Page 76 of Hades' Shadow
She’s gripping her ax and staring at the water.
“Yeah, this is bad. I don’t like the odds here,” she mumbles.
“We are almost there,” Jayden says, pointing to huge obsidian gates in the distance.
Raven screams and lashes out, swinging her ax down at the water as hands grip the side. Stringy wet black hair pops up over the side of the boat and hollow empty eyes stare into my fucking soul.
One hand reaches out, grabbing for Raven, and she swings her ax down, severing the hand from the soul. The hand twitches in the boat as it falls.
“That is not fucking cool. Get it out of the boat,” I shout.
The creature opens its mouth on a silent scream and sinks back down into the murky black water.
Adrian has his bow ready in his hands, but a creature jumps out behind him.
Touching my necklace, I unfurl my whip. I shout a warning to Adrian, and he turns just in time.
I crack the whip, letting my magic fill it, and it snaps at the creature. It jumps back and trips back into the water, falling backwards with a splash.
“Fuck,” Jayden yells.
Is he finally seeing the problem here? Thank fuck for that.
Six hands grip the right side of the boat and tip it as they all try to pull themselves up and out of the water. I pitch forward, grabbing on to Jayden and flick my whip again.
My blue electricity hits a creature and it screeches as its hand bursts into flames. It splashes back in the water.
I stumble as they rock the boat even more. Adrian curses behind me. I turn to him and rush to help. A creature is behind Raven, a hand in her hair, trying to drag her into the water.
Adrian is fighting off another creature with his bow and unable to get the creature off Raven. Charon is smacking the side with the stupid stick to no avail.
“B, help. I don’t care if you have to chop my hair off. Don’t let it drag me into that nasty-ass water,” Raven says.
“I’ve got you,” I shout.
I pull my sword and slash out at the creature holding Raven and flick my whip at the one Adrian is fighting.
Why aren’t they fighting Jayden? They act like he’s not even there.
My whip wraps around the creature’s neck, and it screams, stumbling back into the water with a splash.
I slash at the one holding Raven’s hair again and the electricity in my blade cauterizes the arm that I cut off.
Raven turns and roundhouse kicks the creature right out of the boat.
“Fucking hell.” Raven sighs. “That was close. I don’t even want to experience the River Styx that way.”
I shudder at the thought. That doesn’t sound like a good time at all.
“Beth, watch out,” Jayden screams as he rushes me and wraps his arms around my middle and tackles me to the floor of the boat.
“What the hell?” I ask.
I glance at Raven who is swinging her ax at a creature that is standing where I was only a moment ago.
I would be in the damn river right now if Jayden hadn’t tackled me.
I turn to him and smile my gratitude. His blue eyes bore into mine. The relief in them is palpable.
