“But—”
“No buts,” I said. “I’ve already shown them my powers. They’ll be surprised, but they’ll go along with you. I need you to do this fast, Iris. As fast as you possibly can. And as soon as you’re done—”
“Let you know,” she said. “I’m not an idiot.”
“No, you aren’t. Just—please. This is important. Life-or-death for them.”
“Right.” She eyed Tuck again. “And what about her?”
“As soon as we find the kids, I’m coming back to get her.”
Iris twirled a curl around her fingers, and finally she nodded. “I’m always in the mood for a little trouble. Let’s do this.”
Reluctantly I shifted Tuck’s head out of my lap, running my fingers through her dark hair one more time. “I’ll be back soon,” I whispered, and once I could stand, I offered Iris my hand. “Walk right on through. The more scared they are of us, the more likely they’ll be to leave us alone.”
“Can’t imagine anyone ever being scared of you.” A split second later, we walked together through the thick stone wall opposite the door, arriving in the passageway. It was almost completely dark in here, but I guided Iris through the cells, careful to avoid the ones that were occupied. Much as I wanted to release them all, now wasn’t the time.
At last we arrived in the cell the boys shared. Sprout leaned against Mac, twitching every few seconds in his sleep. Mac, however, was wide-awake, and he didn’t so much as blink when we walked straight through the rock.
“You’re all right,” I said, relieved. Mac nudged Sprout awake, and the moment he opened his eyes, he sprang to his feet.
“James! You came!” cried Sprout, catching me in a bear hug. “See, Mac, I told you he would. Is Tuck all right? And Perry?”
“Tuck’s fine. Perry—” I hesitated. “I don’t know. But we’re going to find out, all right? This is my friend Iris. She’s going to get you out of here.”
Sprout turned toward her as if he’d only just realized she was there. And upon seeing her, his mouth dropped open. “You’re pretty.”
“And you’re very handsome,” she murmured, taking his hand and offering her other one to Mac. “Come on. This will be quick, I promise, but we’re going to walk through walls, so it might be a bit odd.”
Sprout gasped, and while Mac looked dubious, he took Iris’s hand anyway. Before she led them off, however, Mac clapped me on the shoulder and looked me in the eye properly for the first time.
“Thanks,” he rumbled, his voice hoarse with disuse. But that was more than I’d ever expected to hear, and I patted him on the arm.
“Any time. I’ll see you both soon.” All three of them, if Apollo had done his job, but I wouldn’t find out until Tuck was safe. Wasn’t sure I wanted to know until then anyway.
I watched as Iris guided them through the stone wall. It wasn’t far to the edge of the castle; they’d make it in under a minute, even at such a slow pace. Which meant it was my turn to get Tuck out of here.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to open the cell door—and walked straight into a solid wall of immortal. Dazed, I shook my head and stepped back, my eyes widening when I saw who it was.
Zeus.
“I thought I told you to remain in Olympus,” he said, and before I could protest—before I could so much as utter a single syllable in my defense—he gripped my hand, and we disappeared.
* * *
“You can’t do this to me,” I howled, pacing up and down Zeus’s office. “She’s relying on me to get her out of there, and the moment that damn earl finds out the others are gone—”
“I have no idea what you’re going on about, nor do I care,” said Zeus mildly, sitting at his desk. “Mortals are none of our concern. Forcing Apollo to save the life of that boy was foolish and wasteful. He is just a mortal.”
“That’s exactly the kind of attitude that’s making us go extinct.”
“That’s quite easy for you to say. You are not the one who must explain to the Fates why he is still among the living.”
Despite my anger, a bubble of hope formed inside my chest. Perry was alive. But if I couldn’t convince Zeus to let me go back down to the surface, Tuck wouldn’t be, not for long. “Please. Ten minutes, that’s all I need. If you don’t let me go, she’ll die.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you disobeyed me,” said Zeus. “You will remain here in Olympus, as I have ordered. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to your mother and me? We thought you were dead.”
“Like you’ve talked to my mother in the past thousand years,” I said. “If you don’t let me out of here, I’ll—”
“Leave anyway?” said Zeus calmly. “Run away, as you’ve already done? So be it. If you leave Olympus, I will see to it that you are permanently removed from the council and banned from ever setting foot here again. Your duties to the Underworld will be revoked, you will be replaced, and I suspect that soon enough, you will fade completely. Is that what you want?”
I swallowed. “I want to keep my promises.”
“And is your promise to the rest of the council no longer a priority?”
“Not when my friend’s life is on the line.”
“Then it is your choice. But I hardly think you’ll have any chance of reaching her in time, so do choose wisely. Mortals have an afterlife, and even if she does unfortunately die before her time, she will live on in Hades’s realm. But if you go…well, I would rather not see that happen.”
“That’s a comfort,” I snapped, and he stood.
“Do not blame me for this mess, Hermes. I am only doing what I must to keep this council intact.”
“Until we all fade because no one’s doing a damn thing.”
“We are doing all we can. Just because you are not privy to everything that happens does not mean we are doing nothing.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Go to your chambers. Tomorrow I will come up with an appropriate punishment for what you have done.”
“You mean practically killing the only friend I’ve had in centuries isn’t enough?” I said, but he wasn’t listening anymore. Instead Zeus flipped through several sheets of parchment, and the office melted away, replaced by my chambers.