Chapter 218

[ 1,242 words ]

9:27 Fri, Sep 4

Goddess Of The Underworld

Consequence Education.

60

Ten minutes later, I dragged myself downstairs, hair brushed, clothes thrown together, soul already halfway to despair. The smell of coffee

hit me first, and for a second, I thought maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Until I saw the looks on everyone’s faces. Mum, Levi, Haiden, and

Xavier were already at the table, chatting quietly with their morning drinks like they hadn’t just collectively sentenced me to a weekend in the literal Underworld. Noah was leaning against the counter, holding out a travel mug with a grin that was far too bright for this hour.

“There she is, my favorite Underworld intern p>

I took the mug with a glare. “This is child abuse p>

Haiden snorted into his coffee. “You’re legally an adult, sweetheart. That makes it consequence education p>

Levi didn’t even look up from the paper he was reading. “Think of it as field experience p>

Mum gave me a sympathetic smile. “You’ll be fine, Mace. Maybe you’ll even like it down there p>

“Yeah,” I muttered, sipping my coffee, “because it’s so relaxing surrounded by lost souls and lava pits p>

“Don’t forget the fire imps,” Xavier added, deadpan. “They bite if you look at them too long p>

I froze mid-sip. “You’re joking, right p>

His face didn’t move.

Mum shot him a look. “Xavier p>

“What?” he said innocently. “She should be prepared p>

I groaned and leaned my hip against the counter. “Do I even get a say in this p>

Noah shook his head, already pulling his jacket on. “Nope. But hey, on the bright side, Elliot’s been working there full-time this week.

You’ll have company p>

That made me pause. My stomach twisted, remembering the last time I saw him, his stormy blue eyes, his silence, the way he’d walked away like I’d burned him.

“Great,” I muttered. “Can’t wait p>

Haiden chuckled, standing. “You’ll survive, kid. Who knows, maybe you’ll even learn something p>

“Like what?” I grumbled.

“Like not skipping school with strange boys,” Levi said smoothly, still not looking up.

1/4

9:27 Fri, Sep 4

Consequence Education.

“Okay, message received,” I snapped, setting my cup down.

Mum laughed softly and came over to kiss my forehead. “You’ll be fine, sweetheart. Try not to sass any demons, okay p>

“Can’t make promises,” I mumbled, but her warmth softened the edges of my irritation.

Noah clapped his hands once. “Alright, ready to head out p>

“Do I have a choice p>

ร

86

“Nope,” he said cheerfully, opening a portal beside the dining table. The air shimmered, and I caught the faint scent of smoke and sulphur. With one last glare at my very amused family, I stepped through. The Underworld hit like a wave of heat, shadow, and that faint hum of magic that always made my skin tingle. I blinked against the glow of molten light reflecting off the obsidian floor. And there he was. Elliot. Standing by the edge of the platform, scythe in hand, eyes fixed on me like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. It has been a while since I’ve been down here. The last few years I stood back from here, not really feeling like this place was part of me.

“Morning,” Noah said cheerfully behind me. “Look who’s come to lend a hand p>

Elliot’s brows furrowed, voice low. “You’re joking p>

Noah grinned. “Not even a little. Play nice p>

And then he was gone, leaving me alone with Elliot, the heat of the Underworld, and about a thousand things I didn’t know how to say.

The air between us felt thick enough to choke on. Elliot didn’t say anything right away, just stared at me for a long moment, his jaw tight, the faint glow of the magma reflecting off the sharp lines of his face. He looked tired, more than tired. There were dark smudges beneath his eyes, his shirt sleeves rolled up, the scythe in his hand glinting faintly as if even it was fed up.

“So…” I said finally, my voice sounding far too loud in the cavernous silence. “What are we doing today p>

He exhaled, slow and heavy, dragging a hand down his face. “Well, I can’t just leave you alone here, can I p>

“Wow,” I muttered. “That’s the warmest welcome I’ve ever had p>

He shot me a sidelong glance, the faintest twitch of irritation, or maybe amusement crossing his features. “You weren’t supposed to be here, Mace p>

I crossed my arms, trying not to fidget under his stare. “Trust me, this wasn’t my idea. Apparently, being grounded wasn’t humiliating enough. Dad Noah decided I needed an internship in the afterlife p>

That earned me a quiet, humourless laugh. “Figures p>

“Yeah, well, if I’m stuck here, you might as well tell me what I’m supposed to do p>

214

9:27 Fri, Sep 4

Consequence Education.

He finally turned to face me properly, the scythe resting against his shoulder. “You stay close. You listen. You don’t touch anything p>

I raised an eyebrow. “What am I, five p>

He arched one back, tone dry. “After skipping school to hang out with some guy in the woods? Yeah, maybe p>

That hit harder than I expected, and I bit back the first sharp retort that tried to escape.

Instead, I sighed. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you p>

“Nope.” He adjusted the strap across his chest and started walking toward the edge of the platform where the river of souls flowed below, faint and ghostly. “Come on. I’ve got a few to guide before they lose patience p>

I hesitated before following, my boots echoing faintly against the obsidian. “You really think I can’t handle myself here p>

He glanced back at me, eyes glinting like silver under the crimson light. “You’ve got no Underworld blood, Mace. If you wandered too close to the pits without me, the magic would eat you alive p>

“Well,” I said, forcing a smirk, “guess I’m lucky to have my very own overprotective tour guide, then p>

He didn’t answer, but his lips twitched, just slightly, like he was fighting a smile he didn’t want me to see.

For a few minutes, we walked in silence. The air buzzed faintly with energy, the hum of souls drifting in the distance. Elliot’s steps were steady, precise, like he’d walked this path a thousand times before.

“So,” I said finally, needing to fill the quiet. “What do you actually do down here these days p>

He glanced at me again, expression unreadable. “Depends on the day. Today, it’s reaping p>

1 grimaced. “As in the actual reaping p>

“As in,” he said evenly, “helping lost souls move on. It’s not as grim as it sounds p>

1 frowned. “Sounds pretty grim p>

He stopped at the ledge, the light from below painting his face in shades of red and gold. “You’ll get used to it.” I didn’t tell him that the last time he’d said those words to me, it was about saying goodbye to someone I loved.

Instead, I just nodded. “Okay. So what do I do p>

“Stay out of the way,” he said, tone clipped but not unkind.

I sighed, muttering under my breath, “Fun weekend so far p>

3/4

9:27 Fri, Sep 4

Consequence Education.

He glanced over, and for the first time all day, his expression softened. “You’ll live, Mace p>

The sound of his voice saying my name, made me believe him.

Comments

17

Write Comments

Share

30

4/4

9:27 Fri, Sep 4

Goddess Of The Underworld

Juliet Zvayi

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.