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I gripped the ring tightly in my fist, the metal prongs that held the stone digging into my palm. I was going to find her and slip this back onto her finger in person.I’m coming for you, Grace. I’ll slay the monster and save the girl, and spend the rest of my life trying to be the man you deserve.
Chapter 16
Tartarussetmedownat the mouth of a well-lit cave, the entrance to it very much human-sized. Not… however big he was.
“You’re not coming with me?” I asked, slightly forlorn.
He hesitated for a moment. “No.”
“Oh. That’s a shame. I like you, Tartarus. I think if my friends back in the upperworld were anything like you, I must have had quite a happy life.”
I was being honest, and I thought that telling Tartarus the truth about how great I thought he was would make him feel better since he seemed pretty down about his son, but it seemed that I shocked him into silence instead. Maybe I was meant to be more formal with him? Say something more respectful and profound?
“I appreciate that, tiny Oneiroi. You and your blustering ignorance have made a profound impact on the way I think about mortals’ lives. You are not as insignificant as I supposed you were.”
O…kay?I couldn’t tell if everyone I’d met was kind of rude, or if that was just my confusion about the world talking.
“There are some gods here for you to meet. I want you to speak to them.”
“Okay. About anything in particular?”
“The things you talked about with me. Life. Love. Humanity.”
“Just talk to them?” There was a test in here somewhere, but I didn’t understand the parameters. Probably because I was swanning around blind and stupid, and apparently that was an advantage.
Tartarus hummed. “Nyx spoke to you of choice. Well, I have a choice of my own to make. A love of my own to consider. A son I can no longer protect.”
“And these gods… they can help?”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps they will hinder. The decision is in your hands.”
That seemed very serious. Like the kind of thing someone with more knowledge of the situation should be entrusted with.
Tartarus gently pushed me forward, a ripple of strange pressure passing over my skin as he guided me through the mouth of the cave. Was it some kind of invisible wall? I turned around, trying to stick my hand back through and finding it solid though I couldn’t see anything blocking the way.
Okay. Okay, not great.
Hopefully, he’d come back and let me out. We were friends, right?
I wandered through the short tunnel into a large but comfortable cavern. It was filled with fancy carved furniture made of both wood and marble, with tapestries, rugs, and blankets covering most of the hard surfaces, giving the place an oddly cozy feel, despite its cave basement location.
“Well, aren’t you a little treat,” a feminine voice purred, making me jump. Somehow, a woman—a goddess—had snuck up behind me, and she was leaning down to speak in my ear, twisting my hair around her finger before trailing it down the side of my neck in a way that felt vaguely threatening.
I didn’t like her touching me, I decided. Somewhere out there, there were people who loved me, and it felt wrong to have someone else touching me like this.
“Has Tartarus finally sent us some entertainment?” she asked, her voice a low rasp in my ear.
“I don’t think so, sorry. I’m just here to talk.”
Her hand froze in place for a moment before she withdrew completely, stalking around to face me and looking me up and down.
I swallowed thickly, beyond intimidated by the goddess’ appearance. She had curly dark red hair that fell past her waist, and the most perfectly symmetrical face, with full lips and bright golden eyes. Her body was draped in almost completely sheer purple fabric, showcasing generous curves, and I focused my gaze somewhere over her left shoulder, suddenly feeling very guilty for even noticing them.
“No need to be shy, halfling. It’s only natural that you look—I am the Goddess of Beauty, you can’t help being drawn to my… charms.”
“Um, that’s okay. I don’t think I’m a halfling, I’m the Spirit of Dreams.”
“You’re half dead, half alive,” she clarified, narrowing her golden eyes at me. Oh dear, this was not off to a good start, I didn’t think. She seemed annoyed.
