Not the gods, though, who are both furious and, though they hide it, scared shitless by this turn of events. I think the only thing keeping them from losing their shit and descending into another war here and now is the fact that I am Queen of the Underworld, so at least Hades won’t hold both titles.
What happens next is full of pomp and circumstance and bullshit that I will myself to get through.
I hold Hades’ hand through the golden laurel leaf crown of the winning champion being placed on my head by Zeles. Not Zeus. He’s not here, thank the gods.
Which I guess now means I’m thanking myself.
That’ll take some getting used to.
Hades has to let me go when the power to rule Olympus is granted to him. All that is required is that he sit on the throne. One by one, the Olympian gods and goddesses drop to a knee, bowing their heads. And when they do, a rainbow arcs from them to Hades.
“You too, young goddess,” Zeles murmurs beside me. “Acknowledge him as your king in your heart. Your magic will do the rest.”
And I, too, bow.
When the rainbow of light pours from me, it feels like the purest warmth wrapping around me even as it also feels like a part of me is drawn out of my body and floats across the colors to Hades.
It feels…right.
The Daemones are next. And then all the crowds of immortals stand, kneel, and bow, and the entire sky is filled with rainbows.
Our lights strike Hades in the chest, flowing into him until he glows with unearthly brightness.
When the rainbows dissipate and everyone rises, the glow around Hades fades and a crown manifests on his head.
Not golden laurel leaves.
Not golden at all.
He wears a dark crown made of black gold, obsidian chips, and smoke. He catches the way I’m buttoning my lips around a laugh and winks. Then smoke swirls around my own head, and I reach up, touching the pointed spikes of a matching crown.
I think the entire world might hold its breath as power crackles across Hades’ body, absorbing into eyes gone dark, swirling gray.
“My first act as king,” he announces in a voice as dark as his crown, “will be to keep a promise and grant the winner’s prize.”
He looks at me, and I say clearly, “I ask for Boone Runar to be made a god.”
Hades snaps his fingers.
Boone appears on the dais. He has faded a bit more since I saw him last. He blinks, then looks around, visibly confused until his gaze lands on mine. Then his eyes widen before his mouth lifts into that cocky grin.
“About damn time,” he says in an echoey voice.
“What’s this about, Hades?” Poseidon demands.
Before anyone else can so much as move, Hades holds up his hands, and power goes out of him. It’s not black like I’m sure the world expects but a brilliant, sparkling blue—the color of the River Styx.
Boone’s ghostly form absorbs the light, then slowly turns from translucent to opaque and then to radiant, incredible health. Suddenly, a beam of that same blue light shoots from Boone straight to Hermes where he, like the other gods, is on his feet.
“No!” Hermes throws his hands up to ward off what’s coming, but it’s too late.
Boone has already taken what he needs, and the glow around him dissipates, that cocky grin widening. “Looks like there’s a new god of thieves in town,” he says.
The way Hermes stares at him, Boone had better watch his back.
Boone dismisses the messenger god without another glance, turning instead to offer me a bow. Me, not Hades.
I grin back before facing Hades, my smile changing to one of gratitude. “Thank you,” I whisper.
He would never admit it out loud, but he knows what Boone once meant to me, and with my curse gone, he knows it’s possible for Boone to love me back. Making my friend a god might be the most selfless thing Hades could have done.
“And to the champions,” he announces next. “I made you promises as well.”
Hades turns to Zai, his expression softening. “First to Zai. For giving Lyra what she has always wanted, a best friend, you may choose a boon. And I swear on the River Styx no harm will ever come to you again, so choose for yourself.” Then he shoots a look to Zai’s father that sets the man to trembling—and my heart swells.
Zai stands taller and holds Hades’ gaze. “May I take some time to consider? For now, I want to remain by Lyra’s side”—he tosses me a cheeky grin—“and see what she does with the Underworld.”
Hades’ eyes narrow, but he gives a brief nod, then turns to the rest of the champions. “Every champion shall receive the same blessings as the winner of the Crucible—abundance for your families as well as your homelands—and one boon each. Both those here and those champions in the Underworld.”
Every one of my friends stares at Hades in slack-jawed shock.
“You can’t fucking do that!” Poseidon yells, jumping to his feet.
Hades silences him with a single look. He doesn’t even have to speak before his brother sits back down, visibly shaken. The other gods and goddesses are all exchanging worried glances.
Because they know for sure now.
Hades is about to change everything.
