My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

Why Did It Have To Be Giants? (Part 2)

I also didn't want to stay here because every passing second was a head trip for my psychological well-being. I could feel Persephone's gnawing anger bristling the hairs on my skin.

"Much as this place sucks," I said, "short of getting ourselves back up that tunnel, how do you propose we get out of here?"

Oizys pointed up, toward the top of the crater where the giants had entered.

It made sense that they had their own way in and out of Tartarus. But I couldn't see how we could sneak up there, past all those watching heads. I leaned in to voice this concern, and my head snapped back as Oizys' fist connected with my jaw. I hurtled through the air, hit my head on a rock and everything went black.

I came to in her room, feeling like, well, I'd been bashed in the head with a rock.

Oizys perched on the metal side rail of the daybed, peering down at me. "It was the only way."

I tried to struggle into sitting position, but the room swung with a vengeance so I gave up and stayed flat on my back.

"Was that an apology? For punching me? For splitting my skull open? Because I could help you rephrase it so it sounds somewhat more ... what's the word? Apologetic." I glowered at her, then decided that made me queasy, and closed my eyes.

"Sorry," she said.

"It would be more convincing if you actually sounded like you meant it."

"It really was the only way out." I felt a coolness against my temple as she pressed an ice-pack to my head. "I had to convince them that you were trying to free Prometheus and that I had been sent to detain you."

I opened my eyes and took over holding the ice pack. "You could have filled me in. I could have pretended to be unconscious."

She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Wasn't sure you were that good an actress."

She had no idea. I repositioned the ice pack. "You're lucky I don't have a concussion."

She stood over me, hands on her hips. "And you're lucky I found a more convenient way back to Prometheus. Which I would not have needed to do had you not gotten him captured in the first place."

"Mee mee mee mee mee mee mee."

"Really?"

"Screw you. My head hurts." I rolled over onto my side, icepack firmly in place, and willed the constant pounding to go away. Also, the room could stop moving any time it liked. "Even if you did find a way out—and yeah yeah, yay you—how are we going to get Prometheus out without being seen? They have, like, three hundred eyes."

Oizys smiled faintly. "Simple. If their drunken singing was any indication, Hekatonkheires are huge lushes. We can use that. Kyrillos won't let them leave for the ball, so I can take them some goodwill nectar, specially doctored up."

I thought it over. "The ball would make great cover. Kai will be keeping an eye on me so the more people and activity to distract him while we slip out, the better."

It would mean cutting things close: freeing Prometheus, having him come back with Aletheia, getting to the exit, and passing through the wards to Demeter's temple. Not to mention making sure Festos was there to cleanse the site. All between the ball starting at midnight on Thursday and the equinox at roughly 7PM.

I'd had worse deadlines.

I looked up at Oizys. "Which just leaves the problem of how to unbind the chain."

"Yeah, well, if you can stand up, we may have a solution to that too."

"Bah." I let the icepack slide onto the daybed and held out an arm for support.