I feel lost. Alone.Desolate.
Like I’m trapped in a maze…
The thought makes me frown.Am I in Hades’s labyrinth?
I spin around, noting the fog and lifeless walls. There are skulls everywhere, the faces etched into the cement-like corridors.
I shiver.
This place isn’t as beautiful as I thought. It’s… it’sdeath.
“Hades?” I whisper, searching for him. “Are you… hunting me?”
The question sends a jolt down my spine. If this is real, then perhaps my heat is about to begin. Maybe I’m supposed to run.
But I… I don’t feel like being chased. He said an Omega likes to test her potential mates. Shouldn’t I want to?—
Movement from the corner of my eye grabs my attention as a blue cloak scurries past me. “Pip!” I cry out in relief.
Only… only, he doesn’t stop or face me. He just scampers off and around a corner.
“Hey!” I chase after him, confused and a little miffed that he didn’t acknowledge me. That isn’t like him at all.
When I turn the bend, I see him floating off in a hurry, like he’s running from something.
Is he trying to guide me out of this maze?I wonder.Has something happened?
The urgent sway of his cloak makes me pursue him, my steps growing faster as he picks up speed. “Pip!” I try again. “Wait!”
He’s practically sprinting now, winding us through the hazy labyrinth and dragging me deeper into the murky darkness.
Only to halt at a solid black wall decorated with intricate symbols. I stare at it, mesmerized by the magic pouring off the barricade.
“What is this, Pip?” I ask as he studies the barrier.
He doesn’t respond. Not that he usually talks, but he often tries to communicate with gestures.
Instead, all he does is touch the engravings with a gloved hand.
I take a tentative pace forward, my own hand lifting as I try to understand what he’s doing. “Pip,” I start, then notice a strange flickering in his robe.
It’s… it’s not the right blue color. It’s tarnished and a bit black.
My brow furrows, and my hand starts to drop to my side. Something isn’t right. This isn’t?—
The creature grabs my wrist and yanks me forward, forcing me to touch the enchanted barrier just as a pair of big red eyes meets mine from beneath the hood.
A scream bursts from my throat, the sound echoing all around me as the world fades into a dark oblivion.
And then there’s nothing.
No maze. No black wall. No engravings.No Pip.
It’s just a dark abyss, one that lacks sensation and makes me feel even more lost than before.
My lips part as I try to scream again. But noise doesn’t exist here. Not even air appears to be present. It’s simply a vapid cavern.
A chill skitters up my spine. This feels very real. Too real.
