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  I had been a fool to think I would protect her by keeping her in the dark; sacrificing my own destiny. The only thing I had sacrificed was my relationship with the one person that ever mattered to me; my reason for breathing. I should have known it was never me who was meant to be the hero.

  The sand and the sea bowed to her glory; reveling in her presence and soaking up her beauty. She was destined to surpass all who came before her and touch all those who came after. I could only hope to stand by and watch as she changed the world. I would never again underestimate her again. I would spend the rest of my life proving my love to her. She was my anything. She was my everything. And I’d almost thrown it all away.

  When the soft light of each new morning once again filtered through the raging river and down into my cave, my head would clear and I was able to think rationally again. But the constant back and forth was driving me mad. I knew my father would not give up until I was found. The Sons Order would comb the edges of the Earth to find me. Unfortunately, only a select few could search the Underworld; and even fewer still would know where to look. Nadia’s handmade cavern wasn’t represented on any maps, and there were no doors or windows to announce its presence. I was a dull needle in an underground haystack.

  A sharp pain ran down my arm and I looked down at the gashes in my skin. Wrapping around my wrists and ankles, I could do nothing against the power of the white vines that were standing in as my chains. My body wasn’t healing at its normal rapid pace, which meant Nadia had somehow created a vacuum where none of my abilities worked. I was nothing more than a sitting duck waiting for someone to find me. Fury shot through my veins and I fought against the vines; twisting and yelling out. I was angry at myself for getting into this situation. I was angry at myself for letting Stasia down. I was angry at the suffocating hollow feeling that my helplessness elicited.

  With my insufficient reserve of energy depleted, I collapsed back onto the floor in exhaustion. I lay there wallowing in my own despair, and allowed the new and re-opened cuts on my arms and legs to bleed out. Pain had become a welcome companion. It was the only thing that reminded me I was still alive. It was simply an extension of the overwhelming agony I harbored within -- an agony I deserved to feel again and again.

  The dampness of the underground room chilled me to the bone, but Nadia had ensured there were no comforts of home inside her ‘hiding place’. That only left me with the vines, the river, and a curious wooden trunk on the other side of the room. I was considering whether or not the vines that bound me were edible when I heard the sound of footsteps on the other side of the wall.

  “Rise and shine, Love!” Nadia appeared before me and my blood instantly bubbled with overwhelming hatred. “We have much to do!”

  “I’m not playing your bullshit games, Nadia,” I growled.

  “Games?” She snorted, cracking a dry smile and coming to a stop in front of me. Her features hardened and her golden eyes flashed, “This is no game, Love. But believe me - I’ll be enjoying every minute.” She noticed the small puddle of blood collecting below my right knee and smirked.

  “Why Finn, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you look so dreadful. It’s a shame your essence and abilities have no effect down here. That looks horrific.”

  “You’re playing with fire, Nadia,” I accused her in a low voice. She should know the consequences of her actions.

  “I happen to like fire. It’s powerful and tantalizing. Just like me.” She twisted on her heel, kicked off her shoes and made her way to the trunk. She visibly shivered in her thin tank top and jeans. With a snap of her fingers, the room warmed to a comfortable temperature.

  “I don’t know how you stand it down here! It’s absolutely frigid!” She chuckled to herself when I cursed her through gritted teeth. She whistled happily as she opened the trunk and began rifling through it; searching for something in particular.

  “Now where did I put it…Aha! Found it!” she squealed with delight. Then she snapped her head around and grinned at me like she was two personalities away from a straight jacket and a padded room. “Enjoying the view?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “Oh come on Finn,” she purred. “You know you want this.” She spun around in a circle and raised a golden, sly eyebrow at me. “But unfortunately for you, I don’t screw pieces of shit.”

  “I’m crushed.”

  She looked me up and down, tapped her chin, and smiled, “Not yet.” With a flick of her finger the white vines pinned me against the wall; slicing new wounds on my arms and legs. “I’ll save that for later. Right now, we have other things to take care of. And I must say, I’m so glad you came to your senses and chose me. I was beginning to lose hope,” she joked. She twitched over to where I was shackled to the wall and let out what sounded like something close to a cackle.

  “Yea, I’ve really been looking forward to having my soul wrenched out of my body and starving to death in this god forsaken hole in the ground,” I spit at her with venom.

  “I might not be as transparent as that little tramp of yours, Stasia, but-“

  “Leave her out of this! You don’t even deserve to speak her name,” I growled. The familiar rush of power and adrenaline that usually accompanied my anger didn’t come, and I started to realize the gravity of the situation I was in. Not that I was going to let Princess Psycho know that.

  “Oh, please…she’s nothing but an Achilles heel.” She collapsed into a fit of giggles, “Get it - cause her brother was Achilles..?” I ignored her failed attempt at irony.

  “She possesses every quality required of a leader in our world and more. Qualities you have never, and will never, possess - purity, strength, grace and most importantly, humility.”

  “Humility, weakness - same thing.” She dismissed my words with a flip of her hand.

  “The prophecy speaks for itself. Even you can’t argue with that,” I retorted. “She is my destiny. And I, hers.”

  “All I hear is blah, blah, blah-I want to have sex with her-blah, blah, blah. Lust turns the strongest of men into invalids and I simply couldn’t let that happen. Your essence is far too important for what is ahead of me.”

  “Essence becomes useless without love. Love turns the strongest of men into warriors. When a man has someone to fight for, he’s capable of moving mountains.”

  Her grin dropped and she stomped over to me with vapor rolling off of her skin. She stood in front of me, silent for a moment, then grinned wickedly and unrolled the leather case she had been clutching in her hand. She slid something silver out and held it up so I could see it. A syringe.

  “I think I’m in the mood to play nurse.” Her eyes sparkled as she moved towards me. I tried to fight the vines, but the excruciating pain that shot through me sucked what little energy I did have completely dry. “Now don’t tire yourself out, Love. I need to get a good strong sample.”

  At her words, another pair of vines shot out from the stone wall and slithered around my left arm; securing it tightly. My trace had become dull in the last few days under whatever vacuum she had placed on my prison.

  She slowly ran a finger down my cheek and smiled sympathetically. “Your sacrifices will not be in vain. I can promise you that.” She dropped her hand and her golden eyes hardened, “But the slow, painful deterioration of your soul will be. I’ve decided you owe me that. It’s the least you can do.”

  “So, are you looking forward to spending eternity on Tartarus, or will an exception be made to send you straight to the pits of fire?” I asked in the same tone I’d use to ask about the weather.

  “You really think my own mother would sentence me to an eternity of hell?” she chuckled.

  “Please tell me you aren’t that simpleminded.”

  “You know as well as I do that a certain level of evil is not tolerated. Your mother’s decision will be overridden by the-“

  “Shut up!” she yelled and slapped me across the face. It stung, but I hid it beneath a purposefully smug smi
le -- which only made her vexation spill over. “Enough of this! You are no more than a means to an end. You will never be Prime. You will never see your tramp or your family again. You are nothing.” With that, she uncapped the syringe and drove it into my forearm; right through the eye of the skull. My thoughts turned to Stasia as my world filled with pain and faded into darkness.

  The next time I awoke, it was to hushed voices and the clicking of heels on the stone floor. It was much darker, but I could still make out two figures standing on the other side of the cavern.

  Reaching out with what essence I had left, I knew that one of the figures was Nadia. The refreshing smell of sea oats told me she was of the sea, but the cold, slimy fingers of her essence proved that it had been tainted by corruption long ago.

  “We only have a matter of days,” the unknown woman said. “The moon must be at its highest when the transfer takes place. We have no room for mistakes.”

  “I’ll hold up my end of the bargain, but how do I know you’ll do the same?” countered Nadia’s self-righteous voice.

  “Whether you hold up your end of the bargain has yet to be seen,” the other woman countered. The velvety tone of her voice was hauntingly familiar. “Although you repeatedly fail to remember what’s at stake, I do realize you have your own agenda, of which I can respect. However, the binding agreement you stepped into will be complete on my word. No sooner and no later.”

  I slowly attempted to pull myself up into more of a sitting position. Unfortunately the slight movement reverberated off of the cavern walls, and both women spun in my direction. I saw Nadia cross her arms as a hint of a smug smile lit up her face. The other woman walked towards me and the stifling chill that surrounded her hit me with immense force. She wore a long dress that trailed behind her and shifted as she moved. Her face was cast into shadow by the waning light above the river. As she came closer, I was just able to make out long black hair amidst more strands of green. The glittering scales that framed her face sharpened in my line of sight as she kneeled down. Her feline emerald eyes sparkled; reflecting the darkness within. I gave her my best smirk.

  “We meet again, Keto.”

  Chapter 6

  “I really feel like we’re trespassing,” Phoebe wiped at the foggy window with her hand and peered outside. “Everything’s so dark and quiet.” The city of Paphos lay completely silent on either side of the road as we cruised down one of the main thoroughfares on our way to Eventide. The numerous shops and restaurants that lined the street had long been closed, and the cloak of night had successfully draped its influence across the landscape.

  “I guess three AM isn’t exactly rush hour,” I yawned. After safely landing at Paphos International Airport, we had climbed into the back of a black Escalade driven by a tall, nameless, and seemingly mute young man. He didn’t so much as utter a word as he loaded our luggage, but offered the slightest of smiles to each of us. He let out a surprised gasp when Carmen wrapped a hand around his arm without provocation, but appeared to collect himself rather easily. She sent him a tilted smile lined with madness and thankfully let go voluntarily. Phoebe had apologized while Willow yanked Carmen inside the Escalade; both receiving menacing looks from her.

  “The House of Eventide is about the same size as Lorelei, but we will be staying in the visitor’s quarters. I’d like for you girls,” I noticed she focused her intense gaze mostly on me, “to get as much rest as time will allow. Breakfast will be at 9:00am.”

  If I actually slept for the duration of those six hours, I’d be more successful than I had been all week. Somehow I didn’t think that being on the other side of the Earth would help ease my anxiety about Finn, or my impending meeting with the Nereids. A painful twist in the bottom of my stomach churned up an urgency that was getting harder to ignore. I had the disturbing feeling that we were running out of time.

  The Escalade shifted as we all leaned to the left in an effort to see the passing marina bulging with sailboats, fishing charters, and personal craft. Other than its impressive size, it looked very similar to Bald Head Island’s marina with its wooden boardwalks, jetties and pylons.

  “Oh. My. God. Is that a castle?!” Willow climbed over Phoebe to get a better view, “Please tell me that’s a real life castle!”

  “Yes, dear that’s a ‘real life’ castle.” Natasha chuckled at Willow’s excitement, “It’s the Castle of Paphos, built in the twelfth century.”

  “Uh, Willow?” Phoebe’s voice came out strained, “My ribs, built in 1995, are breaking.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry!” Willow jumped off of her, still giggly with joy, “Good thing I’ve got these for backup.” She waved her fingers in the air, referring to her healing ability.

  “I think we’re here…” I informed them as we entered a rustic looking gate with two large, majestic columns adorning either side. Letters had been carved in each that read in elaborate script: House of Eventide. I felt as if I were entering an ancient temple or mausoleum, and was reminded of images I had seen of ancient Greece.

  No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, than we passed what appeared to be stone ruins on our left; sending everyone to that side of the car, consequently crushing Natasha. Carmen looked on with obvious boredom and contempt.

  “Wow! What’s that?” Willow pointed out into the darkness at another pile of ruins.

  “That’s the ancient Spiti of Theseus,” Natasha managed after we peeled ourselves off of her.

  “Ew.” Phoebe shot her an odd look. “The Spit of Theseus?”

  “Spiti.” Willow pronounced for Natasha, proud of herself for knowing a Greek word. “Spiti is another word for house.”

  “Ohh! There’s something else!” Phoebe squealed, “It’s like we’re in Greece…except…not.”

  “Take your seats girls; we’re almost to our destination.” The Escalade rounded a sharp corner and began to travel north. The dark, vast Mediterranean Sea spread out to our left, while sovereign white limestone buildings lay across every inch of real estate to our right. The old world Tuscan architecture produced arched windows, intricate cornices, and elegant terraces. By the shape and size, I assumed most were lecture halls, while the taller buildings were more than likely dorms.

  We continued down the same road until taking another right and coming to a stop in front of a row of otherwise modern looking villas. My heart stuttered as I remembered that Finn’s body was currently lying inside, still and soulless. As the closemouthed driver unloaded our luggage, the constant howl of the sea breeze ruffled our clothes and hair. I watched the festive palm trees that lined the street succumb to the wind’s power, and felt a familiar humidity in the air that was almost tangible. November weather in Cyprus was more like late September weather back in North Carolina.

  The night sky showed no signs of clouds as I regarded the moon and hesitated, as a foreboding awareness settled over me. A hazy sheen glowed around its edges, creating a haunting circle of light that whispered into the depths of my soul.

  “A single ring around the moon warns of rough seas ahead.” I suffered a mini heart attack as Charon materialized next to me. His physical presence was quickly followed by the warmth of his strong, yet gentle darkness. He set down Natasha’s bags as he spoke. “It’s a pleasure to be in your company once again, Anastasia.”

  “It’s nice to see you again as well, Charon.” I nodded my head in respect which was met by an approving smile. His salt and pepper hair and beard were accentuated by his entirely black outfit, which blended in with the night. He had a timeless look about him that oozed grace and valor.

  “Shall we?” He swept an arm out for me. We strolled towards the villa in silence and I wondered what goes through the mind of an Underworld God.

  “Oh you know, things like what to eat for dinner, how many souls will need ferrying this week, and world domination.” His undeniable charm was accompanied by a heartwarming smile.

  I stopped mid-step and gawked at him in total disbelief. A gentle laugh danced with
in his blue eyes as I searched for words. “You…can read minds?” I asked incredulously. I hoped my eyes wouldn’t pop out of their sockets as I tried to remember how to blink.

  “Among other things. I also enjoy an occasional novel.” He shrugged his shoulders with an amused wink and continued walking, glancing over his shoulder at my still shocked expression. He could read minds. I had no idea that was actually possible. But apparently anything’s possible when you’re a god. Mental note: no fantasizing about Finn with Charon in the room. Or the same country for that matter. I had no idea what his range was. Better safe than sorry.

  “Wow, this place is awesome!” I heard Phoebe exclaim from the doorway. I shook myself out of the clutches of disbelief and followed the others into the villa. I met the increasingly deranged eyes of Carmen, who shot me a wicked smile. I quickly averted my gaze to Charon who was making sure Natasha didn’t need anything. Suddenly, I got an idea. Unsure as to how the whole mind-reading thing worked, I thought as loudly as possible.

  Charon, can you read Carmen’s mind? He angled toward me and shook his head solemnly, then met me where I stood in the doorway.

  “The being that has inhabited her mind has blocked her thoughts,” he contemplated something for a moment, “or erased them altogether.”

  “Being?” I whispered in horror.

  “Come, let’s get settled. You’ve had a long day.” He gently patted me on the shoulder and retreated back into the kitchen with Natasha. The villa itself was comprised of two stories with an open floor plan. Downstairs, the living room and kitchen took up one half, while two bedrooms and a bathroom occupied the other. Upstairs, three more bedrooms awaited occupants, while an outside terrace softened with lush foliage provided a view of the sea. Light colors and clean lines gave the entire villa an aura of energy and balance; creating a peaceful ambience that helped me breathe deeper.

  “It’s about time!” Ricker bounded down the stairs to greet us. “Finn isn’t really the best of company these days.” His gaze lingered on Carmen for several seconds as we attempted to laugh at his joke. I held my breath as he approached her and made an effort to wrap her up in a hug.