Geary gripped the rail as she again heard Apollymi's voice in her mind, calling out to her. She could save Arik. Keep him safe forever.
The promises sounded so good to her, especially as she watched him laying out their gear.
There's no other way. She'd done her own research and checked it with Tory. Neither of them had been able to think of or find any example of a god becoming human. At least not unless the god was cursed or there was some other extenuating circumstance that didn't apply to this case.
It was hopeless. To keep Arik, Geary would need Apollymi.
"What am I doing?" Geary whispered. "Don't meddle in the affairs of the gods, unless you want to get eaten." It was a lesson that resonated through ancient literature.
Who was she to tamper with fate? But as she watched Arik, she couldn't stand the thought of losing him.
The thought of sending him back to die.
"It's an interesting moral dilemma, isn't it?"
Geary tensed as she heard a voice to her right. She turned her head to find a handsome man standing in the shadows, barely a silhouette. His black hair was short and the glowing blue eyes marked him as another of Arik's brethren.
"Who are you?"
"M'Adoc," he said in a low tone. "I'm one of the three leaders of the Oneroi."
A wave of fear went through her. "Are you here for Arik?"
He glanced over to where Arik worked, unable to see him in the glare of the afternoon sun. "Ultimately, yes. But I know from my dealings with humans that you're going to fight me if I try to take him, and that I don't want."
"You're right about that. I won't give him up. Not now. Not ever."
"I know. You love him. It's why I heard Apollymi laughing a few minutes ago." He glanced back to Arik, who was checking their small dredge. "I give my brother kudos... to gain the love of a human is no small feat. The ability of the human heart to sacrifice for the one it loves... there is nothing on Olympus that can
even begin to compete with that."
A weird chill went over her body at his words and the way he said them. It gave her insight to this stranger. "You've known love." It was a statement.
His jaw flexed as if he was gritting his teeth, and a flash of pain darkened his eyes, confirming it. "The Oneroi know nothing of love and the Skoti know even less."
Still, she didn't believe him. He'd known it and by the looks of it he'd lost it. "Then why are you here?"
"To warn you not to be foolish."
Well, that was nice of him. But she didn't need his warning. She'd never been a stupid woman. "And how am I foolish?"
"You've given your heart to someone who has sold you out completely." He cast his gaze meaningfully at Arik.
Geary scoffed at him. "You're wrong. Arik loves me."
He shook his head. "Arik has no conviction. If he had, he'd have never been turned by Solin."
"You don't know that."
"Oh yes, I do. Arik is weak. He's always been weak."
"You-"
"Sh," he said, cutting her off. "Before you defend him, ask yourself this. How does a Skotos become human?"
"He already told me that. He made a pact with Hades."
"Yes, and you're a woman who has spent her entire life steeped in ancient Greece. Have you learned nothing of our ways? Has a god ever given such a gift without receiving something extremely valuable in return?" There was an ominous note in his voice.
"What are you saying?"
"You mean so much to Arik that he bartered your life to be here. He isn't the one who will die when his time ends, sweet child." His blue eyes were searing with heat. " You will."
Geary shook her head in denial. That was total crap and she knew it. "You're lying."
"I can't lie. I'm Oneroi."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Arik came out of nowhere to rush M'Adoc. She expected them to fight. Instead, M'Adoc allowed Arik to grab him by his shirtfront, shove him up against the wall, and hold him there.
Like a true Oneroi, there was no anger or any emotion evident as M'Adoc stared unblinkingly at him. "I
told her the truth."
"You what?" Arik asked from between gritted teeth.
"I told her of your deal with Hades. That you swapped her life for your mortality."
Arik's face went pale as his eyes filled with absolute horror. He didn't deny it. Rather, he looked guilty.
Geary knew then that M'Adoc wasn't lying. "Is this true, Arik?"
He cursed before he shoved M'Adoc again. "I have no intention of fulfilling that bargain."
M'Adoc looked at her. "As I said, he has no conviction. We don't understand human emotion and we can't handle it. When he returns to his true god state, he will come back here for you and kill you. As promised."
"Bullshit!" Arik roared.
Geary wanted to believe in Arik's rage. She needed to. But part of her was drawn toward M'Adoc. He made a convincing argument.
He looked at his brother with those cold, unfeeling eyes and it made her wonder if that's what Arik would look like once his time had expired. "You know it's true, Arik. When you are no longer corrupted by human emotion and Hades tells you to kill her you will do it. You won't have a choice and you won't have any feelings left for her."
"Never!"
"Not even when you're chained in Tartarus, under Hades' constant abuse?"
Arik flinched. He couldn't help himself. Too many centuries of torture hit him at once, and those had been doled out by Hypnos. No one was better at making a god suffer than Hades. Everyone knew that.
Arik met Megeara's worried gaze.
"He's telling the truth, isn't he, Arik?"
Arik watched as she backed away from them. He released M'Adoc and turned to face her. "Megeara, please..."
She shook her head back and forth as she looked at him as if he were scum. That look cut him straight to the marrow of his bones. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"Because I was stupid, okay? I didn't want to hurt you." He reached for her, but she stepped away.
"You intended to kill me?"