Bonded (The Olympus Brotherhood #2)

The Right Thing

Chapter 55

Freya

Who would have thought being a guardian of The Underworld would pay really well? Enough for a castle underground. "How much further?" We were currently hiking up a mountain incline and every step felt like we were getting further away from our target.

"We're taking a side entrance, unless you want to run into one of the hundreds of children of the Jorogumo," Jace warned.

"No," I said starting to feel weaker again.

"I promise you it's not that much further," he said running his hand over the rocky wall. He started to tap randomly as if looking for something.

"I have to rest. Just a little a while," I said sinking to the ground.

"I hate to rush you, but I don't think we have time for that. The Jorogumo is probably out hunting for us at this very moment," Jace said kneeing down to my eye level. "I'll carry you, but we can't stay here."

I shook my head no. Not because I was being proud, but because if anyone touched me right now, I'm pretty sure I would just scream out in pain. "Lean on me then. But we have to move."

"Okay okay," I said taking a few deep breaths and standing up again.

"Hey," he clapped. "Don't focus on your pain. Focus on my words. Small steps," he said guiding me forward while still knocking on the rocky wall. "Whatever happened is over, so focus on me." I did. Namely his eyes. They were every hue of the forest, rimmed cooly with moss. Their lightness reminded me of summertime when the sunrays warmed each extended leaf. Next to the shade of his hair, that deepest brown, he was alive in the same way birds are, casually wild.

And he was helping me.

"Aha!" He said ecstatic as he pushed the wall revealing a hidden door. "Almost there, we just need to go up the stairs and will be in the main holding room."

The stairs ahead were twisted in a perfect spiral, like a child's slinky toy pulled from each end. Each stair was like a deep walnut, but with the thick layer of undisturbed dust it was hard to tell. The inner edge was painted antique cream, and when Jace disturbed the dust layer, the paint was quite perfect underneath, no dirt and no flaking or dents. It was as if it was perfect one day and abandoned the next, just like the rest of the world.

I let my hand fall onto the black iron rail, rough in its rustic charm, and placed my weight on the first step. There was no creak or sign of rot, they were as solid as the day they were made. I walked swiftly to the top following Jace, leaving my shoe prints behind. We finally reached a dead end with nowhere to go but up. Jace easily removed the marble slab.

"I know you don't want to be touched but it's easier for me to help you up," he knelt, offering his knee is a stepping stool.

"Thank you." I tried to say as sincerely as possible. Jace was my friend. He came down here knowing very well he could be stuck down here for all eternity by his father. But he still came to help me. When I felt like I couldn't go on, he pushed me to keep walking. I felt bad for accusing him.

"No problem." I stepped up on his thigh feeling him pushing me up only to come face-to-face with a black-eyed Asian girl.

She screamed and I instinctively punched her in the nose pushing her back out of my face and on to her ass, "Motherfucker!" I broke her nose.

Jace pushed me all the way up so then I was in an empty white marble room covered in spider webs. Jace jumped up looking for the threat, "Who are you?" He said just as confused as I was.