I had been wrong about being less scared of foes I could see than those that were hidden. This thing should have stayed in the shadows and smoke for eternity.
The creature had the body and head of a curvaceous woman, but the damage to its wings were nothing in comparison to the rest of it. Her skin was blackened as though she had been brutally burned, the only color coming from gaping red wounds slashed all over her body, rotten flesh and bone protruding nauseatingly. Her face looked as though it had been melted, her features sagging and her mouth hanging too low, as though her jaw was no longer connected to her skull, and just her charred skin was keeping it there. It made her gaping mouth look as though she were screaming. Her eyes were worse though. They were solid black, and utterly devoid of soul, and I’d never seen anything so jarring or unnerving. Even Terror’s blank features were preferable to those pits of nothingness.
“You smell like War,” she hissed. Her mouth didn’t move as she spoke.
I took a ragged breath. “Who are you?”
“I am not given a name in the Underworld. Who are you?”
“Bella,” I said. My palms were slick with sweat, and I could feel it running down my back, despite the cool wind blowing over the ship. “Where are we? And where are the Guardians?”
“You just missed them, baby goddess.” There was a high-pitched cackle, and I shuddered involuntarily. “Zeus needs me to move them often.”
“Zeus? What’s he got to do with anything?”
“He freed me. I do not ask questions, and he lets me have souls.” Smoke billowed up around her as she said the word “souls” with chilling excitement.
“Where are the Guardians?” I asked again. My skin was fizzing with adrenaline, and I was struggling to contain my energy. Every part of me longed to lash out, to prove to this threat that I shouldn’t be fucked with. It was my go-to response to fear.
“Why are you here? You smell delicious.”
My stomach churned at her words. “The Lords of War sent me here. Do you know them?”
Another cackle emanated from her. “The Lords of War are too kind,” she screeched, the sound making me flinch. “But I don’t think my master wants me to take your soul. I think he has plans for you and the other one.”
“The other one? Ares?”
“But you smell so good... I’m sure he can make a new plan.”
“What is he planning?” My muscles tensed as she moved, hovering slightly closer to me. I had no idea how to defend myself against her.
“That’s not my business. Why is the other one not with you?”
“I... I came alone.” Saying the words felt wrong, and guilt about abandoning Ares welled up inside me. “Tell me where the Guardians are, now!” I projected as much power as I could muster into the words, and saw my skin glow in response. Thank fuck for that. I was seriously under-equipped in this face off. I didn’t know how to fight a demon, Joshua was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn’t flash.
I was stuck on a flying ship with a shit-scary demon that wanted my soul. A bit of glowing was definitely what I needed.
A low growl rumbled across the deck, distant screams sounding on the wind.
“You know, you smell even better when you use your power,” she hissed. “Like fire and steel and earth.”
That’s what Ares smelled like, I realized. A fierce wish for him to be at my side speared through my head, and I bared my teeth, angry with myself for being so needy and weak. But as I tried to convince myself that I didn’t need the God of War’s help, the more I realized just how out of my depth I was. I felt a surge of strength flow through me as my power turned the fear into anger.
“Stop fucking smelling me and tell me where the Guardians are!”
“No. I’m afraid you are too delectable to give up, baby goddess.” With a piercing shriek that made pain lance through my skull and terror coil around my chest simultaneously, she swooped at me.
2
Ares
I heaved in a breath as my chest constricted, as though a vice was gripping it. I knew what was causing this latest alien feeling. It was anxiety.
I actually feared for the girl’s safety. To the point that my heart wasn’t beating steadily, my pulse was racing and my throat was tight. My body was betraying me, behaving like a besotted child when it should be steady and solid and immovable.
Damn this woman!
As strong as Bella apparently was, she could not face an Underworld demon alone. She had no training, no idea what she was dealing with, and no escape.
“Eris, if you care for me at all, you will do as I ask!” I barked the words as my sister sipped slowly from a metal goblet.
It had taken me nearly twenty minutes to find her after I had sprinted from the fighting pit back to Erimos, and now she knew she had me exactly where she wanted me. Desperate.
“Brother, you know I care for nobody.”
“If you take me to her, I will wreak havoc,” I tried. Something flashed in Eris’ dark eyes.
“Well, I do love a bit of havoc,” she murmured, setting her glass down on the wooden table before her. I had finally found her in a brothel, and she had refused to leave. A naked young man appeared out of nowhere and refilled her goblet, glancing nervously at me. I was still in full armor. Eris winked at him.
“Bella hates me right now,” I continued. “And she will be sure to be causing trouble wherever she is. It’s a win-win for you.”
“The thing is, Ares, I know who is behind the Lords’ new enthusiasm for taking you down. And it’s not someone I want to fuck with.”
“Who? Who is doing this?”
“I already told you, I’m giving you nothing for free.”
Another bolt of worry clawed at my insides and I snarled before I could stop myself. This invasive, constant, useless emotion did not belong inside me, and I didn’t know how to remove it, other than assure it of Bella’s safety. And Eris was the only person I would ask for help.
“What do you want?”
“I want to know who she is, Ares.”
“No. I can’t tell you that.”
And I couldn’t.
Another infernal new feeling flared to life alongside the anxiety. Guilt. This one was becoming familiar to me now. And the two combined... How the hell did mortals get a single thing done with all this debilitating emotion churning around inside them?
“Then I can’t do a thing for you, brother. It would not be worth his wrath.”
I latched onto her words. “His wrath?”
She waggled her eyebrows at me, eyes shining. “Oops. Did I say that out loud?”
“Eris, either tell me what you know, or send me to Bella. I swear the chaos will be worth it for you.”
I knew she wanted to help me. I could see the struggle on her face as she stared up at me. “Give me something in return,” she said eventually.
“I can’t tell you who she is.”
“Then admit to me that you like her.”
I was thankful that my helmet hid my face. I could feel it heating with unease, embarrassment and... excitement? What the hell was this collection of feelings supposed to be? Gods, they were endless! The further from Bella and her power I was, the more they invaded my being. It was untenable.