Page 20 of Salt & Blood

Typhon wasgone.

How long had Evander yearned for this, to be rid of the beast inside him? And now that it had finally happened, he felt emptier than ever.

“It was the only way,” Romanos said softly.

“I know,” Evander said at once, his throat tight with emotion. “Of course, I understand, Romanos. You did what needed to be done.” He didn’t sound convincing, even to himself. He knew he should probably be thanking his brother for saving his life, but all he could dwell on was that gaping emptiness inside him.

Romanos had taken a part of himself. And he would never get it back.

“Call me Rom. Everyone here does.”

Evander’s brows knitted together. It sounded so informal and strange. Then again, he had never been particularly close to Romanos. Not like he had with Cyrus.

Cyrus.Gods, was his younger brother even still alive? The last he’d seen, Cyrus had been about to dive into the pits of Tartarus. Then the Underworld had been destroyed.

Surely he had survived. He had to. He was King of the Underworld.

“Does this mean he’s a mortal?” Mona asked cautiously.

“No,” Romanos said. “Look at his eyes. They still bear the mark of the gods. His blood is still silver. He only lacks the magic of our kind. But his god strength and lifespan remains.”

Mona sighed with relief, but Evander couldn’t share the feeling. An entire piece of him was missing. It would take longer than a few moments for him to come to terms with this.

“Why are we here?” Evander changed the subject, looking around once more. The women had stopped staring at him and were now chatting with one another. A few were casting dark looks toward Pandora, who stood on her own, rubbing one arm and refusing to meet anyone’s gaze.

She looked… forlorn. Like a lost child. Not at all like the confident goddess who had taunted him, almost killing him by dragging him to Elysium.

“We came through the portal before Elysium was destroyed,” Mona explained.

“This one is waiting to be judged by the Gorgon sisters,” Romanos added, jerking his thumb toward Pandora. “For her crimes.”

Evander’s gaze flicked to Pandora. He had once held such venom and hatred for her. Perhaps it was because of his healing, or perhaps it just did not matter now that he was reunited with Mona… But Evander found he felt nothing but pity for the goddess.

“Can’t that wait?” Evander asked.

Romanos frowned. “Wait for what?”

“Two realms have been destroyed by Pandora’s magic. It’s still out there, and the Realm of Gaia is next. We have to do something to stop it. Not to mention, the rivers of the Underworld have stopped flowing. That means there are millions of souls who need to be shepherded to their resting place. It’s chaos right now, and I don’t think we should be wasting time with punishing criminals when the war isn’t even over yet.”

Silence rang from his words, and he suddenly realized everyone was watching him once again. The echoing chamber made it easy for his words to be heard, even across the cavern. He felt his cheeks warm from embarrassment. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken to a crowd this big. He often kept to himself.

“He’s right,” Mona said, standing up straighter. “We have to do something.”

“We can’tdoanything,” snapped the sun god, crossing his arms over his chest. “No one here is powerful enough to stop that darkness. Believe me, I’ve seen it firsthand.”

“I think you’ll find the realms are far different now than they were when Pandora’s box was first crafted,” said a tall, brown-skinned woman with amber eyes. Her graceful form and commanding tone spoke of authority as she speared a sharp gaze at the sun god. “The three Gorgon sisters have harnessed the power of the Triple Goddess with their united powers. They are a force to be reckoned with.”

“This is not their war, Farah,” murmured an amber-haired witch beside her.

“With Hestia gone, it needs to be,” Farah replied.

“Do you think they can help?” Mona asked eagerly.

“Perhaps. But they aren’t the only ones. You yourself possess the magic of Gaia, do you not?”

Mona went rigid, her hand going limp in Evander’s. He looked at her and found her face had gone slack, her eyes wide, as if—for one terrifying moment—she had forgotten she was an earth goddess.

After one long, slow blink, Mona’s eyes grew unfocused as she concentrated on something Evander couldn’t see.

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