Crap! Matt! “No!” I ran to Hades and nodded my head to the side, hoping Arianna would read that as get Matt away from the gate. “It’s not their fault. The souls don’t know they aren’t supposed to leave. They aren’t sure of anything here.”

Hades stopped and faced me again. “You think you know my souls better than I do?” His glare was filled with hatred and the threat of more hellfire coming my way.

“That’s not what I’m saying, but you can’t deny that necromancers know souls really well. I can see what they’re doing, what they’re thinking even.” Totally not true, but he couldn’t prove I was lying. “We could help you control them. They aren’t trying to disobey you, and if we can show them how they are supposed to exist here, things would be easier for everyone, especially you.”

“I can’t help but wonder why this is so important to you.” He walked around me, eying me up and down. “Are you trying to save your friends and yourself from torture, or do you have some other endgame, Jodi Marshall?”

I had to be careful what I said next. The wrong thing could blow this plan entirely. “I want something we all can live with. I’ve seen how Victoria and the others help you. You’re more lenient with them, and I can’t help wondering why, since they caused you so much trouble. Remember the reason you brought them here?”

“Yes, because you made a deal with me: them for your safety. Only you broke our deal, which made your souls fair game.”

“Fine. Well, if we’re talking about what’s fair, then why aren’t you punishing them?”

“Who says I’m not?” Hades smiled and laced his fingers behind his back.

That was it. He was punishing Victoria and the others. “We’re taking turns. When we come to the Fields of Asphodel, you’re busy punishing them. That’s where you go!”

“Very good.”

This was good. I could use this. “Wouldn’t you rather be doing something else? Spending time with Persephone, maybe?”

He stepped forward, getting right in my face. The heat radiating off him burned my skin. I cringed as he practically spit in my face. “I told you not to speak of her!”

“I’m sorry.” The mere mention of her name got him worked up. “I thought you’d be happy about that suggestion. I really didn’t mean to offend you.”

He backed off, and the pain in my face eased. I must have been as red as a cooked lobster.

Alex gently touched my arm. “Are you okay?”

I nodded.

“Honesty is your only chance, Jodi Marshall.” Hades stared off in the distance. I remembered Tony saying something about the part of the underworld where Hades lived with Persephone. I didn’t doubt that was what he was gazing toward, even if I couldn’t see anything.

“What do you want to know?” I hoped he was becoming more open to the idea of another deal.

“What do you get out of this?”

“I thought that was obvious.” By the way he glared at me, I knew that was a stupid thing to say. I’d just insulted his intelligence. “What I mean is that I’m not looking for anything more than what you’re thinking. I don’t want my friends to be tortured twenty hours a day. If I could lighten our sentence by helping you in other ways here, then I want to do it.”

We all waited in silence while Hades contemplated my deal. It was killing me to watch him think. He narrowed his brow a few times, which meant he was considering something—whether it was good or bad, I didn’t know.

Alex took a step back, pulling me with him. He must have been afraid Hades would turn me down and lash out at us. I was afraid of the same thing.

“I’ve made my decision.” Hades continued to stare off into the distance, avoiding our eyes. It was comforting. I figured if he was about to dismiss my idea, he’d want to see the disappointment on my face. “I’m going to allow this. For now.” He finally turned to me. “You and your friends will be stationed at different places throughout the underworld. As it turns out, I like the idea of splitting you all up. There will be no chance for you to conspire against me.”

Alex grabbed my hand, and I realized Hades would probably send us to opposite ends of the underworld—if this place had ends. Even though I wasn’t planning on staying in this body—not fully, anyway—I wanted Alex to be the one to watch over my body while I was gone.

“Here are my conditions.” He waved his hand and the gate to the Fields of Asphodel opened. He motioned the others forward. I sighed, realizing I was going to have to find Matt all over again. No way would he stay put with no one watching him.

I pulled myself together. “We’re ready. Name them.”

Hades snickered. Apparently, he found my comment amusing. “I hadn’t realized I needed your permission to continue.”

“Sorry. I just wanted you to know we were all listening.” Not a great cover, but it would have to do.

“First, when you are on duty, you answer only to me. You may fulfill the judgments made by my three judges and escort souls to their afterlives, but beyond that, you listen to me.”

“Done.” I’d figured as much.

“Second—and I have a feeling you’ll like this one—for four hours each day, you will report to Tartarus to administer punishment to your former Ophi allies.”

Punish Victoria and the others? As much as I hated them for everything they’d put us through both at the school and down here, I didn’t know if I could put someone through that kind of torture.

“I—I don’t know if—”

“Done,” Alex said.

I turned to him, wondering how he could go along with this. Victoria and Troy were his parents. Yes, they were awful, and Troy had even killed Alex once, but still. “Alex, no, you can’t.”

Hades cocked an eyebrow. “Very interesting. I thought you’d jump at the chance to exact vengeance.”

“We aren’t evil,” I said. “Notice Chase isn’t with us anymore. He didn’t belong. He was consumed by power. We aren’t. Alex is only going along with this because he thinks we have to.”

One side of Hades’ mouth curled up. “Are you sure about that? Maybe your boyfriend has a dark side after all. What’s that expression humans love so much? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I think it is.”

“He’s nothing like them!” My blood was mixing in my veins as the anger coursed through me. Alex wasn’t a monster like his parents.

“Jodi.” Alex kissed the side of my head. “It’s okay.”

“You’re not evil. You never could be. I know why you’re doing this, but I can’t let you become something you’re not just to protect me.” Tears spilled down my cheeks.

“How touching.” Hades tapped his foot. “Now, do we have an agreement on this term, or should we dismiss the deal right now?”

“We’re in agreement,” Alex said. His eyes pleaded with me. I knew we had to go along with whatever Hades wanted if we were going to get out of here, but I hated what this might do to Alex.

“Agreed.” I tried to keep my voice from shaking too much.

“Good. Then my final condition is that none of you will enter the Elysian Fields or the Fields of Asphodel when you escort souls to their afterlives. You are only permitted to enter the place of judgment, which coincidentally is located in the forecourt of my palace, and of course Tartarus, since you will be both administering and receiving punishment there.”

The palace and Tartarus were the only two places we could enter? That meant I couldn’t get Matt from the Fields of Asphodel. I’d be raising my human soul alone.

“I’m sensing hesitation,” Hades said. “My terms are final. I will not negotiate any of them. So, as the humans say, ‘Take it or leave it.’”

I looked around the group, making sure the others were okay with the terms of the deal. I wasn’t going to force them into anything. Each of them nodded back to me. They wanted me to accept. I squeezed Alex’s hand, wondering if this was going to be goodbye for a while. Hades would most likely separate us as soon as I agreed to the deal.