Shadows of Fate

Chapter 20

Icarus held me tightly against his chest. I wrapped my arms around his trim waist as the wind howled over the top of the pit. Even the darkness of Tartarus couldn't ruin this moment, as he kissed me deeply again. Icarus had ventured into hell for me. Icarus brought me back from death. Icarus was in love—with me.

He pulled away and gazed into my eyes. A smile was burning on his face.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"I'd search from the Elysian Fields to the lowest pit of Tartarus to find you."

I smirked. "We're in Tartarus."

"Well, it was easy to guess once I was told that Nyx had been the one to take you."

"Where is she?" I sat up. "Where's Tobias?"

Icarus pulled me closer. "Tobias is fine. The others got him out."

Great, from one person bent on destroying us, to another. "What will they do with us?"

"I spoke to my father. The council has agreed to hear you speak in your defense. They are willing to allow you both to live out your mortal lives, as long as you vow allegiance to the council."

"And then what, be finger puppets for the gods? Will I have to work for them?"

"They still don't wish to meddle," Icarus explained.

Relief washed over me and I hugged him. But regret lingered in his eyes.

"Is there something else?"

He hesitated before speaking. "It's nothing. They only require your help to bind Nyx into Tartarus forever."

Help a bunch of vengeful gods lock up a demon goddess hell-bent on killing me? "Done."

"Then let's go." Icarus helped me to my feet.

"Where?"

Icarus grinned down at me. "To meet my family." He said it so casually, as if we were normal high school kids and he was inviting me to have dinner at his house.

He leaned close and kissed my forehead. "Close your eyes." Icarus's lips brushed against my skin as he spoke, sending excited shivers down my body.

I obeyed his request and buried my face against his chest. The air around us tingled like millions of bubbles rising in water, rolling over my flesh and tangling in my hair. Gravity released us and the ground vanished beneath my feet. My dark curls hovered in the air, and Icarus's arms wrapped tighter around me. With him I was warm, calm, and safe.

Moments later, my toes gently landed on solid ground.

Icarus's arms loosened. "We're here."

It happened so fast. Not that I knew how far we had traveled. The idea of other dimensions or realities or wherever we went made my head spin, so I decided to not even ask.

Icarus stepped back and I opened my eyes to a world of shimmering light. Crystal clear waterfalls poured from steep peaks made of snow-white rocks. The sparkling water snaked down into a glorious city that was carved out of the mountainside.

My lips trembled. "Olympus."

Icarus slid an arm around my shoulders. "Welcome to my home."

Towering buildings were etched from the white stones and polished until they glistened as if wet. Icarus and I stood before a row of columns that framed the entrance to Olympus, the city of gods.

I stepped forward and ran my hand down the side. I knew this place. I'd seen it in my mind just like this. I knew the slick feel of the stones, the sweet smell lingering in the air, the sound of water rushing down the mountainside and falling over the edge of the city. This world was not round, but flat like old sailors once imagined Earth. For the first time in seventeen years, I felt like I was home.