He laughs. “I’m a god, Piper. I can do anything.”
I narrow my eyes. “Anything?”
Humor plays on his face. “Well, there are rules, but it’s fun to find ways to break them.”
I don’t answer. My mind flickers back to the earlier conversation about rules in the Underworld. There are apparently some rules Shayne isn’t willing to break. But I decide against bringing it up. All I want to do right now is enjoy this icy paradise with the guy I want to be my soulmate.
I reach a foot out, barely touching it to the slick ice. But my foot slips out from under me, and I fall on my butt.
Shayne laughs.
“What? It’s not like I’ve had much time to practice ice skating in Texas.” Austin used to have a public rink, but it went private when energy rates got too high, and then it closed entirely. Even with solar power, the cost of the A/C was exponential. I put my hands on the ground and try to get up, but I fall again, and Shayne only laughs harder. So I kick my leg out and swipe it against his feet, sending him falling to the ground next to me.
“That’s not fair,” he says. But his eyes sparkle even as he reaches out and tries to grab me.
I slide backward and push myself up on my hands. “It seems fair to me.”
Overhead, a breeze comes our way, rustling the frost-laden branches and sending handfuls of frozen crystals raining down onto the ice. It sounds like a symphony of bells and continues for over a minute. I look upward at the trees, letting the chill in the air and the warmth of the sky hit my face, and I suck in the fresh air. I know Shayne’s watching me. But I don’t look, instead closing my eyes and enjoying the song.
When it’s over, I try to move again, and within a few steps, I remember how to walk on the stuff. Standing there, stable, I actually have time to look out across the ice. “Why is it frozen?”
Shayne slides over to me. “It’s Cocytus. The river of lamentation. But there’s nothing to be sorry about when you’re going to the Elysian Fields, so it’s frozen over to make crossing easier.”
The ice is thick, and far below I see the monsters, trapped but still moving. If there was no ice, what would these monsters feed on with the sorrows all gone?
I shift my eyes away from the monsters and back to the shimmering world in front of me. “I never thought there would be ice in Hell.” And certainly not an icy wonderland, especially since my mom’s always talking about how horrible winter used to be. But even in my coat, I shiver when a blast of cold air hits me. Shayne moves closer and wraps a warm arm around me.
“So you thought it would be all fire and torture?”
I nod, and he laughs.
“So there’s no fire and torture?” I ask.
“We have our share of that, too. But we’re not going to Tartarus today.”
“What’s Tartarus?”
Shayne leans close and whispers in my ear. “It’s where the bad people go.” And then he turns my face toward him and smiles. “It’s what gives Hell such a bad reputation.”
“Sounds intriguing.” I laugh when I say it, but part of me does want to see the fire. To see if it really is as scary as all the images of Hell I’ve been fed my entire life. I want to see everything in Shayne’s world.
“Intriguing is a good word for it,” Shayne says. His exposed skin’s picked up an icy layer which makes him look like he has smoke curling off him.
“I’d like to see it.”
His face falls a bit though he tries to hide it behind a quick smile. “Let’s just keep you out of Tartarus. It’s a nasty, dirty place.” He says it casually, but his voice tells me it’s not a suggestion.
Which makes me want to see it more. Does he really think I’m so weak I can’t handle it? “It’s part of your world. You said you’d show me.”
“Not Tartarus. Not this time.”
He drops it, so I drop it. And soon, we’re on the other side.
Shayne slides up to a dock, implanted in the thick ice, and gestures with his arm to the shore—to the people there. “Piper, this is paradise.”
Every single person in the Elysian Fields looks like it’s the best day of their lives. I guess really it would be the best day of their deaths, since everyone here is dead. But if a single person is sad about being dead, they aren’t showing it. I spot three beach volleyball games, at least fifteen couples making out, and enough sandcastles being built, it’s like an entire kingdom made of sand. And all I can think about is how much Chloe would love it here. We could play on the beach and not have to worry about the scorching sun overhead.
But I wouldn’t be here with her, and I don’t want her to leave me.
“So what does it take to get here?” I know billions of people have died over the course of history, but paradise isn’t that crowded. There must be some sort of entry requirements.
Shayne laughs. “Well, getting on my good side can’t hurt.”
I tilt my head, trying to look sweet. “Am I on your good side?”
Shayne brushes my cheek with the back of his hand. “Definitely.”
I motion with my hand at the beach. “And all these people got on your good side?”
“Sort of.” Shayne links my arm, and we start walking on the long dock. It’s slick with the frozen ice of the river, but my booted feet grip the grainy wood underneath. “It’s the people who’ve done something to help others that mostly get here. The ones who don’t only think of themselves.” He turns, and his eyes meet mine. “People like Chloe.”
I nod but don’t trust myself to answer. Even if this is paradise, it’s not time for Chloe to die. She can live the rest of her life, and then, when she’s old and gray, we can come to the Elysian Fields together.
I step down from the dock, and my feet warm at once, making my boots unnecessary. It seems the boundary between the icy cold of Cocytus and the warmth of the Elysian Fields is immediate. I look at Shayne. “So…”
He looks back. “So what?”
I motion down at my clothes: the jeans, boots, and coat. “Are you going to change my clothes again?”
He gives me a look which makes me want to both kiss him and punch him in the stomach at the same time. “Are you coming on to me?” he says.
I start to pull off the coat. “Whatever.” I wonder what I have on underneath the clothes, but I never get the chance to find out. Shayne waves his arm again, and I’m back in my tank top and shorts.
I close my eyes and let the heat of the two suns warm my skin. Shayne walks over to me and touches my arm, brushing my tattoo, and a chill runs down my body.
The tattoo catches my eye. It looks lighter, like it’s vanishing, but the skin is still raised underneath.
“It’s fading.” I’m not sure what it means. “Is Chloe—?”
“—fine.” Shayne rubs the tattoo again, and the color returns, each Greek letter darkening at his touch. “She’s just like we left her. I gave you my word.”
I stare at the tattoo. “Have we been gone long?” Is the fading a bad sign for her? Is she dying—again?
But Shayne shakes his head. “No time has passed.” He holds my chin with his thumb and forefinger, and his eyes meet my own. In his eyes, red flashes within the chocolate brown.
“Thank you,” I say. His words settle the lump that’s been surfacing in my throat every time I think of Chloe. The image of her and the horrible, beautiful winged man.
“Piper!”
I turn at the sound of the voice, and I see a child running toward me on the beach. She’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and her long brown hair trails after her as she runs.
“Charlotte?”
She laughs, and when she reaches me, I let go of Shayne and grab her into a giant hug because I can’t really believe she’s here. She was my best friend from childhood, but Leukemia came along with a fury and took her away from me in sixth grade. But now that she’s here, I never want to let her go.
“Piper! You’re so pretty. So grown up.”
“Charlotte…” I’m not sure what to say. I feel like I’m back six years ago, running around, watering plants in our shop. We were inseparable—my mom even approved, and then Charlotte left me. Like Chloe almost left me today. “I’m so sorry.”
Charlotte pulls back from me and reaches up to my eyes. “Piper, you’re crying.” Her face is soft, and her
