“Are you done?” I snapped. “If you’re done torturing me for the day, I’d like to get some sleep.”
Zeus sat up, a glint in his eyes. He surveyed me, his gaze lingering on the bruises and wounds across my skin. “I am notdonefor today. Consider this the appetizer.” A cruel smile spread across his lips, and then he delivered the final blow, and I was out cold.
Chapter 28
Shadow
One.
Two.
Three.
. . .
Twenty-three.
Twenty-four.
As he became aware that twenty-four hours had passed since Zeus had captured Charisma, he finally stopped counting. Shadow couldn’t describe what was going on inside his void.
Unsettling.
He was experiencing a flood of thoughts as he found himself unable to stay concealed. Caught off guard, he involuntarily exposed his darkness, which nearly got him caught by Athena when he went to observe her working on a plan to bring Charisma back. It was new to him—to be so out of control because of a mortal’s disappearance.
Perhaps I have grown fond of you, my fylachtó, because you set me free.
Shadow could only wonder how to bring her back, although he had already made an attempt—and failed miserably. He knew Zeus wouldn’t put her in a place that everyone could easilyaccess, and he came to this realization as he tried to surpass all the layers of their world, believing he might discover the revolting place where she was imprisoned. Or perhaps on the verge of being?—
No.
Now that he was back in Olympus, he paused briefly, and if attempting to take a deep breath had been his intention, it would have been impossible. The city had undergone a complete transformation from the state in which he had last seen it, a mere few hours prior to his pursuit of finding Charisma.
While observing the temple, he shifted his attention. The expressions of the creatures seated on its steps seemed to lack any liveliness. It appeared the marble walls and columns were gradually losing their vibrancy, and their tint was no longer the familiar warm gold that everyone knew.
Every breath of color and spark of life began to fade in Olympus, and Shadow knew better than anyone else where to find the reason why this was happening.
Should they beg for further details, as I suspect they will, tell them just to observe our world. That will, indeed, reveal whether she’s alive or dead.
Although Zeus’s words still reverberated in his mind, the low rumble of thunder that was approaching in the distance interrupted his train of thought. With the weather taking a turn for the worse, Shadow noticed the increasing hysteria that had spread among the creatures of Olympus. As their faint screams echoed and worry became evident on their faces, frantic whispers about what could be happening passed through their trembling lips.
However, despite the awfulness of the situation, he felt a sense of relief transcending his void as it meant that Charisma Sinclair wasn’t dead yet. She was still alive, because otherwise, their world would have already ceased to be. With their bond,Eros’s heart began to beat with emotion again, meaning that should he lose Charisma, he would once again bring the destruction of their world.
In mere seconds, Shadow passed through the walls of the house where the source of their world’s declining vitality was currently living. As he moved stealthily toward the only bedroom within the residence, he noticed the dangerous stillness that seemed to permeate the space.
Where are you?
Once he got to the room, he started a thorough examination of its every corner, hoping to find a clue that would give him a better understanding of where the god he was looking for could be. And that’s when he noticed a small, grayish feather resting on the wooden desk.
He would’ve recognized that plumage anywhere—Athena’s owl had come to call for Eros. Perhaps the goddess had already found a solution while he was gone.
Interesting.
As he glided closer to the open window, he felt a sudden urge to stay longer, and that was when he moved his attention to the clock ticking on the wall. Time had moved closer to the twenty-fifth hour since Charisma’s disappearance.
Thirty-two minutes and then I shall start counting the minutes to the twenty-sixth hour.
Terrifying.
