Page 140 of Song of Dragons (Dragon Tails 2)

“What does Lord Hades desire?” Ere asked, even though he dreaded the answer.

But it was negotiation 101. Hades obviously wanted something they could offer, else he would have had Cerberus rip them apart already. He wouldn’t even entertain this conversation. It was more expedient to let the god tell them what was on his mind rather than Ere grasping at straws and stepping unknowingly into minefields.

Hades considered them with his eerie, unblinking, blank stare for long, agonizing moments. If Ere were anyone else, he would probably have been wetting his pants in apprehension and fright, awaiting judgement from a powerful god.

The god of death no less.

But, Ere had been through hell and back already. Many times. He’d negotiated his own resurrection after being eviscerated by the Hydra. Death no longer frightened him. It was other things that clawed at Ere’s heart.

By sheer dint of will, he did not look at Sorin. Hades would see his weakness immediately.

Finally, the solemn god said, “A soul for a soul. A treasure for a treasure. That is only fair, yes?”

Hades’ black eyes rivetted pointedly on Sorin.

Fuck.

“No,” Ere growled, baring his teeth in a reflexive threat, before he could consider the repercussions of his outburst.

Unperturbed, Hades slowly arched a sleek, black brow.

Ere cleared his throat and tried to get a hold of himself.

Of course, the god knew immediately what made Ere tick. He was agod!He must have seen from the moment the three of them arrived what Ere and Sorin were to each other.Of course,he would want the one thing, the onebeingthat Ere would never give up.

“There must be something else you desire,” he said gruffly, his voice thick with aggression and fear.

He would never sacrifice Sorin. Not even for Divina’s love. Not for anything or anyone in the world. If that made him a selfish bastard, then so be it.

“Let’s start with what we can trade for the lyre,” he said more calmly, focusing on one problem at a time.

“Perhaps we can bring you something else of equal value.”

Hades was silent for a good long while, his stare unblinkingly intense. Calculating.

Ere’s hands grew clammy from a cold sweat. He balled them into fists to keep from trembling.

“You may gather the golden fleece and bring it back here,” the god finally said, his lips curling slightly, black eyes glinting.

Find the horn. Storm the mountain. Retrieve the lyre. Gather the fleece. And bring back the song.

Ere perked up internally at that. Even the words “gather the fleece” were the same. Surely this was part of his quest. He was meant to do this.

“That sounds…reasonable,” Ere mused. “We need some guidance on how to go about it if you want us to do this quickly. Where is the fleece, for one?”

“The lyre will take you there,” Hades said easily. “You have only to strum its strings to open the portal to the right time and place. When you have the fleece, you can return the same way.”

That sounded too good to be true. Surely, it couldn’t be that simple. Ere narrowed his eyes.

Hades smiled thinly.

“Of course, you have to defeat the never-sleeping dragon that guards the fleece,” the conniving god added.

“Let me guess,” Ere bit out. “Everyone who has tried to defeat the dragon and take the fleece failed.”

“Clearly, it wouldn’t still be there for the taking if anyone had succeeded,” Hades said, all logic.

“And if we bring back the fleece, we get to keep the lyre and walk out of the Underworld and back into the mortal realm alive and wholly intact?” Ere tried to confirm, being as specific with his words as possible, not trusting Hades not to take advantage of loopholes.

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