Page 22 of Of Monsters and Mazes

“The entrance is here.” I relented with an exhale, before directing her attention to the false wall three feet from her side. I stuck my hand through the illusion just to build trust.

“Oh.” She laughed sheepishly before she tested the space herself. She first stuck her hand through, then waved her wrist about, searching for the edge where the wall became real again. “The illusion is so perfect. How will I even know what direction I can go?”

A pouty frown formed on her lips, and I had no idea why that made a frown form on my own.

“There are signs if you pay enough attention.” I motioned towards a carved swirl in the stone, nearly hidden beneath the ivy, that didn’t exactly match the rest of the pattern by barely a millimeter or less. “Small imperfections that don’t line up are the easiest giveaway. But if you’re not very observant, you’re going to have a hell of a time.” I shrugged. “Are you sure you want to go in there?”

“I don’t really have a lot of choice in the matter.” She traced that imperfect swirl with her fingers, seemingly memorizing the subtle mismatch. When she was satisfied, she took her first step into the Labyrinth. I followed, staying by her side, as I was likely going to have to do if I wanted her to have any hope of surviving this place. Playing in my dream space and chasing down Jericho was one thing. The living maze and its denizens would be another.

But then, was she really my problem? Yes and no and completely up for debate, depending on how I chose to interpret my latest orders.

“Thank you.” Butterfly said, smiling up at me. An uncomfortable feeling squeezed at my chest, and I wondered if this was what a human heart attack felt like. My own central nervous system didn’t typically act like this, but I’d seen it enough in various nightmare spaces to know that was most likely what it was. Odd.

I shook my head to dismiss the thought. It was best to get this over with quickly so Jericho could get back to doing whatever the fuck he does when he’s not making weird bargains with random humans to spite Olympus and torture lost souls.

This whole tribute situation was so outdated, but then, Jericho was the King of pettiness even more than he was the King of Tartarus itself. I was fairly certain that the reason he picked a prickly woman as tribute, nine times out of ten, was more to spite Pasiphae than it was about worthiness or anything else.

That was his prerogative, I suppose. It’s not like there were rules. Children and animals were the only protected species, but not even Jericho himself was that cold, so no one had ever argued that provision. I wondered if stealing a cat was borderline against regulations, but as long as he fed, protected, and homed it, it was a grey area. Rai was a softy for furry, defenseless things anyway, so there wasn’t much to worry about. No new wars would be started over animal abuse under the Minotaur’s watch.

Whatever. I just played along because I had nothing better to do, really. Maybe little Butterfly over here would be 1% fun, provided she could survive long enough.

We’ll see how resilient she is soon.

Chapter 9

Pumpkin. How could such a ridiculously small animal with such a ridiculous name take up so much space? This little thing would sit on my lap while I was on my throne and just park there and fall asleep, making me feel rather obligated to stay in place. How such a tiny creature could have such power, I didn’t know, but I would have to research this impressive influence further. It was a skill worth conveying to my subjects.

I stroked his fur, and he started rumbling with a low, vibrating sound. It was pleasant and soothing to my ears, and again, I didn’t understand how he’d mastered such a subtle and irresistible form of manipulation.

He was already more comforting and loyal than my other pet.

I heard the sound of a door being closed as softly as possible, and I rolled my eyes at the pointless attempt at sneaking back into the castle unannounced. Like I’d not noticed his absence. Comical and pathetic.

“How nice of you to join me, Rai.” I spoke loudly, assuring he would hear me from the hall. Footsteps ceased when I said his name. “And where have you been exactly?”

“Out for a run, Master.” He bowed his head as he entered the throne room. He spoke to me with utmost respect, as was expected of him, and I loved the way that subtle tension and obedience looked on him. Though Rai was always fetching, with his thick black hair, the large L-shaped horns that jutted straight out from his skull and up towards the sky, and the dark red, slitted eyes set in his handsome face. His modicum of piercings, from his eyebrows to his septum, reflected his desperate need for rebellion and individualism, while the tattoos that adorned his bare shoulders added a hint of wildness to the man. Something tamed only by the collar I kept snug around his throat. It was important to always remind him that he was mine.

“Find anything interesting on your little run?” I asked with disinterest. He wouldn’t have encountered my Fraulein yet. She just barely received Theron’s tracking marks, and she’d only taken her first step into the maze. If he’d been clattering about the Orange Sector as usual, he’d be waiting a while.

Admittedly, I’d like to go back and taunt her some more, but I’d been obligated to rush back to the castle to figure out how to care for this high maintenance Pumpkin, and now I’d missed all the fun of watching her deal with the Senseless Forest. It was impressive that she’d somehow already made it to the start of the maze without having at least lost a limb or two to the Skolexes. I was happy to save her from dying from her fall, and I’d considered shielding her through the forest, but that would have taken some of the thrill out of the event for her. It had been an age and a half since I’d fancied a woman enough to let her live so long in my space, but to watch her surviving and thriving was unexpectedly titillating in its own right.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, Master.” He kept his gaze on the floor, hiding his expression behind his mid-length hair. “Though I noticed the Twilight Clock is ticking. Have you released a new tribute into my maze?”

I couldn’t help smiling at that slightly curious and hopeful expression he so rarely showed me. Rai was always quite proper, but he had little regard for the people who were invited to my games. More often than not, he saw this event as a burden, and he typically looked down on them in the same way I looked down on him. I couldn’t say if it was jealousy over the attention I gave the humans, or if it was something deeper, but he never hesitated to gore and bleed out anyone who got near the castle. For a matter of fact, he seemed to revel in it.

This truly was his Labyrinth after all. I’d helped with the design, built the basic structures, and given him the tools he needed to customize it to his liking, but it was his own magic and soul linking that turned it into the ever-changing death trap that it was today. I liked that he had somewhere to play and hunt in while also having a canvas for his creativity.

Though he acted like he was disinterested in the men and women who I brought here as tributes to Tartarus, I’d seen the glint in his eye when a mortal fell victim to one of his traps or lost their way in the twisting corridors.

But I wouldn’t bore him with the details. It was better if he met Sela in person to learn her quirks.

“A new tribute, yes. Nothing to concern yourself with, however. Just a pretty little thing who thinks she’s unbreakable.” I stroked Pumpkin idly as I spoke, which I hadn’t realized I’d been doing until Rai’s gaze fixated on my lap.

“Why do you have a cat?” He asked, with the strain of not wanting to offend me, but also unable to continue standing there without asking about it.

“Bait.” I said with a shrug. “Every rat in the maze needs some form of motivation to justify pressing on.” Pumpkin’s purr was so unexplainably soothing.

“You think a cat is motivation enough to commit to the Labyrinth?” He blinked rapidly, clueless as he stared at the little orange animal. “Who would be willing to die for something that small and pointless?” He spoke coldly, but the subtle wanting in his eyes was obvious. I knew Rai had a soft spot for furry things, for better or for worse.