Guilt welled up inside me. Here I was in the underworld, where Alex and my friends—no, my family—were suffering. They were in real pain, and I was worried about making my former human boyfriend immortal.
Alex didn’t say anything. He was trying to handle my feelings for Matt the best he could, but it was tearing him up inside. Once again, I was hurting him.
I leaned into him and pressed my cheek to his chest. “This will all be over soon, and then we’ll be together again.”
I wasn’t sure if he believed me. He didn’t agree or disagree. He didn’t stroke my hair or try to kiss me.
I stepped back, studying his face, trying to judge what he was feeling.
He nodded over my shoulder. “Chase is coming this way with a soul. You should go.”
I knew he meant back to my human soul. Tune out everything here and return to my plan to free us all. Of course, that meant returning to Matt and all those feelings, too.
Chapter 25
I wasn’t in any condition to deal with Chase right now, so as I stared at Alex, I let myself slip out of my Ophi soul and back into my human one. Back into Liz’s body.
“Jodi?” Matt shook my shoulders. “Can you hear me?”
I opened my eyes and sat up. The sun was lower in the sky. How long had I been gone? “What time is it?”
“Six-thirty. I was getting really worried. You haven’t moved in hours. Were you back there…with him?”
“Six-thirty?” I jumped to my feet. “We have to go. We’re late. Mason is waiting for me, and I have to figure this all out tonight.”
“Slow down.” Matt was on his feet now. He grabbed my hand, holding me back. “Tell me what happened.”
“I’ll explain in the car. Come on. We need to go!” I ran for the car, willing my legs to move faster than they wanted to. Luckily, Liz was in good shape. I flung the door open the second I heard the car unlock. I was in my seat with my seatbelt on before Matt even got his door open. “Seriously, step on it!”
I started the car and peeled out of the parking lot. We raced to Serpentarius and I prayed we didn’t run into any cops along the way. For once, luck was on my side.
“Now tell me what happened.” Matt flashed me a stern look.
“Hades took Melodie, and he’s going after my mom if I don’t agree to his latest deal by tomorrow night.”
“Melodie?” Matt choked out.
“I know. It was awful. I brought her to the Fields of Asphodel, and I told her the truth about me. She blames me for everything, and she should. She died because of me.”
“Don’t do that. This isn’t your fault.”
I really wished people would stop sticking up for me. This was my fault. “Please, don’t defend me.”
He shook his head, not happy that I wasn’t taking his word for it. “What was the new deal?”
God, I really didn’t want to tell him. “He wants me to give him my Ophi powers and go back to being human for good.”
Matt’s eyes widened, and a hint of a smile crossed his lips.
“Don’t.” I turned away from him. “I’m not discussing it. I can’t let Hades take all those Ophi just to save myself. I won’t do it. And if you ask me to, I’ll only end up resenting you for it. Besides, I still have to go back to get Amber out of Tartarus.” I knew he wouldn’t argue with that last part.
He stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. I pulled into the club’s designated lot around the back, and I jumped out of the car as soon as it was parked. I ran for the back door and knocked, hoping that was where I’d find Mason. The door had to be outside his office.
I pounded on the door, yelling, “Mason, it’s Jodi! Open up!”
Matt had caught up when Mason opened the door. “You’re late. I thought…never mind. You’re here now.” He stepped aside and ushered us in.
We headed straight to his office so we could talk without a bunch of Ophi ears listening in on the conversation. Mason had recruited a new group of Ophi after the others came to the school with me. I didn’t even sit. I stood at his desk with my arms crossed.
“What did you find out? I’m on a serious time crunch.”
Mason’s eyes flew to mine. “Did he threaten Carol? Is she hurt?”
“She’s okay. Hades killed my best friend—my human best friend, and he’s going after my mom if I don’t end this by tomorrow night.”
Relief washed over Mason’s face. He sat down and formed a triangle with his hands. “The only way out of this war is to make another deal with Hades. But you need to come up with something so huge and airtight that he can’t get out of it. There can’t be loopholes.”
“What could I possibly offer him that he’d want badly enough to give up the other Ophi souls and promise to stop coming after me?” It seemed impossible. I needed something solid, not more cryptic Ophi garbage.
“I don’t know. No one’s been able to come up with anything big enough. But we all did come to the same conclusion.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to connect to the Medusa statue.”
I had to suppress the urge to scream at Mason. Why had I given him a day, when he hadn’t come up with anything I didn’t already know?
“I’m going to Medusa right after we’re finished, which I guess we are because you haven’t told me anything I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry, Jodi. I did the best I could.” He held up a finger. “I did find something that will help you, though.”
“What?” Was he holding out on me? I didn’t have time for this.
“Medusa will recognize your soul, even in human form.” There was more. I could tell.
“But?”
“She will attack you until that recognition is made.” He looked down at me. “You may not survive the initial contact.”
“May not? You’re not sure?”
“No. You are a direct descendent of hers, which means you have a better chance of her sensing your soul, even in human form.”
“What about in someone else’s human form?” I motioned to Liz’s body.
“Yes, that does add to the complication.”
“Still, I don’t have a choice. I have to go see her.”
“No way,” Matt said. “You can’t be serious. You might die, and then everyone is screwed. You’re the last hope your people have—that I have—and you’re willing to throw that all away?” His eyes pleaded with me, but I held strong.
“If I don’t try this, everyone will die. There’s no ‘if’ about it.” I looked back and forth between Matt and Mason. “I’m the Chosen One. Even if it kills me, I have to do this. I’m the only one who can.”
Mason nodded. He understood, but Matt was a different story.
“I’m not letting you. I’m sorry, Jodi. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself.”
“You don’t have a choice, son.” Mason was out of his seat and standing next to Matt, threatening him with his poisonous blood.
“Mason, no!” I stared at him in horror. The Ophi from Serpentarius didn’t believe in actively using their powers. They even worked with humans, keeping their distance of course, but still. And yet, here was Mason, ready to kill Matt to save our kind. More specifically, to save Carol.
“Don’t hurt him, please.” I reached toward Mason. “He doesn’t understand. That’s all. But I’ll make him see this is necessary.”
“No, you won’t,” Mason and Matt both said.
Matt crossed his arms. “You may as well let him kill me because I’m not letting you do this.”
Mason held his hand out over Matt’s shoulder, and his other hand reached for the letter opener on his desk. He was ready to shed his blood and end Matt’s life.