Page 41 of Hades' Shadow
We wait in silence for him to come out of it—the waiting torturous. When his brown eyes are visible again, I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s short-lived as horror crosses his features.
“Fuuuck.” He draws out the word, and I think it’s the first time I have ever heard him swear. It’s weird coming from him.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting forward and pushing the tray away from me.
“The Titans are definitely involved and it’s bad. Whoever is behind this is weakening the underworld so they can free the Titans from Tartarus.”
“Fuck, are you serious?” Jayden jumps up. “That can’t happen.”
“It’s actually a smart plan.” I chew my lip. “Weaken the gods by stealing their items of power and then release their sworn enemies to pick the gods off for them? I can’t believe we didn’t see it before.”
“We have to stop them. If Tartarus crumbles, then everything will be thrown into chaos.” Jayden paces, running a hand through his hair.
“I guess that means we aren’t going to class.” Raven grimaces.
I would much rather be ditching class for something fun, but Titans taking over and causing chaos is not exactly fun.
“How long did my father say the monsters have been getting out?” Jayden asks.
“He said he just noticed a couple days ago.” I peer up at Jayden.
“That means we have a week tops before the underworld is weak enough for the Titans to be able to escape.” Jayden scrubs a hand over his face. The shadows crawl over his arms in agitation.
“Okay, we need to figure out the best way to get to the underworld, then.” I stand and grab my tray. “Is everyone done?”
They all nod and we take our trays to be cleaned before heading to the dorms.
“Beth, wait up.” I stiffen and widen my eyes at Raven when I hear the voice behind me.
What the fuck does Dax want now?
“What, Dax?” I sigh, turning to face the monster of a man.
“I thought I would walk you to class?” he asks hopefully.
“We aren’t going to class; something’s come up,” Raven says, threading her arm through mine and leading me away.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not sure that he’s going to give up that easy.” Raven shakes her head, exasperation clear in her expression.
“He just wants to compete over something and he’s competing with no one really. Well, maybe Draven, but is it really competing if neither of them wins?”
“I don’t think it’s all about competition.” She eyes me warily. “I think in their delusional little minds, they actually think they have a shot with you.”
She pats my arm before pulling the dorm door open. Jayden and Adrian are standing in the stairwell, impatient expressions on their faces.
“What took you so long?” Jayden growls.
“Close encounter of the idiot kind.” Raven snickers.
“We don’t have time for you to chat with your boyfriend. The world needs to be saved.” He glares at me.
I don’t even dignify that with a response as I stomp up the stairs. I have told him multiple times that I don’t have a boyfriend, and I know that he heard me tell Dax point-blank that he kissed me without my permission.
“Quit being a jealous ass,” Raven snarls as she follows me. “She doesn’t like either one of them.”
“Whatever, Raven. I know what I saw,” Jayden grumbles.
