Page 115 of A Touch of Chaos

“Well, how threatening can they be underground?” Hermes asked. He started to bend and touch one of the spears.

“Don’t,” Hades snapped, and Hermes snatched his hand back, holding it to his chest as if he’d been slapped. “If you touch them, you will awaken them and find out just how much of a threat they can be.”

“You could have led with that lifesaving information,” Hermes said, rising to his feet.

“Watch your feet,” Hades said, taking the first step into the field.

Persephone followed. It would have been easier had the warriors been sown in straight lines. Instead, they were staggered, which made crossing far more tedious.

“This is like hopscotch,” Hermes said.

Persephone paused to look at the god, who was jumping from space to space on one leg, then the other.

“Except if you lose, you are speared to death,” said Hades.

The delight that had lit Hermes’s face vanished.

“You ruin everything,” he said.

“Just reminding you of your mortality,” Hades said.

Persephone caught sight of his smirk before he turned his attention back to the field. She also continued, looking up now and then to gauge how long they had until they reached the oak and growing more and more disappointed when it did not seem to be any closer.

“Gods, this is taking forever,” she muttered, and then her stomach rumbled.

“I told you to bring a snack,” said Hermes.

She looked at the god, who was already munching on some kind of granola bar. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a second.

“Here, catch!”

Before she could say anything, the bar was already flying through the air. It hit her chest, and she tried to catch it, but it fell to the ground—right beside one of the golden spears.

“Oh, fuck,” Hermes said. “Did it touch?”

“I don’t know, Hermes,” Persephone snapped. “Why didn’t you just wait?”

“Well, excuse me for sharing!” he said. “I thought you were hungry.”

They were all still and silent for a few minutes, waiting to see what would happen. When nothing did, Persephone finally let herself breathe, but the sound of Hades’s voice put her on edge.

“Persephone,” he said. “Come to me.”

She met his gaze. His expression was dark, and his body was turned fully toward her, his hand outstretched like he was ready to pull her into his arms.

She took one step before a hand shot out of the dirt and clamped down around her ankle, jerking her to the ground. She screamed as terror took root in her body. If she fell, she would be impaled. She teleported out of the creature’s grasp to Hades’s side.

All around them, warriors sprang from the ground, breaking free of their slumber and the earth, fully armored and armed.

Persephone looked at Hades.

“I think I’m over hospitality,” she said.

Just like the warriors who had sprung from the ground, so did her magic. Vines erupted like snakes, slithering around the bodies of the soldiers and their weapons, dragging them back to the earth. Some broke free but were quickly restrained again. The more they struggled, the faster the vines moved until the entire plain was covered in thick, leafy greenery. The spears stuck out of the ground haphazardly.

Hades looked at her, and there was a gleam of pride in his eyes that she loved.

“Nice save, Sephy,” Hermes said as he approached, pulling out another bar from his pack. He started to open it when she snatched it away. “Hey! It’s my last one.”

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