"We survive." I squeezed his hand. "We deal with Constantine. And we figure out the rest after."
"And if we don't survive?"
"Then at least we'll die fighting instead of running."
"That doesn't make it easier."
"Nothing about this is easy." I let go of his hand. "But it’ll be worth it.”
The screen door opened. The Oracle came back in, soaking wet, her crimson scarf dripping. She wrung out her scarf over the sink and grabbed a towel. "He has something to tell you."
Rhadamanthys followed her in holding his wet hat against his chest. "There's a way out of this," he said without preamble. "Trial by combat. Ancient law that predates the Pantheon itself. You’ll have to earn the right to challenge a Judge. If you win, your crimes are forgiven."
I swallowed. "And if we lose?"
"You die in the attempt. But you were dead anyway, so what do you have to lose?" He smirked. "The trial takes place in the labyrinth beneath Villa del Priorato di Malta. You'll need three Director seals to invoke it. Blood seals."
I exhaled slowly. "Where do we get three Director seals?"
"Hades will help you." He looked down at his bleeding hand. "If I ask him... he'll listen."
Jasper stepped forward. Metal clinked softly as he placed something on the table between us.
The metal disc was roughly the size of a silver dollar, tarnished black except where blood had been pressed into its carved surface. The design showed a hammer crossed over tongs, an anvil beneath, all rendered in dried crimson that had seeped into every groove and line. The blood looked old, years old.
Jasper said nothing. Just stood there with his arms crossed, cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Hephaestus's seal," Rhadamanthys said quietly, something like respect in his voice.
"Is that allowed?" I looked between them. "You're not a Director anymore."
Jasper's expression didn't change, but something flickered in those pale eyes that might have been hurt or anger or both.
Rhadamanthys studied the seal, then shrugged. "There's nothing in the ancient texts that specifies the Director must still hold their position. Only that three Director seals are required. Hephaestus's seal is as good as any. Better, perhaps. It's been consecrated in fire and blood."
"One down," Rhadamanthys said. "Two to go."
The Oracle smiled. "See? Not so hard."
Rhadamanthys kept his eyes on me and Rafael. "I'm doing this for two reasons. First, Minos may be within his rights to do as he’s doing, even if he is acting against the spirit of the law. But what he’s doing is wrong. It violates everything I believe in, every oath we’ve taken. And secondly, I’m helping you because love stories are too rare to waste. And watching yours get destroyed by a corrupt system..." He didn't finish. Didn't need to.
"Thankyou," I said.
"Don't thank me yet. You still have to survive the labyrinth. Constantine will bring everything he has. He has two trained eagles that can see in the dark and talons that will rip your face off. And you’ll be chained together. Somehow, you’ll have to find your way out of a labyrinth. Together."
My stomach dropped. Chained together in a magical death maze. No escape routes. No solo victories. Work together or die.
Rafael had gone completely still beside me.
Rhadamanthys stepped back. "I’ll speak to Hades on your behalf and set up a meeting, but… Be wary. Everyone who helps you is putting their lives at risk."
"I understand," I said.
"I hope you do, Piccolo." He moved toward the door, then stopped and turned back.
"One piece of advice." He looked at Rafael, and his voice cracked slightly. "Don't wait. Don't think you have time to figure it out, to do it right, to be ready. You never have as much time as you think. I thought we had forever. We had three months."
Then he walked out into the rain and disappeared into the darkness.
