Page 2 of Dead End (Crossroads Queen #9)

CHAPTER TWO

The meeting was held in a lanai, similar to the first meeting I’d attended in Paradise. There were twelve chairs around the oblong table. Five were already taken.

“You’re late,” a silver-haired god said, his disapproving gaze on Ademir. “Take a seat, Melinoe. Guard, wait in the courtyard until we’re finished.” He didn’t bother to refer to Ademir by name. I wondered whether he even knew it.

I was directed to the vacant chair in the middle section of the table, facing away from the sea. Basically, the worst seat at the table. That tracked.

“We’ve met before,” I said to the silver-haired god. He’d interrupted my meeting with Posy during my first visit. “Skanda, right? Hindu god of war.”

Skanda sipped from a steaming mug. “Good memory. How are you settling in? Are your accommodations satisfactory?”

“Well, it isn’t a cage, so I’m already one step above Pakhet, Invidia, and the other gods you treated like wild animals.”

An uncomfortable silence followed my statement. Skanda cleared his throat. “Listen, Melinoe. We understand the reasons for your hostility, but we’d like to keep this meeting professional and productive.”

“Then I guess you can start by introducing me to the rest of the group.”

“We’re the members of the Executive Committee,” Skanda said, with a weak attempt at a welcoming smile.

“In other words, you’re the ones not powerful enough to get a coveted spot on the Board of Directors.”

His smile didn’t falter. “We have plans for you, Melinoe. Big plans. We’d prefer that you cooperate willingly, but we have options available to us if you don’t.”

I tapped my collar. “I believe you’ve already exercised that option.”

He barked a laugh. “If you think that’s the extent of our options, you’re in for a bigger shock than that thing will give you.”

The goddess to his right gave him a look that could cut glass. “Professional and productive, Skanda, remember?” Her face softened as she returned her attention to me. “I’m Epona.”

Roman goddess of horses. Interesting choice for the Executive Committee.

“I’m Esege Malan,” the god with the handlebar mustache said.

I hadn’t heard of him. “And what’s your claim to fame?”

“I lord over the western sky.”

“That’s very specific.”

“Depends on your definition of western,” he replied, stone-faced.

“I’m Fuchi,” the goddess beside him said. Japanese fire deity. Powerful and dangerous.

“I am Feng Po,” the raven-haired god said. “I command wind.”

“I believe we all have that ability,” I said .

Fuchi stifled a laugh. A sense of humor, too. Under different circumstances, I’d be thrilled to make her acquaintance.

“Are there also five board members?” I asked.

“Eight,” Epona said.

Infinity. It figured. “Should we wait for them before we get started?” I didn’t miss the look that passed between Epona and Fuchi.

“As members of the Executive Committee, we handle the day-to-day operations,” Feng Po said.

“In other words, the board tells you to jump, and you write a memo that weights the costs and benefits of the possible distances.”

“I’ve never written a memo in my immortal life,” Skanda said. “Feng Po will type up the minutes of this meeting and share them with the board.”

“And who sits on the board?”

Skanda looked ready to dunk my head in his steaming mug. “Does it matter?”

“My grandfather always said know with whom you’re having the pleasure.”

“Ah, yes. The infamous grandfather. Pops. That’s what you called him, isn’t it?”

I didn’t like the sneer that overtook his lips. “Does it matter?” I lobbed back at him, prompting a low chuckle from Fuchi.

“Try all you like,” Skanda said, “but you won’t wheedle their names out of any of us. The board’s identity is confidential.”

“I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz . It’s rarely a good sign when leaders hide their identities behind a great and powerful persona.”

“It makes decision-making easier when they can work without the interference of corporate politics,” Epona said .

“It makes it easier to dodge accountability, too.”

Skanda’s fingers tightened around the handle of his mug.

Fuchi’s gaze turned wistful. “You are such a perfect blend of your parents. It’s uncanny.”

“You knew my parents?” I hated the eagerness I heard in my voice, the deep desire for any breadcrumbs of my parents, no matter how miniscule.

Her gaze flicked to Skanda, as if seeking his approval to say more. “I’m not sure my interactions with them would be of interest to you.”

“I don’t care if you fought over the last slice of cheesecake in the cafeteria. I want to hear about them.”

A smile ghosted Fuchi’s lips. “Your father was gritty. Determined. A natural with a throwing knife, not so much with a sword. That skill took time.”

“I thought Kottavei trained them.”

“Ah, I see you’ve been digging. Yes, Kottavei trained them, albeit separately. At the time, I was the director of the avatar program.”

“Which I’m guessing earned you this spot on the Executive Committee.”

Her smile was smug. “It didn’t hurt. Your mother surprised me. I expected her to be some demure young woman who was more interested in flowers than fighting, but she proved herself to be a veritable badass.”

Her words warmed me from the inside out. “Why were they trained to fight?”

“All avatars received such training until recently,” Fuchi said.

Her comment caught my attention. “Why? What happened recently?”

Skanda cast a silencing glance at her. “Let’s get down to business, shall we? We would like you to accept your aunt Hestia’s invitation to rule your underworld. ”

That wasn’t what I expected to hear. “I thought you wanted me to stay here and assimilate.”

“After a round of meetings, we’ve opted for a different course of action,” Skanda said.

“And why, pray tell, would I do that?”

“Because you have no choice,” Epona said. “This isn’t a request.”

“You can send me, but you won’t be able to keep me there.”

“You’ll receive an update to your collar that will account for the change in location,” Skanda said, “but it will keep you from escaping to any other realms. You will, however, have access to your powers once you arrive.”

“How generous of you.”

“We view it as a necessity,” Fuchi said. “You can’t rule as queen of the underworld if your subjects know you’re powerless.”

“I also can’t rule as queen if I’m taking orders from you when it comes to my own realm.”

“Your subjects will have no reason to suspect that you answer to anyone else,” Esege Malan said. “You are the rightful heir to the throne.”

“What’s your plan when I’m on the throne? To shock me every time I disobey one of your evil orders?”

“Melinoe, I know I speak for all of us when I say it pains me that you continue to paint us with an evil brush,” Feng Po said. “How can we convince you that we are, in fact, the good guys?”

“I think a key feature of the good guys is that they don’t enslave others and kill to get their way. Your only interests are power and control.”

“Think of us as superheroes defending the weak,” Skanda said. “We serve as the last line of defense in a delicate world.”

“Except you aren’t defending the weak; you’re defending yourselves. You only want to amass more power in order to keep the power you already have.”

“And why should we give away what is ours by right?” Skanda asked in a frustratingly reasonable tone. “Most of us don’t share your self-loathing, Melinoe.”

I bit my tongue. I refused to let him bait me. While it was true that I’d spent most of my life uncomfortable with my identity, this past year had changed me—and I had Fairhaven to thank for that, not a bunch of power-mad deities.

“Hestia will never let me take the throne if she knows I’m acting under duress.”

“Then don’t tell her,” Skanda said.

I folded my arms. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Skanda leaned forward, teeth bared. “Because if you don’t sit your ass on that throne and do our bidding, you can kiss your precious town of Fairhaven goodbye. We’ll simply wipe it off the map—permanently.”

The ground trembled. I noticed a look of confusion on Skanda’s face.

“No earthquakes on the schedule today?” I asked.

He quickly rearranged his features to reflect a calm composure. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

The moment the words left his mouth, alarm bells clanged.

Ademir sprinted to the lanai, pausing to catch his breath.

“Is this a drill?” Fuchi asked.

His head shook like a wet dog’s. “It’s Apep. He and his army breached the west entrance. They’re demanding the return of Anubis.”

Epona jumped to her feet. “How long?”

“Not sure, ma’am. They’re moving swiftly.” He shuddered. “There are reports of venomous snakes.”

Feng Po grunted. “I eat venomous snakes for breakfast. ”

“Then I hope you’re hungry, sir, because there are a lot of them.”

Skanda nodded at me. “Take her to the barracks. Stay there until the all-clear.”

“Yes, sir.” Ademir yanked me to my feet and pushed me toward a golf cart.

More alarm bells sounded. I wished I knew where Anubis was; I’d lead Apep to him myself.

“We need to take a shortcut.” Ademir shifted gears so that the golf cart was no longer automatic. He steered the cart off the path and across a bumpy stretch of grass.

An explosion rocked the cart, tipping it on its side. I flew out of my seat, wincing in pain as my shoulder slammed against the hard ground. I crawled to the cart to check on Ademir. His eyes were closed, and the side of his face was bloody, but he was alive. It would have to be enough.

I ripped off the lanyard and tossed it on the ground. The calvary was here, and they’d brought my ticket home with them.

“Melinoe, thank goodness I found you.” Kami stumbled toward me. “I took this from the box in HR with your name on it.” She handed over my phone. Unsurprisingly, the battery was dead.

“Thanks, Kami.” I shoved it in my pocket. “When you told me, “they’re coming,” is this who you meant?”

“Apparently. Take the lazy river to the west entrance,” she said quickly. “It’s chaos over there. Nobody will stop you.”

There was, of course, one teeny tiny problem and it was currently fastened around my neck. “This will.” I flicked the collar. “I can’t cross the border.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” She dipped her hand into her pocket. “I almost forgot.” She held up a key. “This was in your box, too.”

“Kami, you’re my new best friend.” As she stuck the key in the lock, I grabbed her hand and held it. “Wait. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“What do you mean? Don’t you want to escape?”

“Of course I do, but what if they find out you helped me? There are far worse things in life than the prophecy department.”

Her face hardened. “Sometimes you’ve got to grab fate by the balls and squeeze.” With a firm push, she slid the key into the lock, and I heard a soft click. The collar fell to the earth, narrowly missing my toes.

“Come with me,” I said. “You’d love Fairhaven. It has a bookstore, a library, and an excellent coffee shop.”

Kami smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but if I leave with you, they’ll know I helped you. I have to stay, if only to avoid detection.”

“What if someone saw you take the box?”

The edges of her mouth stiffened. “That’s the one thing in my favor. No one ever sees me. Might as well use it to my advantage.”

“To my advantage, you mean.”

“If I’m right, we’ll both benefit from your freedom.”

I recalled Posy’s statement that the Prophecy Department was right half the time. “And if you’re wrong?”

Kami’s mouth snapped back to a smile with the elasticity of a rubber band. “It’ll be fine. It has to be. Now go!” She dashed in the opposite direction.

The lazy river would be my ride to freedom.

Be careful what you wish for , I thought wryly. I’d coveted the lazy river since the first time I saw the glorious stretch of water, and now that I was finally going to take advantage of it, there’d be nothing lazy about the experience. Even if I splashed the whole way to the west end, it was doubtful anyone would hear me over the din of invasion. As if on cue, the clang of steel on steel rang out. The battle was moving closer to the heart of Paradise. Part of me wanted to stay and assist Apep, but there was a demon prince in greater need of my help.

As I started toward the water, I realized there was one thing my box didn’t contain. One thing I refused to leave behind.

My DNA sample.

If The Corporation survived the attack, they’d still possess a piece of me to use for their own nefarious purposes. I couldn’t risk it.

“I am Apep, god of darkness and ruler of the underworld, and I demand the return of Anubis.” His words rumbled like an approaching storm. Apep must’ve found his way to the intercom system.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ademir stirred.

Swearing under my breath, I sprinted in the direction of the lab.

Chaos reigned as I made my way toward the lab, reciting Libitina’s directions as I ran. Stables, then left. My heart leaped at the sight of the stables on the horizon and immediately plummeted as I spotted hundreds of serpents ahead of me. I doubled back to take a longer route.

As I passed through an unfamiliar section of buildings, I realized I was at the barracks. The area appeared abandoned; it seemed Ademir wasn’t the only one to fail to reach it.

A splotch of pink streaked past me. Posy. I half expected her to blow a whistle and raise the alarm. Instead, she waved me over.

I pointed to myself. Me?

“I need your help! Hurry!” she shouted.

I stood rooted in place.

“I thought good deeds were your thing,” she said. “Never mind.” She turned toward one of the buildings that looked like a warehouse.

What kind of good deed took place in a warehouse?

Another explosion shook the dirt from the rooftops. I bolted across the courtyard and joined Posy at the door.

“What’s the good deed?”

She adjusted her pink hairband. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. I’m going to destroy Paradise, and I want your help to do it.”

I squinted at her. “Another trick? Really?”

“Listen, sweetie. If I wanted to fool you, it would be a far more elaborate ruse. The truth is that I didn’t get the promotion I wanted. Didn’t even get the office I wanted.”

I didn’t need to ask for the reason; I already knew. “Because you’re a siren.”

“I could’ve delivered heaven itself on a platter and they still would’ve relegated me to the cheap seats. They were never going to value me the way they value someone like you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. My pain is your gain.”

“I know, but still.”

“Stop that.”

“What?”

She pointed to my face. “That. I don’t want it.”

I touched my cheek. “Good, because I wasn’t offering it.”

“Not your actual face. The look that’s on it. Pity. It makes me feel pathetic.”

“It’s empathy, not sympathy.”

“This is how you lured Aite over to your side, isn’t it? Manipulated her emotions.”

My sigh felt heavy, yet I felt no lighter upon releasing it. “Is it too hard for you to believe that I genuinely care?”

“I tricked you. Got your boyfriend tortured. Got you tortured during Lucifer’s trials. Why in Zeus’s name would you care about me?”

“Because nobody deserves to be treated as less than. As other. You can’t help being born a siren any more than I can help being born a goddess.”

“You have such a bleeding heart; I’m surprised you don’t leave a trail of red wherever you go.”

“What’s in the warehouse?”

“My revenge dish that I intend to serve icy cold.”

“There are a lot of employees here and not all of them deserve your wrath.” Libitina, Kami, Nabu… No doubt there were countless others.

“I’m not interested in them. I want to take out the leadership. If I can kill Bossu, my odds of success increase exponentially.” Her smile was sharp. “Payback is a bitch called Posy.”

“I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“You can’t miss him. Three horns. Head like a bull. According to my intel, he’s the driving force behind the Board of Directors. I take him out and I’ll create a power vacuum.”

“A power vacuum that you’ll happily step into, I presume.”

“Oh, please. The gods have proven they’ll never answer to a siren. My only desire now is to destroy what they’ve built. Take advantage of Apep’s invasion and cause as much chaos as possible.”

“I thought the board’s identity is confidential, even to you.”

Anger sizzled in her eyes. “Oh, it was, but I’m a determined siren. I started digging.”

“Right after my first meeting here, I bet.”

She nodded. “I admit, your comments got under my skin. Why shouldn’t I have access to that information? Why shouldn’t I be given the promotion I earned?” Bitterness and resentment puckered her pink lips.

Once those questions started rolling, I had no doubt Posy was unable to stem the tide.

“They let me believe I could climb that corporate ladder so that I would continue to do their bidding, but they never had any intention of letting me get past a certain rung.”

“What will you do without The Corporation?”

The predatory gleam of her smile looked misplaced on an angelic face like hers. “No idea, but I’m more than willing to find out.”

The upside of joining forces with the most ambitious member of the organization was that she made a point of knowing where all the bodies were buried.

“I never planned to use any of this information against them,” she explained.

“They always say to plan for the job you want, not the one you have.”

“Exactly. See? You get it.” She fished a key from her pocket.

“I’m surprised they use old-fashioned keys for this,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be more secure if they used fingerprints or magic?”

“Not every deity likes magic. Fingerprints were standard for a while, until one god cut off another god’s finger so that he could access one of the storage units.”

“What was in the storage unit that was so important?”

“His wife. The Corporation stashed her there as a punishment. He wasn’t having it, though. After that little debacle, they reverted to physical keys until they could agree on a new system.”

“And how long ago was that?”

Posy tossed me a look over her shoulder. “Don’t know. It was before my time.” She unlocked the door and nudged it open. “Let’s see if those records I found are up to date.”

I followed her inside and released a flurry of amazed sounds. This was no ordinary warehouse. There were rows of shelves running the length of the walls, as far as the eye could see. The shelves were stacked with identical urns.

“Are these antiques?”

“No, silly. They’re gods.”

I took a moment to collect myself. “All of these contain gods?”

“I don’t know about all of them, but those that are here are on the naughty list for one reason or another.”

“What did they do to piss off The Corporation?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” She reached for the nearest container, an unmarked urn no larger than a lamp. She lifted it over her head and smashed it on the concrete floor with the gleeful smile of a toddler testing boundaries. Ribbons of purple streamed from the broken pieces and wound through the air until they took the shape of a six-armed god.

“You’re free,” Posy told him. “Don’t let the deified door hit you in the ass.”

He gaped at us, either unsure or unwilling to believe her. “My punishment has reached an end?”

“Sure. Whatever. Consider this a corporate takeover.” Posy had already moved on to the next container, leaving the god with me.

“Go in peace,” I said.

Relief seeped into his features. “Thank you. Where is Gabil?”

“You’re being liberated,” Posy said. “Take the win.”

“I’d rather take his head. Point me in his general direction, would you?”

“Posy…” I began, but she cut me off.

“Straight out the door, turn right and follow the path to the main building. Second floor. Gabil’s too cowardly to fight, but too arrogant to hide in the bunker.”

The god bolted before I could intervene. “You said chaos, not murder.”

“We both want the same outcome, to destroy The Corporation, only I want more carnage with my outcome.”

“They didn’t give you the promotion you deserved, and your answer is bloodshed?”

She smashed another urn. “The bloodier the better. What? It isn’t like they’ll die forever unless they’re obliterated. We both know how it works.”

Another god formed in front of us and was set free.

“What about you? If you stay here smashing urns, someone’s bound to catch you.”

“If I play my cards right, they’ll all be gone by then.” She flexed her fingers. “If you don’t want to be a party to mass murder, I suggest you go now.”

“I thought you wanted my help.”

“Your heart doesn’t seem to be in it.”

There was only one place my heart belonged, and if I didn’t hurry, I might miss my one and only chance to get there. “What’s the quickest way to the lab from here?”

A bold smile ripped across her features. “Now you’re talking. Destroy their new avatar program before it begins. If they manage to unroll it, every realm is screwed.”

My world tilted on its axis. “What?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s their new big plan for worlds domination. They’re planning to use supernaturals instead of humans. More bang for the buck. I considered volunteering, but this beach body isn’t big enough for two bossy bitches.”

Thinking of Belphegor, I nearly corrected her assumption but quickly realized how foolish that would be.

She smashed another urn as she offered directions from the barracks. “Burn that lab to the ground, Melinoe. I’m rooting for you.”

My brain felt like a pinball machine as her news bounced around without finding a spot to settle. “Good luck, Posy.”

Heart thumping, I raced out of the warehouse. The sounds of battle rattled the buildings. I dashed between them until I spotted the hill Posy had identified.

I scrambled to the top and dropped to my stomach to get the lay of the land before I continued. Smoke billowed in the distance. Apep was giving them hell. I only hoped that the good gods didn’t get caught in the crossfire.

I ran down the hill and across the field and hopped the fence that surrounded the lab. There was no sign of security. No doubt everyone had been called away to deal with Apep’s army. Bless that reptilian nightmare.

The main door had been left ajar in their haste to flee or join the fight. I kept my back flat and slid along the wall until I reached the small lobby. There were two corridors to choose from, the first one behind a normal wooden door and the second one protected by a set of thick metal doors. It didn’t take a genius to choose the second one.

The doors were unlocked. I hurried along the corridor and peeked in every room, scanning the contents until I found the one most likely to house my DNA. Equipment had been knocked over and protective gear strewn across the floors. The building had cleared out in a hurry.

None of the rooms I passed had storage facilities—until I reached the very last one. Vertical storage carousels lined the walls. I expected them to be refrigerated or frozen, but according to the sign on the wall, the contents were preserved by magic. Of course they were.

There was no database. I hit a yellow button, and the shelves began to rotate. Labels with unfamiliar names passed by. They weren’t in any obvious order .

Then I spotted mine. I hit the yellow button again and the carousel stopped. I grabbed the slides off the shelf and carried them to the front of the room.

Alarm bells clanged again, whether for me or the invaders, I couldn’t be sure. Either way, the sound lit a fire under my butt.

As I stood in the center of the room, I experienced a sharp sense of deja vu, except it wasn’t this lab I was remembering; it was the one that belonged to the vampire Vincenzo Magnarella. I’d destroyed the work in his lab, yet I found myself once again faced with the same task.

I had to end this.

I tossed the slides into a large metal sink and rooted through the cabinet underneath for chemicals. I cheered when I spotted the bleach. I emptied the contents of the bottle onto the slides. Then I went in search of a more permanent solution for the rest of the lab.

I felt my inner clock ticking as I tore through the remaining cabinets. If I didn’t hurry, I was going to lose my chance to escape.

There was nothing useful. I kicked one of the cabinets in frustration.

“Problem?” a voice asked, smooth as glass.

I spun toward the door to see an unfamiliar figure. “Who are you?”

“Ogun. Posy sent me. She thought you might be in need of my help.”

“You were in the warehouse?”

His face hardened to stone. “I was.”

“Ogun,” I repeated. “Yoruba god?”

His mouth split into a grin. “If you know me, then you know what I can do.”

I nodded. “I think so. ”

“In that case, you might not want to be here when I take my revenge.”

He didn’t need to tell me twice. I dashed from the room and sprinted down the corridor to the lobby. Obnoxious red lights flashed, and the relentless noise had all the hallmarks of a torture device, but no one pursued me.

Heat nipped at my heels. As I slipped outside, a fireball shot through the lobby. I ran, choosing to avoid the trail and stick to the trees. It didn’t quite rise to the level of a forest, but there was a certain comfort in keeping myself surrounded by nature. It was how I’d grown up, and it was how I lived now with Wild Acres on my doorstep. When I dared to turn around, the entire lab was in flames. I couldn’t relax—not yet.

Relief pulsed through me as the stables came into view. I ignored the fighting noises in the distance. They weren’t here for me. If I was smart about my movements, I could avoid becoming collateral damage.

I paused behind a tree and checked that the coast was clear, then I charged to the stables.

Thirty feet.

Twenty.

Ten.

I felt a stabbing pain in my lungs as I blew through the entrance and skidded to my knees. I scrambled to my feet and searched frantically for a trusty unicorn steed. Instead my gaze alighted on a better option.

A pegasus.

Why had no one mentioned the horse with actual wings ?

The sharp pain subsided as my breath normalized. A quick scan of the stables revealed only one such creature. The plaque on the gate identified her as Lolly. Not the fiercest name. I didn’t need her to fight, however, only to fly.

I glanced around for anything to entice her. My pulse quickened when I spotted a basket of carrots in an empty stall. I swiped two carrots, stuck one in my pocket, and held the other at the gate for Lolly.

The pegasus sniffed the air and trotted closer.

Thunder rolled. One of the gods with that seemingly ubiquitous talent was nearby. If he discovered me here, I could kiss my escape plan goodbye.

There was no more time to woo the pegasus. It was now or never.

I opened the gate to the stall. “Hey, Lolly. How would you feel about stretching those wings of yours?”

Another deep rumble rocked the stables. The drumbeat of death pounded my heart, jolting me into action.

“Lolly, I’m going to board you now. I hope that’s okay.”

The pegasus sniffed me, in search of another treat. She likely smelled the carrot in my pocket.

“That one is for when we land safely,” I said.

The ground trembled. No time for a saddle. I climbed on Lolly’s back and clung to her broad neck.

“Go!”

Hooves cracked against wood as the pegasus raced outside, nearly blowing the stable door off its hinges in the process. I immediately spotted the reason for the thunder. One of the gods was surrounded by soldiers from Apep’s army.

Lolly reared up as a ten-foot serpent slithered between her hooves. As I urged her forward, a pair of onyx eyes met mine and flickered in recognition. The god seemed torn between stopping me and defending himself against his attackers. A serpent tied itself around the god’s leg and squeezed, forcing the god’s attention back to his own predicament.

“Go!” Lolly’s pace increased to a gallop. How did I launch her into the air? A pulsing red button would come in handy right now.

Another god appeared on the trail ahead. This one was not surrounded by Apep’s soldiers. Even from this distance, his three horns atop a bullish head were a dead giveaway.

Bossu.

His fierce glare told me the god wasn’t here to assist his colleague.

He was here for me.

I tapped my heels against Lolly’s sides. “There’s no place like home,” I said, knowing this time the utterance wouldn’t result in Paradise imprisonment.

Bossu charged.

The pegasus beat her wings. We soared over the god’s head. He reached for us but to no avail. He bellowed in anger and the echo chased us across the sky.

“To the west entrance,” I told Lolly. I spared a glance at the battle below. Paradise was in chaos, Posy’s dream come true. An anvil lodged in my chest; the weight of regret felt substantial enough to drive the pegasus back to earth. This place could’ve been incredible. The deities were capable of so much good in the world—in all worlds—and yet they chose to remain the same shallow, narrow-minded beings they’d been since the creation of time. A willingness to evolve would’ve changed everything for the better instead of trying to bend the current reality to their collective ancient will. What a waste.

As we flew closer, I saw that the west entrance was blocked by rows of Apep’s soldiers. I could try to persuade them that I’d been a prisoner, but without my collar, they were unlikely to believe me.

Pops didn’t raise a quitter. There had to be another way.

I circled the area. There were too many bodies below to count. Apep was proving to be a formidable foe. Hope lifted me even higher when I spotted another exit. I steered Lolly toward a cluster of palm trees where we could descend without notice. The bright golden outline of a door began to form. I had to hurry.

I guided the pegasus to the ground and dismounted.

“Zhi Peng, wait!”

The god jerked toward me, alarmed. “Who … Melinoe, yes?”

“Yes. Take me with you.”

His gaze went straight to my neck. “Your collar.”

“Is gone. I can leave with you.”

“This door will not take you where you want to go.”

“Then make another one.”

He raised his hands and returned his focus to the door. “No time.”

I grabbed his sleeve. “Listen. I’d been hoping to tell you this sooner, but I didn’t get the chance. I met one of your brothers recently.”

His dark eyebrows curled in anger. “Lies. My brothers have been lost for centuries.”

“Because of the island that disappeared, right?”

He cocked his head; I now had his full attention. Good, because the approaching rumble of footsteps told me I was running out of time.

“I found that island, Zhi Peng. I can show you how to get there. There’s an access point via my crossroads. Open a door to Fairhaven, Pennsylvania, and I’ll show you.”

The Chinese god regarded me in solemn silence. “This is a cruel trick,” he finally said. “You know I’m unhappy here and are trying to use it against me.”

I pressed on. “I swear it’s the truth. I was sent to the island by Lucifer as a part of a trial. Your brother opened a door so I could leave, and I think he’d want you to help me leave now. ”

“How can there be an entrance to the island? I’ve tried countless times to craft a door that opens to it, but it’s never worked.”

I had no doubt someone in The Corporation was behind the deception. I was certain they’d been instrumental in giving Lucifer the location of the island, where an ancient tablet had been buried. This was another way The Corporation controlled their gods. Weakened them emotionally. Isolated them from their loved ones so that they felt too depleted and alone to question their actions. It was likely the reason they’d also tried—and failed—to keep my parents apart.

“Reunite me with my family, and I’ll reunite you with yours,” I said. “You were going to leave here anyway. What do you have to lose?” The muscles in my chest stretched across my frame as I heard the sound of rolling thunder.

The golden light of the doorway faded. “How do I know I can trust you?”

Desperation tainted my voice. “Come with me to Fairhaven, and I’ll prove it to you, but it has to be now. There won’t be another chance.”

His eye twitched. It was a small movement, but it was enough to tell me what I needed to know. My pulse fluttered with hope.

The god raised his hands and carved another outline of a door in the air.

“Stop!” Bossu commanded.

Not a chance in Paradise.

The door swung open, and Zhi Peng pushed me through time and space. I felt his body tumble through the doorway behind me. The door winked out of existence as quickly as it had formed.

I sat on the ground of the forest, momentarily stunned. It all happened so fast; I barely had a chance to process. I felt the thrum of the Falls and the energy of the nearby crossroads. I scooped up a handful of dirt and breathed in its earthy scent. Home.

“Take me to my brother,” Zhi Peng ordered.

“I’ll direct you to the access point. The rest is up to you.”

The god grunted his assent.

There were no guards at the crossroads. Strange and mildly worrisome. I brushed aside my concerns and gave Zhi Peng instructions on how to reach the bolt hole that would take him to the lost island. “Don’t fight the current. Just go with the flow,” I said. “And tell everyone hello from me.”

Zhi Peng gave me a long look. “They will not rest until they have you, and once they do, they will not be so foolish as to allow you to roam freely again.”

His ominous words squeezed the air from my lungs. “If Apep has his way, I won’t need to worry about them anymore.”

The god’s brown eyes softened. “They cannot be killed, child, only hindered.” With those parting words, he disappeared through the crossroads.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the fresh Fairhaven air. I was free, but I knew in my heart that Zhi Peng was right. The real battle was only beginning.