I nod, pressing my lips together to hide my smile before saying, “That’s right. Little Star the Eighth is gonna save you.”
His breath comes out of him in a long, slow exhale. Then he takes a quick one in, and he’s talking. “The music saved me. I didn’t know what it was back then. I only knew that if I ran, the walls would sing. The faster I went, the more words I got. They never made any sense, not at first. It was just jumbled music. Like I was underwater.”
“I heard it,” I say, excitement in my voice. “I heard it! I think it was my song!”
“Oursong,” Aric corrects me. “It was you, I think. Singing to me all those years ago. Urging me to try harder. To keep going. You’re the reason I got out. I followed your voice and it led me to a control room.”
I back up a little so I can look up at him. “A control room?”
“Yeah. Like… the maze was a game. And someone was controlling it. My father, obviously. I always knew it had to be somewhat fake because I was the only one in here. And in the real Labyrinth, there were always people in there trying to beat the Minotaur and find the secret cache of treasure.”
“It was like a training ground,” I say.
“Well, I hadn’t thought of it that way, but… maybe. It doesn’t matter anymore because your brother…” He stops here.
“My brother?”
“Theseus. He killed the Minotaur. About a decade back. And you know what the most ironic thing is? There was no treasure. Well, it was metaphorical, I guess. The treasure was freedom from anyone ever having to run the Labyrinth again.”
“And my brother did that?”
Aric nods. Then lets out a long breath. “But I guess that’s not the end of the story, is it? Because if it was, what the hell are we doing here? And more importantly, how the fuck do we get out? Because if it was the song that got me out, and you were the one singing the song—” He scoffs. “Well, you’re here now. Inside the maze. And you’ve got no idea what I’m talking about.”
He’s got a point, but I suddenly feel too tired to think about it. And since we’re in a safe place, I allow myself this weariness. I take his hand and start walking over to the messy bed.
He follows, but with a bit of reluctance. “What are you doing?”
“Let’s just…” I let out a long breath. “Rest. Just for a minute. That run did me in. I don’t know how you go so fast. You must have a distant relation to Declan.”
This makes him scoff, but it’s a good-natured one. And he lets me win. Because when I get in the bed and lie down, he does the same.
I turn on my side so I can see him. “I liked you from the beginning, you know. I really did.”
“That’s because I put a curse on you.” He points down to his belt buckle. “With this. The reason you fell for me was because of the magic in the belt buckle. Ares gave it to me to make sure I brought you back.”
I lean up on my elbow, curious about this. “What does he want with me?”
Aric scoffs again, only this time there’s no lightness in it. “Like he would tell me. I might be his son, but in his eyes, I’m just a bastard to be used in his game with the other Olympians.”
“And the Titans too,” I add. “Because that’s what Quaid said. That some cult is after me.”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “I’d forgotten about that.”
I lie back down, but this time, I snuggle up to him. “Thanks for getting me out of danger in the maze.”
Which makes him smile. “Thanks for showing me the way out.”
“It probably wasn’t me, ya know. You’re the one who knew the song and the lyrics. I just had a melody that came out of a dream.”
He turns his head to look at me, smiling. Then he reaches for a piece of hair that had fallen over my face, and smooths it back, out of my eyes. “You’re the dream, Star. In my eyes, anyway. And for the record, I liked you too. Even though it was the magic that made you like me back.”
I sit up a little then climb on top of him. Straddling his hips and pressing my hands on either side of his head. My long, dark hair falls over my shoulders like a waterfall, brushing against his cheeks. “It wasn’t the magic.”
And then, without even asking, I lean down and tenderly place my lips on his.
The spark of passion is immediate, but when he kisses me back, I feel like a fire ignites inside me. His hands grip my hips,as he arches his back a little, lifting me up. A tease for what could come next—if I want it.
And I do.
