of us out of the hall. Sprout and Mac look scared out of their minds, their eyes wide as they wore identical masks of terror, but there wasn’t much I could do to reassure them.
Tuck continued to kick and scream the entire way into the dungeons, but the guards didn’t pay her much attention as they artfully dodged her flailing limbs. Somehow I got the feeling this wasn’t exactly the first time she’d been down here, and that only made my hatred for the earl burn hotter. Who locked his own daughter up? No wonder she’d run away.
The guards shoved Mac and Sprout into a cell near the stairs, but they led Tuck and me deep into the darkness, with only torches to light our way. It felt unnatural down here, almost like the Underworld—but unlike the Underworld, my powers worked just fine in the earl’s dungeon. It was a maze to the center, where a high-security cell awaited us, complete with four guards and a stone door operated by some sort of pulley system. No way anyone mortal could knock them in.
The lead guard pushed me into the cell first, and the others threw Tuck down onto a pile of hay before the door dropped, shaking the walls around us and effectively sealing us inside.
“Well,” I said, leaning up against the nearest wall. “This is inconvenient.”
Without warning, Tuck launched herself at me, pounding her fists into my chest. “Who—the hell—are you?”
I stood still, letting her get out her anger and frustration and worry and whatever else she was feeling. Didn’t hurt me one bit, and if it made her feel better, brilliant. “I already told you. I’m Hermes. Sometimes called Mercury, especially in Rome.”
“I don’t know who that is.” With one final punch, she went limp, barely able to keep standing. I wrapped my arms around her before she could fall.
“I’m a god,” I said. No need to dance around it. “One of the twelve Olympians. Well, er, fifteen now. Bit of a long story.”
She shook her head wearily, and I lowered her down onto the ground. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “There’s only one god.”
Only one? I frowned. “No, there’s definitely more. Zeus, my father, he’s head of the council, but—”
“There’s only one. Or are you pagan?”
I blinked. Was she serious? “You really have no idea who I am or how many gods there are?”
“I rather thought it was all just a matter of opinion,” she said. “I mean, here you have one god. Some people say more than one. Some people say there isn’t any god, though how they could possibly believe that and live in this world…” She shook her head. “Do you really think you’re a god?”
“I really am a god.” This was going to get very old very fast if she kept it up. “I’ve been to plenty of places where the people don’t know who I am, but we’re not that far from Greece, where the religion centered around our best-known identities started.”
“Greece?” She frowned. Did she even know where—or what—Greece was? Before I could ask, she changed the subject, confirming my suspicions. “How can you possibly be a god and look so—normal?”
I shrugged. “We can change our appearance at will, and I like blending in, I suppose. Let me prove it to you. Hold out your hand.”
She immediately clasped them behind her back. “If you’re going to show me magic or—something—”
“You’ve already seen what I can do,” I said with a small smile. “I won’t hurt you. The opposite, I promise. Just hold out your hand.”
Tuck eyed me for a long moment, and even though we were in a darkened cell with only a single torch for light, her eyes were as blue as ever. Reluctantly she offered me her palm, and I set my hand over hers. My skin tingled where we touched, and exhaling slowly, I willed the pendant back from nothing. It arrived in her hand, heavy and warm, and she gasped.
“How did you…?” She stared at me, stunned, and without warning, she kissed me on the mouth. “James.”
My entire body grew hot. “It’s nothing,” I mumbled. “Just a trick. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth sooner. It’s sort of…you know. Not something you go around bragging about.”
She snorted, her lips still half an inch in front of mine. “If I were a goddess, I’d run around the world telling everyone I met. To have that kind of power…”
“It isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, you know. I might be powerful, but there are loads of others even more powerful than I am.”
“A frightening thought,” she said with a small, distant smile. “Still, for even a fraction of that…for some sort of control…”
I hesitated. It clearly wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, but I had to know. “Why did you run away?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” She made a vague gesture that reminded me all too much of the earl. Her father. “I was trapped here. Never had any freedom. My only friend was my mother, and when she died, I didn’t want to stay here anymore. I didn’t want to be under his thumb. He tried to marry me off, you know, to a neighboring lord. In exchange for land. Land.” She shook her head, as if that were the most insulting, preposterous thing she’d ever heard. “Like he doesn’t have enough of it already. So I ran. Met the others in the village, and the four of us took off together.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Most of us are tied to our lives one way or the other. You’re lucky you had the option of running.”
“We all have the option of running,” she said. “It’s just a matter of whether or not you’re brave enough to do it. It isn’t just running, you know. You have to change yourself completely. Become the person you need to be in order to survive. It isn’t easy, but it has to be done. That’s the only way you can choose your own life, you know?”
I did know, and I nodded, running my fingers through the ends of her tangled hair. Somehow her braid had come undone. “I won’t let anything happen to you or the life you want,” I said quietly. “I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said, and she stared at the pendant in her hand, a hint of sadness flashing across her face. “I knew what would happen when I asked you to steal this. Well, actually, I figured the guards would kill you. Sorry.”
She gave me the tiniest of smiles, and I grinned back. I’d already guessed as much.
“I just…I’m prepared. I knew this might happen, and I was willing to swallow the consequences. But for Mac and Sprout and Perry…” She bit her lip. “Is he okay? Do you know anything?”
I hesitated. “I know he’s in good hands. The best there is in literally the entire world. If anyone can save Perry, it’s him.”
“Thanks,” she whispered. “You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to do any of it, yet you did anyway.”
I pulled her in toward me. She rested her head on my shoulder, her breaths coming in deep and uneven. “I did, though. Chosen family and all.”
“Even if you’ll outlive us all?”
My chuckle was void of all humor. She had no idea how much that reminder twisted the knife already buried deep ins
ide me. “There’s an afterlife, you know. My uncle runs it, and sometimes I help escort lost souls there. What do you think will happen when you die?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. Hell, I guess. Eternal fire and torture for everything I’ve stolen and done and…right.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Or at least it wouldn’t be for her—I refused to let her think that way. “It’s the best place you can imagine. The happiest moment, the people you love most—it’s whatever you want. Whatever you believe deep inside of you.”
Tuck didn’t move for a long moment, and at last she whispered, “I don’t want to die. And I don’t want Mac and Sprout and Perry to die, either.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I said firmly. “Just trust me, all right? Hard as it might be, I won’t let anything happen to you. We can leave now, you know, if you want.”
She peered up at me. “We can?”
“Sure. Just say the word, and you and I will walk out of here without a care in the world.”
“But—Mac and Sprout—”
“I’ll come back for them, of course,” I said. “I wouldn’t leave them behind.”
Tuck shook her head fiercely. “No. If you can really get us out of here, then they need to go first. The moment my father discovers I’m missing, he’ll have them killed. I can’t let that happen.”
I laced my fingers with hers. They were cold and much smaller than I thought they’d be. “All right. Mac and Sprout first. I’ll bring them to a safe place in the woods, and then I’ll come back for you. Deal?”
“Deal. Wait a little bit before you go, though.”
“Why?” I said, tightening my grip on her hand. “Like spending time with me after all?”
Tuck snorted. “Yeah, right. The later it is, the less likely you’ll be spotted, that’s all. Sorry to shatter your hopes and dreams.”
I gazed down at her in the flickering torchlight. She was practically a kid—a mortal kid, no less. But there was something about her that made me want to stay in this cell forever with her. Just the two of us curled up together in the hay, waiting for morning to come. Despite everything that had happened, I hadn’t felt this sort of warmth in eons, not since Persephone.
Lives with mortals weren’t impossible—they weren’t exactly encouraged, of course, but several council members had mortal spouses and children they visited often, Zeus included. It was a leap, since twenty-four hours ago, Tuck could barely stand me, but in that moment, I saw a future. A real possibility of happiness, even if it would eventually end with her death. But a little happiness, no matter how temporary, was better than none at all.
“Hey,” I said as the minutes ticked by. “When we get out of here, why don’t we build a cottage somewhere as far away from this place as we can get?”
She peered up at me, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Like a home?”
“A home. A place in the woods where no one will bother us, but close enough to travel if we need to. We can take care of the boys until they’re old enough to decide what they want to do. If they want to stay, brilliant—if they want to venture out on their own, they can always come back. And you’ll never want for anything, I promise.”
Tuck’s expression softened, and finally she said, “That sounds perfect.”
I kissed her temple. “Then that’s what we’ll do. And you’ll never have to worry about any of this again.”
“That’d be really nice.” She sighed. “Thanks for—you know. Not being terrible. Even if I still don’t believe you about the whole god thing.”
“No problem,” I said. “Now sleep. I’ll wake you before I leave.”
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—”