There’s a tiny ding behind me.
“Fuck.” His muttered curse is soft and urgent.
A second later, he reaches a hand around me and turns off the water before he spins me to face him, his silver eyes muted and serious. “I thought I’d have more time to prepare you. The first Labor is about to start.”
My heart tries to make an escape up my throat, clearly ready to leave the rest of my cursed body behind. I swallow it back down. “How do you know?”
He holds up a phone with a group text. The gods have a group text. Seriously? “My brother just told me,” he says.
Poseidon’s name swims on the screen for a second. It takes that long for my brain to engage. “Poseidon. So…water? Ocean?”
Hades nods.
Maybe I should have worn something waterproof. “What’s his virtue again?”
“Courage.”
Courage? “So probably not checkers,” I mutter under my breath. Then, louder, “Monsters?”
“I don’t know. In the last Crucible, he made the champions face each of their greatest fears all at the same time.” He’s not joking or teasing now, and the fact that he’s not makes me more nervous.
He must see that, because he offers a reassuring smile—one I’m pretty sure he hasn’t used in a millennium because it’s so stiff, no dimples in sight, and that makes me even more nervous. Hades is trying to reassure me. This is bad.
“You have everything you need?” he asks.
Pearls. Dragon teeth. Boone’s lockpicking kit. My relic. A few other tools. Those are all stowed away in my vest. I carry Hades’ two gifts—the tattoos and his kiss—as part of me, within me.
I nod.
“Good. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Let the other champions do that.”
Now? Now is when he decides to give me advice?
“Watch your back. The instinct to survive is wired into us all, but especially mortals, since, like you said, you have no reset. It makes all living creatures ruthless, no matter their personality or behavior otherwise.”
“That, I already knew,” I mutter.
His fingers dig into my arms. “Use your gifts but only if you must. It’s better if you can get the other champions to use theirs and save yours.”
I nod again. For some reason, the instructions he’s rattling off are settling me. Maybe because it reminds me of my training years, when Felix would throw instructions at me so fast I could hardly keep up. This feels…familiar.
I focus on his words, on his voice.
“Nothing is ever what it looks like when gods are involved,” he says. “Question everything.”
“No shit.”
His lips crook even though his eyes remain serious. “And if you need me, all you have to do is get to me.”
I frown. “Will you be there? You can’t interfere. Rules.”
His expression takes on an arrogant cast. “I’m the god of death, and death doesn’t know any rules.”
I give a shaky laugh. “Finally, something positive about having you as my patron.”
Olympus save me. I can’t believe I just said that. My eyes go wide, and I guess he reads my thoughts, because he slides one hand up to cup the back of my neck, drawing me close, his face right in mine. “Focus, Lyra,” he says.
Right. Focus. I nod. Then nod again. “Okay.”
“I didn’t say call me. I said get to me. There’s a difference. Do you understand?”
Another riddle to solve. Great.
Frustration passes over his features. “I can’t say more than that.”
“I’ll figure it out.” Eventually. Maybe.
My body starts to feel a little funny, like it’s lighter and sort of bubbly, especially my feet. I glance down to find them fading from sight, nimble leather boots and all, and the sensation creeps higher up my legs.
“I hope the water is warm at least,” I murmur. I don’t know why I say it.
“Look at me,” Hades commands.
And I do. I look right into molten gray eyes swirling with emotions I can’t possibly decipher right now.
He squeezes my shoulder. “No matter what, Lyra, remember one thing.”
One thing? He just told me like ten. “What?”
