I walked all of twenty metres from the Throne Room before I was sprinting back to my room, locking the door behind me, and running to the bathroom sink before I was sick. My body heaved with exhaustion and stress, but I let it pass through me, glad that I had managed to hold it in long enough that I could be vulnerable within the privacy of my bedroom. When I was done, I cleaned it up, grabbed a rag to wipe away some of the blood on my arm, and stared at my open wound.
Hades had said that Persephone was able to heal a wound of this size in less than five seconds. Well, five minutes had passed, and it was still slowly healing itself. But I wanted to speed it up. I wanted to prove to myself that I could heal it.
Instead of closing my eyes and holding a hand over the wound, I let myself examine it and tried to push past the nausea that it brought. I dug deep down inside me, looking for that tendril of power that I could bring forth to help heal. I found it at the bottom of what could best be described as a well, and eagerly clambered for it. Sweat formed on my brow, but I took a deep breath and pulled that power towards me, directing it to where I wanted it to go.
The healing accelerated. One minute I had an exit and an entry wound in my wrist, and the next minute, the only indication that I had been stabbed was from the remaining blood, slick on my arm.
I let myself feel triumph before rinsing my arm under the sink, discarding my dress, and preparing a bath.
*****
According to Erica, the servants' quarters was located underground, beneath the East Wing. I hurried down a staircase, feeling the walls close in on me. I knew my claustrophobia had nothing to do with the actual design of the building–which remained spacious–and had everything to do with the guilt I felt about Kadyn being captured.
As I reached the base of the steps, I couldn't push out the image of Kadyn, bruised and battered between two guards, from my mind.
God, I wouldn't blame him if he hated me.
He'd detested working in the mines in Sloth City, but surely that experience was a luxury spa to the torture he'd been put through in recent weeks. He must've been captured soon after our escape, when I'd believed he could feign enough innocence to get away unscathed. I'd been wrong. Very wrong. His cheeks had been so sunken that it was like he hadn't eaten anything for days. Even when Alek and I had been on the move, we'd always had some kind of sustenance. At least, Alek had always offered me food even if he hadn't eaten anything himself.
My hands formed fists at my sides, and I pushed Alek from my mind.
The servants' quarters were located down a long hallway, lined with at least fifty bedrooms on each side. Some doors were labelled with the names of its occupants, but quite a few doors remained blank. About halfway down the hallway, the sound of a doorknob turning caught my attention, and two of the guards I'd recognised from in the Throne Room stepped outside, closing the door behind them. As they stalked past me towards the staircase, recognition flickered in their eyes, in addition to a hint of arrogance. I scowled and pushed past them, focusing on the room they'd just left.
I raised a hand to knock on the door but found myself hesitating. I'd come here on the assumption that Kadyn would want to see me, but I had no idea whether that would be the case or not. I started to turn around, deciding it had been rude of me to show up unannounced and with the intent of settling my own guilt, when the sound of a bolt shifting indicated the door was being opened.
"Serena," Kadyn breathed, looking even more injured than when I'd last seen him. He held a bloody tissue to his nose. A fresh cut also shone red on his cheek. It hit me that during my oath to Hades I hadn't explicitly specified that no one touch him. He gestured to his door, where a small peep hole hovered in the middle of the frame. "I thought the guards were coming back."
"I'm so sorry, Kadyn," I blurted, looking him over. His shirt was ripped, and I could see dried blood in places it shouldn't be. Now that I was up close, his eyes were so sunken and blood-shot that I let out a small gasp.
Kadyn didn't say anything but opened the door wide and gestured for me to come inside. He seemed to be leaning on the doorknob for the balance it provided. I passed an assessing eye over the small room around us. Whereas the hallways around it had been spacious, there was only enough room in here for a single bed, a small nightstand and closet. Next to the closet, there was a door leading to an even smaller bathroom.
Kadyn closed the door behind me, and I watched him try to hide a limp as he headed back to his bed. Kadyn groaned in pain as he sat down, his eyebrows pinching together, and swung his legs over the bed so that he was sitting upright against the wall. Breathing heavily, he patted the free space beside him for me to sit down.
Noting that there wasn't really anywhere else to sit, I slowly sunk into his bed, keeping my gaze on him.
Finally, he returned my gaze, a small smile flitting across his lips. "It's good to see you Serena."
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "You're not...mad at me?"
Confusion, alongside his delirium, filled his eyes as he assessed me. "God no, why would I be?"
"It's my fault you're here. Hades is using you to punish me." I glanced pointedly at his injuries and then at the small room around us. "If we hadn't have tried to escape from the Sloth City underground, you wouldn't have been found, and people wouldn't be blaming you for my escape."
Kadyn was silent for a moment, before grazing my hand with his own. "Hey, no one here is to blame except for Hades. He's a bastard. Well, Hades and his Crown Guard. But don't forget that I chose to escape from the mines with you. I chose the chance to see my mother again."
I bit my lower lip, thinking. "Did you...get to see her in time? Before you were captured?"
Kadyn shook his head, his matted hair falling into his eyes.
"And Leo?" I asked, my stomach twisting.
"I heard Hades threaten him before when you guys were making your deal, but as far as I'm aware, he's still in Sloth City," he confirmed, and relief washed through me. Kadyn seemed to emit the same satisfaction.
He reached up to push the hair away from his eyes, then hissed in pain.
"I can help heal you, you know," I whispered.
His gaze cut to me.
I fumbled for the right words. "I mean, I've only just started to learn how to heal myself, but I can try to help you, too. It just might not heal as well as my wrist did." I held my arm up, as if for proof. There was only so much as a light scratch there.
Kadyn's gaze widened and he stared at me in awe. "I'd heard whispers between the Crown Guard that you were Persephone's daughter, and that you may have inherited some of her gifts. But seeing it in real life..."
He didn't need to finish his sentence to convey his astonishment.
"I know," I replied instead, since I couldn't find anything else to say. "Now, where are your main injuries?"
"Face, right shoulder and left leg," he breathed, confirming what I'd suspected.
I took a deep breath and set to work. "Right. Close your eyes for me."
He did as I instructed and I leaned forward, placing both of my hands gently on either side of his head. His body heat blazed between my hands. Just like I'd done before, I dug down inwards for that tendril of power and latched onto it. It seemed to assess my own body as I pulled it forth, noting that I had no injuries, and then turned itself outwards. The power thrummed down my arms and into Kadyn, searching for something to heal. I felt the moment my power made the connection with his injury; felt Kadyn's pain lash through me. But I gritted my teeth, held on and forced my power to stay there and heal.
The process was considerably slower than when I'd healed myself, and I seemed to be consuming Kadyn's pain. He no longer squeezed his eyes shut, but looked as if he was sleeping peacefully. A headache throbbed in my temple and when I was satisfied that his nose was healed and his cheek was no longer bleeding, I propelled my power downwards to his shoulder.
When his shoulder, which had been dislocated, clicked back into place, I gasped and almost fell off the bed. Waves of nausea flowed through me. Kadyn was speaking now, telling me to stop, but I ignored him and used what was left of my power to continue downwards to his leg, healing the damaged bone there, too. I hissed in pain, feeling my own thigh throb. Tears threatened to form in my eyes. Then I was finished.
It was only then that I realised that Kadyn had been trying to push my hands away from him to stop me from using my powers. We were both breathing heavily, but it was clear that Kadyn was healed. It had worked. I looked down at my hands in awe, as if I might see the power I'd felt before my own eyes. But nothing suggested that power had been visible.
Kadyn sat up straight and shuffled closer, the alarm clearly written on his face.
"Serena, are you okay? You screamed but I couldn't see what was wrong. You looked fine, but you were in pain, and I feel...amazing." His eyes were wide. "Do you know what happened?"
I could feel the pain of his injuries slowly leave my body, and I leaned back onto the palms of my hands to steady myself. I took a moment to calm my racing heart and waited for my vision to steady.
"I healed you, and I took your pain," I murmured. "But the scream...it was almost as if I was feeling what you would have felt immediately after each injury of yours had been inflicted." I shivered.
Kadyn stood up to throw the blanket at the foot of his bed around my shoulders. I couldn't help it, but my thoughts strayed to how alone Kadyn must have felt while taking every single one of his injuries. It was almost as if, by healing him, I had taken a glimpse of his emotional pain in addition to the physical.
"What did they do to you?" I asked quietly.
Kadyn ran a hand down his face. "What they always do–they imprisoned me and then asked me questions paired with threats." He glanced at me. "Most of the questions were about you. Some were about Alek." The haunted look in his eyes suggested he wasn't going to discuss the interrogation any further. I wasn't sure if I was prepared to ask further about it, anyway.
"They told me why Hades needed you in the Underworld," he continued.
I placed my head in my hands. "He told me that too. It sounds like this tournament is a pretty big deal. But I just need to save him and Persephone from humiliation to uphold my end of the oath."
Kadyn snorted, and I lifted my head to stare at him.
"It's a lot more than a pretty big deal. As far as I'm aware, there have only been a handful of these tournaments in the history of, well, existence," he explained.
My stomach sunk. "All I have to do is try my best, though. If I train hard and lay low on the attention scale, then I uphold my end of the oath, and both you and Leo stay safe."
"You don't understand," he exclaimed, eyes wild. "I've been listening to everything the Crown Guards have been saying over the past couple of weeks. They already knew of the tournament and have been getting excited for it. It's not just going to involve three simple tasks and be over in a week or two, it could take months for the tournament to finish."
I reigned in my breathing. Kadyn disappeared into the bathroom and I heard water running. A moment later, he returned to the bedroom, wiping the blood from his face with a wet towel.
"Why does it take so long?" I asked. "I expected it to be quicker, particularly as the weather worsens."
"A tournament will always last as long as it does for the Underworld to decide upon its new ruler. Deciding who will be at the top of its throne is not a process I imagine the Underworld wanting to rush. According to rumour, the last tournament spanned forty-three weeks." Kadyn hesitated. "And the longer it takes – the more time demigods have to become restless, to think about the end prize. It doesn't help that there is no way for demigods to find out where they stand in the rankings, either. It becomes a guessing game as to who has the most power, control and intelligence over the others."
I could see where his train of thought was leading. "You think people will try to eliminate the competition, don't you?"
Kadyn nodded, a grave expression on his face. "Uncertainty does bad things to people. Especially bad people who want the same kind of power and influence that Hades has...I have no doubt that if the tournament stretches on for too long, it will end in a bloodbath."
His words echoed around the room, filling the silence. It seemed to curl around my neck and squeeze, threatening to rip the air from me.
"What do you think you'll do?" he prompted.
I licked my dry lips. "I'm not sure."
Kadyn levelled a gaze at me, concern shining bright in his eyes. I shied away from that look, worried that if I paid it too much attention that I would have to admit and stumble into a new whirl of anxieties.
When the walls of the small room around me started to fold inwards, I stood to my feet.
"Right," I concluded. "I have to go."
"Where?"
I huffed. "I don't know. Anywhere. Outside."
"I'm not sure if walking around by yourself is a good idea," Kadyn retorted, but I was already at the door.
When I swung it open, I said, "Turns out I won't be alone, anyway."
Kadyn poked his head over my shoulder. Sitting in the hallway, poised as if he had been listening to our entire conversation, was Cerberus. He was the complete picture of innocence in his smaller form, but I knew better.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "You have got to stop stalking me," I told him. "I know you're Persephone's little minion. You're probably reporting every movement I make to her."
Kadyn stifled a laugh from behind me, and I spun.
"I'm sorry," he snickered. "But seeing you talk to a dog was...unexpected."
I rolled my eyes at him, but couldn't help but feel a slight pressure ease off my chest. "You think it's funny now, but wait until you see Cerberus grow into his larger form. He'll have you scurrying away."
Kadyn stilled. "That's Cerberus? I thought Cerberus had three–"
"–Don't say it!" I exclaimed, grabbing Kadyn's arm. "If you say it, he might transform. And I don't think I'll ever be ready to see something like that."
He laughed. "Got it. Those words will never come out of my mouth."
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, feeling the base of my neck tingle with the weight of Cerberus' gaze.
I murmured to Kadyn, "What's your bet that I can escape him?"
"Zero," Kadyn deadpanned.
*****
This damned dog was following me everywhere. Cerberus practically nipped at my heels as I sped walked down each corridor, then doubled back in the hopes that he might get bored. But with every twist and turn in the hallway, Cerberus seemed to become more amused, as if we were playing some kind of game. Eventually, when I was puffed and sweaty and on the verge of collapsing, I decided there was no escaping him and I would be better off closing myself away in my bedroom. Cerberus only watched me with that knowing gaze of his, seeming to say that he could play all day if he needed to.
"You win," I gasped, placing my hands on my knees in the middle of a hallway to catch a breath. "Game time is over. Now leave me alone."
He remained standing, watching me in that creepy way of his, so I spun on my heels and continued back towards my bedroom. If I was going to participate in this tournament, I needed to come up with a game plan or do some research, anyway. If what Kadyn had said about the tournament being a long blood bath was correct, then I at least needed to learn how to defend myself–either by physical means or through whatever power I had. The smartest course of action would be to ask Persephone for more insight about my powers, but even the thought of having a conversation with her made me so angry I unintentionally fisted my hands by my sides.
No, I could do this without her.
A loud bark cut through the air and I came to a stop. Cerberus had transformed into his much larger and frightening version, and was standing just behind me, growling in a warning. Fear stroked through me. His playful smile was non-existent, and in its place, saliva dripped from long, sharp teeth and onto the floor.
I held my breath, scared that Cerberus would pounce on me if I so much as breathed.
When he was satisfied that I was no longer moving, his growl softened to silence.
"What do you want?" I whispered, too scared to take my eyes off of him.
Cerberus whined and looked back in the direction we'd come from. He turned back to face me, his eyes pleading.
"I don't have time to keep playing," I explained, watching the muscles ripple with each of his breaths.
He growled his frustration. Then he looked down the hallway. Looked back at me.
"Do you want me to follow you?"
A smile. Then Cerberus was shifting back into his smaller self and began herding me back down the corridor, as if he hadn't just been threatening my life moments ago. Resigned, I sighed and trailed after him. We passed by a group of servants, who moved closer to each other as they passed by. I tried to ignore them but felt their eyes linger on me, and then heard their hurried whispers when they thought they were far enough away from me. I heaved a sigh. Broken whispers and odd looks had been routine for today. No doubt the gossip involved a play-by-play of Hades stabbing me with a knife.
I ran a hand through my hair and tried not to dwell on the different variations of gossip in which I featured as the entertainment. Those thoughts would not do me any favours when there would be dozens of demigods arriving in a couple days' time to settle in before the tournament began.
I blinked, realising I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I'd unknowingly followed Cerberus to a dark staircase. A lone doorway sat at its base. At first glance, I would have assumed the timeworn, wooden door led to a dusty cupboard. But on closer inspection, I could feel whatever it was that was behind it thrumming with life, enticing me to enter. My heart pounded. I took one step down the staircase and looked back at Cerberus. But he was no longer behind me. It was as if he'd disappeared, content enough that I'd followed him to whatever treasure lay here.
I took the steps slowly, listening intently as the room called out to me, beckoning me into its pulsing heart. I was entranced as I reached for the door handle–
Voices sounded from above, filling the corridor. From what I could hear, I thought they may have mentioned my name. Unsure if I would get in trouble if I was caught, I took a deep breath and eased open the door, shutting it softly behind me. Only when I was certain that it was closed, did I allow myself to consider my surroundings.
The first thing I noticed was how crisp the air was. I didn't realise how accustomed I'd become to the thick, humid air of the Underworld until I took my next breath. Coolness flooded through me and cleared my mind. Every time I inhaled, the scent of wildflowers and pine washed through me. The scent reminded me of home.
I spun around.
A lush, enchanted forest welcomed me.
Mother Nature revealed herself in various forms of pine and oak trees. Adorned with differing shades of green, limber limbs and branches crossed over each other as if to provide one another with a hug. The trees stretched upwards into the soothing darkness of the night sky. Stars flickered high above, looking as though they were welcoming a long-lost friend. It had been so long since I'd seen a starry sky that all the breath left my body. I didn't understand how this was possible. I'd walked underneath the castle, not outside it. I should be underground.
A soft wind caressed my cheeks, bringing with it the sounds of branches creaking and leaves rustling. A vaporous mist floated among the full heads of the trees. An even softer mist caressed the leafy underbrush, making the forest thrum with life. I waved my hand through that mist, watching in awe as it glided over and coiled around my hand in greeting, tickling me slightly. I drew my hand back.
This must be a dream, I thought. But no one came to wake me.
It felt like a crime to have entered this sacred place. Unable to take my eyes off the sights before me, I slipped off my shoes and sighed as my feet grazed soft blades of grass. I curled my toes and could have wept at the beautiful sensation. The forest was steeped in opulence, and there was an innocent history here. It was as if nothing bad–not even a storm–had deigned to visit. Because of this, the darkness was more inviting than disturbing. It was hallowed ground.
I took one step forward, and the entire forest sprung to life. Incandescent lights leapt from the bush, floated upwards and spilled reams of light over the trees and forest floor. I went to chase one of these lights, but it escaped my grasp and darted into the shadows, fulfilling its duty to bring light to the bush. A glow now covered the forest in a gold blush, revealing a pathway carved by large steppingstones. I followed them one by one, utterly overwhelmed by the beauty sheltering me at every angle.
My ears perked up at the soft sound of lapping water. Then I was pushing myself faster, moving through the forest with a keen intent until I broke free from a tree line and came face to face with the heart of the forest. The almond-brown trees parted to reveal a calm pond. The glowing lights skirted along the top of the polished water, which was so reflective it was impossible to tell where the night sky ended or where the water began. Boulders of all shapes and sizes colonised the outside of the pond, each one covered in a thin layer of green moss.
I raised my head. Right there in the centre of the pond was a small island. I narrowed my eyes at it, trying to see what shadowy shape stood in its centre, but the lights seemed to purposefully evade it. My curiosity made me consider swimming towards it, but another look at the clear water had me wondering just what might exist in its depths. I'd experienced too much in the Underworld to throw all caution to the wind, even if what was on that island made me wonder what power lived there. It made me wonder how this forest–so beautiful and lush–had found itself in the darkest heart of the Underworld.
And who cared for it.
I couldn't fool myself into pondering that for too long–the only person with this sort of power could be Persephone. Perhaps this was her own form of compromise when she decided she would sign away motherhood before returning to the Underworld. My gaze slid upwards, taking in the tall trees. It was certainly a lot more peaceful than motherhood, anyway.
I sat down beside the pond and let myself lean into the boulder behind me, covered in enough moss that it became a pillow. I imagined Persephone hiding away down here, tending to all of these plants and trees to get away from the onslaught of questions or trailing gazes of people from around the castle. It certainly was a good hiding spot. Particularly if the castle was about to become a flurry of activity and nasty competition.
I hadn't expected to find somewhere so peaceful.
Eventually, my eyelids fluttered shut. I was lulled to sleep by a harmony of soft, whistling wind and rustling leaves.
And for the first time since being brought to the Underworld, I was not plagued by nightmares.