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I looked around, dazed, trying to remember where we were, but Tyr spoke before I could ask.

“We are still in the ruins of Hypnos, come eat… no, keep it, so to keep you warm,” he said when I started to push off the furs he had covered me with. He even reached out as if to touch me, as if wanting to wrap them around me when Asher’s voice stopped him.

“Your kill is about to burn on the fire, God of war.”

Tyr gritted his teeth before rising from where he had been kneeling next to me. His large body towered over me as he held out a hand for me to take.

“Come, for burnt Catoblepas meat is never nice.”

I took his hand and let him pull me to standing. However, his strength compared to someone my size was obviously not something he was used to. Not when I went falling into him. My hands landed on his chest, where I felt his sudden intake of breath rise beneath my palms.

“Easy little, Bál Ásynja.”

I slowly rose my head, looking up at him in surprise, and he warned with a soft rumble of words,

“I advise not looking at me like that, little mortal, for I may purposely forget my vow.”

“Your vow?” I asked, prompting him tell me.

“To get you back to your HellBeast.”

My reaction was instant, and I quickly took a step back. An action he narrowed his gaze at before too stepping away from me. Then when he turned his back on me, I made the foolish choice to ask him,

“That name you called me, what does it mean?”

He paused a step before glancing at me over his shoulder.

Then he told me,

“Bál Ásynja means…”

“…My Fire Goddess.”

6

HOLDING ON TO HOPE

JARED

“Well, that was a lot,” Marcus said, making me grant him a wry look.

“You think?” Orth replied before I could as we continued to walk to our destination. A place that Lerna had assured us that Ella might be, hence why we were making our way to the Gate of Hermes. Because after Lerna had explained all that had happened and how she sacrificed herself so as her sister could get away, it left us with our only option. To head that way in hopes that Ella made it.

Needless to say, my worry was growing by the minute. All I could hope for was that Asher had made it to her, as well as whoever Clay had sent to aid him. I knew, more than most, that in a place like the Underworld, there was strength in numbers.

As for Lerna, I may have had my grievances with her, but there was no doubting the love and loyalty she had for her sister. Her sacrifice when getting captured so as Ella could be safe was clear evidence of that.

No, in that I could not fault her.

“And you really had no knowledge of this?” I asked Marcus, who was quick to throw up his hands and say,

“I’m an Oracle, not God’s babysitter.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Orth snapped.

“It means, meat-head, that Hades made it so that no one knew about his illegitimate daughters, and Fate clearly didn’t trust my ass enough for me to know shit about what would happen… so no, Orth, I didn’t fucking know.”

“But you knew she was coming home,” I pointed out, as that was what he had told me back in Dom’s club.