Daughter of the Earth and Sky Read Online Free PDF

wood floors were covered with red rugs with paisley patterns printed on them.
    “This one.” Hades unlocked the door and opened it for me. “And I’m right here.” He pointed at the next door before entering his room and closing the door behind him.
    I took a quick look around my room before I tossed the unicorn bag onto the massive four-poster bed. A painting of two palm trees on a beach hung above the bed. I stood between the bed and the fireplace and dug through the bag Cassandra packed for me. “Oh, gods.”
    The short skirt and shiny aquamarine top were thrown to the side. It would have looked great on Cassandra; on me it would look ridiculous. I dug past the sexy sleepwear and found a linen sundress that was more my style.
    I ran a brush through my hair, pulling some of it back into a daisy clip, and let the rest of the blonde waves cascade down my shoulders. My bright green eyes caught my attention in the mirror. Oh right . I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the human glamour settle over me.
    I didn’t have to change much. I’d passed for human most of my life. When I opened my eyes, they’d dulled to a more natural shade of green. My skin and hair were no longer as bright or glossy. It was probably overkill, but ever since Pirithous had tried to abduct me from my mother’s flower shop last year, I’d realized you can never be too careful.
    Between Orpheus’ publicity stunt and Boreas’ freak blizzard that tore through the world last year, the gods were no longer regarded entirely as myths. We still weren’t widely worshiped, but the glimmer of belief that we could be real had spread like wildfire, igniting a sense of hope and fear in the human race.
    When I stepped into the hall, Hades was leaning against a wall reading a brochure. He’d altered his appearance, too. His unearthly electric blue eyes had dimmed, and his hair was lightened to a normal shade of black. Even his gait had changed from his unnatural, almost predatory walk to a clumsier human stride.
    I took in his black T-shirt and blue jeans with an amused smile. “Wow, you look almost normal.”
    He glanced up from the brochure and gave an uncomfortable looking shrug. “I hate it,” he admitted. “I don’t know how you can tolerate keeping your glamour up twenty-four seven.”
    “It gets easier,” I assured him. I motioned to the brochure. “Where to?”
    * * * *
    We spent a surprisingly normal day together. We walked through Orange Hall Museum, a beautiful antebellum mansion, and explored the rest of the city. According to the dream message, Poseidon wasn’t expecting us on Cumberland Island until tomorrow night, and since the island was only accessible by a ferry that ran earlier in the day, there was no getting there today anyway. Plus, I wasn’t going to suggest we hurry. I was enjoying my time with Hades.
    “I can’t believe all the houses have been here since 1820.” I motioned toward a brick building down the street. “There’s a spot like this in Athens, timeless. If you ignore the cars and stuff, you can imagine back when the streets were dirt, and there were horses and—” I broke off seeing Hades’ amused look. “What?”
    “I need to take you to Europe. That—” he pointed at the huge white house “—is an infant.”
    I stuck my tongue out at him and caught sight of a cemetery with a huge statue of an angel. “That more your style?”
    Hades didn’t answer. I turned to look at him and saw his attention was focused on a man dressed in dark robes across the street. The light bent around him. My throat went dry when I recognized he was a Reaper.
    “Is he—” I gasped.
    Hades waved to the Reaper, grabbed my arm, and propelled me to the next street. “Just the usual,” he assured me. I heard a woman cry out, and Hades picked up the pace.
    My pulse was pounding in my throat. People die, it happens. The Reaper was a blessing; it meant that poor soul wouldn’t have to sit in its dead rotting