Page 84 of Dead End

The giant opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again. “No, only that Zeus is the one who condemned me to this place.”

“You weren’t judged?”

“Not that I recall, but as I think we’ve established, it’s been quite a long time.”

I ran my finger along the chains. “I’m sorry for this.”

“How can you be sorry? Perhaps I deserve it.”

I removed my hand from the cold metal. “No one deserves this.”

Enceladus shifted slightly, causing the ground to tremble. “You are not the Melinoe I remember.”

“What would she have said to you?”

“I do not need to speculate. I can tell you the details of our last conversation.”

I smirked. “Except for when it occurred.”

“True, but that Melinoe did not notice my chains, nor did she show interest in the conditions of my punishment. She was preoccupied with her own safety.”

I placed a hand on one of his. “This Melinoe sees you, Enceladus, and she will not forget. I give you my word.”

He scoffed. “I do not trust the word of the gods.”

I couldn’t blame him. My only recourse was to prove it through my actions and not my words. “I’ll see you again soon.”

He shook his chains. “Why not now?”

“I don’t have the authority. I’m not yet officially queen.”

“I will not expect you.”

“That’s fair.” I walked away from the creature, my thoughts a tangle of ideas and emotions. I’d been here before to hide.

Why?

And who, if anyone, had found me? Maybe Enceladus was wrong. Maybe I’d been sent to Tartarus as a form of punishment. Who would have done that, though? Certainly not my parents. The fact that I’d been able to leave Tartarussuggested it hadn’t been punishment, that maybe I’d been honest with Enceladus about needing to hide.

I was so deep in thought that I lost my way. There was no sign of steaming pits. No screams of despair.

Then I saw it. The black hill from my dream.

Dream Aite’s words floated to the surface.Maybe that’s why you’re seeing Tartarus, a taste of what’s to come for all your bad deeds…

Was that what had happened? Had I been a goddess deserving of punishment?

I started toward the hill, urged by a voice deep in my subconscious. Maybe it was a reason as simple as I’d visited the hill as Melinoe and remembered it, but instinct told me there was more to it than that.

Nothing could hurt me here, I reminded myself. This was my domain, whether I liked it or not. The ground yielded to me. The monsters heeded my call.

I would’ve preferred to feel more comfortable than I did.

Tumbleweeds rolled across my path. I recalled those from my dream, too. The sight of them made me feel I’d chosen the correct route. This area of Tartarus didn’t seem to be in the business of torturing anyone, for which I was grateful. It was one thing to hear it and quite another to see it with my own two eyes. If I intended to reform the realm, I was going to have to buck up and investigate. Nobody else would be willing to do it for me.

Now that I was closer to the hill, I could see it was larger than it seemed. The color seemed to match the gate through which I’d entered; they were likely made from the same substance.

Whispers surrounded me, filling my ears and slipping into my mind. They were soft and inviting, designed to lure a soul to damnation.

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