Emblazed (4 page)

I awakened to the same pain from earlier, but it didn’t last long. Even still, I was
engulfed by fury at the notion that Hades was torturing Brielle again. I grabbed the
lamp and threw it against the wall, where it shattered on impact. I was going to slaughter
Hades for hurting my Brielle. He would beg for my mercy before I was through with
him.

I looked at the time on my phone, which read 4:57 A.M. I’d been tossing and turning
for most of the night, including rushing to the bathroom several times to throw up.
I couldn’t believe that I had fallen asleep at all while Brielle was in the Underworld,
even if it was brief and restless.

How could I be so selfish? I should have left straight from the High Council instead
of wasting time listening to that damn Oracle.
I tried to remind myself that I had rested so that I could be at my best when I rescued
her, but it didn’t make me feel much better. The longer that I took to save her, the
longer she suffered, plain and simple.

I didn’t bother showering, but I did change my bloody clothes from the day before.
As I grabbed my phone, a pain shot up my spine and forced me to brace myself on the
bed. It reverberated up and down my body as I clenched the sheets tightly in my fists.

I feared I wouldn’t be able to rescue Brielle if I was suffering from withdrawals.
We hadn’t even been apart for a day yet, and we would experience worse effects soon.
The ceaseless ache was enough to deal with, but I had a feeling that the sporadic
bursts of intense pain would be more frequent, if not constant.

Nausea swarmed my intestines, causing me to bolt for the bathroom, only making it
to the sink before I vomited. Not much came up, but I was sure that I threw up what
little was left in my stomach. I rinsed the sink out and brushed my teeth before heading
downstairs.

Zane and Kimber slept on the cramped couch. I hadn’t even noticed that they had stayed
the night. The Oracle hovered near the dining room table, holding a tattered scroll
in her hand.

“Please tell me that’s the map,” I said.

“It is,” she replied.

I walked to the couch where Kimber and Zane cuddled together, and I softly shook Zane
on the shoulder. He swatted my hand away roughly before bolting upright and grabbing
me tightly by the arm. “Zane, it’s just me. Calm down.”

Zane fiercely clutched Kimber to him with one arm as her eyes darted around in the
room in confusion. Once recognition clicked in, he let go of me and apologized, “Sorry,
bro. With everything as crazy as it’s been, I’ve been a little overprotective.”

“No worries. I totally understand. The Oracle has a map of the Underworld for us to
look at. I’m going to wake up Kiera, and then we can all sit down together and come
up with a plan,” I replied before turning and walking to Kiera’s room.

I knocked on her closed door as I said, “Kiera, wake up. It’s time.”

I waited a few seconds and didn’t hear any movement or response. I pounded louder
on the door before saying, “Get up, Kiera. We need to get going.”

I heard the rustle of sheets, along with Kiera mumbling something indiscernible.
Guess she’s up now.

I walked back to the dining room table where Zane and Kimber sat. I thought about
calling Mr. De Luca, but I didn’t want him to come with us. I couldn’t handle being
responsible if something happened while we were in the Underworld. Brielle might never
forgive me if any harm came to him.

I reached towards the Oracle as I asked, “Can I see the map, please?”

She wordlessly handed me the scroll, and I took it before spreading it out carefully
on the table so that we could all see. Kiera walked in and sat down to my left, and
we all looked at the map, which depicted a fairly detailed layout of the various areas
of the Underworld. I focused mainly on the Acheron, which is where we would enter.
I would look at the rest after we formulated our plan.

“So it looks like the Acheron will take us to the Stygian Marsh, which borders the
Plain of Judgment. I’m not sure we should chance going through it. They might imprison
us somehow, since we aren’t supposed to be down there,” I speculated.

“We could always go around through the Asphodel Meadows. There are just shades there,
and we can still get to Hades’ palace that way,” Zane pointed out.

“What are shades? I’m not into this mythology stuff like all of you are,” Kimber said.

“Shades are what’s left of you after you die and enter the Underworld. You don’t hold
on to your body, just your soul remains,” Zane answered.

“Like ghosts?”

“Ghosts were actually based on shades, so that’s a good analogy. They’re relatively
harmless.”

“It’s not them that I’m worried about. I’m worried about Cerberus—he will definitely
be a challenge. Not to begin with, but when we try to leave, he will be,” I stated.

“Maybe there’s an alternate exit, so we don’t have to cross paths with him when we
escape,” Kiera suggested.

“There are a few means of which to escape. Return through the Acheron, be sent back
by the hands of a God, or exit through the Gate of Ivory or the Gate of Horn. The
latter two will be almost impossible, since they are both located in the Elysian Fields,
and only the elite of the deceased are allowed entrance,” the Oracle stated.

“There has to be a way to enter. We could cross the Lethe—it separates the Asphodel
Meadows from the Elysian Fields. We could swim over,” Kiera said as she pointed to
the map where the Lethe was depicted.

“The Oracle is right, it is almost impossible. There are invisible barriers around
the Asphodel Meadows, Elysian Fields, Isles of the Blessed and Tartarus. Your wrists
are branded with your eternal destination once you are judged, and the barriers recognize
your marks. You can’t cross to the Elysian Fields unless you have the brand, which
can’t be forged by any other means. You have to be judged to receive them,” Zane informed
us.

“And besides, crossing the Lethe would be dangerous. If you swallow any of the water,
you forget everything about who you are,” I added.

“What? Why?” Kimber asked.

“The Lethe is known as the river of oblivion. It is named after the goddess of forgetfulness
and oblivion of the same name. The shades are made to drink the water to forget their
earthly lives,” Zane explained.

“Definitely a bad idea, then,” Kimber said.

“So, it looks like we will have to come back through the Acheron. Hades definitely
won’t send us back,” Kiera said.

“Hades is not the only God in the Underworld. Persephone, Hecate, Nyx, Thanatos, Hypnos,
and Hermes are all there at times. Persephone might not be down there since it’s summer,
and Hermes is constantly transporting souls in and out, but the others are there regularly,”
Zane explained.

“Why would it matter that it’s summer?” Kiera asked.

“According to myth, Persephone spends half of the year with Hades, and half of the
year with her mother, Demeter. When she is in the Underworld with Hades, Demeter,
who is the Goddess of the Harvest, mourns for her daughter, causing plant life to
die. That is why we have fall and winter. Once Demeter is reunited with Persephone,
she allows plant life to grow again, giving us spring and summer,” Zane answered.

“You are so smart, baby,” Kimber praised lovingly.

“I learned everything about our mythology from my parents. I never thought that it
would come in handy, but I’m glad I’m able to help in some way,” Zane replied.

“We’d be lost without you, bro. You don’t understand how much your help means to me,”
I commented sincerely as I placed my hand on Zane’s shoulder.

“No problem. Like I said, I’m glad that I can help,” he smiled.

I redirected the topic back to the task at hand, “Many of the Gods can’t be trusted.
They are only concerned with what benefits them, and I don’t think they would return
us without some sort of favor in exchange. We won’t have time to waste bargaining
with them if Hades is after us, so the Acheron looks like our best option.”

“We also won’t have time to fight Cerberus if Hades is chasing us either,” Kiera pointed
out.

“That’s true,” I said, blowing out a breath. “What do you think we should do?” I asked,
directing my question at Zane.

“It’s up to you, bro. We’ll do whatever you decide,” he responded.

The dull pain resounding through me intensified, causing me to tense my body. I clenched
my eyes shut and grabbed my head as the pain pummeled my skull. I despised the fact
that Brielle was experiencing the pain of our separation on top of the torture Hades
inflicted on her.

“You alright, bro?” Zane asked, breaking through my thoughts.

“I’m fine. It’s the withdrawals. Let’s just go, and we will plan on escaping back
through the Acheron. We might not have to deal with Cerberus, since we won’t technically
be shades trying to escape. Plus, we don’t have any idea where the Gods of the Underworld
may be while we are down there. Searching for them will be wasting more time. Everyone
ready?”

Replies of assent answered me from everyone. The others grabbed bottles of water and
some food before forming a circle with me around the Oracle. As she placed her hand
on my shoulder, I sent a thought to Brielle.
I’m coming, mi amante. I’m coming.

Mi amante
.
The words whispered into my subconscious, rousing me from my sleep. I was alone once
again; the body of the Cyclops was gone, along with the stew that I had spilled all
over the floor. A cup of water had been left in their place, just out of my reach.

I strained to hear anything else in my mind, hoping to hear Jace again.
Jace? Jace, can you hear me, baby?

Silence answered me, causing tears to drip down my cheeks. I missed him more than
I ever thought possible. Since we had completed our bond, a sense of wholeness I never
imagined had been bestowed upon me. Undoubtedly becoming one of the greatest blessings
I had ever received, one that I could never be thankful enough for. Once he was gone,
his absence left a gaping chasm within me, leaving me feeling broken and incomplete.

The burning pain from being suspended and my withdrawal from Jace returned in full
force once I was awake. I thought my arms might separate from their sockets from what
they were being forced to endure. My knees were raw and pulsed with pain from rubbing
against the floor as I dangled. Dry heaves racked my body, which had nothing left
to expel. Every inch of me ached tremendously from the torture I was being subjected
to.

I needed to figure out something to alleviate the pain because it was multiplying
in intensity with each onslaught. I wasn’t sure how much more I could bear without
Jace.

First, I needed to work on releasing my other Elements, and then focus on breaking
the bonds that held me. The throbbing in my head made concentration difficult, but
I pushed through it.

I was so weak that I had to pull the energy surrounding me into my aura. Closing my
eyes and focusing on bringing the energy into myself eased some of my pain. I found
this interesting as I continued to fill my aura, letting the energy rejuvenate my
depleted strength.

My mouth was dry, and I planned to use my Water to bring the liquid in the cup to
my mouth so that I could relieve some of my dehydration. When I felt that I had enough
power to move forward, I beckoned the liquid in the cup to come to me. It rippled
before floating out of its container and streaming toward me. It was slower than normal,
but it was better than nothing.

Finally, the water reached my mouth, moistening my cracked lips and parched tongue.
I drank greedily, letting it quench my thirst. Water had never tasted so good before.
I conjured some more from the molecules in the air, refilling the cup and drinking
twice more.

As a precaution, I refilled it a final time so that Hades wouldn’t be suspicious as
to how I had managed to drink from a cup that was out of my reach. I didn’t want him
to know that I had released my power.

I wanted to free my Air next, so I directed my attention to calling it. Just like
with my Water, I could feel it struggling against some unseen force field. I channeled
my energy into it while pulling more from around me. I didn’t want to pass out again
from pouring all of my energy into the barrier. Slowly, I felt the obstruction crack,
spreading outward across the transparent surface before the whole thing disintegrated.

Yes! Two down, two to go.
I swirled the air around, testing to make sure that it was free. I felt the breeze
brush past my body, and I smiled, happy for the small victory. Hades would not defeat
me. I would escape, and then I would take him and Uranus down.

I repeated the process with my Earth, which was slightly more difficult, given that
I was so drained. Even the extra energy I had pulled into my aura wasn’t helping,
which I contributed to my separation from Jace. I weakened so much faster being away
from him, and it took more to replenish my strength. Also, being strung up by my arms
was taxing on my body, and the constant pain exhausted me.