Chapter Thirty

Hurricane winds whip my face, causing the rain to feel like shards of glass against my skin. I yank the hood of my shirt above my head, but even that gives little reprieve to the merciless storms that ravage Tartaros.

Nick's grip on my hand is even more unforgiving, though I hardly mind. We trek through the pounding rain and thrashing winds in silence, our singular focus being our journey to the Cave of Nyx. Our voyage is made more difficult by the cement-like mud beneath our feet, caking our boots and keeping us moving at a snail's pace.

Miraculously, there is a moment when the winds slow their rampage to a soft whisper, and the sharpness of the rain dulls into the pressure of a normal rain shower. It finally gives Nick and me the chance to speak.

"I went to Talbot a few months ago," I tell him, the odd shielding ability I exhibited earlier eating at me. "I wanted to check my file to see if he might be lying, and I was something more than a Scylla."

"And?" he asks with an intrigued arch of his eyebrow.

I throw up my one free hand. "Nothing. My bloodwork says Scylla."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Does your file label you as a god?"

Nick nods. "It's in my blood, Rhi. It shows up. Not to mention, it's difficult to hide some of my abilities now."

"Like disappearing?" I say with a smirk.

"Or like shielding yourself," he fires back.

That wipes the smirk from my face, and I let out a defeated sigh. "I've never been able to do that before, and I have no idea where it came from."

Nick appears pensive for a moment. "Sometimes, our powers strengthen when we are near the source of their origin. For example, I'd be ten times more powerful in Hell than I am here or on Earth."

I raise my brows incredulously. "Are you saying that I'm from here ? "

"No. No one is born here, Rhi. You'd never have been able to leave otherwise." He squeezes my hand. "I just mean, maybe there's something here that's the source of your power. It's worth asking when we get to meet this creature."

I almost smile at his choice of words and the conviction behind them. Nick's use of the word when and not if solidifies his belief in us, that we can do this. Together.

The violent winds and pounding rain resume their destructive dance, and Nick tightens his fingers around mine as we trek further and further through Tartaros.

Despite the chaos whirling around me, moving in silence has me catapulting through the depths of my mind, unearthing thoughts I had buried. Even though the confirmation is on the page, I can't shake the feeling that I truly am something more than what my blood work confirms. Though, I guess I can rule out that I have any god-blood flowing through my veins, considering that, too, would show up on my bloodwork. And if what Nick says is true, that perhaps the source of my power is connected to something within Tatartos, what does that say about me? That I am connected to this deep abyss that houses torment and suffering, and imprisons those even the Underworld and Hell deem too wicked and debauched? What sort of dark, depraved power flows through my veins?

Nick yanks me from my spiraling thoughts with a painful squeeze of my fingers.

I yell, attempting to wrench my hand from his unrelenting grip. Nick holds on, shouting something at me through the roaring of the wind and rain.

I finally follow the path of his gaze, then squeeze his hand back. Excitement and fear war within my chest as I take in the massive mouth of the Cave in front of me, the inside a darkness so black it feels as though it would swallow the sun itself whole. Two torches flank the outside of the Cave, their flames so dangerously vibrant they appear to be warning trespassers not to venture any closer.

Nick and I don't heed that warning. As we approach, the rain and wind cease immediately, as though we've crossed over into an entirely different realm. Behind us, the storm still rages. A ripple of power trickles over me, confirming what I already felt in my bones.

I pull my hood back. "This is it," I breathe. "We made it."

Nick draws back his own hood, gold eyes glowing like dying embers. The gleam gives him a more sinister appearance, making him look every inch the heir apparent to Hell.

We approach the mouth of the Cave with trepidation. I note the inky darkness never dissipates, so we can see nothing beyond the threshold. Nick's hand never leaves mine, and we share one more encouraging look before darkness envelopes us.

Or so I thought.

A soft glow manifests, just enough for us to see a few feet beyond our steps. I glance around, looking for the source of the light, when I catch Nick smiling.

"What?"

He gestures with his free hand towards my left ear. "It's the moonflower. It's glowing."

"Really?"

Nick nods, and I release a relieved breath that we will at least have some light to illuminate our way.

We barely make it another few feet when I'm slammed by a wave of power so immense, I stumble back. Nick wavers a bit on his own feet, but tugs me back by his side and pulls me close.

"She's here," he whispers ominously.

"Well, well," a bedroom voice calls from the darkness, "what do we have here?"

Nick immediately shoves me behind him just as the Scylla hisses and snarls .

"It is no use trying to hide her from me, Demon Prince. My Darkness sees everything. Besides, the little monster glows with the light of the moon. I should like to see her."

I attempt to step forward, but Nick shoves a thick, muscled arm out to the side, blocking me.

A dangerous chuckle. "Do not make me ask twice, Demon Prince."

I place my hands on Nick's forearm, lowering it so I can pass. "Nick, let me do this. Please."

Nick doesn't answer, and I move towards the Darkness without him drawing me back, though I can feel his broad body behind me, ghosting my every step.

Silence descends in the space surrounding us as I wait with bated breath for the Goddess of Night to appear. My heart pumps rapidly while my pulse races, the fact that darkness blankets my peripheral vision adding to the growing fear of facing the personification of Night itself.

Nick's hand finds the small of my back, rubbing soothing, circular motions along my spine with his thumb. "Breathe, Rhi. I won't let anything happen to you."

"It has been a long time, Scylla." The voice seems to come from everywhere, but my eyes snap to the woman standing only a few feet from me, if she can even be called a woman.

Hair as black as raven's feathers falls past her shoulders, glossy and wavy, skimming the floor. She wears no clothing, her breasts and the apex of her thighs shadowed by clouds of darkness. Her moonlight skin shines with a pearlescent glow, accentuating eyes that are wholly black and absent of a pupil. Blood-red lips part in a terrifying grin, and she beckons me forward with an abnormally long, gnarled finger tipped by an even longer onyx claw.

"Scylla is my ancestor," I tell the Goddess, astonished I can keep my voice steady. "My name is Rhiannon."

"Rhiannon?" The Goddess's lips do not move. Rather, her eerie voice echoes in my mind - an utterly disconcerting experience.

I nod.

"And what is it you seek, Rhiannon, to move through treacherous lands and face my wrath?"

"We seek the creature that dwells within your Cave."

Her terrifying grin blooms wider, and maniacal laughter booms in my head. "Do you know what creature is imprisoned within these walls?"

"We do not. "

"Ah. Then I must warn you both: You will find nothing but imminent death should you venture any further."

"We must," Nick replies, and it's then I realize the Goddess had been speaking in his head as well.

"Are you sure?" she croons.

"What sort of creature awaits us?" I ask.

The Goddess cocks her head, her hair rippling in a non-existent breeze. "The kind that has been imprisoned since the Dawn of Time, who harbors nothing except hatred and brutality, and who will take a single glimpse at both of you and relish the idea of wearing your bones as adornments for the next two centuries."

Well, that was needlessly graphic.

"Should you wish to proceed," Nyx continues, "I have only two demands. The first is your moonflower, Rhiannon."

Easy enough. I silently thank Persephone as I unhook the flower from my ear. "And the second?"

Nyx takes another step toward me, and I resist the urge to flinch. There is something so astoundingly otherworldly about her, more so than even Hades and Persephone, that has me in a constant state of fight or flight. Perhaps it is the chaos that whirls within her blood I sense, waiting to be unleashed, that has me so on edge.

"You must swear to me that despite whatever lies the creature tells or whatever he holds against you, you will not set him free."

This should be another simple acquiesce on my part. After all, why would I want to set this creature free in the first place? Not to mention, how would I even accomplish that? Yet, my tongue feels weighted, some deep, unconscious part of me aware this may not be such an easy task.

Nyx's lips twist in a snarl. " Swear it. " The unmistakable hiss slithers into my head.

"I swear," I say instantly.

"Good." Nyx holds out a withered hand. "Now, the moonflower."

I steal a glance at Nick, who watches me with caution in his gaze. I can read his expression, and like him, I somehow feel this is all an elaborate trick. It seems too easy. Too convenient, starting with our visit to Hades' penthouse. Granted, we both left owing the King and Queen of the Underworld, Nick granting him access to Hell and me being tethered to their realm, but still…

Something is definitely amiss, and I have a feeling shit is going to hit the fan and subsequently explode .

Nyx makes an impatient nose in her throat, which also plays in my head, and I place the moonflower in her bony fingers. They curl around it possessively, and the dark Goddess gleefully smiles like a child with an ice cream cone.

"Keep your eyes ahead," she tells us. "Do not stray from the path in front of you. My Darkness loves to play tricks. Whatever you hear, do not turn back, lest you will wander this cave for the rest of your very short lives."

With that ominous warning, the Goddess disappears, winking out our only source of light. Nick's fingers wrap around mine, and darkness swallows us as we venture further into the cave.

The only sounds are the steady exhales of Nick's breath and my trembling puffs of air. Darkness itself has never frightened me, but this is not simply darkness. It is thick, oppressive, thriving with a malicious sentience like the Goddess herself. This Darkness is -

"Rhi," a pained, familiar voice calls.

I stop dead in my tracks. I know that voice. It's been ages since I've heard it, and oh, how I've longed to hear it again.

Liv.

"Rhi," she implores. "Please. Help me. "

I'm just about to turn when Nick's strong arms come around mine, holding me in place. I thrash against him.

"Let me go! She needs help. I have to help her!"

Nick pulls me against him, imprisoning me in his arms. "It's not her, Rhi."

"Yes, it is," I sob, because a part of me knows he's right. Liv died months ago. I held her bleeding, lifeless body in my arms as I screamed myself hoarse. But another part of me aches for it to really be her, that it was all a grotesque nightmare, and my friend is alive and pleading for me to save her. "I have to save her this time!"

"I know." He soothingly strokes my hair, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "I know."

Sobs wrack my body as Nick continues to run his hands down my back and my arms, intermittently placing kisses to my wet cheeks. He finally pulls me forward, and we continue walking deeper into the cave.

The voice pretending to be Liv still calls for me. Sometimes it screams in agony, and I grip Nick tighter. Occasionally, it curses my existence. Taunts me.

Murderer, it accuses.

Liar, it hisses.

But every time I'm about to falter, Nick's relentless, powerful grip is there, pulling me along, making sure I don't succumb to the Darkness threatening to engulf me. Holding me steady.

My anchor.

The voice suddenly takes on a different, yet also eerily familiar tone.

Mine.

Nick stumbles before halting, his bronzed skin turning white. His eyes widen in terror, unblinking, and his jaw drops.

"Nick," I shake him. "I'm right here. You know that's not me."

"It's…" He blinks. "It's not just that. I'm…I'm seeing things."

I urge him forward with a small push between his shoulder blades to keep him from moving backward, then squeeze his hand encouragingly. "I'm right here, Nick. Talk to me."

His throat bobs when he swallows, eyes still wide with fright. "I see…you. Dead."

I stumble at that, but I press on and whisper, "It's not real. None of it is real."

Nick nods, moving a few more steps forward, then falters again. This time, a grief-stricken expression warps his face, and a single tear slips down his cheek. Before I can reach for him, Nick presses the heel of his hand to his eyes.

"It's not real," he whispers, voice trembling.

I move to stand in front of him and take his hands from his red-rimmed eyes. He stares at me with a mixture of wonder and sadness.

"Are you real?" he asks.

I take his hand and place it right over my heart. "I'm real, Nick. Feel my heart. It beats only for you."

A shudder ripples through me, one I feel through Nick. He closes his eyes and brings his forehead to mine, breathing heavily. I place my palm on his cheek. "We have to keep moving."

Nick nods, and I quickly brush my lips against his before I pull him forward.

If Nick suffers anymore visions, he doesn't let on. We continue our walk in silence, our breathing the only sounds permeating the impenetrable Darkness. Nick's expression is stoic, any evidence of horror and grief replaced by a neutral mask. Only his beautiful eyes remain haunted. Something tells me that last vision was a lot more than just my death.

Just when it seems as though Nick and I will wander hopelessly through this cave for eternity, a flickering light enters my vision, growing brighter and brighter as Nick and I hurry towards it .

Another set of torches flank a staircase that descends into a spacious cavern. Sculpted pillars intersperse the rocky terrain, ascending into a ceiling obscured by darkness. More torches hang in a random pattern from the cavern's walls. Nick descends the stairs first, and I follow, careful not to lose my balance as the staircase lacks railings.

The air at the bottom is damp and cloying, and moisture sticks to me like an extra layer of clothing. Nick and I move about the room with caution, though my Scylla heads are quiet, so I don't anticipate danger just yet. However, Nick's nostrils flare, and his eyes dart about the room as though this creature will appear suddenly.

I spot another source of light, this coming from an actual lamp , though I can't imagine how it's being powered without electricity. It rests atop a smooth rock shaped like a desk accompanied by tomes of leather-bound books.

"This creature can read?" I rifle through the titles, all in a language I can't decipher.

"I don't like this." Nick stays in the center of the room, still assessing our surroundings. He appears supremely uncomfortable. Nick is rarely perturbed and the sight of him right now, on edge, makes me uneasy.

"Just what sort of creature-" I don't get to finish my sentence. The third and typically lazy snake-head fires awake, glimpsing behind me, a crude blade hurtling with ferocious speed towards my neck. I duck, feeling the whoosh of air as the blade grazes the top of my head, just as Nick barrels into me and whisks us away with abnormal speed.

" Fuck, " he says after he deposits us behind a wide stalagmite.

"What the fuck was that?" I ask through terrified breaths.

"Not what. Who. That's Cronus. The fucking King of the Titans."

I feel the blood rush from my head. "That's who's imprisoned down here?"

Nick doesn't get a chance to answer as the wicked blade severs the top of the stalagmite, sharp rocks and debris raining down on us as it crumbles.

Nick shoves me forward, out of the path of the crumbling rock, only for himself to become buried beneath it.

I scream his name in panic before I set my sights on the man wielding the blade.

The Titan.

He is everything his name offers. A titan of a man, standing well over seven feet tall and broad enough to send even the most ferocious of beasts cowering. Long, golden brown hair flows unbound past his muscled shoulders, his face donning a beard of a similar hue. His eyes are an arresting blue, one that seems familiar and ancient all at once. Dark ink almost entirely covers his bare torso, save for a strip down the middle. And gods, the power. It's both seductive and devastating, unlike anything I've ever felt. And yet…

That's not quite true.

I hold the Titan's stare as the scythe blade stops inches from my face. His chest heaves with fury, an ire burning in his gaze, but then it turns inquisitive. I find it curious, too, that my Scylla has not moved an inch since saving me from the rogue blade. Oddly, it doesn't find him threatening.

The Titan lowers the blade slightly, his mouth parting in surprise, before toppling over to the side when Nick barrels into him out of nowhere.

The physical fight doesn't last long, as the Titan flings Nick off him like a piece of lint. They trade blows in power, and though Nick is powerful, the Titan definitely has an edge over him.

A part of me wants to speak out, to let Nick know I don't believe the Titan wants to harm me. He would have done so already. But I'm so afraid of distracting Nick that I keep my mouth shut and watch as blood trickles from the Titan's nose and Nick dodges jagged rocks tossed at him.

The Titan finally swipes the scythe close enough to tear Nick's shirt. Though no blood is drawn, I'm terrified enough that I scream Nick's name once more. Only, it isn't Nick that's distracted. The Titan whips his head in my direction with a look that can only be described as…

Concern?

Nick uses that to his advantage, landing a blow of power that knocks the Titan from his feet and sends his scythe scattering in the opposite direction. Instead of finishing him, Nick sprints towards me and grabs my hand.

"We need to get out of here," he pants, whisking us towards the staircase. "I can't defeat him, and if that scythe lands anywhere near our skin, it will render us powerless."

Stunned, I let Nick lead me toward the stairs, but just as we reach the first step, Cronus appears and blocks our path.

Nick shoves me behind him, backpedaling as Cronus advances. He places the scythe beneath Nick's chin, and though it doesn't touch him, I hold my hand out to stop him.

Nick swats it away, raises his chin, and does his best to create a blockade with his arms to keep me behind him.

"Don't fucking touch her," he snarls, and although there's a cruel blade at his neck that can either render him powerless or sever his head from his body, not a single scrap of fear laces his tone.

Cronus chuckles, the noise similar to a low rumble of thunder, and pulls the scythe from Nick's neck. "Relax, Demon Prince." His attention snaps to me, and his next words chill me to my core. "I would never harm my own daughter."