“One drop of your blood,” the voices whispered. “That’s all we need for now. We will collect the rest of your immortality after the goddesses are safe.”
Before he could second guess his decision, Evander said loudly, “I’ll do it.”
The spirits swarmed around him, a cacophony of murmurs and chants. A breeze whispered against his skin, tousling his hair. Energy churned in the forest, coiling tighter and tighter. The woods were so thick with magic that Evander almost couldn’t breathe.
A single luminescent form materialized before him. He recognized it from the day the spirits had sworn fealty to Cyrus. This was a woman, her hair long and flowing down her back as she smiled mischievously at him.
“Give me your hand, death god,” she said.
Evander stretched out his palm to her, then held perfectly still. Unease roared within him, but he ignored it. This was the right path. It had to be.
The soul drew closer, then slashed something across his palm.
Evander winced. It was so fast, he hadn’t expected the pain. What had she cut him with? And how had she done it, if she was only a spirit?
But she only smiled at him, her teeth gleaming as a droplet of silver blood pooled along the cut on his palm. The spirit held out her hand underneath his, catching the drop before it fell to the earth.
She inhaled deeply, her eyes closing. “Ah… That sweet nectar of immortality. So vibrant. So pure. There is nothing quite like it.” She brought her fingers to her lips and licked Evander’s blood, then made a low humming noise. Around her, the other spirits chanted excitedly.
Evander suppressed a shiver and dropped his arm, then straightened. “How do I find the goddesses?”
“The way to the Titans is simple, death god,” the spirit said. “You must find the one place without magic. The one place where the blood of the gods is useless.”
Evander blinked, not understanding. “Where is that?”
The woman’s smile widened, as if she thoroughly enjoyed his confusion. “It is in the mortal realm. Unseen by prying eyes, and hidden from mortal minds.”
Evander shook his head. “Speak plainly, please!”
The woman laughed, the sound echoing around him. Her form began to fade.
“Wait!” Evander stepped toward her, panic flooding his chest. “Please! I cannot give you my immortality until I find her.”
The woman’s form brightened, and she tilted her head at him, considering this. “The mortal realm is much changed since I last saw it. But I believe the name of the land you seek is calledRhea.”
Before Evander could reply, the spirit vanished, and the echoes of the voices around him faded. After a moment, nothing but dead silence surrounded him, the stillness so jarring it made his insides churn.
He was panting as if he’d been sprinting, his chest heaving and his mind spinning. He turned to leave—prepared to travel through the portal to get to the Realm ofGaia—when he noticed a figure standing by a large oak tree, his face pale and his jaw slack.
“Evander,” Cyrus said weakly. “What the hell have you done?”
PLANNING
PRUE
The cottage hadtwo bedrooms upstairs. Atlas showed them to the one on the left, which consisted of two dirty and stained cots and a table in between. The shutters over the window were cracked, and the air smelled like mold.
Atlas offered a cold smile before shutting the door with his departure. Prue checked the handle—no locks.
That would have been far too easy. Already, she was shocked the Titans were giving them privacy.
Assuming their magic couldn’t enable them to listen in on the sisters’ conversations.
We’ll have to risk it,Prue thought, turning to Mona and taking her hands. “What do you know about this place?” She kept her voice low, just in case.
Mona bit her lip as she glanced around the dismal bedroom.
“I know,” Prue said, squeezing her sister’s hands. “It’s bleak. Better than a prison cell, though.”
