A Touch of Chaos (44 page)

She
knew
that.

“It's over, Persephone.”

“No,” she repeated, her hands shaking. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew this wasn't real. “No! Hecate! Hecate!”

She searched for the goddess, but all she could see was ruin and fire. There was nothing else.

“Persephone,” Hades said.

She couldn't look at him, because she knew if she did, he would drag her back in. He would convince her this was real.
He would say goodbye
.

“Persephone, look at me,” Hades begged.

“I can't,” she said. A guttural sob erupted from her throat.

“I love you,” Hades whispered, and then he fell silent, and though she knew she shouldn't look, she couldn't help it. She had to know.

Her gaze fell to his face. He was still.

“Hades?” she whispered, frantic to hear his voice again. She shook him, but he did not move. “Hades, please!”

She placed her hands on his face. His skin was growing cool.

“Hades!”

She screamed, and a pain more acute than anything she had ever felt ripped through her. She felt like she was being torn to shreds, and then a wave of magic barreled over her, and Hades's body began to break apart, and the
landscape around her seemed to burn away and melt, revealing a different world beneath.

The real world.

What she had sensed was true—the vision she had seen of Hades's dead body was not real. Instead of kneeling before him, she was kneeling on the ground before Athena's temple. Sandros lay beside her, blood pooling on the ground around him.

Confused, she looked into the sky and saw two gods fighting.

One she recognized as Cronos, and the other was Prometheus, the Titan God of Fire, and suddenly she understood that the reality the God of Time had crafted to torture her had been broken by Prometheus, and now they battled in the sky.

Hades manifested before her, and she rose to her feet, flinging her arms around him, a sob escaping her mouth.

“I'm here,” he said, and then they vanished.

Theseus watched as Cronos and Prometheus battled in the sky. The appearance of the Titan God of Fire was a surprise, enough for Cronos to lose control over the illusion he was using to entrap the gods.

A wave of anger twisted through Theseus, and he summoned his lightning bolt. Its powerful heat wafted over him. If he was not invincible, it would have melted his skin from his bones. He turned in the direction of Hades, who had just manifested before Persephone, but as he took aim, they vanished.

Another surge of fury tore through Theseus. He pivoted to see Damian locked in a vicious battle with Hephaestus. Theseus lifted the lightning bolt and aimed for the god, but Hephaestus must have sensed the attack, because he raised his hand, and the bolt was swallowed by a stream of fire that shot from his palm. Fortunately, his magic was quickly extinguished when Damian impaled him with his spear.

Hephaestus gave no pained cry. He only grunted and fell to his golden knee. Damian tore the weapon free and reared back, preparing to stab him again, when Hecate appeared, blasting the demigod with a ray of black fire.

Theseus summoned his lightning bolt again, but the Goddess of Witchcraft, whose eyes glowed with an ethereal light, met his gaze. The blazing magic in his hand flickered and then faded, and a strange cold enveloped him. He tried to summon the bolt again, but all he could manage was sparks.

He gave a frustrated cry and drew his sword.

“What did you do, witch?” he demanded.

“Do you not know?” she asked. “If Zeus dies, so does his magic.”

Theseus lowered his brows, at first confused by the goddess's words, but then the reality of what she was saying hit. He ground his teeth so hard, he thought they might break.

“I will murder you, witch.”

She smirked. “Then murder me,” she said. “But know that I will cling to you, even in death. You will never know peace, not in your waking hours or in sleep.”

As she spoke, he could feel something overcome him, a deep and terrible madness. He buried his face in his hands, nails biting into his flesh. “Do not offer me your prophecy, witch. I am already destined to win.”

“I am not giving prophecy, you idiot,” she said. “I am cursing your ass.”

Then she was gone, taking Hephaestus with her.

The only ones left battling were Cronos and Prometheus, whose magic shook the earth with each
deafening strike, but even that came to an abrupt end when the Titan God of Fire vanished.

For a few seconds, Theseus and Cronos stared at the spot where he had been, a shared anger thickening the air between them. Prometheus was a traitor, to both Cronos and Zeus. He had loyalty to no one, save mortals. Theseus had not known that the Titan had escaped the Underworld. He had been in another part of Tartarus entirely, chained to a rock while an eagle feasted on his liver.

Cronos met Theseus's gaze from the sky.

“I will have vengeance against the other Titans as I will have vengeance against my sons,” said Cronos. “Consider our alliance formed.”

Theseus would have liked to celebrate, but he was too angry. He turned his gaze to the sky, catching sight of Zeus. He had left him suspended there as a reminder to the mortal world of his power. Now, he teleported to the god and saw that there was a gaping hole where his heart once beat.

Theseus's rage boiled over, and he lifted his blade, hacking at the God of the Sky, carving pieces of his flesh from his body and letting them fall to the earth.

It wasn't until he was finished that he saw how many had gathered to look up at him from below, not only Impious but Faithful mortals who had yet to seek refuge within Hades's obsidian tower.

As he lowered to the ground, splattered with the blood of Zeus, he declared, “The King of the Gods is dead.”

His words were followed by deafening cheers and a chant that dissolved his doubt.

“All hail Theseus, King of the Gods.”

Theseus's body crawled with the threat of Hecate's words, and he was eager to shed their weight. She might have murdered Zeus, but that did not diminish the prophecy of the ophiotaurus, and now he was assured of Cronos's alliance. He would win this war and would reign supreme over a world of his creation. Everything he'd planned for had come to fruition.

When he returned to the House of Aethra, passing the high wall surrounding his mother's residence, his servants waited on the porch, bowing as soon as he appeared. They would not meet his gaze, and he knew it was because they had witnessed him cutting Zeus to pieces.

If Ariadne were standing here, she would hold my gaze
, he thought.
And she would refuse to bow.

It wasn't that thought that brought him pleasure, it was what he would do to punish her for her defiance. He would force her to her knees and shove his cock so far down her throat that she choked around him.

The thought of how she would feel sent a thrill through him.

Suddenly, he was eager to go to Ariadne again, to see how she had changed in the hours since he'd left. Would she fight him again?

He entered the house and made his way to his bedroom, pausing when the noticed the door ajar. Instantly suspicious, he approached with caution, peering through the opening to see Helen leaning over Ariadne. A blade gleamed in her hand as she cut through the bindings on her wrists.

“Why are you helping me?” Ariadne asked. She spoke in a whisper.

“I have to,” Helen said. “I can't…live knowing what he's doing to you.”

Theseus doubted Helen even realized the irony of her words—though perhaps she soon would.

Theseus continued to watch, curious to hear what would be said.

Once Ariadne was free, Helen slid a backpack off and pulled out a bundle of clothes. She had come prepared.

“Hurry and dress,” she instructed. “We don't have much time.”

“Where is he?” Ariadne asked.

Theseus found the fear in her voice amusing.

“The gods are fighting downtown,” said Helen. “But I don't know how long he will be away. Theseus does not fight his own battles.”

Theseus's teeth clenched at her words.

Ariadne said nothing as she pulled on the clothes. Helen drew a sheathed knife from her bag, tossing it on the bed.

Ariadne took it. “Where will we go?”

“They're saying Hades has made Nevernight into a refuge. I will take you there.”

“What about you?”

“I betrayed his wife and queen,” said Helen. “I will not be welcome there.”

Theseus waited until Ariadne was finished dressing, until her eyes met Helen's.

Then he appeared behind Helen, gripping her chin and the back of her head.

“You will regret that I chose to fight this battle,” he
said, jerking her head to the side. The bones in her neck snapped.

He was close to tearing her head from her body, but Ariadne bolted for the door.

He released Helen and lunged for Ariadne, his fingers closing in the fabric of her shirt.

“No!” she screamed. She whirled to stab him, but his skin was impenetrable. Her hand slipped, and she cried out as the blade cut her palm. She dropped the knife, and it fell to the floor, along with fat drops of her blood.

Theseus grabbed her by the wrists and hauled her toward the bed, but Ariadne dug in her feet. The blood made her slick, and she slipped from his grasp. She seemed just as surprised as he was as she stumbled back and fell on her ass. He charged after her, and she scrambled to her feet. She reached the door and threw it open, racing down the hall.

He let her run, let her scream. He was keeping count of her transgressions, and later, he would decide how she was to be punished. For now, she was about to learn the consequences of leaving his room, because at the end of the hall was Phaedra's room, and the door was open, broken and splintered.

He knew when Ariadne caught sight of her sister, still dangling at the end of the bed, because she froze and a different kind of wailing came from her open mouth.

Slowly, she made her way to the floor, unable to stand.

“What did you do?” she moaned. “What did you do?”

“I did nothing,” he answered. “Your sister chose this. She abandoned you. She abandoned her son.”

“She would never!” Ariadne seethed with a deep and
guttural anger. She glared at him, and he felt the full force of her hate.

He could not help it, he chuckled and said, “Then you do not know her at all.”

Ariadne launched herself at him with a shriek. He could feel her nails scrape down his face, but he felt nothing. For a few seconds, he let her rage, but he soon grew bored and snatched her by the wrists, dragging her into Phaedra's room.

He threw her on the bed, his hand around her throat.

“Fight this, and I will murder my son in front of you.”

“You wouldn't,” she wheezed, her eyes watering. “He is your blood.”

“Try me,” he said. “I can have many sons.” He let his gaze fall to her stomach before he met her gaze again. “Perhaps there is already a replacement on the way.”

He smiled at the look in her eyes, a mix of devastation and disgust, but she did not fight him as he pushed her knees apart and took her on the bed from which her sister still hung.

Hades appeared in his office at Nevernight.

Only one thing had gone to plan during the entire battle, and that had been their exit.

“What was that?” Persephone whispered.

He knew what she was asking based on the raw rasp of her voice. She was still trembling from the horror of Cronos's magic, and he could not blame her. He was too.

“Cronos can make our greatest fears reality,” he said. “Where do you think I got the ability?”

He hated sharing anything with his father, but what he hated most was that he had used that power on Persephone once before.

They were not alone long when the doors to his office opened and Harmonia, Sybil, and Aphrodite raced into the room.

“I thought I sensed your return,” said Harmonia. “Thank the Fates!”

They do not deserve your thanks
, Hades thought as Harmonia crossed the room to embrace Persephone, followed by Sybil.

Aphrodite lingered behind, her eyes wide. He knew by her expression that something was wrong.

“My powers are back,” she said.

It was something she should be excited about or at the very least relieved, except that Hades felt like he understood her shock because in this instance, it meant that Zeus was dead.

Hecate's magic filled the room, signaling her return. She appeared with Artemis and Hephaestus, though the God of Fire was clearly injured. He was on his knees. One hand was flat on the ground, the other clutching his chest and covered in blood.

Aphrodite paled and ran to him. Kneeling at his side, she placed her hand over his as if she could somehow stop the bleeding.

“I'm fine,” said the god, rising to his feet. He summoned a golden arrow and, without a second of hesitation, shoved it into his chest.

“What are you doing?” Aphrodite demanded, but then the arrow vanished and so did his wound.

Aphrodite looked on in wonder, her fingers brushing over his skin.

“I asked Hephaestus to turn the Golden Fleece into something we could use on the battlefield,” said Hades. “Arrows seemed like the best option. If we are wounded by Theseus's weapons, we can be healed from a distance.”

“Woo-hoo!” Hermes said, appearing suddenly. “My powers are back!”

His enthusiasm seemed to dim as he realized exactly what that meant. He looked at Aphrodite.

“Our powers are back,” he said, quieter this time. He looked at Hades. “So…Zeus is dead?”

Hades hesitated. He was just as much in the dark as everyone else, but then Hecate spoke.

“I killed Zeus,” she said.

They all looked at her. Even Hades was a little stunned.

“You only ever mentioned saving him,” she said, half shrugging. “But the death of Zeus is the death of his magic. Theseus has no lightning bolt. Aphrodite and Hermes have their powers back…and I have a new heart.”

Hades supposed that was fair enough, though he genuinely had not expected Hecate to make the decision.

“Did you just say you have a new heart?” Hades asked.

“I did,” she said, a small smile on her face, adding, “Everyone knows not to kill a god before harvesting their organs.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Hermes spoke. “Everyone, keep Hecate away from my dead body.”

“Don't worry, Hermes. I would never think of it,” she said.

“Well, that's comforting—”

“I only harvest quality organs.”

“Hey!” Hermes put his hands on his hips. “I'm quality!”

The Goddess of Witchcraft looked him up and down and then shrugged. “Eh.”

“Don't ‘eh' me! You just called Zeus's heart quality!”

Hades was about to teleport to the Underworld to
escape the two when he felt Athena's magic. It pressed on his own—a request to teleport into his territory, one he granted.

When the Goddess of Wisdom appeared, she was dressed in gold robes. He had not seen her since she'd refused to fight outside Thebes.
Battle
, she had said,
should serve a purpose beyond bloodshed
, and though he would have welcomed her help, he could not blame her for refusing. He knew the cost of war, and it was a high price to pay if the fight meant nothing to you.

“Hades,” she said.

“Athena,” he said.

She raised her head, proud.

“My priestesses were slaughtered this morning. They begged for me, and I could not save them. I would join your side and fight against the evil that prevented me from protecting my own.”

“It would be foolish of me to refuse,” Hades said.

Athena seemed to relax, head lowering and shoulders falling. Then she took a step forward.

“You must tell me everything about this enemy,” she said.

Hades glanced at Hecate, Artemis, and Hephaestus. While there was an element of urgency, they were also exhausted.

“We will rest,” he said, looking down at Persephone. “Then reconvene.”

“Are you really going to rest?” Hermes asked, suspicious. “Or are you just saying that so you can sneak away and fuck?”

“Do you ever just…
not
say exactly what you are thinking?” Persephone asked.

“Curious minds want to know,” the god argued.

“I think you mean depraved,” said Artemis.

“You say that like it's a bad thing.”

Hades did not wait to say goodbye. He drew Persephone near and teleported to the baths. He wanted to be alone with her, to purge the horror they had witnessed on the battlefield.

Her back was to him, and he touched her shoulder. The shadows of her armor peeled away from her body, leaving her bare, and he bent to press a kiss to the hollow of her neck. She shivered and then turned to face him. Then she slipped her arms around his waist and held him tight, her head resting against his chest.

“I heard your heart stop beating,” she said.

He held her tighter.

“So long as you live, it will never cease,” he said.

“You cannot know that,” she said. “Do not promise it.”

“I would like to believe it all the same,” he said.

Hades was content to hold her, given the horror he had witnessed in his own vision. In it, Persephone had been torn to pieces before him. Just as she had thought she would never hear his heart beat again, he had thought he would never hold her again.

“It was strange. The entire time, I had the sense that I had seen it all before…when you trained me…yet it was still different,” she said.

Guilt blossomed in his chest from the memory of that day. He had manifested her greatest fear, which turned out to be his death, but he had not prepared her.

That was cruel
, she had said, and she had been right. As much as he had wanted to prepare her for the cruelty of gods, it was not fair to her.

“But that was how I knew it wasn't real.”

She pulled away, and their eyes met. She pressed her hand to his chest, and his armor turned to shadows and fled from the light, leaving him naked.

Her eyes fell to his cock. He wanted her to touch him, but she didn't.

“Is this selfish?” she asked.

“Does it feel selfish?”

“Yes.”

He studied her and touched her cheek. “Then you are not aroused enough,” he said, and as their mouths came together, their bodies did too.

When Hades woke, he was alone.

He rose and went in search of Persephone. He found her standing outside the palace with Cerberus by her side. He was still three-headed and dwarfed Persephone with his size. Hades approached her and slipped his arms around her waist. She relaxed against him, her hands folding over his.

“Can your monsters rise from the dead?” Persephone asked.

“Cerberus is not dead, but yes,” Hades said. “Now that the sun is no longer in the sky.”

He felt her freeze for a moment. “That was not a dream? Has Helios truly fallen?”

“Yes.”

She turned to face him. “Then…I truly killed that demigod?”

Hades studied her for a moment and then took her hand. As he did, a single black thread surfaced.

“What will the Fates do?”

“It is hard to say in times of battle,” said Hades. “It depends on who they favor.”

“How do we know if they favor us?”

“We will know if we win.”

They were not comforting words, but they were true.

“Come,” he said. “We will meet with the gods.”

They returned to his office at Nevernight, and Hades was surprised to find Ares waiting with the other gods. Beside him, he felt Persephone reach for her magic.

He could not blame her. The God of War's presence was immediately suspicious.

Hades's gaze slid to Aphrodite, who stood beside Ares.

“Aphrodite,” Hades said. “Give me one good reason for Ares's presence within my realm.”

“I have come to join your fight, Rich One.”

Hermes laughed. “It's because he wants to be on the winning side.”

Ares glared at the God of Mischief, though if not for Aphrodite, Ares would have likely waited until he was certain his choice would win.

“It sounds to me like you are asking for a favor, Ares,” said Hades. “And if that is the case, I will require one in return.”

The god straightened. “A favor in exchange for my battle prowess?”

“Do you mean your bloodlust?” asked Athena.

“Need I remind you that no one asked for you at all?” said Hades.

Hermes inhaled between his teeth. “Oh, you must be in pain after that burn.”

“I will show you pain, Hermes,” Ares threatened.

“Is that a promise, battle daddy?”

Hades sighed. “I am surrounded by idiots.”

“Like attracts like,” said Hecate.

“You take the offer, Ares, or you do not fight on the side of the gods,” said Hades. “That is the deal.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Ares crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine.”

Now that that was done, Hades's gaze shifted to the rest of the gods.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be taken by surprise again,” said Hades.

“Then we should attack first,” said Aphrodite. “Take Theseus by surprise.”

“Surprise is not as important as terrain,” said Athena. “And Theseus has the advantage. He has the higher ground, and he is behind a wall.”

“Then we take down the wall,” said Hermes.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Aphrodite asked.

“I don't know, explosives?” he said.

“Sure,” said Athena. “If you manage to battle your way through the army Theseus puts in front of it, then you can use explosives.”

“Well, if you're so smart,” said Hermes, “what should we do then?”

Athena shrugged a shoulder. “I would offer them something they cannot refuse—a weapon so deadly, they cannot help but open the gate.”

“And what would that be?” Aphrodite asked. “Theseus already has weapons that can kill the gods.”

“It sounds like you are talking about the Trojan
Horse,” said Hermes. “You do know that's been done, right? They'll see it coming from a mile away. Literally!”

“Not the Trojan Horse
. A
Trojan horse,” said Athena.

“I don't get it,” said Hermes. “You said the same thing.”

“She is saying we need a diversion, Hermes,” said Hades.

“I have Zeus's balls in a jar,” said Hecate.

Everyone looked at the goddess.

“Okay, that is definitely distracting,” said Hermes, adding under this breath, “and disturbing.”

“They can be a powerful weapon,” Hecate said. “It just depends on what is born from them.”

“I think we're all aware,” said Hermes. “Do we really want to play chance with Zeus's balls? I mean, what if we get another Ares?” His mouth twisted in disgust.

“Fuck you, Hermes,” said Ares.

“It's a valid concern!”

“I think if we are going to offer something to entice Theseus to open his gates, we should know what it is,” said Athena.