The Blood of Three

Chapter 48

I was standing in the center of my mother's old kitchen.

Everything was exactly like I remembered it. The blinds were open, letting the early morning sunshine through and the counters were spotless. The scent of vanilla lingered in the air, coming from a candle that my mother burned on a daily basis.

A woman stood across the room, checking on a cake that was baking in the oven. Her light-brown eyes were cheerful and her curly blonde hair was brushed back into a low, tidy bun. She was wearing a blue apron that was lined with lace and dusted with flour, from all the baking she had been doing.

"Mom." She looked in my direction and a smile stretched across her face. I raced toward her, eager to hug her once more and threw my arms around her. I had longed for the feel of her arms around me for years. "I've missed you so much," I said, letting tears flow down my cheeks.

"Oh, Riley. I've missed you, too." She hugged me tighter. "You're going to have to go back though," she said out of the blue. "You're wanted elsewhere."

"Shouldn't I be in the underworld?" my voice came in a whisper. I suddenly remembered what happened back in the woods. I had died.

She released me. "You will be if you don't get back soon. Someone is trying to save your life. When he stops trying, you will then go to the underworld," she informed me. "You need to go back right now."

I stood frozen. "What if I don't want to go back?"

"You need to. You have a life to live, Riley. Think about your father. It will kill him if you die, too." I looked down at my feet. "What about your friends? Don't do this to them," she continued.

I shook my head. "All my friends are dead except Kyle and Dylan"

She looked even more upset. "If you die, it will destroy Kyle and Dylan. They care about you."

"Dylan was going to let me die," I told her.

She shook her head. "He wants you to live. He and Kyle are trying to save your life, right now. Kyle said he would put his life in your hands. If that isn't loyalty as a friend, nothing is."

I thought about them. When I first met Dylan, I saw him as a brave boy that everyone loved. Even when he didn't know what he was doing, he at least acted like he did for the sake of others. I'd forgiven him for what had happened. He hadn't been in his right mind. In the end, he was a friend I was lucky to have.

I thought about the time I met Kyle. His eyes never left mine when he shook my hand and introduced himself. He was always so determined to fight for what he thought was right. People received the wrong message when they met him. Being the son of Hades didn't mean he was a bad person. He was anything but that.

I looked at my mom and nodded. "Okay," I whispered.

My mom gave me one last hug with tears in her eyes. "You need to go before it's too late. Make me proud."

"I will." I pulled away.

"One more thing," she said catching my attention. "You can trust him. He is telling the truth."

My brows furrowed. "Trust who? Who is telling the truth?"

"Carson."

I shook my head, not understanding. "I don't know a Carson."

I heard loud wind swirl outside. It sounded so strong. So urgent. "You have to leave. Right now," she said, ignoring my claims. I walked to the front door and opened it, looking back at her one last time.

"Remember, I am always with you." She smiled as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Tell your father I said hi."

Smiling, I nodded. "I love you." More tears slipped down my face. I didn't want to leave her again.

"I love you, too."

I finally gained the courage and walked through the door, stepping into a white fog. I couldn't see anything but the misty white as the wind swirled around me and blew my hair in all sorts of directions.

I curiously walked around in the fog, wondering how I was supposed to keep myself from dying, when a familiar voice caught my attention. "Come on!" I heard Kyle scream in the distance. "Riley, come back!" I heard him say. "Oh, gods...please."

I took off sprinting through the fog, toward his voice. I didn't want to die; I still had a life to live.

"Gods, Riley, please breathe..." I heard Dylan beg. "Don't leave us..."

I wasn't going to leave them. The farther I ran, it got harder and harder to keep moving forward. It was like I was sprinting against a harsh wind. Images began to slip through my mind—scenes and memories from my childhood playing like a movie.

I saw my younger self running toward my dad and embracing him in a hug. I saw my mother taking a picture of us—the same picture that was on my nightstand at Safe Haven. My mother died in front of me. I placed a white rose on a black casket. Meg hugged me, insisting she would always be there for me. Dylan handed me the money I needed in the grocery store. Aidan and Dylan watched me as I killed my first titan. Kyle trained me in the field across the lake from my house. I saw myself crying in a dark room and Kyle promising he would get me back to Safe Haven.

Shaking my head, I forced the slide show to disappear from my mind. I didn't want to die. Running as fast as I could, I pushed against the invisible pressure. Then, right when I thought I wasn't going to be able to go any farther, I came upon a white door. I turned the knob and ran through.