“That won’t happen.” I pulled her close, wanting to tell her that if I had my way, we’d never be separated. But I wanted the moment I said those words to be right, to be special, not to be forced out by circumstance in the way so much of our relationship had been. “As long as we’re quiet, the sluag are unlikely to even notice we’re here.” And with a dozen half-bloods having been recently sentenced to the labyrinth, the creatures were likely sated. But I didn’t tell her that.

Her grip on my arm tightened, and she said, “I’m afraid.”

But before I could offer any words of comfort, she turned sideways to ease through the crack and into the depths of the labyrinth.

We moved silently through the tunnels, and not for the first time, I realized how much I’d underestimated her. How much we’d all underestimated her bravery. Though her heart never ceased its frantic drumming, Pénélope did not hesitate again, squeezing through tight spaces, climbing over slick boulders, and jumping down into holes without question. True bravery was not doing something without fear, but rather, I thought, doing it despite fear.

“It’s this way,” I said, gesturing left. “Close your eyes.”

Her tongue ran over her lips nervously, but her lids closed over her eyes and I took her arms, guiding her forward until we stood at the end of the tunnel, the fresh air clean and tantalizing as the faintest breeze caught at the loose strands of her hair. “Open your eyes,” I said.

A faint gasp exited her lips as her eyelids opened and she took in the cavern. I’d come back twice since stealing the Élixir. In those visits, I’d removed the bodies and drained the foul water, but that hadn’t seemed enough. So though I had no talent for the creation of beautiful things, I’d set to making the cavern as worthy of her and this moment as I could, clearing rubble and scrubbing away mildew and dirt before redirecting a stream of water so that it ran through the center and beneath the stone platform I’d carefully constructed. On the walls, I’d placed tiny pieces of silvered mirror that caught and reflected the large orb of light I suspended in the middle, making the shadows appear filled with stars.

“This is beautiful.” Pénélope stepped out of my grip, making her way down the incline to stand on the platform, where she slowly turned, a smile on her face and her eyes bright, fear vanquished. And for me, all the world fell away, leaving only her. “Very beautiful,” I responded, my voice rasping over my dry throat.

On unsteady legs, I followed her down to stand next to her on the platform, the only sound the gurgling water running beneath us. My stomach felt as though it were doing somersaults, my skin flushing hot then turning cold as I struggled with what to say. How to ask. How to breathe.

“It smells different in here,” she said. “Clean. Like…”