“Shut up,” Cassandra said. “If you don’t want to hurt me, then what do you want?”

“It’s not what I want,” he said softly. “It’s what I’m going to do.” He picked up his brandy and downed it in one gulp. “You’re going after Hades, and I’m going with you.”

5

HELLO DESERT, MY OLD FRIEND

Hermes packed for hot and cold. Temps in the desert fluctuated wildly between night and day. There was a big bottle of sunscreen on the table, too, and aloe vera gel for Andie’s inevitable sunburn. They could buy a case of water when they got there.

Packing was a lot harder with a mortal tagging along. If it were just him, he’d fill two canteens and throw two T-shirts into a bag before stuffing the rest full with food. But Andie refused to be left behind. And honestly, he was glad for the company.

Maybe leathery old Demeter will like her better than she likes me. Maybe we’ll get real answers out of her this time.

He snorted. Not likely. But he’d weed through a Da Vinci Code’s worth of her ciphers and riddles if it meant finding out what happened to his sister and Cassandra.

Athena. How pissed she would be if she knew he wasn’t hitchhiking cross-country. How she would seethe over their first-class plane tickets to Utah. He smiled.

“Hey.” Andie came through the front door without knocking, her backpack over her shoulder.

“You made it.”

“Of course I made it.”

She sounded indignant, but Hermes knew it must’ve taken a presentation with pie charts and begging for her mother to let her go. Henry and Cassandra’s parents weren’t the only ones holding on tighter in the wake of Cassandra’s disappearance.

“My mom trusts me to a fault,” Andie said. “I’ve never messed up, and I tell her everything.” She tilted her head. “Or at least everything that wouldn’t blow her mind. Besides, with just the two of us around, she has to trust me. Our lives wouldn’t work otherwise.”

“And you don’t feel the least bit guilty lying?”

“I don’t have to, as long as you get me home safe.” Her hands moved methodically over their supplies, tucking the sunscreen and aloe into Hermes’ suitcase.

“Still no word from Henry?”

She shook her head.

“He doesn’t think he should come,” she said. “And maybe he’s right. I don’t think his parents would let him come anyway.”

Henry came through the door carrying a bag.

“What?” he asked as they stared at him in surprise.

“How … how did you get them to let you?” Andie asked.

“I told them the truth. That we had a chance to find Cassandra. That Hermes thought he knew where Athena might hole up.” He let out a stressed breath. “The hardest part was convincing them it would be a bad idea for them to come along.” His big, dark eyes were steely and still. “I hate seeing them like this, almost as much as I’m worried about Cassandra. This has to work.”

*   *   *

They drove for as long as they dared. It would’ve been nice to drive straight to the eye, but they were just as likely to run over it, and besides, Hermes doubted that Demeter would take kindly to tire marks on her hide. So they ditched the rented SUV and shouldered their packs, ready to walk until they hit Demeter’s skin, stretched across the desert.

“You sure you remember the way?” Andie asked.

Hermes nodded. He remembered the way. Just not exactly how far they’d had to go to get there. And he didn’t have the option of a handy little owl guide if things went awry.

I really hope I haven’t dragged them both out here to dehydrate.

“What if she moved?” Henry looked out across the landscape and Hermes followed his eyes. It was hot. Cacti in the distance seemed to waver, covered in haze.

“Not likely. She seemed pretty dug in the last time we were here.” A disturbing image reared its head: Demeter shaking loose and scuttling across the hard-packed dirt like a manta ray at the bottom of the sea. “Besides, I think she wants us to find her. Why else would she make contact?”

“Maybe she was just sympathizing,” Henry said. “Trying to be a good aunt. Maybe she doesn’t really know anything, and they’re dead.”

Hermes’ shoulders slumped. “You know, you’re a real ball of sunshine sometimes, Henry.”

“Don’t start bickering,” Andie said. “You’re both sort of annoying me already.”