Today was the day, he had decided, to tell Eliza about the Prophecy and all that entails. So, as soon as he sat down at their usual breakfast table, he informed her he needed to talk with her. “What’s wrong?” she asked apprehensively. James shook his head. “Nothing. I just . . . finally got permission to tell you something.” “Okay . . .” Eliza said slowly. He turned back to his plate, wanting to finish his breakfast of French toast. As soon as Eliza was through with her plate, he stood, taking each of their trays, and dumped them in the tray window. He laced his fingers in hers and the pair stepped out into the courtyard. The morning sun was starting to turn the sky from steely gray to a pearlescent pink as James led her over to a secluded bench. The cool scent of winter lingered in the air as the sunshine barely provided any warmth on this early March day. When he was confident that no one could overhear their conversation, he cleared his throat. Eliza hud

It was not until they crossed East Street NW that James finally understood where Eliza was taking him. The most famous house in the world could be seen just a short distance away. “The White House?” He was incredulous. She smiled deviously. “Mm-hmm. Normally tours are over by now, but having a DNI for your dad does have its perks.” “Wait . . .” he said catching the whole tours being over by this time thing. “So, does that mean like a . . . private tour?” “You are so, so smart!” Eliza’s voiced was laced sweetly with sarcasm. “Just you, me, and a guide for an hour. They’ll even let us go off the normal tour route.” James searched her face. “Are you messing with me again?” She shrugged her slender shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Eliza laughed at the rueful expression on his face and hustled him along to the Southeast Gate. Approaching the security guard she politely said, “Hello. Eliza Masters and one guest.” “One minute, miss.” The man stepped

Thunder rumbled in the distance. The clouds that surrounded him had slowly turned darker than he had ever seen. They churned and convulsed as if they were a live, breathing organism. A blinding white lit up the sky as a bolt of lightning struck right in front of him. He waited for it. For the sensation of falling and the cold rain pelting him like icy needles. It never came, and he realized that he was actually held in perfect suspension, even though the wind was whipping all around him. The clouds directly in front of him convulsed and bellowed thunder from within. A pair of dark eyes materialized and stared piercingly as if they could reach into the depths of his soul. James, the voice—deep, feathery—rumbled. Your life is but a wisp of the thinnest cloud to me. Nothing but an insect despised. Do not make me wait long for your decision. My patience will only last so long. The heavy voice sighed as light and thunder shook from within. I should think the choice easy. Give up your lif

The howls that ripped through the night brought him up from the darkness. Loud. Deep. Guttural. Nothing like he had ever heard before. James held his breath and focused every ounce of his attention to discern exactly what kind of animal could possess such a cry. A higher pitched howl sounded—that of a coyote—but was swiftly cut off as a vicious roar broke through and an ear shattering crunch of bones filled the desert night. His instincts were screaming at him causing sirens and warning bells to go off throughout his body like a squadron of police racing to a crisis. In that instant, he knew. Something unnatural. Something evil. A being of the Underworld. James had just finished giving the voice in his dream a tongue lashing and he knew this was no coincidence. There was only one thing to do . . . fight. His gut wrenched at the thought of his best friend’s family being here with him. James was spurred to action as if he were a bullet fired from a gun. He kicked the blankets

Hades. Just the name had been bouncing around the insides of his skull all day. He had barely been able to concentrate on any schoolwork. How was he, James, supposed to stand up against a force such as that, a god with immense power and creatures at his disposal? The answers would not formulate in his mind and James felt incredibly vulnerable. Even his dreams weren’t safe. He fiddled with the straps of his shoulder pads for what felt like the tenth time as Dieter Hoche spewed on and on about winning tonight in the German’s attempt at an inspirational speech. It was more like a drill sergeant’s yelling, though. Tonight, they were at St. Stephens/St Agnes. Both of the teams were 8-0 and as such, this game would likely be the deciding factor for who would take home the conference title. He checked his gear once more, doing his best to ready his mind for the game. His ribs sure weren’t ready, though. Even taped up as tight and thick as possible, they would still be screaming in pain eve