The Blessed and the Pure┃🖋

Chapter Π

"This is not a good idea."

"Duh, that's why we're doing this."

"I'm not kidding, Taryn," Kirphis said, trying desperately to keep up with her and Ele. "You saw what happened to that Freed."

"You don't have to follow, you know." Taryn wished they were in a forest. Forests always had branches she could pull back to slap the mortal behind.

Kirphis snorted. "And let one of you die? Not a chance."

Ele gasped and clutched the spot below her stomach. Taryn wrinkled her nose at the sight. She could tell the girl wasn't hurt, but she still blamed seven years of sisterly instinct for overreacting.

"You wound me, Phis," Ele said, giving Kirphis her trademark puppy-dog eyes.

"'Phis'?" Kirphis wrinkled his nose. "What kind of nickname is that?"

"A great one, Phis."

"Yeah, Phis. A great one."

---

As Persefóni left the Underworld to return to the surface, the days warmed. Taryn felt the warmth on her face as she strode ahead of her mini-group of mortals. She always liked the Spring. It was-

Laothoe.

Taryn skipped ahead, her familiar target caught in her view. Ele giggled and ran after.

She slipped into an alley a yard away from Laothoe and her friend. Antilochus, was it? Eh, it didn't matter.

"You got them?" Maybe-Antilochus asked. "We can't do anything without it."

Phis caught up by that point and looks sick. His fault for staying behind to slow them down. He knew his body wasn't built for sprints.

"Yes, I do," Laothoe snapped. "And you're one to talk, hypocrite."

"I'm not a hypocrite! Also, that was once, get off my back."

Laothoe held up a small, transparent bag filled with white dust. "I think you're forgetting who holds the power here, Antilochus. You're lucky I didn't tell Orcus you momentarily lost last month's shipment. There's no telling whether you'd be alive if I did. And I'm always his go-to assassin."

Definitely-Antilochus swallowed as Ele shivered. Taryn put an arm around her and zeroed in on the dust. The dust wasn't familiar, but it had to get out of Laothoe's hands.

Laothoe handed the bag to Antilochus, mocked them one more time for being a klutz, and pulled out a container. The same container they gave the now-dead Freed the last time Taryn followed them.

The liquid - water? - sloshed in the metal bottle as Antilochus dumped the dust into it. Laothoe sloshed it around some more before capping the container.

"Have you ever wondered what it tastes like?" Antilochus asked.

"No. And don't even think about it." Laothoe glared at them. "If you ate this, Orcus would kill you before this does."

Phis paled and shrank back. For once, Taryn didn't blame him. Kill? Not surprising, but both this Orcus dude and the dust weren't painting the prettiest picture.

"Who are they giving that powder to?" Ele asked, slowly. "Why do they want them dead?"

"The mortal they gave it to last time was a Freed and a Sóma." Taryn turned to Phis. "Give your two cents."

Seeing he had no choice, Phis gave his two cents. "Um... they may be trying to learn more about chemistry?" Taryn would have preferred actual drachmés, but that would suffice. For now.