If I had anything to do with it, we wouldn't be traveling there either.

  Boiling clouds collected within the ring of snow-capped mountains, lightning flashing sporadically in their midst. A red glow tinted the bottom layer of clouds, lending an even more sinister cast to the sky. And that was just what lurked above the gate. I had no desire to see what laid beneath.

  But as the mountains loomed closer and my wedding gown soaked up more stains, I began to wonder if we'd have to make our play before Charon and the others reached us. Hades kept giving me heavy looks, and I kept shaking my head at him. We each had a guard now; the Cyclops for Persephone, a minotaur for Hades, and Hydra for me. It seemed that Heidi's priorities had shifted now that we were on Tartarus soil. My blood had become more important than Hades' knowledge. I glanced behind me and saw Agata at the back of the group, as far away from me as possible. It would be difficult to kill her first, but a promise is a promise.

  As we walked, I searched the landscape. Tartarus was home to the more savage races of Styx. I wasn't worried about them attacking us, not with every race represented among our group, but I still expected to see them. These were not shy people. Where were the herds of Centaurs or the flocks of Harpies? Where were the Satyrs and Gorgons? The Minotaurs and Cyclops? Where were the residents of Tartarus? The whole fucking place felt abandoned. It gave me the damn shivers.

  I was about to give in to Hades' ocular demands when one of the satyrs at the back gave a shout and drew our attention to a massive force moving in our direction. The Army of Hades had finally caught up with us and an enormous, three-headed hound led the pack. I tried not to smirk but it was impossible. I think after all I'd been through, I deserved to gloat. Hydra stared at her brother in shock until her lips pressed firmly together and her furious stare lowered to me.

  “You've stolen my brother's affection!” she snapped.

  “Take it up with him.”

  I suppose I should have shouted “now” to warn Hades and Persephone that I was about to attack, but I thought we might fare better if we had as much surprise on our side as possible. So, instead of shouting a battle cry, I waited for Hydra to grab my arm and furiously drag me forward until we stood beside Hades.

  “How far are we from the orbs?” She demanded.

  “The box is hidden beyond the mountains,” Hades said smugly. “You should probably make a stand here.”

  “I don't know what they think they'll accomplish,” Hydra huffed. “It's going to be more of the same; I threaten your lives and they back off.”

  Hades shrugged.

  Hydra growled angrily and yanked me around again, but not before I gave Hades a secret nod. Showtime! He grinned brilliantly and shot a look at his wife. Hydra dragged me to the back of the assemblage, taking me right beside Agata; fortune finally favoring me. The Cyclops and the Minotaur brought Hades and Persephone up beside us, and we faced the oncoming army together. I slid a look at Hades, and he nodded. I could practically hear him saying; wait for it... wait for it. Don't shoot until you can see the spittle flying off Cerberus' heads.

  But I wasn't waiting for the army to close in, I was waiting for Hydra to shift her attention away from me. As soon as she did, I opened the collar a crack; just enough for my magic to come crashing back to life inside me but not enough to remove it from my neck. I needed a few moments to consult with Kyanite on what would be best for us to sing.

  My love! Kyanite shouted in my mind. Of all the indecencies! I can't believe what they've done to you on your wedding day!

  Yeah, yeah; get over it, whiny Kynie, the Rooster Spell snapped. We got shit to deal with. Have a shot of power, El. This should tide you over until our cocks get here.

  Will you stop calling them that? Kyanite huffed.

  Ky! I finally broke into their banter. I need your help. What do I sing to kill a bunch of monsters; one of them Hydra?

  Leave Hydra to Hades, Kyanite said. He'll know how to defeat her. As to the rest; they shouldn't be so hard. There's less than fifty of them.

  No, that shouldn't be so hard, I said sarcastically.

  But my magic blared inside me with the addition of the RS's power, and I couldn't help thinking that Kyanite was right. My aligned gemstone existed—at least partially—inside me, and he knew exactly what was going on with my magic. If he said it wouldn't be hard, it was because he knew it to be true. I just needed to find the right song. Then it came to me; sometimes the most obvious choice is the right one.

  Excellent, Kyanite said a second after I decided.

  Go right to the lyrics, Ky, I told him. We can't give them any warning.

  Got it.

  Then I saw who else had joined the Army of Hades. An archangel flew with the Sirens and Slate; feathered wings beating the air viciously. Witches chanted as they ran below; preparing their spells in advance. Blooders pulled gleaming swords from sheaths at their waists and bared their fangs furiously. And then there were the Spellsingers; looking completely harmless as they ran beside the soldiers when the truth was; they were the most deadly of them all. As far as my fellow spellsingers knew, we were still hostages, but as soon as they saw us free ourselves, my aunts and uncle would sing these monsters straight into their graves. There was more than enough power coming at us to decimate Hydra and her Monster Minions, but I wasn't about to let them have all the fun. I had a promise to keep.

  When Cerberus drew close enough for us to see the frothing spittle flying from his flapping, doggy jaws, I yanked the collar from my neck and burst into song. But I one-upped our plans and went with sudden inspiration. Instead of casting the collar aside, I clamped it around Hydra's neck.

  Her glare—previously focused on her brother—shifted to me and then widened in horror.

  Before Hydra could react, Hades and Persephone burst their bonds as well, and their guards suddenly went up in flames so hot that they turned to ash in seconds; their remains floating up with the breeze. The other monsters around them panicked and jerked away as I began my song.

  The scraping strings of Katie Garfield's “Warfare” built up into the blaring pound of drums and the buzz of an electric guitar. I turned and stared at Agata's chest; I wouldn't risk a glance at her eyes now. My magic lashed out with the deadly chorus I'd jumped to and sliced Agata's head from her body. She didn't have the chance to fight back or even hiss. I saw her head go tumbling, her snake hair cushioning its fall and preventing it from rolling away. The snakes writhed, eyes glowing viciously, and I made sure to avoid their stare as well. Agata may be dead, but her hair would live on until it starved; another week at least.

  I kicked Agata's head back at Hydra's forces and ran toward the oncoming army as I continued to sing the low lyrics, my body thrumming with power and my eyes casting an alexandrite glow over my soiled wedding dress. I picked up my skirts and darted straight for the line of my men.

  They were all there; eyes glowing with power as magic arced between them. I could actually see the connection the RS had built. Torin, Darc, and Declan slashed their hands out as they ran; jewel power shooting past me to strike down our enemies. Banning still wore his tuxedo, making the image of him riding on the back of a griffin—my griffin—even more surreal. But it was Slate who reached me first.

  He didn't even land; the Gargoyle simply swept down, grabbed me in his arms, and swerved back up into the sky in a maneuver reminiscent of the one his men had once employed to abduct me. Slate's massive, gray, leathery wings pounded the air loud enough to mimic thunder, but my music blared even louder than that. I wrapped an arm around Slate's thick shoulders and stared across the battlefield as I let it pulse through me.

  Monsters burned in hellfire, clutched at their throats as they suffocated, and fell to pieces beneath enormous weapons that appeared out of thin air. Bodies parts flew from Cerberus' snapping jaws, and minions lost their heads to my husband's sword. But it was the Spellsingers who did the most damage, as usual. I could barely make out their voices, each one sang their own song, but it didn't matter what music they chose, only that they sent their power forth with their lyrics and deadly intent.

  Hydra's minions tried to run but my magic prevented it; the lyrics paralyzing them in place. Heidi herself stood frozen a few hundred yards from the fight; she'd tried to make a break for it as soon as she realized that she couldn't shift. Cerberus bounded over to his sister and one of his heads picked her up in its massive jaws before he sprinted back to his girlfriend. Freya glowed with golden magic, her long hair lifting in the currents of her power as she slashed sinister nails through the air in rending and tearing motions. Minions fell with matching marks on their skin; choking on their own blood before they could get within five feet of her.

  In the air beside Slate and I, my mother led the Sirens in tactical maneuvers. They dove and stabbed with daggers while kicking out with their feet. Their deadliest skill was hampered in a full-scale battle. They could sing men to their deaths but they couldn't do so selectively. Still, they managed to take down their fair share through hand-to-hand combat. Raphael guarded the Sirens as he simultaneously attacked; his glowing sword winking like a strobe light as it lodged into thick bodies and severed heads. But no matter how vicious his opponent was, if one of the Sirens needed him, he noticed and acted to help. I'd have to remember to thank him for looking after my family.

  When it was finally over, Hades' Army stood triumphantly with their leader and his wife boasting grisly grins on their blood-covered faces. Charon looked especially gleeful. I let my magic go as Slate brought me back to the ground, but instead of setting me on my feet, he swung an arm beneath my knees and carried me as if he were my groom. I glanced beneath us and saw why; blood and gore formed a gruesome carpet under his taloned-feet.

  Cerberus strode up to Hades and spat his sister out at Hades' feet. Then he shifted to his human form to confront her.

  “Why?!” Cerberus roared at Hydra. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you no loyalty at all?”

  Cer was magnificently naked and completely ambivalent about it. Beside him, Freya scowled over his sister's betrayal while simultaneously enjoying the view. Who could blame her?

  “You're my sister and you take my best friend on the day of her wedding?” Cerberus went on. “Why, Heidi?”

  “To free our father!” Hydra roared back.

  Cerberus glanced over his shoulder at the mountains of Tartarus with shock and—even more shocking—a little fear.

  “Are you fucking out of your mind?” Cerberus snarled. “You want to free the motherfucking Titans?! Don't you remember what he did to us?”

  “He was teaching us to protect ourselves.”

  “He beat the shit out of us for pure entertainment. Every time he got bored, we'd run. Don't you remember that?” Cerberus growled. When Hydra didn't answer, he demanded, “What were you going to do with El?”

  I glanced at Hades and Persephone, but they were waiting for the family drama to play out. They owed Cerberus that much at least. My husband, lovers, and family made their way over to Slate and me to quietly hug and kiss me in relief. Then we watched and waited along with the others. I think we all wanted to hear Hydra's response.

  “Gaia called to me,” Hydra lifted her chin to say. “She promised to make us rulers of Styx and Olympus.”

  “And for that, you betrayed me?” Cerberus' voice went low and sad. “A false promise of power? A lie from the fucking Bitch Goddess? You can't be given power, Heidi; you have to earn it and then fight to keep it. That's never been something I wanted to waste my life on.”

  Cerberus glared at his sister, waiting for her to say something more; anything that might explain her betrayal to him. Hydra remained silent.

  Cer's stare shifted to Hades. “What will you do with her?”

  “I vowed to burn her,” Hades said gently. “But if you wish it, I will imprison her instead. For you, I will break my promise. I think Persephone will understand.” He glanced at his wife, and she nodded kindly.

  Cerberus smiled sadly. “Thanks, Boss. I'd appreciate it.”

  “It looks as if you'll be reunited with your father, after all, Hydra,” Hades announced.

  Chapter Eight

  We all made the journey to the Titan prison; Gods, Monsters, Witches, Sirens, and Spellsingers. Gage remained in his griffin form so he could carry me there; I was too exhausted to walk, but I wouldn't be able to rest until I saw Hydra imprisoned. Cerberus padded heavily beside us, back in hound form. He had hugged me tightly before he shifted, but I think he needed his animal nature to comfort him. Freya walked on Cerberus' other side, casting worried looks from him to me. I just shook my head at her; it was going to take time for him to get over his sister's betrayal. A lot of time.

  Charon walked with Hades and Persephone at the head of our solemn procession. I saw them arguing, but I couldn't hear what was being said. I didn't need to. I knew it was about Hydra and Cerberus. Charon would want Hydra dead; any sane person would. The problem was; Hades loved Cerberus more than he hated Hydra. I knew this because I had the same problem. I'd rather Hydra be imprisoned than watch Cerberus suffer.

  When we reached the mountain pass, everyone went silent. Sheer rock loomed up around us, echoing our every step mockingly. Thunder roared and vibrated through the earth and the temperature went up several degrees. Sweat broke out on my skin, my dress sticking to me uncomfortably, and I stared around myself uneasily.

  “I don't like this,” Slate whispered.

  “You'd have to be a fool or a psychopath to enjoy a stroll through the mountains of Tartarus,” my father said. “Now, don't take this the wrong way, but shut up.”

  Slate nodded crisply, keeping his wary, silver stare on the rocks above us. His wings laid tightly against his back and the barbed tip of his tail kept lifting as if searching for something to strike. As a gargoyle, Slate had power over stone and soil, but he stared at the mountains as if they were weapons to be used against him, not the other way around.

  “You can't feel the stone, can you?” I whispered to him. “You can't command it.”

  My father looked sharply at Slate, obviously wanting an answer despite his earlier demand.

  “No,” Slate admitted. “It's dead rock. I've never felt anything like it.”

  “Not dead,” Hades said as he dropped back beside us. “Focused. Its purpose is already being fulfilled. These mountains guard the prison; they cannot be used for anything other than that. Well, perhaps one little thing.”

  “The orbs,” I concluded.

  Hades nodded. “I think this may not be the best place for them, Elaria.”

  I glanced at Darc, and he grimaced.

  “We'll take them with us,” Darc answered for me. “I know somewhere they'll be safe.”

  “I'm sorry to have endangered you and Persephone,” I said to Hades. “We should never have asked you to hold them for us.”

  “It was Hades' fault for bringing them here,” Hydra grunted bitterly. “You may have been the one to wake the sleeping giants, Elaria, but it was the orbs that gave the Titans hope. They felt the power lurking just beyond their bars, and they knew it could free them. Never taunt a predator, even when it's caged.”

  One of Cerberus' heads focused on Hydra, one lifted to look at me, and the last turned toward Hades.

  “I thought the orbs would be safest here, where no one ever comes,” Hades said to me. “It was a mistake; my mistake. Unfortunately, the only way I can see to correct it is to remove the orbs from Styx entirely.”

  “I agree,” Torin said. “We shouldn't have let them out of our control, to begin with. They are our responsibility.”

  “We'll retrieve them on the way back,” Hades offered. “I don't want to bring them any closer to the prison than they already are.”

  Hydra's eyes twitched, and I stared hard at her. She gave me a mocking smile. I realized she'd been hoping Hades would bring the orbs with us. She could have made a final play for the Titan's freedom. But now, even that slim hope had been taken from her.

  We made it through the mountains but the terrain remained bleak. Bare soil, shifting gravel, and gray boulders made up the landscape. No plants grew beneath the thick, cloud cover; not even a tiny weed in a crack of rock or a lick of lichen. Everything had a crimson cast to it and the color deepened and brightened the further we went until it seemed to saturate the very air.

  Lightning sparked somewhere far above us, never reaching the ground, but the earth had its own issues. The hair stood up on my arms as Gage took me steadily onward, and I subconsciously reached out for Darc's hand. He squeezed my hand tightly but his wary stare remained forward, as did mine.

  A churning soup of swirling mist and rumbling energy sparkled with bloody light in a pit before us. The faint sound of pitiful lamentations echoed up through the froth with an acrid stench of sulfur and rotten meat. Strange shadows crept about, cast by the flickering lights, and power thrummed through the stones around us.