Last Shadow || Deception Book III

Chapter 1 Pt.I

Luke

The misty, dark waters of the Styx swirled ominously before me, carrying with it the lost dreams and hopes of millions of mortals swept away by the raging torrent of its dark waters. Like I found myself right now. Was I really going to do this? Unbidden, my mind flashed to the tears in Rianna's eyes as she promised me that we'd find a way out of this together.

A promise that apparently meant less to her than it did to me considering she vanished at the drop of a hat when Koios summoned her.

It's not her fault, I reminded myself bitterly. She didn't sleep for nearly a week in a row because she knew what would happen. And it wasn't like the orders from the Titans could be ignored. If they could, we wouldn't be here.

"It's not too late. You still have a choice."

It's not real, I told myself, even as the misty-jasmine scent of her drifted through the murky Underworld and I felt her light caress on my arm. I shivered. You're hallucinating. Stop it, Luke.

"Are you?" Rianna whispered, to my left. "Am I a hallucination to you?"

"Stop," I said aloud, hating how my voice shook. "Go away. You're supposed to be in the labyrinth right now."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?"

I closed my eyes, refusing to turn away from the river, until a sudden thought struck me that sent a bolt of icy fear lancing through my body. What if Rianna had died in the labyrinth and it really was her here, in the Underworld?

That soft voice chuckled. "Oh my, you're really in deep, aren't you? And you don't even know it yet, son of Hermes."

I whirled around, Backbiter flashing silver and bronze as it whistled through the dry air of Erebus. Ri had never, ever, ever called me that. "Who are you?"

"Your greatest regret, I suppose." Sharp, emerald green eyes met mine, nearly threatening to knock the wind out of me. They were her eyes. And it looked like Ri. But even though she looked exactly like her down to the streaks of amber in her blond hair, her aura was different. Not the misty, wild magic that Rianna had. The girl standing before me felt more like . . . the dry fog of a ghost world and the emptiness of death.

"My . . . greatest regret?"

Rianna-but-not-Rianna peered down at herself. "Well, if this is what you see, then yes. But she's alive, no?"

"Y-yes?"

"Strange," the girl mused, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her chin before shrugging and turning around. "I shouldn't be here, then."

"Wait," I called, fighting the dizziness spinning through me as those familiar green eyes glanced back, a dry breeze ruffling her blond hair. "Wait. Tell me what you mean by my greatest regret."

"Oh, but what would the fun be in that?" she purred, a smirk appearing on her lips. "I think not. You'll find out yourself in due time."

Before I could blink, she vanished into the gloom of the underworld as fast as she'd appeared, leaving me stunned at the edge of the Styx. Before I could fully process her words and decide she'd just been an illusion after all, footsteps sounded downstream and I turned around again, scanning the gloom for the source of the sound. After all, I was in the Underworld, and though most ghosts were harmless, ghouls were not.

"Luke Castellan," a male voice said. "Please don't do this. You can still turn back."

I stayed silent, my grip tight around my sword as a man in ancient Greek battle armour appeared out of the mist. I tensed, my eyes picking out the details of his stance, the blade at his side, and his muscular physique--telltale signs of a swordsman. A threat.

At least, until my eyes landed on his armoured boot with an arrow sticking out of it.

"Achilles."

Something flashed through the shadowed, pale green eyes of the hero, but he didn't acknowledge it. "Turn back. My Curse is not something you wish to bear. Invulnerability is as much of a burden as it is a blessing. It will make you powerful, but will also make you weak. Your strength will magnify by a thousandfold, but it will be balanced with your mortal faults and weakness."

The regret and bitterness in his voice pulled me up short, leaving me with a weird sense of deja vu. His voice sounded eerily like what remained of my consciousness and the soul that Rianna had preserved despite the dark grip Kronos had on me. "I'm afraid I don't have a choice," I replied, shoving down the trepidation that writhed in my stomach as I felt a phantom darkness from the edges of Erebus, the wrath that lived inside the Pit of Tartarus. "I have to do this. You don't know what he has done, what he's threatened, and who's at risk if I don't- if I don't-" I couldn't get the words out. They were stuck in my throat. "I don't have a choice," I whispered, letting my arm fall to my side.

Pain flashed through Achilles' eyes but he sighed in resignation. "Let the gods witness that I tried. Very well. If you're this determined, hero, I shall not stop you."

I swallowed thickly. "W-what do I have to do?"

"Concentrate on a mortal point. Imagine a point on your body that will remain vulnerable--it will be where your soul will be tethered to the mortal world. That spot will become your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. If you lose sight of what keeps you mortal, the River Styx will burn you to ashes."

I turned my gaze inwards, thinking about what body part I'd choose. Somewhere that would be incredibly difficult to hit. Unbidden, my mind flashed to a conversation I'd had with Rianna a few weeks before the winter solstice.

"So he's making you go to the Styx?"

"It's the only way," I replied, gently wiping away a tear that tracked down her cheek.

"Then you have to make sure he never finds your weakness," Rianna said firmly. "It will be the only weapon you have against him if all else fails."

"Aren't you curious about what I'll choose?"

"The fewer people know, the better," Rianna replied, green eyes brimming with sadness. "If I know, he'll use me as a weapon against you. Pick something I won't ever think of."

"So, in other words . . ."

She stared at me for a moment. Then turned a flaming red as she understood the underlying message. "You PRICK," she sputtered, smacking me across the chest before whirling away to stare intently towards the ocean. "That's all you have to say, in a moment like this?"

"What?" I asked innocently. "I mean, if I pick my lips, I can't ever kiss you again, right?"

"Shut up," she muttered. "You're unbelievable."

The ghost of a smile graced my face as the memory surfaced in my head, and I suddenly found myself desperately wishing that I had Rianna's comforting presence beside me. With her, I felt like the world could throw every horrible thing in my direction and I would come out unscathed. Without her, I felt like I was missing my soul, leaving nothing but an empty shell of a body.

"Choose wisely, and prepare yourself," Achilles warned as I found my answer. "Whether you survive this or not, your choice will seal your fate."

My fate is already sealed, I thought. Not much I can do about it. Suddenly, the ghostly pressure of cruel, ancient power brushed against my shoulder and I shivered. Even Achilles' eyes widened and he vanished without a word, leaving me alone once again on the shore of the murky Styx.

I stared at the dark water rushing past, a million thoughts rushing through my brain but none coherent. I couldn't do this. I had to do this. It was for Kronos. But I didn't want to. This was the last chance to save myself from the darkness waiting to devour me.

If you don't, she's dead.

I gritted my teeth. I had to do this. For her. Because if I didn't, Kronos would use her instead. He'd said so explicitly and threatened all sorts of things worse than death on Ri if I didn't follow his orders. And I wouldn't--couldn't--let that happen. Breathe, I told myself. You can do this. I visualized a rope around my upper arm, tying me to the shore of the mortal world. Might as well get it over with, I thought, took a deep breath, and jumped into the raging waters of the Styx.