I shrugged. “We’re in Hell.”
“I noticed.” His lips had a hint of a smile. He was trying to make me feel better. I almost couldn’t bear it. He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. He’d left the school, left me, but I’d tracked him down and made him come back.
“I’m so sorry you’re here.” I lowered my eyes, guilt consuming me to the point where I couldn’t look at him.
“Hey.” He lifted my chin with his finger. “Nowhere I’d rather be.”
“Yeah, right.” I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Alex, it’s my fault you’re here. If I hadn’t—”
He leaned forward and kissed me. After all the torture I’d endured, his touch felt like Heaven. My lips tingled. My blood soared through me. I felt alive. I kissed him back, realizing my blood was mixing in my veins. I wanted to do something for Alex, make up for the fact that I’d brought him here. I transferred some of my power to him—a trick I’d learned from Chase, of all people. Alex moaned in response and pulled me onto his lap. The thing about having power transferred to you was that it consumed you. You couldn’t think about anything else. Alex was running his hands up the sides of my face, through my hair, and down my back. He pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss.
I knew I couldn’t let this go on. He’d be ripping his shirt off soon if I didn’t stop this. I gently pulled back on my power, easing him down from his euphoric state. I pressed my lips against his and held them there. I could feel his shoulders slump when he realized I wasn’t giving him any more. I leaned back and stared into his eyes.
“Why’d you stop?”
“Because we’re in the middle of the Fields of Asphodel and you were about to…” I couldn’t finish the thought. Alex and I had come close to going there on more than one occasion. I was convinced it would’ve happened already if Chase hadn’t interrupted us back at the school, but this wasn’t the time or place.
“I guess you wouldn’t want the first time to be—”
“In Hell.” Saying it brought reality crashing back down around us. I moved off Alex’s lap, sitting down beside him.
He reached for my face, and I thought he was going to kiss me again, but instead he said, “I’m glad I came back to the school. I want you to know I don’t regret anything that’s happened.”
“I do.”
“What, you want to get rid of me?” He pretended to look hurt.
“Alex, be serious.” He was always making jokes to try to lighten the mood and make me feel better. I didn’t deserve to feel better right now. “I regret letting Chase come to the school. If he hadn’t, none of this would’ve happened.”
Alex shook his head. “Hades set you up. Chase came to the school because Hades wanted him there. There was nothing you could’ve done to stop it.”
“I could’ve resisted Chase. I could’ve listened to you. You knew he was trouble before he even got there.”
Alex sighed. “No. I was jealous. Chase is…” Why is it that guys can never admit when another guy is attractive? “I knew he’d be into you, and since there’s nothing wrong with your eyes, I knew you’d be attracted to him, too.” I tried to protest, but Alex put his finger to my lips. “Even if you didn’t want to be.”
At least he knew I didn’t want to have any feelings for Chase. I never had. The entire time Chase was using his powers on me—first to get me to like him and then to control my every move—I wanted Alex. I wanted to only want Alex. Even with the power boost, even with Hades doing everything he could to split Alex and me up and send me running into Chase’s arms, I still wanted Alex.
“I love you.” The words were muffled by his finger, which was still pressed against my lips.
He cupped the back of my head with his hand and pulled me to him, kissing me again. This time I didn’t transfer any of my power to him. I didn’t need to. We were creating a little magic of our own.
“Jodi?” Tony called.
Alex and I pulled apart, both of us out of breath. He leaned his forehead against mine. “Think Hades has any clue what we’re doing right now?”
“He’d be here if he did. No way would he let us enjoy ourselves for even a second. You heard what he said. These breaks from Tartarus and the torture are only to make sure we don’t die before he can punish us for as long as he wants.”
“Or,” Alex said, “he does know and he’s going to make us pay extra for it later.”
I kissed him lightly on the lips. “Totally worth it.” I forced a smile.
“Oh, Jodi, there you are.” Tony put a hand above his eyes and peered out over the asphodels. “This place is like a maze with no end.”
“Sorry.” I stood up. “I guess we made it more difficult for you to find us since the asphodels were keeping us hidden.” Of course, that had been the whole point.
“No problem, but since we don’t know how long we’ll be here, I think we should discuss your plan.”
“Right.” I turned to Alex. My plan meant leaving him behind. Leaving all the Ophi behind. A big part of me wanted to abandon the idea completely and look for another way. But if my leaving could give me a chance to find a way to free us all, I had to do it.
Alex was at my side again, sensing my hesitation. “What is it?”
I took a deep breath and turned to Tony, hoping it would be easier to get this out if I wasn’t focused on Alex or the look of concern on his face. “This is, like, the hardest place to get in and out of, right?”
“To get out of, yes. In, as you can see, isn’t so difficult.” Tony’s eyes closed like he was trying to block out the image of this place.
“Well, I have this crazy idea. I don’t even know if it’s possible, but it’s all I’ve come up with so far.”
“How crazy are we talking?” Alex reached for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. I got the impression he was trying to hold on to me, almost as if he knew this plan was going to take me away from him.
“The craziest thing I’ve ever thought of.” I turned back to Tony. “My human half died that night in the cemetery, when I drank the blood from Medusa’s bloodstone locket. I went through a transformation, and you all thought I was dead.”
Alex squeezed my hand. “Do we have to relive that moment right now?”
“It’s important. That’s the moment I’m basing my entire plan on.”
Tony raised an eyebrow at me. “Jodi, your soul is still inside you. You know that, right?”
I’d figured that out, since my soul wasn’t lurking around in the underworld. “Yes. That’s what I’m counting on, actually.”
Alex squinted at me. “I’m not following. What are you talking about? What does your human soul have to do with anything right now?”
Tony exhaled loudly. Ever since Tony discovered how Chase had been hurting me with his power, he’d been really protective of me. In so many ways, he was becoming a father to me, and judging by the look on his face, he was worried about what my plan might do to me. “She wants to split her soul.”
Alex’s eyes widened. He stared at me as if I had three heads like Cerberus.
“Am I right?” I could tell Tony wanted me to say no, wanted me to find another way.
I nodded. “If I can raise the part of my soul that was human, I could get out of here. I could find a body to use while I searched for a way to free you all.”
“Whoa, wait a second.” Alex let go of my hand and started pacing. “You want to split your soul, the human from the Ophi? Am I getting this right?”
“Yes.” My voice was small, not at all as confident as I’d hoped I’d sound.
“Is that even possible?” He was looking at Tony now.
Tony held his arms out and let them fall to his sides. “There’s never been an Ophi like Jodi. She’s the only one who has ever been half-human.”