“All I did was ask for it,” I say. “He was pretty reasonable, as far as Olympians go.”

“Wow, that’s—” Troy shakes his head. “Wow.”

I nod my head. “I know.”

He reaches for the seashell and I let him take it. It doesn’t look like anything special. Just an ordinary seashell that happens to be silver. I get the feeling the offerings are more about the effort than the objects themselves. While Troy turns the shell over in his hand, my mind drifts to the next step.

Apparently, so does his.

“So . . .” he says, holding the seashell up for a closer look. “Hades?”

I draw in a full breath. “Hades.”

“That’s going to be—”

“Impossible,” I interrupt. “I’ll add it to the list.”

I grab the seashell back, drop it in the drawer with the feather, and slam the thing shut.

“This isn’t the same as Poseidon’s palace,” Troy says, reclining back on my bed. “The underworld is a whole different ball game.”

I sigh. “I’m trying not to think about that.”

Hades. The underworld. The land of the dead.

Not exactly a choice vacation spot. In fact, other than descendants of Hades and his too-stupid-to-live bride Persephone and participants in a ridiculous survival game held on the island every summer, no one but the dead ever enters Hades because no one can ever leave.

“There has to be a way,” I insist. “Otherwise why would that be a required step?”

“I don’t like it,” Troy says. Before I can tell him I don’t care if he doesn’t like it, he says, “But we’ll figure it out.”

He pats the bed and I move to sit next to him. Our arms touch and I feel myself relax. I’ve never felt as comfortable with anyone as I do with Troy. Suddenly, the exhaustion of the day—of this whole quest—hits me and I find my eyes sagging.

“We’ll get everyone together tomorrow,” he continues, his voice lulling me to sleep. “We will figure out how to get you to Hades.”

“And back,” I murmur, letting my head fall onto his shoulder.

“And back,” he repeats.

As I drift to sleep, images of golden feathers and silver seashells dance in my mind. With my friends at my side—with Troy at my side—I have no doubt that ruby pomegranate seeds will be mine before long.

Redemption, too.

Just as the last of my consciousness succumbs to sleep, I feel Troy’s hand slide under mine. I smile and then I’m out.

We decide to meet at Phoebe’s house the next morning. Mostly because the idea of having so many people in my room makes me itchy. Also because we are less likely to be overheard here than in the dorm or the library. Even on summer break, there are still some students on campus.