She jerked around at the sound of his voice to glare at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I have no idea, but I think it's to help."
She scoffed at him as she pulled down a book from her bookshelf, "That boat already sailed. You told us we were on our own."
"Yeah. But the amazing thing about boats is that they occasionally turn around and come back."
"Or they blow up while hosting your air supply," Kat added meaningfully.
He turned his head to see her entering the room from his left. "True, but not this one. Arik asked me to guard Megeara from the others."
Megeara gave him a suspicious look. "Why would he do that?"
"Because he's not able to."
Still suspicion was heavy in her eyes. She didn't trust Solin, and honestly he couldn't blame her for it.
"And why would you do that when you've already made your position clear?"
He shrugged. "I'm basically doing it to piss the powers-that-be off."
"And?" Kat prompted.
"And what?"
"I don't know, there just seemed to be an and attached to the way you said that."
And... for some reason he didn't want to think about, he'd come to like and respect Arik. But that he'd never admit to. "There's no and ."
"All right then," Kat said, clapping her hands together. "We're trying to save Arik. You said he came to you. Where is he?"
Solin hesitated. He'd assumed they knew already, but apparently the women had no clue what'd happened to Arik. "He came to me as a Shade, Kat. M'Adoc killed him."
Geary dropped the book in her hand at the unexpected news. If Kat hadn't reached out to steady her, she would have probably fallen.
Arik was dead.
It couldn't be and yet she could tell by the look on Solin's face that he wasn't joking.
"I can't breathe," she whispered as her tears gathered in her throat to choke her. "He can't be gone."
"Sh," Kat said as she pulled Geary against her. "It's okay, Geary."
But it wasn't okay. Arik was dead and it was her fault. She hadn't even fought for him. M'Adoc had come and she'd all but shoved Arik into the hands of the man who'd killed him.
She sobbed as her heart shattered. How could she have done such a thing, even in anger?
"Uh, ladies. I hate to say it, but I'm not through being a harbinger here. Arik came to me because M'Adoc is hell-bent on cleaning this situation up."
Kat stepped away from her. "Cleaning it up how?"
He looked meaningfully at Geary. "Humans aren't supposed to know we exist."
That shocked Geary's tears away as a chill went down her spine. "He's coming to kill me, too."
"Yes."
Anger consumed her as she wiped away her tears. "What about Tory and Thia?"
"They don't know anything, so they're safe. But you, my dearest, are another matter entirely."
Well, she could handle that. Her life was one thing, theirs was another. So long as they were safe, she could deal with whatever came her way.
She bent to retrieve her book of mythology from the floor. "I can't believe this."
Solin nodded. "It's really quite pathetic, isn't it? Arik gives himself up because M'Adoc swears he won't hurt you, and then the lying bastard decides you need to die anyway."
Geary froze at his words as dread consumed her. "Arik did what?"
Solin looked ill. "Oh, don't tell me you didn't know that, either?"
" No," Kat said, stressing the word. "She didn't."
Solin wiped his hand over his face. "Okay, I'm just going to stand here and be quiet."
"It's too late, Solin," Kat said from between clenched teeth. "You've already done your damage."
"Wait," Geary said as her mind whirled with thoughts. She looked down at the leather-bound book in her hands. "We can save Arik."
They exchanged a frown before Kat shook her head. "I don't see how."
"Oh c'mon, you're both in the pantheon. Shades have been brought back before." She held the book out to them. "Look at Orpheus and Eurydice. Hades allowed her to leave."
Solin snorted. "That's one example out of thousands Hades has denied, and laughed at while he did so."
Geary glared at him. "I thought you were going to be quiet."
"Sorry."
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," Kat said with a sigh. "Not to mention Eurydice never made it out. Orpheus looked back before he reached the surface, and she was snatched right back into the Underworld. Hades is a selfish bastard that way. He never willingly lets go of a soul."
Apollymi cleared her throat in Geary's mind. " Were you not listening to me earlier? Why do I even bother? Just call me Circe or Cassandra for all the attention I'm paid. Why do I have to resort to them anyway? Ferandia would be a better example, but since she's Atlantean no one knows that story, do they? No. So I have to resort to those insipid Greek tales, half of which were stolen from us. But that's another matter. Point is, no one ever listens to a trapped goddess..."
Laughing in spite of everything, Geary realized Apollymi was right and she was going to take the goddess's earlier advice. She looked up at Solin. "Oh, Mr. Dream Master, where's Persephone?"
Solin narrowed his eyes. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"
Kat grinned. "You want to move the mountain, you give it something it can't resist. Geary and Apollymi are right. Hades won't even look at us. But he listens to his wife. We need her."
Solin was still shaking his head. "And if she won't help?"
"I'm not going to think about that," Geary said sternly. "I can't afford to."
Solin looked reluctant, but in the end he agreed with them. "All right then, let's go."
"None of you are going anywhere."
Geary froze as M'Adoc appeared in the doorway before them.
And he wasn't alone.