Nyx laughs. “Of course you do! You’re the son Hermes!”
“You mean his ears?” I ask. “What the actual fuck! He’s not cutting off his ears and handing them to you!”
As if in protest against my declaration, the ground rumbles so loud, and with such power, that all four of us go tilting sideways. I actually fall over—only Aric’s quick grip on my arms prevents me from smashing into the stone floor!
“Well, I’m sure Declan won’t mind staying behind,” Nyx says. “But the rest of you had better get a move on because the Labyrinth is failing fast.”
I look over at Declan, my heart suddenly hurting at the thought of leaving him behind. “No,” I whisper. I don’t want to say that because it implies that I’m OK with this witch of a goddess taking his power in the form of his cute little winged ears, but I can’t help it.
I can’t imagine a future, in Paradise or otherwise, where Declan isn’t there with us.
He’s mine.
Declan lets out a breath, his eyes locked on me. “Before you ditch that knife, Aric, put it to use one more time.”
Quaid lets out a breath. “Wow.”
Aric, for his part, just stares at Declan for a moment. Waiting for him to meet his gaze. But Declan’s eyes remain steadfast on me.
And mine on him. That’s how I notice the walls are starting to crumble.
“Do it,” Declan says. “Quick. So we can get the fuck out of here.”
“Wait!” I scream. “Wait, you guys. We need to talk about this!” A gaping hole appears in the stone floor between Nyx and me, but I ignore it. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, or why you sent me to live in the mortal realm, but something about this is all wrong! You don’t cut off people’s body parts to win a game!”
“Don’t you?” Quaid asks. And when I look over at him, he’s pointing across the room at the Minotaur’s head.
“But—” I don’t know what to say to that. I just know that everything about this felt right until the Goddess of the Night appeared.
And now it feels wrong.
The archway behind Nyx, suddenly crumbles. Like actually disintegrates into tiny grains of sand.
We all start looking around at the other doors because we need four of them to get us all through and there were only eight to begin with.
Seven now.
And just as I think that, another one turns into sand.
“You’ll get them back, you know,” Nyx says. Her words more hurried now since the place is literally starting to crumble.
“Get what back?” Aric answers.
“Powers. Different, because they’ll come from the old gods instead of the new ones. But everyone who goes through becomes immortal in that realm too.”
Another door disintegrates and now we’re down to six.
“Ok, everyone,” Declan shouts. “Fuck this, we’re out of here. Aric, cut off my fuckin ears! I don’t care if I look like a mongrel on the other side, at least I’ll be there!”
Aric walks over to Declan, already stripping off his belt and throwing it at Nyx’s feet. He holds the knife up to Declan’s head and…
Well, Quaid grabs me, pulling me into a hug and turning my head away so I don’t have to watch.
Declan screams, and Iforce Quaid to let me look.
He’s covered in blood, but he’s wingless and an archway opens for him. “Come on!” he yells. “Let’s go!”
Aric throws his knife at Nyx and the moment it clangs against the stone, another archway opens so he can pass through.
