Page 31 of A Touch of Chaos

He rose to his feet and considered his next move.He tried to guess the direction of the cells based on how far he’d walked with Theseus, but there was something disorienting about this place. Not to mention that the walls were a lesson in strategy as they varied in thickness and distance—some were narrow and close while others were wide and farther away.

He decided he would try for a straight path through—or as straight as he could manage.

Looking down at his feet, he assessed the distance between himself and the next wall.

The first jump was not so difficult as it was about the length of his stride. The second, though, looked like a chasm stretching before him, and there was nothing below but darkness.

He had always felt at home in the shadows, but not here. This was not his darkness. It was born of some other kind of evil—one he did not wish to be consumed by or let out into the world.

He jumped, landing on the very edge of the wall. He wavered for a moment before falling forward on his knees. The impact was jarring, but he was growing used to the pain. He rose to his feet again, holding his side, and prepared himself for the next jump.

There was a part of him that worried he was only fooling himself. Perhaps all he’d done by scaling these walls was provide entertainment for Theseus and his men, but even if that were true, at least he’d tried to fight this fate.

At some point, he paused to look back but found that the path behind him looked the same as the one before him.

This place was fucking maddening.

He faced forward again and then jumped, his foot sliding as he hit the wall. He fell, catching himself with one hand before he could plummet into the depths of the labyrinth, grunting as his weight jerked his arm painfully. He hung there a moment, digging his fingers into the stone before he swung his body, reaching for the edge with his other hand, but his fingers slipped.

“Fuck!”

But his curse was drowned out by a low, vibrating growl. Hades looked down into the gleaming eyes of a massive lion before it launched itself at him.

“Fuck!” he said again and dropped down into the labyrinth. As he hit the ground, his legs buckled beneath him. The lion bounced off the wall and landed behind him.

Hades scrambled to his feet, and the two circled each other.

The lion bared its white teeth and roared, its breath a sickly breeze that carried the stench of death. It turned his stomach and made him wonder what exactly it had been feeding on.

He knew this lion.

It was the Nemean lion, famous for its impenetrable hide and its silver claws, sharper than swords.

Even if Hades had weapons, they would not help him here.

The lion pounced and Hades moved, shifting out of the way at the last second. He started to run, only to feel the lion claw his back. A pained cry escaped his mouth, and he stumbled and fell to his hands and knees.

It took him a moment to realize that the net was on the ground. The lion had managed to cut it with itsclaws. He ignored the burn down his back and tried to scramble to his feet, but before he could, the lion sank its teeth into his ankle. Pain roared through him, consuming him like fire as he was jerked down again.

Hades managed to roll onto his back, his leg twisting uncomfortably within the lion’s mouth as he shoved his other foot into its face over and over until it released his leg from its viselike jaws.

When he was free, he got to his feet. The monstrous lion stood opposite him, and they circled each other before the lion charged again. This time, it batted at him with its large paws and long, silver claws. He managed to dodge each deadly swipe, and when the creature grew frustrated, it gave a violent roar. Hades’s stomach turned at the rancid smell of its breath, but he charged at the lion, vaulting into the air and landing on its back.

Again, the lion howled and then took off at a run. Hades gripped its fur and shifted forward, hooking his arms around the lion’s neck and squeezing with all his might until he shook. Beneath him, the lion slowed, its panting more of a wheeze.

Finally, the creature staggered and fell to the ground.

Hades rolled onto his back, breathing hard and covered in sweat. For a long while, he stared up at the ceiling and took stock of his injuries. His foot throbbed and his back burned, but neither of those injuries hurt as much as the wound Theseus had inflicted in his side. That one made him nauseous.

He was just lucky he still had his strength, though he could tell he wasn’t at his full capacity. He would take what he could get, especially since he could not call onhis magic within these prison walls.

A flash of silver caught his eye, and Hades turned his head, spotting the lion’s claws. He sat up and stretched across the space between them, brushing the tip of one talon, drawing blood with barely a touch.

Claws as sharp as blades.

Hades shifted closer and started to tear strips of cloth from his shirt, wrapping them around the longest claw several times to create a buffer. When he was sure he could grip it enough not to cut his hand to pieces, he yanked it with all his might until it broke free from the monstrous paw. It was more like a sickle, slightly curved and wider at one end.

Now I have a weapon.

---