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“Although the sight of you in a bikini would be cause enough to want to sink my own ship and keep us there, with that being your only clothing to wear.”

I gave him a wry look, before keeping our easy banter going by saying,

“Yeah, and knowing you, one roll in the palm trees and you would tear it to shreds… and I would be left with nothing.”

“And you wouldn’t hear me complaining,” he added with a wink.

“No, but you might hear me bitchin’ when I keep getting sand in my ass crack.”

He burst out laughing, making Tyr glance behind him and sneer, something Jared didn’t notice, thanks to giving me all his attention.

“So, tell me more about this cheery place we are headed to?” I asked, looking around at the mountainous landscape and the old road that snaked through the valley.

“It is situated in the Vale of Mourning, where souls who died from heartbreak roam in search of their lost love.”

I couldn’t figure out whether to be sad for the souls or mortified that the ‘cheery place’ was in fact, not at all cheery.

“Jesus, yeah, not exactly selling it to me here.”

“You asked,” he pointed out, making me sigh.

“So, what, it’s a Vale of wronged lovers, bitter ex’s, and unrequited love of hopeless souls?” I asked, making him shrug his shoulders.

“It’s better than Tartarus.”

“And that is?” I asked, soon wishing that I hadn’t.

“A barren and unforgiving wasteland located far below the Underworld. It used to serve as a prison for the Titans and a dungeon to house the worst of the worst. A place to torture the darkest of souls and most evil that exists… that was until most of it was destroyed in the war thirty years ago.”

“Okay, forget what I said, the Vale of Mourning sounds lovely,” I conceded, making him chuckle, prompting him to lift my hand that was held in his to his lips to kiss.

“Tartarus is one of the oldest parts of any realm, and what grew from the heart of darkness was fair judgement.”

I frowned before asking, “What do you mean?”

“Hell is home to many souls, and not all of them what you would exactly class as evil to the core. Think of it like a prison, not all its inmates that are kept there have the same sentence. A child murderer doesn’t walk hand in hand with a thief, someone who steals bread to feed their child… do you understand?” Understanding took place of my questioning frown.

“Yeah, so Hell started off as a place for the worst and grew when the Gods realized that not every soul here should suffer the same eternal fate,” I assumed.

“Exactly, for you would have had to have walked through the houses of judgement if you made it through the Gate to the Underworld,” he guessed, because obviously he knew his previous home well.

“Yeah, but it didn’t exactly look busy,” I joked.

“And nor would it, as not many believe in the Greek Gods any longer, for those ancient days are no more.” Now this surprised me.

“Wait, so you mean if no one believes in them… then what? Where do they go instead?”

“Honestly, I don’t have all the answers, as I can only speak for the realm I was born from. But new realms have to grow from something as belief fuels them, sparking their existence. As for the Underworld, there are enough stories passed down throughout the ages that keep it one of the most powerful still,” he replied, teaching me something I didn’t know and never thought to ask before now. But then again, it wasn’t exactly light and casual conversation to have over breakfast.

“It is?” I asked, prompting a nod from Jared before he went on to say,

“Now as for a Christianity’s Hell, it is why the Devil they call Lucifer or Satan is known as the King of Kings, for it is the most popular religion in the world. But then with over two billion followers, representing over thirty percent of the global population, then it is of little wonder he holds the title.” My mouth dropped, his knowledge nothing short of impressive.

“Wow, how did I not know this?”

“Not exactly what I would call first date conversation,” he teased.

“Yeah, but technically we only had one date and if I recall, I was a mute at the time.”