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Clive showed me over and over how much he loved me, cherished me, and I showed him right back. I knew he was working through how to let me go on my own as his hands kneaded my flesh, his lips on the column of my neck.

“You can’t. You can’t leave me.” The pain in his whispered words tore at me.

“I never will,” I assured him, wrapping myself around him and coming apart at the seams.

Clive’s fangs sank into my neck, which started the earthquakes rolling through me again. He kissed my jaw and shifted some of his weight off me. “But you are. You’re planning to walk into the realm of the dead without me.”

“But I’m not staying there. I won’t be sightseeing.” I ran my hands over his shoulders. “Have faith, in me and in Meg. She likes me. She sat on a stool in my bar for eight years. I don’t believe she’d ask me for help if she thought I’d be killed. Hurt? Maybe, but I heal quickly.”

Clive shook his head, his grip on me tightening. “Your unfailing faith in humanity is one of the things I love about you, but Meg has been alive far longer than me and as you’ve mentioned before, I’m decrepit.”

I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Eight years may seem like a long time to you, but for those of us who are of an age, it’s nothing.” He ran his hand over my stomach, as though assuring himself I was alive and with him.

“I agree with you,” he said. “I think Meg does like you and I don’t believe she’s asking for your help in order to hurt you. What I don’t know, and what is making me insane, is whether she’s taking any responsibility for your well-being. If—I don’t know—a Cyclops comes around a corner and tries to eat you, is there a plan in place to keep you safe or does she write you off as a necessary loss before moving on to plan B?”

He’d just put into words exactly what had my gut squirming. Was I even Plan A? Maybe this was Plan J, and I was one in a long line of acceptable losses. “Here’s the thing, though.” I intertwined my fingers with his. “I’ve thought about not answering her call. I’ve considered it. I don’t want to do anything that’ll jeopardize our long lives together.” I sighed. “The thing is, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I ignored a call for help from a friend.”

He kissed my shoulder. “Believe me, I know that about you, which is why I was sitting on the side of the bed, brooding, while you packed.” He rolled, taking me with him so I was sprawled on top of him. “If Coco and Stheno don’t board the plane this morning, I’ll make some calls on the flight and hire you an army of bodyguards.”

I gave him a kiss and then got up and went to take a shower. “You know, that makes me feel better,” I called from the bathroom. “We have options.” With any luck, I might actually make it out of this alive.

Clive, Vlad, and I boarded the plane at five-thirty in the morning. Vlad assured me that Stheno had given him directions to the entrance, if she didn’t come. I tried to smile and appear positive, but he gave me a look that said he saw right through me. Clive spoke with the pilot, kissed me senseless, and then he and Vlad moved to the lightless room in the back. I remained in the main cabin, the door open, as the sky lightened. I ate breakfast at a side table while I flipped through the mythology book Stheno had said was filled with lies. I was at that nervous, desperate place where lies were preferable to ignorance.

I wasn’t completely uninformed. I’d read the Iliad and the Odyssey when I was younger. I’d read Hamilton’s Mythology in freshman year English. I’d watched Clash of the Titans. I knew some things. When it came to being thrown into an immersive experience, though, I was sorely out of my element.

A little after seven, I heard footsteps climbing the stairs. A moment later, my great-uncle Bracken entered, a brown canvas backpack on his shoulder. Apparently, we’d had the same idea.

I’d only recently met Bracken. He’d come to help us fight the pooka that had been plaguing San Francisco. He was a Corey wicche, like my mother, but confided in me that he was part fae too. He appeared to be a mild-mannered professor in his late sixties or early seventies, but given the way he moved in battle, Clive thought his appearance was a glamour. He believed the fae blood was strong in Bracken.

“Good morning, Samantha.” He glanced back at the open plane door. “Is it all right that I’ve left my car beside that black sedan?”

I nodded, waving him in. “That’s Clive’s car and I think he owns the hangar, so it’s fine.”

Smiling, he sat down beside me. “Well, that’s handy, isn’t it. I see you’re studying your mythology. I’ve been doing the same.” He went into his backpack and pulled out a leatherbound journal. “I’ve been writing myself notes on anything related to Hades, the Furies, and the Underworld. It’s quite exciting, isn’t it?”

I returned his smile, reaching out to hold his hand without thinking. “Thank you for coming with me. I’ve been far more scared than excited, but knowing I won’t be walking in there alone is helping to relieve the pressure on my chest.”

He patted my hand. “Not to worry. We’ll protect one another. And just think: We’re going somewhere very few have ever been.”

I laughed. “There’s that.” Rising, I went to the galley. “Can I get you coffee or tea or something? Also, if you haven’t eaten yet, there are pastries in here. I’ve been working my way through the box, nervous eating.”

“I’m not hungry,” he replied, “but perhaps some water would be good.”

“Oh, which reminds me,” I said, “do you think I’m correct that we can’t eat or drink anything in the Underworld, kind of like Faerie?”

He nodded, excitement brightening his Corey green eyes. “I believe that’s correct.” He patted his backpack. “I have protein bars and beef jerky. The biggest issue I think we’ll have is fresh water. We can’t drink from the rivers. I brought a large water bottle, but I’m afraid we’re going to need to ration it. I don’t know how long it will take us to find Megaera and discover what needs to be done.”

I lifted my own backpack. “I also brought protein bars and meat sticks, but I added candy bars. I figured we’d probably need the sugar rush.”

He nodded. “Good thinking.”

I checked the time. It was a quarter to eight. Shit. Neither was coming. As soon as the gloom had begun to resettle on me, I heard footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, Coco looked through the doorway, saw me, and stepped all the way in.

“You came!” I rushed to her and gave her a hug, embarrassing both of us. Stepping back, I whispered, “Thank you.”

She nodded, her bright eyes falling on Bracken.