He looked at me affectionately. “You go first, my love. Someone needs to keep watch.”
Ortrera piped up.
“Cadmus, my warriors and I will take turns. You should attend to Harmonia. She looks as exhausted as Aphrodite.”
“Are you certain?” he raised a dark eyebrow.
“Of course,” she nodded. “I’m not even tired.”
The lines of exhaustion on her face belied her words, but it would be useless to argue. The Amazons took pride in their fierce fortitude.
“Very well,” he patted her toned shoulder. “But should you need me, let me know.”
She nodded silently, taking her place at the door. She never asked her warriors to do anything that she herself wouldn’t do. So it was just like her to take the first watch.
I retreated to a back corner and tried to make a comfortable sleeping area out of the contents of my knapsack. The end result was no feather mattress, but it would do. Cadmus plunked down on it first, stretching his long legs out and opening his arms.
“I’ve been waiting all day for this,” he grinned, his teeth brilliantly white. “Come here.”
I gladly sank to the floor and folded into his embrace. He clutched me to his chest and I reveled in his strength. I had never felt safer anywhere than I did in his arms. It was like home to me.
“I love you more than life, Harmonia,” he murmured against the top of my head. “I would move the heavens and the earth for you. I hope you know that.”
I nodded. Of course I knew it. He had killed dragons for me.
“Cadmus, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t know how I would have made it through everything that I have. You’ve kept me strong and have given me a reason to keep trying. You are my strength. I thank you for that.”
“Oh, my sweet,” he brushed his lips against the side of my neck before pulling me even closer. “You are stronger than all of us. You just don’t realize it. Sleep now, though. You need the rest. Do not worry. I’ll protect you with my life.”
I nodded as my eyes fluttered closed with a will of their own. I would have liked to stay awake just a little longer, to enjoy being close to my husband. We had not been able to enjoy intimacy of this sort lately- everything had been so chaotic. But my body wouldn’t hear of it. I was too tired to stay awake.
Before I knew it, I was standing with Ahmose. His black robes billowed around him and he was staring at me intently. I looked around in confusion before realization set in and I groaned. I was dream-walking. My least favorite thing to do.
I sighed and turned to him. “Why are you here, Ahmose? I should be sleeping soundly. I’m more exhausted than I have ever been.”
“Of course you are,” he agreed, gazing at me sympathetically. “More than you even know.”
“What do you mean by that?”I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. His own were glinting with hidden knowledge. I had seen that look from him a million times. “What is it?”
“Ah, Harmonia. You know that nothing can ever be easy for you.”
“And nothing ever is,” I scowled. “But what are you speaking of right now?”
I was impatient and I instantly regretting snapping at him. He had died for me before after all. “I’m sorry. What are you talking about?”
“I’m concerned for you, Harmonia, but I’m even more worried for your mother. You both are going to have to take great care. You’re in danger there.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re in the Underworld. We’re all in danger.”
“It’s more than that,” he continued patiently. “You and your mother are goddesses who live on positive energy. You require peacefulness to feed your spirit and your mother requires the energy of love. You’re currently in a place where that kind of energy simply doesn’t exist. Erebus is neutral. The only emotional energy you will receive there will be from the few people surrounding you. It’s not enough. Particularly for your mother- Love is a stronger energy and without it…well, your mother is in danger.”
Shock hit me like a wave. Of course- it made perfect sense. No wonder my mother and I could hardly stay awake. Our energy was being drained from us.
“You’re right,” I whispered. “She was very weak tonight. She could barely stay awake and frankly, neither could I. What can we do?”
He stared at me, his black eyes glinting. “You can leave. It’s the only thing that will ultimately help you. In the meantime, I sent you butterflies. Did you receive them? They bring with them energy from the mortal world. It’s not enough to make you feel normal, but it is enough to keep you alive. Your energy will be recharged in Hades’ palace but once you leave there, you will be in peril once again. You must hurry and return to the Spiritlands or there will be dire consequences.”
“Why didn’t someone tell us this before?” I demanded. “This would have been good to know.”
“Would it have stopped you from going?” he answered calmly and I swallowed. Of course it would not have and he knew it.
“See?” he answered. “It wouldn’t have mattered. But I am telling you now.”
“So, you’re telling me that bugs will keep us alive?”
He stared at me. “They are ethereal creatures, Harmonia. They will keep you alive. And when you drain their energy, I will send you more.”
“Why are things surrounding me always so strange?” I demanded. “I feel like I’m Alice in Wonderland half of the time.”
“It is what it is,” he shrugged. He was in his original form right now, ancient and stooped. His head was shaved bald and his hands were gnarled and old, his fingernails so long that they curled into his palm. I had always wondered why he chose this form- when he could appear as anything or anyone that he wished. But that was neither here nor there right now.
“How are things there?” I asked, changing the subject. “They have told us here that Hecate betrayed us and they dragged her away. Do you know anything about that?”
He looked away. “Not enough to be of help, but I’ll continue to hunt. Eris and I have found nothing of use for you,” he admitted. “We have searched through the old writings with Medea and Circes and there is simply nothing of consequence.”
“Why is Eris trying to be helpful?” I was instantly suspicious of my old nemesis. She and I were polarized goddesses. She was the goddess of strife and discord and I was the goddess of peace. We weren’t meant to get along, yet in Camelot she had uncharacteristically assisted us. I had not yet had a chance to try to figure that out.
“Eris has her own motives,” Ahmose admitted. “And they might actually be of assistance.”
“Her motives?” I raised an eyebrow.
He nodded. “She has not miraculously turned good, of course. She has long been in love with Alexi. She wants to find a way to save his soul.”
“Alexi?” I gasped. He had been the lapdog of the Fates for as long as I could remember. He had done their bidding for them and was currently confined in the dungeons of Zeus’ palace. No one had known what to do with him, so they were holding him for Zeus to deal with. It seemed like the fair thing to do.
Ahmose nodded. “And do you remember who Alexi actually is?”
I wracked my brain, but came up empty. All I could remember was how he was now- dispassionate and cold- because the Fates’ had taken his soul. They had sent him to deal with me after they had disposed of Ahmose.
“He’s the son of Alecto.” Ahmose waited for that to click with me, which it quickly did.
Alecto was one of the Erinyes…otherwise known as the Furies or the Avengers. They acted in much the same way as the Keres, but they did it in the Underworld. They tortured prisoners in the Dungeon of the Damned in Tartara. They worked for Hades.
I sucked in a breath and Ahmose nodded. “Do you see where I am going with this?”
“I think so,” I replied quietly. “Alecto will not enjoy hearing that her son’s soul has been taken.”
“I’m sure she already knows,” Ahmose answered. “But her hands are tied because s
he cannot leave the Underworld. But you are there now. You can talk with her about this…perhaps bargain with her, if you must. It is an angle that might be at your disposal.”
I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“But right now,” he continued. “You must get to Hades palace as soon as possible. Your mother’s strength will not hold for much longer.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “I know that you are right.”
“Then go,” he instructed, pointing with a long, twisted finger.
And I was awake. My eyes opened to find the cave exactly like it had been when I went to sleep, except that another Amazon had taken Ortrera’s place as guard. The white butterflies were plastered against the walls of the cave, their delicate wings moving slightly as they waited.
“Do you feel better?” Cadmus asked quietly.
I was still lying on his chest and it didn’t look like he had slept much. He was still beautiful, of course, but his face was weary. His chocolate eyes didn’t shine as much as they normally did. I reached up to brush my fingers against his strong jaw line, where his rough stubble snagged at my fingers. We were all a little worse for the wear.
“I’m fine for now,” I answered. “But Ahmose came to me while I slept and I learned a couple of interesting things.”
“Like what?” Ares asked from across the room. Sound carried easily in this cavern. I sat up so that I was facing everyone.
“My mother and I will continue to be drained of energy,” I announced. “Because we thrive on positive energy and there is none of that here. Aphrodite will be more strongly affected than me, because love is a stronger emotion than peace. But both of us will be affected until we leave. Ahmose sent the butterflies from the mortal world- they’ll bring us energy, but they’ll simply keep us alive. They aren’t able to do much more than that. Ahmose says that we can recharge at Hades Palace.”
Ares was already moving, lying Aphrodite on the ground as he stood.
“Well, let’s move then.”
“There’s more.” I leveled my gaze at him. Ares stilled and listened as I explained about Alexi. He stared thoughtfully at me when I finished.
“That makes perfect sense,” he admitted. “I don’t know why we didn’t figure it out before. I’ve seen the way she lingers around him whenever she can. We’ll keep that in our back pocket for later use.”
I crossed the cave to kneel next to my mother. I shook her arm gently, but she didn’t stir. Her face was still deathly pale and she didn’t respond to my attempts to wake her.
“This is bad, Ares!” I cried as I desperately tried to rouse her. He bent and scooped Aphrodite up once again.
“It will be fine!” he decreed as he strode towards the hills. “But as I said, we need to move.”
He didn’t dally. By the time I had packed up our things as quickly as I could and exited the little cave, Ares was a small dot in the distance, surrounded by the billowing white cloud of butterflies. Ortrera looked at me ruefully.
“He’s your father.”
I shook my head. “Oh, he’s mine when he’s difficult?”
She grinned. “I’m glad you agree.”
We laughed and started out across the field in pursuit. But I had only taken a few steps before I felt exhaustion set in myself and I couldn’t help but worry. How would I find Raquel if simply being here might kill me?
I had no sooner had the thought before Cadmus swept me into his arms.