“So do we use the rune to drain the excess energy from Thea now?” Everett asks, his brows furrowing together.
Athena hasn’t looked away from the picture, pain slicing across her face, but at his words, she shakes her head minutely. “No.”
“No?” Rafe growls, his hand clamping down on my thigh and tightening.
“She’s right,” Zaid agrees with a shaky exhale, running a hand through his hair. “The runes on the dagger are linked to the runes on the pedestal. It won’t work any other way.”
“And we can’t give the bastard behind this any more power,” Athena growls, a thunderous expression darkening her face.
God, how do I even begin to apologize for what I’ve done? I know it wasn’t my fault, but still. The men she loves are trapped in the dagger currently tattooed into my skin. She probably was comforted by the fact that they moved on and found peace. But to know that they’re trapped? Insane? Because of me?
“We need to find a way to free all the souls,” I say, keeping my gaze trained on Athena and allowing her to see the sincerity in my eyes.
“That won’t stop the person behind this,” Zaid points out, oblivious to the internal exchange between me and the goddess. “We need to find a way to drain him or her of all of this excess energy. All of this unnatural power.”
“And we will,” I insist. “But we also need to find a way to save all of these souls. To remove them from the dagger.”
Athena nods slowly, cautiously, her mouth molded in a frown.
“I’ll help you.” The hand not holding the picture frame curls into a tight fist. “I don’t know who’s behind this, but he or she just made me an enemy.”
“So what do we do?” Krystian asks. “What’s our next step? Do you have any idea who’s behind this?”
“Probably the god in charge of souls themselves. The god who is always battling against Poseidon and Zeus for the crown.” Athena finally flicks her gaze up and spears us all with an indecipherable look.
“You mean Hades?” I squeak.
King of the Underworld? Ruthless killer?
“We can’t just go and confront him,” Everett snarls. “If he is behind this, and he discovers Thea escaped, then he’ll lock her away again.”
“I’m not saying to confront Hades,” Athena says slowly, her keen gaze fixed on the shifter beside me. “But there’s someone you can talk to who knows everything there is to know about the Underworld and reapers. If anyone has heard an inkling of Hades’s plan, it’ll be him.”
Everett, if it’s even possible, becomes even stiffer beside me, a statue hewn from marble.
“Who are you talking about?” I ask, volleying my gaze between Athena and Everett.
“Cerberus,” Krystian responds tiredly, ruffling his golden hair. “She’s talking about Cerberus.”
Everett’s scowl deepens, painting cavernous lines on his face. “Otherwise known as my father.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
EVERETT
“Remember,” Athena says a short while later, as we all gather around her to be transported back to the safe house. Her unnervingly penetrating stare is fixed on Thea. “I put a bandage on the issue, but it’s fragile.You’refragile.One more reaped soul will blow it open.”
She whirls to face the four of us surrounding her. “Donotkill anyone around her. I don’t know how the magic inside of her works—not yet, anyway—but I do know she will have no choice but to reap. She won’t be able to stop herself.”
I nod solemnly, as do my brothers. We will do whatever it takes to save Thea from herself.
The reaper absently twirls a strand of golden hair, her expression contemplative. “But aren’t we going to encounter a shit ton of souls in the Underworld? Should I be worried then?”
Athena’s lips twitch slightly before straightening out. “Those souls have already been reaped. They should be no problem for you.”
“Oh.” Thea’s shoulders sag in physical relief, and Zaid wraps an arm around her from the side, pulling her in close.
The sight makes my heart pound even faster.
