Wrath of Hades (4 page)

“And that’s why you shouldn’t go in there alone.” Leslie caught up with Raven at the doorway of the kitchen.

“I’m not worried because there’s no one there.”

“Why are you so hard headed?”

“It’s just a talent I have. And I’m really good at it. Besides, I haven’t had any teachers to practice on lately.” Raven stuck her tongue out at Leslie. “And speaking of hard-headed, have you looked in the mirror lately? I think you’ve picked up some of my bad habits.”

“I’m not the one ignoring her safety.”

“I’m not ignoring anything.”

“What about the zombie attack?” Leslie crossed her arms over her chest.

“What zombie attack?” asked Diane.

Both girls screamed.

“Girls! What are you doing?” Diana set the bags she was carrying down on the counter by the stove.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that.” Raven said between gasps of air. “You scared the daylights out of me.”

“You and Leslie should pay more attention to your surroundings,” said Diana.

“Are you two okay?” asked Ari, rushing up behind Raven and Leslie. Bree was only a couple of steps behind her.

“We’re fine,” said Leslie. “But Diana just scared about five years off my life.”

“We thought maybe you had been a—“

“Attacked by a zombie?” Diana cut off Ari.

“Yeah, that.” Ari dropped her eyes.

“Would someone care to explain the zombie attack?” Diane tossed her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder as she looked from one girl to the next.

“Would you like us to put away the groceries for you?” Bree pushed past Raven and the others and headed straight to the bags on the counter. “I help my mom with this kind of stuff all the time.”

“Here, I’ll help you.” Ari rushed over to Bree and took several boxes out of her hands.

Diane closed her eyes and shook her head and mumbled something in another language. She opened her eyes and looked at Raven. “Explain the zombie attack.”

“It’s no big deal.” Raven shrugged her shoulders.

“No big deal?”

“There’s not much to talk about. I’ve already dealt with the problem.” Raven tried to play down the incident.

“Dealt with or not, I need to know what happened.”

“Fine.” For the next several minutes, Raven told Diane everything that happened to her from the time she walked out of Books and Things until Leslie picked her up outside the cemetery. By the time she finished, Diane was shaking her head and pacing.

“Raven, what were you thinking?” A worried look filled Diane’s eyes.

“I just needed some fresh air. Last time I checked I wasn’t wearing a sign asking zombies to attack me. It just did. I didn’t even know they existed.”

“But you have to expect things like that to happen. Because like it or not, you have a target on you.”

“Diane, what caused the zombie to wake up and come out of the grave?” asked Leslie. “I always thought they weren’t real either. You know, just a creation of Hollywood for the movies.”

“What attacked Raven wasn’t really a zombie. It was a reanimated body, but not because of magic or voodoo. “

Leslie frowned. “So if a dead body comes back to life it’s a zombie right?” She looked at Raven.

“Don’t look at me like that. Do I look like a zombie?” asked Raven. “Look around. Do you see me leaving rotted flesh everywhere?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Girls!
No, Raven’s not a zombie. Her soul was returned to her body. The creature that attacked her in the cemetery had a soul in it, but it didn’t belong to that body. That’s why it had problems controlling the body.”

“A soul back into a body.
So this has something to do with Hades, doesn’t it?” asked Raven.

“That’s what I suspect, but I have no proof it was Hades. Anyone in his realm could have taken a soul and put it back into a body,” said Diane. “Remember what Persephone did for you.”

“We’re finished. Everything’s put away.” Bree folded the last bag and put it in the drawer with the others.

“Thank you.” Diane turned and smiled at Bree and Ari.

“Uh, Leslie? I think we should be going.” Ari nodded her head towards the back door.

“Yeah.
You’re right.” Leslie agreed with her. “We’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, see you.” Raven watched the girls leave. She frowned. It was very unusual for them to rush out like that.
Something was going on.

Diane moved to the stove and picked up the tea kettle.

“Where are Ethan and the others?” Raven watched Diane fill the kettle with fresh water and put it back onto the stove. “Something’s going on and you know exactly what it is, don’t you?”

Diane sat down at the new kitchen table. “Sit down.” She
gestured to the chair across from her.

Raven started to refuse but something in the look on Diane’s face caused her to sit down without a fight. “What’s wrong?”

Diane cleared her throat. “Cerberus summoned Ethan and the others.”

Raven frowned. “Why?”

“They have to face judgment for pledging their loyalty to you and for what happened to Jay.”

“I didn’t ask them to pledge their loyalty.” Raven jumped out of the chair and started moving towards the back door. “Jay’s my fault. They shouldn’t be punished for that.”

“And where are you going?” asked Diane.

“I’m going to tell Cerberus that Ethan and the others are innocent.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Excuse me?”

Diane got up and went over to Raven and put her hands on Raven’s shoulders. “I understand how you feel, but you can’t go anywhere near the meeting.”

“Why not?”

“This is a judgment by Cerberus. It has to do with Hell Hound laws. Only Hell Hounds can attend. Even Ethan’s mother can’t be there for him because she’s human.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“In our eyes, yes, it seem ridiculous, but it is Hell Hound law and we have to respect it. If you show up, Cerberus will kill you. How do you think Ethan would react? How do you think anyone who has pledged their loyalty to you will react?”

Raven closed her eyes and swallowed. “He’d proba
bly go crazy and attack his dad, and then there would be mass chaos.”

“Good. I see you understand.” Diane patted her shoulder.

Raven slowly opened her eyes. “What’s going to happen to Ethan and the others?” she asked.

Diane walked over to the stove where the tea pot was whistling. “Do you want a cup of hot tea?”

Raven turned. “What’s going to happen to Ethan and the others?” She had a sinking feeling. Diane was acting too weird.

Diane opened the cabinet above the stove and pulled out a box of ginger tea. She moved to another cabinet and took out a mug.

“What are you not telling me?” Raven all but yelled.

Diane turned around. “They are facing a death judgment.”

Raven paled. “A death judgment? You mean they could die? Ethan could die?”

Diane nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“I have to go. I have to stop it.”

“You can’t.”

“But Ethan—”

“Ethan knew. That’s why he didn’t tell you.”

Raven trembled. “Ethan knew and he didn’t tell me?”

“He knew you would try to stop him and the others from going. He also knew Cerberus would kill you the minute you showed up to rescue them.
He knows you important and your safety must come first, no matter what happens to him and the others.”

“But I—Ethan can’t die. None of them can die. Not because of me and what I did. It’s not fair. There’s got to be something that I can do
. It’s not their fault, I’m the one to blame. I’m the one who should be facing Cerberus. I’m the one who turned Jay to stone. I’m the one who killed him.” Tears ran down Raven’s cheeks.

“I know.” Diane’s voice was soft. She went over to Raven and hugged her. “I wish there was something I could do or say to make this whole situation better.”

For several minutes Raven cried on Diane’s shoulders. “It’s not right. They shouldn’t be punished for what I did. I’ve got to do something.”

“There’s nothing you can do. I know it’s not the answer you want to hear.” Diane pushed a lock of Raven’s hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“Can’t I—”

“No.”

Diane’s phone rang.

The upbeat tune made Raven sick at her stomach. She moved away giving Diane some privacy. Even though she heard Diane talking, she didn’t pay any attention to what the woman
was saying. Raven was trying to grasp the idea of Ethan and the others facing death because of her actions. Deep down, she had known what she had done to Jay would come back to haunt her, but she didn’t think others would suffer because of her. It wasn’t right.

“Raven?”

She looked over at Diane.

“I hate to have to do this, especially right now, but I have to
go to the hospital,” said Diane as she grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter.

Raven wiped her eyes. “Is it the professor? Is he okay?” She took the tissue Diane handed to her and blew her nose.

“Ryan’s fine. That’s who I was talking to on the phone, but a friend of ours was in a terrible accident.”

Raven n
odded but didn’t say anything.

“I need you to stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Stay in the house.” Diane picked up her purse and keys. “Promise me you will stay in the house.”

Raven nodded again.

“And call Leslie to come stay with you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Diane left the house.

Raven locked the back door then went and locked the front door. Slowly she climbed the stairs and headed to her room.

Closing the door behind her, she took off her jacket and
tossed it over the chair at her desk. Raven looked around the room, wondering what she should do. Her eyes stopped on her bed. she stared at it for several seconds while her brain processed what she was looking at.

Propped up against her pillows was an envelope with her name on the front. Absent-mindedly Raven started playing with the disc on the silver chain around her neck.

She went over to the bed and picked up the envelope and turned it over. Carefully, she broke the seal and opened it. She pulled out the card inside and a ring fell to the bed.  Slowly she opened the simple white card.

Raven,

My heart and soul will always belong to you.

I will be with you always.

Y
our devoted mate,

             
              Ethan

Fresh tears rolled down Raven’s cheeks. She picked up the ring and looked at it. The ring was a simple silver band, but etched inside it was Raven and Ethan’s names.

Raven slipped the ring on a finger on her right hand as she had bee
n told was tradition among Hell Hounds when the ring was given to a newly found mate.

She curled up on the bed and cried.

CHAPTER 3

Dad’s death.

The funeral.

I cried and cried. I was angry, hurt, sad…I didn’t know which emotion I should act on. They were all raging through me so fast, I really wasn’t sure which one I was feeling at any given moment or if I was feeling
them all at once. But all I could do was cry.

Would it have changed anything if I had of acted on all of my emotions? Would it have made a difference? Or would I have just hurt myself?

I guess I’ll never know.

Or maybe I should say
, it’s probably for the best that I’ll never know.

             
              --Raven Weir’s journal

Raven wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “I’m still not totally sold on this mate thing for life, but I can’t stand to see anything happen to you. It’s not fair. I want us to go out and do all the things normal teenagers do—go out to the movies, hang out at the pizza place, and stuff like that. Is that too much to ask? Why did this have to happen?” Raven sighed.

She looked at the ring on her right hand for a couple of minutes before slipping the note under her pillow. She rolled off the bed, and without a glance at anything, she headed straight to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, a much calmer, more focused Raven emerged. All traces of tears were gone, even her eyes were no longer red and puffy. She looked at the ring again and anger surged through her. The air in the room became almost electrical. The lights flickered.

“The stories aren’t exaggerated, are they?”

Raven whirled around.

“You are as powerful as they feared you would be.” Persephone stepped out of the shadows filling the far corner of the room.

“I haven’t exactly been paying attention to the stories.” Raven watched the willowy woman. “Persephone?”

The woman turned to face the shadows and moved her hands through the air in front of her in a graceful arch as if she were caressing something.  She turned back to face Raven and let her hands drop to her sides. A smile lit up her face, making her pale, crystal eyes shine. “Yes, I’m Persephone. And you’re Raven Weir, Guardian of Atlantis. You look much better than the last time we met.”

“A little more alive?”

“Yes.
Definitely more alive. And you must stay that way.”

“That’s the plan. At least it’s my plan. Don’t know
about everyone else’s though. It seems like there’s always someone who wants me dead. It’s quickly becoming a daily routine. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Stop bad guy from killing me. Repeat in the afternoon.”

“Staying alive is a very good plan. And it’s why I’m here.” She brushed several strands of pale blonde hair out of her face.

“So you’re not here just to chat?” asked Raven.

“I would like nothing better than to sit and chat. I haven’t done that in a long time.” Longing filled Persephone’s voice.

“How did you get in here?” asked Raven.

“I used the shadows.”

“You used the shadows?” Raven sounded skeptical. “I didn’t realize the Shadow Express stopped in my room.”

“Shadow Express.” Persephone laughed. “I like that. I can use the shadows as doorways. It’s one of the perks for being stuck in Hades.”

“Right. And next you’re going to tell me I can use them too.”

“Actually, you can.” Persephone smiled.

“I don’t think—do what?” Raven’s eyes widened.

Persephone smiled. “You can use the shadows as doorways too. You were an occupant of Hades, even if it was just for a few minutes instead of permanent like it was supposed to have been.”

“I can use the shadows as doors too?” Raven’s mouth gapped open for several seconds before she remembered to close it. “I can move from place to place using the shadows? What’s the catch?”

“Yes, you can go places using the Shadow Express, and no, there’s no catch.” She smiled again. “But that’s not why I’m here. Hades is up to something.”

“How does that affect me?” asked Raven.

“Hades is extremely angry because your soul wasn’t processed.”

Raven shrugged her shoulders. “I disappoint a lot of people. He’ll get over it.”

“I wish you were right. You have to be careful. He wants your soul back. I think he suspects I had something to do with it.”

“Too bad. I like it exactly where it is. He can’t have it.” Raven bit her bottom lip. “Are you in trouble?”

“I honestly don’t know, but if I am, it’s worth it to keep you alive,” said Persephone.

“Great, not you too.” Raven rolled her eyes. “We have to figure out how to keep you safe.”

“Don’t worry about me. It is you we must worry about. Hades cannot get his hands on your soul.”

“I don’t exactly plan on handing it to him.”

“Then don’t get yourself killed again. I won’t be able to intercept your soul a second time. Hades has added extra guards to the delivery and processing areas and I’m no longer allowed anywhere near them.” Persephone turned towards the shadows.

“Is something wrong?”

“He’s looking for me. I don’t have much time.” She turned back to Raven. “Hades is up to something. I don’t know what his plans are, but I do know he’s angry your soul slipped out of his
grasp, and he’ll do absolutely anything to get it back, even have you killed, just to get your soul so he can have Atlantis and get revenge on his brothers.”

“Great!” Raven started pacing back and forth. “This is all I need right now.”

“I will do what I can to help you, but be careful. Hades is cruel. He loves to torment his victims anyway he can.”

Raven stopped pacing. “We’re having a lot of zombie attacks. I think Hades is behind them. Am I right?”

Persephone sighed and shook her head sadly. “One of his pet projects he’s been trying to perfect on and off over the centuries. It has something to do with putting souls he can control into bodies of the recently deceased, but the bodies reject them because the souls do not belong in the bodies he’s putting them in. Be careful. Don’t underestimate him either. He will use any trick he’s got to get what he wants and he wants you.” She turned back to the shadows. “I have to go.”

“Wait! You said I can use the shadows as doorways. How do they work?”

“Think about where you want to go. Envision it.”

“What if I’ve never been there?” asked Raven.

“Envision something basic that would be found there, and then think about who inhabits the place. Wave your hand across the shadows. Once you step through, don’t forget to close the doorway. If you don’t, it will become permanent and souls can pass freely between the two worlds. Sometimes worse things can come through. Think about all the haunted places you have read about.”

“You’re joking.”

Persephone winked at her. “Why do you think some places seem more haunted than others?”

“So haunted houses are real? Not what I wanted to know.”

Persephone laughed. “There are a lot of things I wish I had never found out. Just remember to close the doorway. As you wave your hand across it, picture the doorway closed. Just don’t forget.” Persephone waved her hand across the shadow. She stepped into it and was gone.

“Great. Now I’ve got Hades to deal with. Is it ever going to stop?” Raven asked the question even though deep down, she knew the answer. She flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Information and questions floated around her brain.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and skimmed through the contacts, stopping on Leslie’s name. Her finger hovered over the call button. Raven sighed and closed the contact list. “If I get them involved, there’s a really good chance they’ll get hurt. Besides this is my mess, my battle. I’m the one who has to fix it.”

She tossed the phone. It landed next to her pillow. Sitting up, she stared at the shadows in the corner of the room. The same shadows Persephone had used. “If she can do it, I can too,” Raven said as she got up off the bed. “It can’t be that hard.”

She thought about what Diane had told her about leaving the house, but dismissed it because technically she wasn’t going outside, which is what Diane meant. Anyway, Diane had only told her to stay inside to keep her safe. “But my safety is no more important than that of Ethan and the others. Who’s going to keep them safe from Cerberus? Besides, I’m not really going outside. I’m just going to move from one building to the next. I don’t think that counts as breaking a promise. Does it?” she asked the shadows. Absent-mindedly Raven rubbed the pendant hanging around her neck between two fingers. Raven knew there was only one answer she needed to concentrate on in order to make things right.

She was responsible for their safety.

She was the reason they were facing Cerberus.

She wasn’t going to let them die.

She was going to stand between them and Cerberus.

She was going to do whatever she had to do to keep Ethan and the other Hell Hounds safe. This wasn’t their battle. It was hers.

Raven took a deep breath and stepped closer to the shadows. It wasn’t a matter of not wanting to get it wrong. She couldn’t get it wrong. Slowly she let out the breath she was holding and thought about Ethan’s home, specifically his kitchen, as she waved her hand across the shadow, the same way Persephone had.

The temperature shifted causing Raven to shiver even though her bedroom was warm. “Weird,” she whispered. A ripple went through the shadows. The dark shapes of her wall twisted and reshaped themselves as they grew less dark but still grayish.

“Wow! The Shadow Express really works.”

Through the grayish veil, she saw another room—a kitchen. A woman with long, wavy blonde hair stood at the stove with her back to Raven. Faint sobs drifted through the shadow doorway and Raven realized the woman was crying.

Ethan’s mom.

It couldn’t be anyone else.

Cautiously, Raven stepped into the shadows. Strange clawing noises surrounded her and a sharp coldness enveloped her, but it all disappeared as fast as it had appeared and Raven found herself standing in the kitchen. Remembering Persephone’s warning, Raven turned around and waved her hand across the shadow doorway while picturing in her mind the doorway closing. She definitely didn’t want anything extra following her, especially if it was what had made the clawing sounds when she went through the shadows.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Raven, keeping her hands in front of her, slowly turned around.

The blade of a huge butcher knife gleamed wickedly in the odd kitchen light. The woman shoved the point at Raven. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” she asked again.

“Can we talk without the butcher knife? I kind of have an allergic reaction to them. It’s not really good for my health.”

“You invaded my home and you expect me to put down the butcher knife? I don’t think so.” She took a step closer. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

Raven forced herself to remember this was Ethan’s mother. “I’m not here to hurt you or anyone else if I don’t have to.” She realized as soon as the words were out of her mother they weren’t very reassuring, especially the last part.

“That’s not very comforting, especially when you’re the one sneaking into my home. I don’t know how you got here, but I suggest you leave before you get hurt.”

“You’re Ethan’s mom, aren’t you?” asked Raven. “I’m Raven. Raven Weir. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to save Ethan and the others. And I’m going to do it with or without your help.”

The woman just stared at Raven.

Raven rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to try to kill me, and the emphasis is on try, let’s do it now and get it over with, because you’re wasting my time. I’ve got to go kick some doggie butt and rescue the Knight and all his subjects. So either use the knife or put it down and get out of my way.” She propped her hands on her hips and raised one eyebrow. “That little thing is definitely not scaring me.”

Laughter erupted from the woman. She put the knife down on the counter,
and wrapped her arms around herself. “Raven Weir. Guardian of Atlantis. You are exactly the way Ethan described you.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “I really doubt he had anything good to say about me since I drive him crazy.”

“Oh, he had plenty of praise for you.”

Raven chewed her bottom lip, not quite sure what to say. “Where is Ethan?” she blurted out.

The woman sighed. “Ethan said you would ignore your own safety and try to rescue him and the others.”

“I’m the reason they’re in trouble.” Raven walked over to the woman.

“Is that your only reason?” The woman stared at Raven, all signs of emotion gone from her face.

“It’s the only one I’m giving you.” Raven stared back at her. “If you’re not going to help me, then you need to get out of my way. The clock is ticking.”

The woman closed her eyes. “I’m his mother and I can’t even help him. How are you going to do anything?”

“I have an advantage that you don’t. There’s absolutely nothing stopping me from kicking Cerberus’
s butt or die trying.”