Chapter Three

Storm

H ades' words make my wings shuffle uneasily behind me, showing my distress. To be honest, I don't think I'm going to feel settled again until Farren is safe and with us. I feel hollow, like she has literally taken a part of me with her, and quite frankly I have no idea how I'm remaining calm or calm adjacent. I'm by no means actually calm; I think that would be impossible in this situation.

I refuse to lose hope that she's going to be okay and that we're going to find her. As soon as I do, I'm going to lose my shit, and goddess help anyone or anything who is near me when that happens.

"Hang on," Zev says as his eyes flash white, "we need to move the bodies further into the tree line or dispose of them effectively enough that there is no trace of them left behind. If we don't, more supes are going to become aware of this entrance, and that could have more catastrophic consequences than good ones."

"Shit, you make a good point," I say, my horns joining my wings in their agitated movements and lighting up with fire; we really need to get going.

"No problem, I can use hellfire," Hades suggests as he moves over to the one closest to him.

"Will that get rid of their magical signature as well? There's not too much in the books about hellfire," I ask, although me not knowing if there's anything in the books isn't saying much. I read enough to pass my classes and defeat my enemies; I don't go in-depth like Mayhem.

"There's a reason for that," Hades smirks and then adds, "but yes, I have control over all of the hellfires, and I can use one that will ensure that there is no trace of their existence here."

My eyes widen, and Zev looks impressed as he says, "We're going to have to have an in-depth conversation about everything we don't know but should know, but right now, we need to get going. I haven't had a vision, but I have a sense of urgency riding me right now."

Hades nods and lifts his hand, but before he does whatever the hell it is that he is going to do, he frowns and moves toward the body that's closest to us. He bends down and then uses his magic to move the shirt away from the body's neck.

"What is it?" I ask curiously, seeing a strange marking I didn't spot before.

"It's the mark of one of the Princes and makes the Wraith's appearance here in the Fae realm even more concerning." Hades replies with a deep frown. He quickly goes to each body, and sure enough, they all have the same mark on them. "Fuck."

"We need to get rid of them now," Zev says urgently, "I'm sorry, but we're running out of time, and it's going to be too late in a minute."

Hades nods, and without any fanfare, he simply clicks his fingers as green flames engulf all of the bodies, destroying them within seconds.

"Impressive," I say.

"Thanks," Hades says, "we're going to have to keep an ear out in the Underworld to see if there are any whisperings about the Wraith's. I don't like this at all."

"That's easy enough to do," I reply. "Take Zev first, and I'll keep an eye out for any more Wraiths; he can fill them in about what happened on this side while you come back for me," I order, my eyes already on the area around us.

"Are you sure? I can take you both through at the same time," Grey, I mean Hades, asks me.

I glance back and see the worry creasing the skin around his eyes, as Zev nods in agreement looking concerned.

"Yes, I'm sure. You said that it could trigger something and let the princes know that you were in the Underworld. We've gotten this far, and I really don't want to risk anything delaying anymore."

"Alright, let's go," Hades orders, clearly not happy about leaving me behind but knowing that I'm right and if we risk taking me through at the same time, we could compromise how quickly we can get to Farren and a few moments could be all it takes to have the Fates spin things out of our favour. I refuse to allow that to happen.

I turn my back to the door, or at least the area where Hades and Zev disappear because there's not a door there. I figure that even though they're in another realm, my team will still have my back, and I don't have to worry about anything coming through the portal. My biggest threat is most likely going to come from in front of me. Hades kicked off a fuck load of power then, and if there are any more Wraith's nearby then they would have been drawn to it.

I can't help but try the link that I have with Farren to see if I can feel anything at all from her. My agitation grows when I can't, and I wish that we knew more about this strange link that we share or even what it is; it's not the Warrior Bond because it's so much stronger than that, and it's different, more intimate. I also know that it's not the Centre bond, from how it's described in books, what we're taught, and how it feels. It's still not quite what we have. It's another one of those mysteries that I'm not sure we're going to be able to look into until after the games, and with this taking as long as it is, I have no idea how long it's going to be until we have the time to look into it.

Movement at the edge of the treeline snaps me out of my thoughts and I tense, readying my shadows. They come quickly and feel stronger than ever but I pull them back when I realise that it's simply a rabbit. No more getting distracted by the many mysteries we've got going on.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately considering how on edge I am, there are no more Wraith's and it's not long until I feel the magic start to build in the air again, letting me know that someone, hopefully Hades, is going to walk through the portal imminently.

"Did anything else happen?" Hades asks me curiously as I turn to greet him.

I shake my head, "Unfortunately not. Come on, let's go."

He smirks at my response and then grips my shoulder. We take a step, and I feel the familiar sensation of the portal enveloping me. It's definitely not my favourite way to travel.

When my foot hits the floor, though, we're in the Underworld, and I take a moment to just look around at my surroundings. This is not somewhere that I'd ever thought I'd see, at least not without being dead first. We're getting a rather unique look at the Realm and seeing parts of it that even those who die won't get to see.

Where we've stepped into is a cobbled alleyway sandwiched between two stone-built buildings. Like most alleys, it stinks of piss and rotting food; I don't have a wide view through the opening of the alley, but from what I can see, it looks just like any small town. The only difference that I can see so far is the supernaturals that walk past the end of the alley; they're harsher somehow. I watch curiously as a supe with two tails, cloven feet, and a mouth of sharp teeth that take up most of its face moves across the end of the small alley. I have no idea what it's called, and in all honesty, so far I haven't seen many that I could name. It brings up a concerning point, and I turn to Hades.

"How badly are we going to stick out?" I ask.

"I told you that was going to be what he was worried about," Kill smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, his tail wrapped around his waist.

Hades grins, "We shouldn't, although I'm going to have to put my glamour back on while we're in the towns, I can't risk being recognised and it getting back to the Princes."

"Does that mean we should call you Grey again?" Loki asks.

"Probably for the best, at least while we're around other supes," Hades replies.

"Oh, thank fuck," Mayhem blurts out, and when we all turn to look at him adds, "I was getting confused; I keep almost saying Grey and then having to switch, and it's driving me nuts."

Khaos decides to chime in at this point, "Maybe it would be better to ease them into the name change, especially with them being here. They're the only supes that will ever see this side of the Underworld, and I've got a feeling that we're going to need them firing on all cylinders."

Hades nods, "Agreed, you can all call me Grey again, we need to make sure that no one realises that I'm here anyway."

His glamour falls back into place but quickly recedes again before once again covering him and staying in place.

"Is everything okay, old friend?" Khaos asks, looking concerned.

Grey shrugs, "It feels a lot more restrictive than it did, and when I pulled it on the first time, it made me panic. Like I wouldn't be able to remove it, like when I was compelled to keep it on, I just had to check."

"I think that's understandable, dude," Rival replies, "you had the choice taken away from you, and before that, you were held prisoner as well."

"Who put the glamour on you in the first place?" Mayhem asks.

"A goddess told me that she did it, " Grey replies. "I'm just starting to see that she had a good reason. Although when she first told me, she led me to believe that it had something to do with what happened when the Princes held me prisoner, and I'm now wondering whether it really was her who put it on me, things that I haven't noticed before are starting to make me question the truth of what I've been told."

"Fucking hell. If it was her, she must have been pretty fucking strong," Reaper observes.

"I'll fucking say, which one of the dicks supposedly did it?" Khaos asks, seemingly pissed on Gray's behalf.

"One of the Fates." Grey surprises me when he answers, I felt almost sure that he wouldn't bother or give some vague answer.

"Well, you know that they don't do anything for no reason, and that reason is not likely to make sense to us. That includes lying about whether it was her that put the glamour on you," Khaos sighs, seeming to accept the defeat of finding out the reasons behind Grey being forcefully glamoured and having the silencing spell on him as well.

"Wait, the Fates are goddesses?" Zev asks and then adds, "Not just a theory or vague notion but actual gods? Who I'm only now realising are a lot more tangible than they were to me recently."

"Oh yeah, the Fates are goddesses, sisters, actually. They're alright as far as the gods go, but tricky fuckers," Khaos replies before Grey can.

"Wow," Loki mutters and there's not really much else that he, or actually any of us can say to that.

"This is fascinating, but if I'm judging what little of the sky that I can see correctly, then it's night here. Shouldn't we find somewhere to rest and get a plan together?" Mayhem asks.

"Where can we stay? Do they have b we're coming for you.

Farren

M y eyes are sharp on my surroundings, my back against the cold stone wall. Unfortunately, I am far too fucking familiar with this damn cell. I'm in pain, but that's the least of my fucking worries right now. In fact, the pain is familiar, it's helping to keep me grounded and to keep the panic at being back in this place at bay.

Barely.

He brought me here after slicing my throat, I'm not dead, but it hurt like a fucking bitch. He's playing with me by simply leaving me here. I know he is, and I'm surprisingly a hell of a lot calmer than I thought I'd be. Which is a good job because I need to keep my wits about me so I can escape. I've done it once, and I will do it again.

I have already tried the same little hack that I used last time to escape after the voice told me, but they clearly figured that out because it didn't work. Thinking of the last time I was here makes me think of Grey, which automatically makes me think of the other guys, and a pang of pain pierces my nearly pierced heart. I can't reach them through our bonds, and the pain of not knowing if they're okay and of needing them is not something that I'm used to dealing with or dealt with last time, and it certainly adds another dimension to this whole situation.

I wouldn't say I like it.

Stupid feelings.

In order to distract myself from my spiralling thoughts about the guys I try to get into the Void again, only to hit a proverbial brick wall. I have tried every ten minutes to get into the Void since I arrived, and I haven't been successful. Each time I try, it gets more and more painful when I hit the wall that's stopping me from entering it. I don't know how long I've got before I get really sick. I didn't have this problem last time I was here, and I can only assume that it was because I wasn't as connected to the Void as I am now. It's a worry that I don't have the time for and a bridge I will cross when I get to it.

I need to move. I've been crouched against this wall for far too long, and my legs are starting to cramp. I can't risk being presented with a chance to escape and tripping over my own feet because my legs have gone numb; that would be a really stupid way to die and one that I will make sure that I never live down.

Not that I'll live because I would've died tripping over my own feet, and then I'd be trapped here forever because the dead never leave the Underworld. This may be a happy forever for those that deserve it but I will be in the burning for eternity side, and I have enough bad memories of this place that it will be hell even if by some miracle I don't end up in that side.

For fuck sake, I chastise myself internally as I yet again go off on a tangent that has no real bearing on the situation at hand.

The wound on my throat is healing a lot slower than it should, thanks purely to the kind of blade that the fucker used, but it is healing and has healed enough that I can at least breathe a little bit easier. I can't stay still any longer. I have no idea how I'm going to get the fuck out of here. I start to pace, missing Poca immensely, as he always loves to pace with me. The best that I've come up with so far is that I need to wait, bide my time, and hope that they slip up, either while they're taking me to be tortured or monologuing about something because all of them are pathetically predictable in that sense.

The plan is simple and hinges a hell of a lot on luck, which can be hit and miss with me, so there's no telling whether this is going to work in my favour or not. I don't stop pacing. Movement feels better than staying still; I can almost trick myself into thinking that I am being productive and not stuck in a damn cage.

Again.

I have spent a good portion of my life in a fucking cell, and I am so over it. I will burn them all when I get out of here. That's completely irrational and impossible to do, but thinking about it makes me feel better and also allows me to push back at the panic that's trying to drag me under. I can panic later.

I start to go over things that make me calm, like my weapons, which always calm my nerves. I flick through each of these images, studying them closely and allowing them to calm me. I'm entirely unsurprised that all the guy's faces appear among my usuals.