Page 124 of Hades' Shadow
Their skin is black and almost charred, covered in long black dresses.
“Are they going to turn us to stone?” I ask Jayden with wide eyes.
“No, they aren’t Gorgons. They just have snakes for hair like them.” He shakes his head.
“Jayden, son of Hades,” Alecto shouts. “Why have you brought the living to your father’s domain.”
Something slams against the top of the shield and I scream.
No, I am not proud of myself for it, but I do.
“If you want to know, go ask Hades. We are here at his request,” I say vaguely.
We don’t know who is on his side and who he suspects of betraying him. We can’t give anything away.
“Daughter of Zeus, you don’t belong here,” Alecto hisses.
“I’m here at Hades’ request,” I repeat myself.
Jayden passes his shield off to me and stands. I reach for him and try to pull him back but he bats my hand away. “I’ve got this. They won’t dare spit fire at me if I don’t have some way to protect myself.”
“Are you sure about that?” Alecto hisses and a gurgling sound follows.
Is that supposed to be a laugh? It sounds like an animal dying.
I shudder and stand, making sure to hold the shield.
Me and Jayden are going to have a chat about where he learned to hide this thing. It would have helped several times on this trip.
One of the furies flies around in a circle, spitting fire around the four of us.
“Sneaky, sneaky heroes going where you don’t belong. We will feast on your bones.” The fury cackles.
“Meg, you can’t hurt them. They were asked to come,” Jayden says, eyeing the fury.
The heat of Meg’s flames sear my skin and there’s a ring of fire and lava surrounding us, cutting us off from the rest of Asphodel.
I tap the charm at my neck and grip my whip in my hand. It crackles with white electricity.
The furies hiss in unison.
“You dare challenge us, daughter of Zeus?” Alecto screeches.
She opens her mouth to an unnatural angle and screams, her breath coming for me but Jayden raises the shield just in time to block her rancid breath.
Green waves of poison blast past the shield.
Fuck, that was close. I forgot that they are poisonous. Their breath can bring disease and death to the world.
I shiver.
It’s a good thing Jayden has quick reflexes. I would be dying right now if he didn’t. I smile at him gratefully and flick my whip at the furies.
“I don’t want to fight with you. We are here because Hades asked us to be,” I say angrily.
“Prove it. Lord Hades would never call on the daughter of the king of the gods for aid,” Meg sneers.
Jayden sighs. “Why don’t you go ask my father yourselves? How are we supposed to prove anything?”
