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“Why not?”
“It was created by Gaia.”
Bertha furrowed her brow as she searched through her very long memory. Demons had a variety of gods they worshipped. Some were so obscure she’d never even heard of them. Gaia, however, was fairly popular among the fey and elemental creatures.
“Mother Earth.”
“That is one name she uses.”
Bertha studied her companion. Despite her growing sense of familiarity with Hades and her dangerous habit of treating him as if he was just another male, there was no doubt that he was a god. The very earth seemed to sag beneath the weight of his power. It seemed unbelievable that there were other deities out there who were more formidable.
“Her magic is greater than yours?” she demanded.
Hades was immediately offended. Fire swirled over his body, sparking and snapping in reaction to his burst of temper.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then why can’t you break through the labyrinth?”
His handsome features tightened. He was clearly annoyed that she would ever doubt his superior strength.
“The same reason another god can’t enter the underworld unless I allow them,” he informed her sternly. “There are rules.”
Bertha clicked her tongue. “Stupid rules.”
“Not really,” he protested. “It prevents any nasty misunderstandings. Trust me, you don’t want to witness a war between gods.”
She didn’t, of course. The Dark Lord had been bad enough before he’d been trapped beyond the veil. His explanation, however, didn’t ease her need to rescue Levet.
“Then I need to speak with Gaia.”
Hades shrugged. “You can try, but I don’t think she’ll answer.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re not one of her worshippers.”
Oh. That made sense. If a god was forever answering the requests and pleas of a bunch of strange demons, they wouldn’t have time to take care of their own people. That didn’t mean, however, that they were completely unavailable to others. She knew from her own experience they dabbled in lives that had nothing to do with them.
“I wasn’t one of yours either,” she reminded him in dry tones. “That didn’t stop you from trespassing in my mind.”
A provocative smile curved his lips as he allowed his flames to dance over her. “You were always destined to be mine.”
Bertha arched her back as the heat seared over her. Like a cat being stroked. And that’s what she felt like. A cat that was being offered a big heaping bowl of cream.
She cleared the sudden lump from her throat. “We’re not discussing you, we’re discussing Gaia. There must be some way I can ask for her assistance.”
His expression was distracted, as if he was concentrating on something beyond their conversation. Whatever it was had a hungry anticipation burning in his eyes.
“To be honest, I haven’t felt her presence in several centuries.”
Bertha waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she sent him a puzzled frown. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “She’s no longer in this dimension.”
“Why not?”
“Gods occasionally retreat and seek peace from the demands of the world.”
