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“Great.” Stheno looked over our five choices. “Anyone have a brilliant plan?”

Coco and Bracken turned to me, and I felt the weight of that stare. I’d asked them to join me and I had no plan. I moved toward the tunnel on the far left and was about to—I don’t know—look down the tunnel, sniff it, something, but before I got close, a growl echoed off the stone walls.

I moved back to the other three, and we all turned toward the heavy footsteps and growls approaching from the right. A moment later, three monstrous dog heads ducked under the entrance to a side tunnel and moved to guard our five choices, pushing us back into the cavern we’d just left.

Cerberus was hairless, with jet-black skin over a broad chest and a powerfully muscled body. He stood five feet from shoulder to paw, with his three heads rising a few feet higher. Unlike the way he’s often depicted in drawings, his heads looked more closely aligned to Pharaoh hounds, with long narrow snouts and long, tall ears. All I could think was the better to hear you with.

Two of the heads growled with their teeth bared. The middle head snapped at Stheno, who was closer than the rest of us.

“Quick, speak Greek to me,” I said, moving beside her.

“You’re a real pain in the ass. You know that?” she responded.

I stepped forward, letting my eyes lighten to wolf gold. I took in all three sets of eyes. The head on the left stopped growling and instead leaned in to sniff me.

I inclined my head in respect, though my eyes never left the middle head, who seemed the snarliest of the three. “Greetings, Cerberus. We are very honored to make the acquaintance of one as mighty as you.”

The eyes on the middle and right heads narrowed. Lefty clearly dug me because he’d already stopped growling and baring his teeth.

“We’re here at the request of Megaera. Would you be so kind as to tell us which tunnel will take us to her?”

They didn’t respond. Honestly, I had no idea if they understood words, but I figured it was worth a try. The left and right heads tipped toward the center. Perhaps they were conferring?

Or perhaps they’d decided to eat us because without warning, Cerberus lunged, the middle head trying to bite my head off.

I didn’t think. Claws shot out and I smacked his head away, leaving slashes down the side of his muzzle. I let out a great growl that reverberated off the walls of the cave. Since the middle head seemed to be the instigator, I ignored the other two and held his gaze, pushing Alpha authority through the connection.

Eventually, he blinked first and then shook his head. Blood droplets went flying, mostly hitting the head on the right. Lefty leaned his head forward again and sniffed. Something strange happened then—well, stranger. Cerberus moved closer to me, but it seemed to be against his will. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like Lefty was in charge now, forcing the rest of his body to comply.

I could have moved out of the way, but I felt no hostility from him, so I stayed put.

“Uh, Sam?” Coco was far less comfortable with this.

“I think it’s okay,” I told her.

Lefty leaned forward again, to sniff my hair before nuzzling the side of my face. I lifted my hand and scratched under his chin. He made a contented growling purr of a sound.

Smiling, I said, “Stheno, say something in ancient Greek.”

“You’re an idiot and lucky he didn’t decide to eat you,” she grumbled.

“Megaera is my friend,” I told Lefty. “Can you show me which tunnel to take to find her?”

Cerberus finally stepped back and moved toward the far-left tunnel. Lefty swung his head toward the entrance.

“Thank you!” I reached up and scratched behind one of his ears and his mouth dropped open in a grin. “We’re going to go now. Thank you for your help. Good boy!” I waved the other three to move, wanting to be the last one in the tunnel in case the other two heads got bitey again.

The tunnel was too narrow for Cerberus to follow, so once we were all in, I knew that threat was behind us.

“Thank goodness dogs like you,” Coco said.

“Indeed,” Bracken echoed. His light continued to bob above us as we walked single file through the dark tunnel. Stheno lead the way and I brought up the rear.

After a little while, the tunnel widened and we changed formation, going two by two. The path took a sharp turn to the right, causing Stheno and Bracken to stop short. Coco had quick enough reflexes to stop herself from plowing into Bracken. Unfortunately, I was daydreaming and ran into Stheno.

When I looked over her shoulder, I saw the problem. Three older men, with white hair and beards, wearing long robes, had stepped out, blocking our path.

The men studied the four of us and then all three focused on me. “Is this the one?” the tall one murmured to the other two.