My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

First Impressions Aren't Always Correct (Part 3)

Watching her reflection, I saw Oizys roll her eyes. "Don't be stupid. If Hades or Kyrillos were going to pull a power play like that, everyone would know." She examined herself a final time before turning on her padded stool to face me. "We just have to figure out where they would put him."

"Tartarus," I said, and shivered automatically. I did not want to go back there. Plus, the place was huge. "Let's rule everywhere else out first."

Oizys raised an eyebrow. "Scared, Springtime?"

I snagged a pillow from the daybed and wriggled it under my butt. "Uh, yeah. And don't even try to convince me that you enjoy hanging out there. Because there's gloom and doom, and then there's just plain stupid."

"Nobody enjoys hanging out there," she said, sounding more than a little convinced of my stupidity.

"Dead people and Olympians don't," I said. "Your kind might think it's a happy fun park."

I got an annoyed sigh, but no actual response. I crossed my legs and thought it over. "He wouldn't be in the palace. That's too obvious. The first place I'd search."

"Somewhere that would cause Prometheus maximum pain," said Oizys, rising to root through the jumble of stuff on her dresser.

"His rock." We said it in unison. And then, just as quickly, we both shook our heads. "No. Kai would want to keep Prometheus in the Underworld."

We stared at each other, both somewhat startled. "Great minds think alike," I murmured.

"Then I don't know how you reached that conclusion."

I waved my hands around, faking scared. "Ooh. Insults."

A corner of her mouth lifted ever-so-slightly into a grin. I had to look really hard, but it was there.

When she spoke, though, her voice was as matter-as-fact as ever. "Even if Kyrillos didn't actually bind him to the rock again, he could recreate the psychological trauma of it. Briareos, Kottos and Gyes, the Hekatonkheires who helped subdue him initially, live—"

"In Tartarus," I finished, glumly. "It fits. Kyrillos turned Prometheus over to the giants' keeping. We have to get him out of their hundred-handed clutches."

"Three hundred-handed clutches," Oizys corrected, snagging a tube of lipstick. "A hundred hands each. Along with their combined hundred and fifty heads."

"Thank you so much for clarifying that," I snapped. "Because we wouldn't want any hope going into this."

She uncapped the tube to paint her lips purple. "Best to know what we're up against."

I sighed. "You're right. I don't suppose there's a handy map of Tartarus anywhere?"

Oizys pointed to herself. "Spirit of Misery and Woe, here. If those giants are doing their jobs properly, Prometheus' pain will call me to him like a beacon." She sounded pretty miserable about that.

I didn't blame her. "Okay, so what do you need to—"

"Shut up for five minutes." She tossed the lipstick back onto the dresser and moved over to her bed.

I shut up.

Oizys hung backward off the bed, her hair sweeping the floor. Her eyes were closed but it didn't look comfortable.

For a few minutes there was no sound except our breathing. I looked around the room, trying to spot the source of the lovely floral aroma. Given the clutter strewn over the bed, the daybed, the dresser, and another low table, it could have been anywhere.

Oizys raised her head, her eyes bleak. "Found him."

My heart sank. "And he's in ..."

She rolled herself into a sitting position. "Yeah."

"Then it's field trip time. We'll need ear plugs. And possibly gas masks." Because I doubted I could withstand long-term exposure to either the sounds or the smells of the damned.

Oizys pointed at my ugly dress. "First, you need some proper clothes." She strode to her closet and flung the door open. Inside was a whole lot more black. She flipped through her stuff, pulling out a black T-shirt and black cargo pants. "Change."

It wasn't a suggestion.

But since it was a damn sight better than what I was wearing, not about to get an argument from me. I stood up, took the clothes, and headed into the bathroom, sponging away any stinkyness as best I could, and using my finger as a toothbrush. With the help of her bathroom mirror, I smoothed the more obvious snarls out of my hair, grimaced at my reflection, and decided this was as good as it was going to get.

Truthfully, it was pretty good. My Sophie self would have looked like something the cat dragged in, but Persephone looked like a slightly tired supermodel.

I stuck my tongue out at her face, and headed back into the bedroom. "Ready."

Oizys smirked. "So you didn't burst into flame wearing black, huh?"

"Sorry to disappoint. Do I get boots?"

She snatched up her glasses from her dresser and put them on. "I don't share footwear."

I didn't have any memory of Persephone owning anything other than sandals. Great.

I looked around. "Thoughts on the ear plugs and gas masks?"

"Yeah. Suck it up and suck it up, princess."

"Bite me."

"Ohhhh," Oizys pursed her lips. "Springtime shows her thorns."

I felt a pang. This was just an enchantment, and when things returned to normal, we'd probably be mortal enemies. Too bad. I liked this chick. I allowed myself a small smile at how easily Oizys could take Bethany down a notch or two. Then I crossed to the door and opened it. With a flourishing arm sweep, I motioned for Oizys to lead the way.

We kept to the back stairways and corridors as much as possible. Seeing the two of us together, especially when I was dressed like Oizys' Mini Me, would raise too many questions. Luckily, it was fairly simple to get out undetected. The souls we passed on our way to Tartarus didn't know us. And frankly, they were more concerned with being dead than finding out what we were up to. All of which allowed us to get within nose-hair-blistering distance of Tartarus relatively easily.

We stopped in front of the bronze fence. This was nowhere near where I'd gone through to meet Demeter. The section was totally smooth, with no door in sight. I debated whether or not to mention that I knew a way in, but figured it would lead to questions I wasn't about to answer. So I kept quiet and let Oizys take the lead.

She placed her hands on the fence. A violent shudder ran through her.

I moved to push her back, remembering how the cries of the damned had chilled me to the core. But she kicked out at my leg.

"Ow!" I rubbed my calf. "Fine. Touch it, you psycho."

Oizys looked at me. Her eyes glowed red.

I took several steps back and brought out my green light.

She just laughed. "Like you could take me." In a feat of insane strength, even for a supernatural being, she dug her fingertips into the bronze, and shredded it like paper.

My eyes bugged as Oizys tore a jagged opening.

"Go."

I hesitated, taking in her ragged breathing. The red in her eyes had dimmed somewhat. "Touching the fence powered you up, didn't it? You got strength from their pain."

Her fingers tightened on the rough segment of fence. "It's fading fast," she said. "If you don't want me to kick your ass so I can amp up again, I suggest you move it before I lose my grip."