Okay, maybe it was possible. Difficult but possible. There was still one major problem, though. “Medusa, I can’t let you sacrifice yourself for us. The Ophi need you. They wouldn’t have made that deal with Hades ages ago if you weren’t important to our survival.”
“That was before you came along, Jodi. My blood is in your veins. You can be what I used to be to the Ophi. I’m no longer needed.”
“No. I can’t let you do this. You’re like a mother to me.” I was already losing my mom again. Now that Liz’s body was destroyed—or would be after Medusa’s power wore off it—I couldn’t even say goodbye to her. How could I give up Medusa, too?
Medusa smiled warmly. “Your loyalty and affection are much appreciated, my child. But you will come to learn that, when you lead, you must make sacrifices. I believe you’ve already had to make sacrifices of your own.”
Definitely. I’d sacrificed Matt, Melodie, and my entire former life, including Mom.
“See, you know why I have to do this, and you must also know that I want to do this. You are the future, Jodi. I see that. I’m grateful for the time I was given with you and the other Ophi, but that time has come to an end. My power lies in your veins. You can provide the connection my statue once did.”
Have the Ophi connect powers with me? Become the next Medusa? This was crazy. I was nowhere near what Medusa was.
“Yes, you are, Jodi. Why do you think everyone around you wants to protect you? Why do you think Matt, Alex, and Chase all fell in love with you?”
“Chase?” My voice squeaked. “He hates me. He tortured me.”
“Because Hades made him. You saw glimpses of the way he used to be. Against my advice, you held on to those rare moments. He showed them to you, alone, because he loved you. My guess is he still does, whether he is showing it or not.”
Now I really felt sick. I couldn’t forgive Chase for what he’d done to me, Alex, and the others.
“Sometimes punishment is necessary. Hades is not wrong about that.”
“Why would you say that? You make him seem like he’s justified for torturing souls.”
“It’s about consequences. Every action has a consequence. Hades used to make those consequences become a reality. If you make this deal with him, he will do that once again.”
“You think he’s a fair god?” He was anything but in my mind.
“I think he once was, before he became threatened by the Ophi. Much of that was my fault. By keeping my soul here, the Ophi were disrupting the power balance. Hades felt threatened. His reaction may not have been fair, but it was a consequence we brought forth.”
“What will he do with your soul if I agree to this?”
Medusa was quiet, which meant I wasn’t going to be happy with her answer. Hades hated the Ophi. He wouldn’t go easy on Medusa.
“He’s wanted my soul for a very long time. It will give him a lot of power.”
“What if that power is enough to undo the deal I make with him?”
“You’ll have to make sure that’s not possible. The deal must be solid. No loopholes.”
This was too risky. I could lose Medusa in addition to losing everyone else I loved. “I can’t. Hades would want us to do this. He wants to get his hands on you.”
“That may be true, but we are out of options. We must join forces. If we don’t, Hades will kill your mother and then all your friends.”
She was right. I couldn’t let everyone die—even if it meant giving up the one person who had given me my powers.
Medusa tilted her head to the side and looked at me the same way Mom did when she was proud of me. “You said goodbye to your mother. You found the strength to stay away from her to keep her safe. You can do this, too.”
“How do you have so much faith in me?”
“Because you are one of mine. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I thought you’d fail.”
Failure wasn’t an option. Hades would get all our souls if that happened.
I took a deep breath, which isn’t at all necessary when you’re just a soul stuck inside a reanimated body. “Tell me what to do.”
Medusa smiled. “You make me proud, Jodi Marshall.”
“Before we do this, I just want you to know that I’ll never forget all you’ve done for me. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You don’t need to. You are saving my people. Even after Hades claims me, I will live on in each and every one of you. Mostly in you.”
If souls could cry, I’d have been bawling by that point.
“Now.” She squeezed my hands, sending a burst of life-restoring power to Liz’s body. “This should give your host body enough strength to break the statue.”
“Which brings me to the big question. How do I break solid gold?”
“The statue isn’t solid. If it was, my soul wouldn’t be able to exist inside it.”
Well, that helped, but I was still confused as to how to do it.
“You only need to make a crack in the statue, and I’ll do the rest of the work. Find some pliers, and break one of the fingers off the statue. I should be able to squeeze out of the opening.”
I nodded, but my insides twisted at the thought of destroying any part of the statue I’d grown to love.
“Be quick about it, Jodi. My power won’t sustain Liz’s body for long. If your soul releases before you free me, I won’t be able to help you.”
“Got it.”
She sent one more wave of power to Liz’s body before smiling and saying, “Good luck.”
This felt too much like a goodbye. There was an enormous chance that I’d fail miserably. Still, I had to try.
“Thanks,” I said, as her grip released from mine. Liz’s body slumped to the floor, and for a moment, I thought Medusa’s power hadn’t been enough to sustain her. I looked at the statue and forced myself to my feet. I wasn’t giving up. I’d drag the body if I had to. I used the walls to make my way to the closet in the hallway. Arianna kept tools in there. I found the pliers in the toolbox on the bottom shelf.
I hobbled—the quickest pace I could manage—back to the statue. The mirror on the wall caught my eye, and I gasped. Liz’s hair was fried, hanging off her scalp in huge chunks. Her skin was spotted with black, charred from Medusa’s touch. I tore my eyes away from the mirror and moved toward the statue.
I held the pliers up to Medusa’s right hand, opening them up and positioning her index finger between the pinchers. “Hurry, Medusa,” I said, but then I choked. The power was draining from Liz’s body. I used both hands to squeeze the pliers, but I couldn’t hold on. My soul was trying to escape the decaying body.
My soul released, and I saw Liz’s body slump forward onto the statue. As I spiraled through the air and to the underworld, I heard the pliers clatter to the floor.
Chapter 27
I’d failed. My soul had released too soon, and Medusa was still trapped inside the statue. It was over. I had nothing left to bargain with Hades. He’d never let us out of the underworld. All of this had been for nothing. Matt was dead again. Melodie was dead. Everything was worse than it had been before. I cursed myself as the human half of my soul found its way back to the underworld.
I saw the River Styx beneath me. Most likely my body was in the palace. Either there or in Tartarus. I hoped I wasn’t coming back in time for my daily torture. I’d had enough after I’d ruined the lives of so many people. Even Mom wasn’t safe. Yes, coming back meant Hades wouldn’t take her soul, but she had no idea that Matt was gone again. She had no idea that I wouldn’t see her ever again. I’d stupidly allowed myself to think that Mom and I would be able to see each other on occasion, now that she knew the truth about me. I’d been stupid about a lot of things.
My soul soared over Cerberus’ heads, which barked repeatedly at me. I felt myself being pulled toward the palace, toward my body, which was waiting to escort the next soul to the afterlife. Being able to move through the air like this was a lot like flying. I was more swirling white smoke than anything else; I could see what was happening around me, but I had no form. I wasn’t like the other souls that came here, probably because my soul was split in half. It was hard to have any form at all when you weren’t complete.