Still, his willingness to help me remained elusive. Unless he shared my hatred for Zeus. Perhaps Shadow was the ally I was looking for?
“Oh my gods! You have to wear something . . . what would you call it on Earth? Sassy?”
I rolled my eyes, observing his furrowed brow and the way he chewed his lip as he contemplated clothing choices. “Tell me more about Elythra.”
226688 took a deep breath. “Well, it’s the largest planet in the universe, with a smaller planet within. That planet is called Nytherae, a realm of the lesser gods and known as the place where the Underworld resides. We are now in Olympus, the main city of Elythra.”
With a snap of his fingers, my clothing disappeared, and the material of a new set of clothes grazed against my skin. I shook my head.
“What are lesser gods?”
“Despite their height and longevity, they spend their lives the same way humans do. Their access to magic solely focuses on cultivating, harvesting, or building. To enter Elythra’s grounds, a lesser god must have a spotless record, free of any disobedience or crimes, before they can attempt to appease Helestyhs.”
I frowned. “Helestyhs?”
He smiled, nodding. “Yes. It is a phenomenon when the moon and sun move toward each other. Long ago, the lesser gods were prohibited from entering Elythra. It was then that a rebellion started, and our king decided to offer them a chance. Every year, during the Helestyhs, the worthy have to sacrifice the person they love most, and so their path to Elythra begins.”
My heart dropped. He couldn’t be serious. “You call Zeus giving those poor people achancewhen he asks them to kill their loved ones?”
226688 shrugged, his gaze faltering to the ground. “That is how things work here, and he is the king after all. He believes that making such a sacrifice is a testament to their true resolve in moving past their tough times and pursuing a better life,” as he said those words, his fingers curled into fists around his body, mouth pursed into a straight line. He cleared his throat. “Now, stand still.”
He changed my outfit once again, and even before my chin lowered to my chest, and I slid a glance across my body, I knew the 226688’s work wouldn’t be to my liking. There was no way, not in hell or theUnderworldfor that matter, I’d go out dressed like this.
“Eh? What do you think?” He wiggled his brows, a smirk painting his mouth.
“Are you serious?”
226688 blushed. “What? You look like you just walked out of Mount Olympus itself! You are truly sassy.”
“It’s called sexy, and I’m not wearing lace garters and a nightgown. Change my clothes,” I said, my jaw locked.
“You’re going to sleep in the God of Love’s chamber. Don’t you think it would be suitable to wear somethingsexy?”
“No. The Shadow said torestin his chamber, not to be intimate with him,” I murmured, playing with the hem of the nightgown. “Perhaps I can hide under his bed and leave in the morning. It will still count as sleeping there.” My shoulders shrugged as the attempt of a joke slipped past my lips.
226688 grimaced. “That’s weird. Like Xochipilli weird.”
Did he just compare me with the God of Art, Flowers and Hallucinogens?
I almost rolled my eyes. “My point still stands. I don’t need to bed him.”
“Well, you don’tneedto, but you definitely can. It will help ease the stress!” He laughed, and when he noted my expression, he sobered, clearing his throat. “Your loss. Now, how’s this?”
I shook my head at the tight dress. The fairy suggested more outfits, but my head continued to shake in disapproval.
“Fine,” he grunted. “You could’ve just told me you wanted something boring. Here.”
This time, I breathed a sigh of contentment, my fingers tracing the red silk of the nightgown. “This will do.”
My feet made a dull thud as they landed, and a sudden, sharp pain exploded in my head. I hissed, and my eyes squeezed shut against the sudden jolt, cursing the gods for the consequences of teleportation.
“You said . . . it will get . . . better,” I snapped, fighting through the agony. “I’m still waiting for better.” I crouched, catching my head between my palms as tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Oh, hush. It can’t be that bad.”
My head whipped toward him, eyes burning. I reached out with my hand, tempted to catch his head between two fingers and show him just howbadit was.
A slanted, down-turned smile tugged at his lips, his chin dipping low as he flew a few steps behind. “I take it back! I take it back!”
