Gods of Chaos (Red Magic) (16 page)

I sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry.” I rubbed my forehead. “I just don’t know who to trust anymore. First Rochelle, and then—”

Persephone interrupted me gently. “Your time in the Underworld was short. There is still much for you to learn, and you know that you will always find sanctuary in my husband’s realm.”

I looked up and stared at her, feeling defeated. “What good is any of it?”

Her eyes hardened. “What do you mean?”

“It’s like chasing smoke. Hecate hasn’t shown herself since last fall. Well, not really,” I amended, remembering the woman on the plane and the creepy presence I’d felt in the vaults. “I’m not even so sure I remember why I’m fighting her.”

Persephone froze, her face like a mask. “Must I remind you of the blood she has caused? You of all people know how dangerous she is. Think of what she did to your friend.”

I flinched. “But I haven’t done anything to stop her. Look at this winter! Even nature isn’t right anymore. Chaos is running rampant, just like Hecate wants. What good am I?”

The goddess took a step closer to me, but I backed away. She held out her hands, palms up. “Darlena, there is more at work than you realize.”

“Then maybe you should tell her.” Izzy’s calm voice was a surprise; I’d almost forgotten that she was standing there the whole time. “And maybe,” she continued sharply, “then you can tell me what my brother has to do with all this, and where I can find him.”

Persephone glanced at the girl with pity. “He will play a much larger role than you think, child.”

Izzy was quiet for a moment. Then she looked up, with tears in her eyes, and asked, “Is it too late for him?”

The goddess paused, considering. “I am not sure. You might do well to ask your patron.”

Izzy nodded, her face puzzled.

I watched their exchange, perplexed. “Wherever Marcus is, he’s with his patron. He probably went willingly.”

“I would not be so sure.” Persephone’s words shocked me to the core, and Izzy started to weep.

I whirled to face the goddess. “You need to tell us what you know. Everything,” I added sharply.

Persephone raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten, Darlena, that you are speaking to a goddess? To the one who saved you? The one to whom you owe allegiance, yet you refuse to swear it?” She grew larger with each word until her head and shoulders rose above the mound of stones.

Trying not to show my fear, I stared up at her. “Maybe you’re right. But how can I swear my allegiance when I know you’ve been keeping things from me?”

Her breath hissed like steam. “There are things that I am not sure of yet.”

“Such as?”

In an instant, she was human-sized again, looking me in the eye. “I believe there is much more at work than the usual lust for chaos exhibited by the Red gods, and I believe you and the other Red will play a major part in the events to come.”

I waited silently, trying to process what she’d said. Did that mean Marcus would help me after all?

Persephone paused, her head tipped to one side. “How much do you know of the creation of man?”

“Which time?” Izzy interjected, then blushed when the goddess looked at her and nodded.

“Exactly.”

I looked at Izzy, and then I turned to the goddess. “I don’t understand.” It seemed like Izzy and Persephone were on the same page, but I was still miles behind.

Izzy spoke first. “Throughout mythology, whenever humans are created, it seems like the gods always decide they want a do-over at some point.”

I frowned, remembering an old story I’d learned before enrolling at Trinity. “Like Noah and the flood?”

Persephone snorted. “That unoriginal tale was just echoing the times the gods destroyed their handiwork, again and again. But yes, like Noah and the flood.”

Izzy chimed in. “Each time, the human race is made of stronger stuff, and each time the gods start over, it’s because they feel like their creations don’t respect them. But because the gods use better materials, it’s become harder and harder to shake the etch-a-sketch.”

“But that’s just mythology. How does this affect us?” I had a nightmarish suspicion, but it was too horrible to voice. Even though I knew there was truth behind the old myths, I couldn’t bear to believe that something so awful could happen again.

Persephone looked down at her hands. “I fear that some of my Red sisters and brothers have again grown discontent with humanity. They want, as the child said, a do-over.”

I sat down on the ground, stunned. “So that means that Hecate … ”

“Wants to use you to destroy the earth.”

Her words hung in the air like a curse. None of us spoke for a moment. My stomach roiled furiously, and the pounding in my head increased. I was going to be sick if we didn’t leave the cairns. I put my head between my knees and forced myself to breathe evenly. It wasn’t just the buzzing in my ears that was making me nauseous; it was the fact that Persephone had confirmed my worst fear.

Finally, Izzy spoke. “But what I don’t get is why destroy the whole world? I mean, every time the stories say the gods started over, it was just one region, one group of people who got wiped out.”

Realization dawned in my mind. “The world has changed, Izzy. Before, getting rid of one pesky community was enough to restore balance. Now, the world is too interconnected. To get a true do-over, everything has to be destroyed.” And the easiest way to do that was to let chaos take over. Had this been Hecate’s plan all along, ever since she showed up in my living room last summer? I staggered to my feet, breathing heavily. I was sick of being a pawn for that crazy goddess. There had to be a way to stop her.

Izzy shivered. “So we’re talking about the end of the world.”

“Not if I can help it.” I spoke fiercely, but my words felt hollow.

Persephone looked at me for a long minute, her face unreadable. “And how would you stop this?”

I drew a deep breath, my mind racing. It landed on Loki’s strange bargain, and I shuddered. “What if there was a way to bind a god?”

I glanced between the stunned faces in front of me.

Finally, Persephone spoke. “Even if such a thing were possible, I do not think I could sanction it. You forget, Darlena, that I am also a god.” Her voice shook with passion, and I realized I had to tread carefully.

“I’m not talking about binding you! Just Hecate.”

Izzy looked at me like I’d gone crazy. “What good would that do?”

I floundered. “Maybe if she weren’t free to use her power, we could bargain with her.”

Persephone laughed harshly. “You would dare to bargain with such a powerful goddess? She would twist her words so that she still had the power to do as she pleased, and you can be sure that she’d be after you the minute her bonds were cut.”

“But she’s already after me, isn’t she? Even though Rochelle is dead, I don’t think Hecate will stop trying to kill me. So how does this change anything?”

The goddess paused, considering. “She hasn’t come after you since the fall. Perhaps you are no longer her target.”

I sighed, realizing I’d better come clean. “You haven’t been watching everything. She’s tried to kill me twice since I got to Scotland.”

Izzy gasped, and I watched as realization dawned over her. “That’s why you contacted me and Marcus, isn’t it? You wanted help.”

I nodded. “I thought that two Reds together would be able to face her.”

The girl raised her eyebrow. “And a Blue?”

I shrugged uncomfortably. “I was trying to find a way to get Marcus to listen to me.” Her face crumpled in anger, and I hurried to add, “That was before I met you! As soon as we met, I realized that I liked you—”

Izzy crossed her arms over her chest and interrupted me. “You liked me enough to drag me into this mess, right?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

She didn’t say anything, and Persephone cleared her throat. “I did not realize she had been actively hunting you since we parted, Darlena. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to intercede.”

I glanced at her, surprised at her apology. “It’s okay. I’ve managed to survive so far. But I don’t think binding her could possibly make her hate me more.”

The goddess nodded slowly. “You have a point. But I still don’t think it is possible to confine a god. If it were, it would have been done before now.”

But it has been done. If Loki was trapped, wasn’t that proof that the gods could be caged? “Leave that to me.” I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. “If I can find a way, I think it may be our best option.”

Izzy spoke up quietly. “But to catch Hecate, you’d have to face her, right?”

I cringed. I hadn’t really thought about that part.

Glancing at Persephone, Izzy continued. “So there’s a chance that she’d kill you before you could control her. And then we’d be even worse off than we are now.”

I put my hands up. “But what other choice do we have? I had hoped Marcus would help me, but he won’t be helping anyone now.”

Tears welled up in Izzy’s eyes, and I realized I’d been too harsh. I reached out to put my hand on her shoulder, but she backed away.

“Since you mention him,” she sniffed, “how are we going to get him back?”

Persephone and I exchanged a glance. I clearly had a very different idea of what had happened to Marcus than Izzy had, but I couldn’t help but feel relieved that Izzy was still talking about “we.” Maybe she’d forgive me for using her to get to her brother.

“What do you think has happened to your brother?” Persephone spoke gently, and Izzy stopped crying.

“Why, he’s been taken!”

“Izzy, he was here with his patron. She wouldn’t harm him.” I meant to match the goddess’s tone, but my words were still sharp.

Izzy shook her head frantically. “She wouldn’t harm him, but don’t you see?”

We looked at her blankly.

“Hecate must have him!”

Her words rang with certainty, but I wasn’t so sure.

“Why would she want him?”

Izzy frowned. “The reason you said! You were counting on his help.”

I snorted. “But he wasn’t going to help me.” Exasperated, I realized I had conjured up Red magic again, and I forced myself to let it go. “He’d already told me he didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

“Maybe he changed his mind.” She looked so determined, but I knew better.

“Izzy, has Marcus ever changed his mind about anything?”

She frowned stubbornly and didn’t answer my question. “He brought you here! I’m sure he wanted to help.”

Persephone spoke gently. “If we can, we will look for Marcus. I will keep my ears open among the gods and see what I can discover. But you two,” she glared sternly at me, “need to work on a plan. I’m still not sure I agree with you trying to bind Hecate, but until you think of something else, I suggest you start working on spells to see what might work.” Her form started to shimmer like smoke, and I realized she was leaving. “Just remember, Hecate is not acting alone. Confining her may be a start, but it might not be enough.” She faded until she was translucent.

“How can I contact you again? I don’t want to do this alone.”

She smiled sadly. “It is still the winter. Any place of death will let you reach across to my husband’s domain.”