Divine Uprising

by Rachel Van Dyken

  He grinned. “Sorry, Thena. But you’re still part human, wouldn’t want to cause you to fall.” With a wink he sauntered out of the room and shut the door.

  Many mean names came to mind, but instead of yelling after him, I laughed and closed my eyes. He was probably right, and we both knew I would just be making a fool of myself. I didn’t have the self-control right now to keep myself from mauling him, and that was the last thing our relationship needed. Complications.

  I sighed into the pillow, savoring the scent of Adonis, and closed my eyes.

  “Thena, I have come for you,” a voice said in my ear. “Follow me, come with me,” the voice whispered again. “You are so perfect. So precious. Be mine.”

  I turned on my side and was met by warmth. I groggily opened my eyes. Adonis was lying next to me, his eyes open as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

  Weird, but he tasted different than before. His mouth was too hot, almost scorching. I tried to pull back, but he held me there. I beat against his chest, but he was too strong, and then he grabbed my wrists and pinned me against the bed.

  His face morphed into Thanatus’s.

  “You have failed,” he sneered, sniffing my hair. “You will be mine.”

  “Never,” I vowed.

  He chuckled, his teeth grazing my cheek. He bit my lip and licked my blood. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. “Come with me, or I’ll kill you.”

  “I’d rather die.”

  “That, my dear, can be arranged.”

  “They’ll come for me,” I spat.

  “My dear…” Thanatus drew out a dagger and held it close to my throat. “That is what we are counting on.”

  Uprising

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Adonis

  I knew something was wrong the minute I didn’t hear Athena snoring. I would never say it to her face, for fear she would impale me on the end of her favorite dagger, but she always snored.

  Every night.

  I used to stuff a pillow over her face. It never made sense to me that she would snore when she didn’t even need to breathe. Obviously, it was just more of her humanness trying to break through. It irritated me that the only time it would choose to show itself would be when I was also trying to get some sleep.

  With a sigh, I rose from the couch and went to her door. I knocked twice and waited. No answer.

  I knocked again. Panic slowly rose in my chest. There was no way something was wrong. I’d been on the couch the entire time.

  “Athena.” I pounded the door.

  I tried the doorknob, but it was locked. With a little push the door flew off the hinges. Her bed was empty. I knet down and noticed her dagger on the floor. She would have never left it behind. The last time she’d forgotten it, she’d made me drive three hours back to Headquarters to find it.

  Once, Apollo had stolen the dagger as a joke. Well, the joke had been on him. He’d walked around with a bruise under his eye for two weeks.

  Sickness threatened to take over as I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of the room.

  Sulfur.

  It smelled like death.

  Thanatus.

  I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Michael’s number.

  He answered on the first ring.

  “Yes.”

  “She’s gone.”

  He sighed heavily into the phone. “How long?”

  I smelled the room and looked at the clock by her bed. “Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.”

  Michael said something in his ancient tongue then barked orders. “Meet back at Headquarters in ten minutes. We’ll have everyone assembled by then. Bring any evidence.”

  “Where would they go?” I asked.

  “The only place Azazeel has power.”

  Dread shot straight to my chest. “Sheol.”

  “We’ll talk about this later.” The phone line went dead.

  I grabbed my keys, threw a shirt over my head, and ran for the door. Around Athena, I had always had to dumb my powers down. I couldn’t appear too smart or too serious. Now, with her gone, I could use the full range given me by El. In an instant, I was by the pier and boarding the elevator.

  Two Seekers came in behind me — Apollo and Ares. We’d never been great friends. All of us had our jobs, and it had been clear to all Seekers I was above them in every way. The angels still had a hierarchy, and though I reported to them, technically Seekers reported to my kind.

  Apollo was still young for a Seeker; he grinned like a fool and began whistling. Ares, however, had seen his fair share of war. His clothing was still tattered from whatever battle he had just fought. He shook his head and looked at me.

  “I am sorry she has disappeared. We will find her, brother.”

  Emotion welled in my chest. I hadn’t been accepted for a very long time. I nodded and braced my arm with his. The doors opened to Headquarters. Janus looked us over and gave each of us a piece of paper. We moved toward the main entrance, where everyone should be waiting.

  Because Athena knew my secret, I was able to be in my normal form, the one that looked a lot like the archangels. I licked my lips and entered, knowing full well this was the moment everything would change.

  Some of the Seekers gasped, and the older ones nodded knowingly. In the corner I saw Atlas and Seth, shifting on uneasy feet as they took in the view.

  “Seth.” I grasped his hand. He seemed irritated. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m not. Why are we sitting around waiting, when we could be out there grabbing Thena?”

  Jealousy poured through me. I hated that part of my emotions, but I kept myself in check. I knew Seth liked Athena, possibly loved her. How could he not? But she was mine. Mine to protect, mine to love. I gripped his hand hard and nodded. “We will find her.”

  Atlas jerked his head to the center of the room. The heavenly horns sounded, and again, the three archangels appeared.

  Righteous pride surged through me as the three beings took their stance in front of the Seekers.

  Michael spoke first. “Athena has been taken by Thanatus. We know not if she is with Azazeel, or if Thanatus works alone. We believe this to be his signal for war.”

  Grumbling was heard among the Seekers.

  “Quiet,” Gabriel shouted.

  Everyone froze. When Gabriel spoke, we listened. He was, after all, a mouthpiece of El. “We will fight to the death in the service of El and in the service of an innocent.”

  “We will fight with El,” the Seekers said in unison, hitting their arms against their armor.

  Gabriel cleared his throat and paced in front of Michael. “I need the scouts sent out immediately. Our sources say…”

  “Pardon,” a low voice interrupted Gabriel’s speech. “I believe I’ve been invited to a meeting of sorts.”

  I could have sworn I heard people hiss. I jerked my head in the direction of the speaker, and my mouth dropped open in disbelief.

  “Alexander King.” Michael stepped forward and shook his hand. “Good of you to come.”

  The vampire shook his head. “Like I had a choice.”

  “Are your people assembled?”

  Alexander nodded. “Every last one.”

  “Vampires?” Atlas said loudly. “They fight with us?”

  Alexander rolled his eyes. “Listen, half-breed¯”

  I choked on my laugh.

  Alexander noticed, and his eyes crinkled. “We are just as much a race of people as you are. We are not Phantoms, nor do we align ourselves with such. We are very much alive, very useful, and if you knew anything of the world, you would also know not everything is as it seems.”

  Alexander’s blue eyes flashed twice before returning to mine. “A Zar? Impressive.”

  “Not as impressive as seeing a living, breathing Twelve, I assure you,” I answered appreciatively.

  The Kings and their people, the Twelve, were a known hybrid race, much like my own people. When they’d given into their darkest desires, th
ey’d turned into Phantoms, for they had angel blood running through their veins as well. They had dominion over the humans and lived in peace with them, only interfering when a new medicine or technological breakthrough was needed. Any sort of invention that humans boasted about was simply the Twelve, throwing them a bone.

  Because of their blood-reading abilities, they were given a bad rap, but we all knew they were like us. The perfect mixture of good and bad. Any one of us could fall, and the Seekers knew that. They feared what they could become, so they feared what they could not understand. The truth of it was we needed all the help we could get.

  As if reading my thoughts, Alexander stepped back and joined by my side.

  Michael nodded to Gabriel. Clearing his throat for the second time, Gabriel continued talking. “As I was saying, we have combined forces with a few…” Gabriel looked like he was searching for words. “… unique breeds.”

  “I think he almost choked on that word,” Alexander said next to me.

  I stifled a laugh.

  “And these unique breeds,” Gabriel continued, “are not used to working with Seekers, so please be patient. We will meet at the destination point in the next three hours. Please take your assigned transportation seriously. Everything must be in place. You are dismissed.”

  I looked down at my paper and fought the urge to swear as writing appeared across it in golden letters. Fly.

  “What?” Alexander looked at my paper. “Hate flying, do you?”

  Seth walked up to us and smiled. “Last time we nearly crashed.”

  “Empusa made things interesting,” Atlas chimed in and reached for Alexander’s hand to introduce himself.

  Alexander’s gaze flickered to his piece of paper. “It appears I’ll be joining you.”

  I nodded. “Just how many of your people are helping us?”

  Alexander looked down at the ground, almost as if he was uncertain or nervous. “All of them.”

  “I’m sorry, did you say all?”

  Alexander’s head snapped up. “Yes, all. As in, if we fail, an entire race of people will fall.”

  I looked Alexander straight in the eyes. “We will not fail.”

  Atlas slapped my back. I almost felt like I was in the middle of a football game huddle. You know, if football players were twelve feet tall and a mix of angel and alien races.

  I stuffed the piece of paper into my pocket, not wanting to deal with my travel just yet. I set out to find Michael.

  “I’ll meet you guys at the flight.” I didn’t make eye contact with anyone as I walked toward the main chambers, where Michael usually resided when he was at Headquarters.

  My fist clenched at my side as I readied myself for battle. Michael wouldn’t want to tell me any information, but I needed to know what he knew. I couldn’t keep Athena from harm if I wasn’t privy to the knowledge he had. I raised my hand and banged on the door.

  It opened swiftly. Nerves took hold as I stepped into the large room and waited. Michael’s chair turned. His eyes blazed white, giving me a clue that he had just been speaking with El. And I, being impatient, decided to interrupt. Great.

  ****

  Flute-like music filled the room as Michael rose from his chair and slowly approached me, his eyes turning from blazing white down to a more normal blue.

  “Sit,” Michael ordered.

  I sat on the nearest chair and leaned forward, resting my head against my hands as my elbows poked into my legs. “What do you know?”

  Michael sighed. I could see the weariness in his eyes as his gaze flickered from mine to the table and back again. “Not much.”

  “Tell me.”

  “My, my, you’ve gotten brave in the past twenty-four hours.”

  “I love her.”

  “As do I.” Michael’s eyes never left mine.

  I shook my head. “Not the way I do.”

  At that, Michael chuckled. “I should hope not.”

  My teeth clenched. “If I don’t know what you know, how can I help her? How can I save her?”

  “Who says you will be the one doing the saving?”

  Enraged, I stood up and paced in front of him. “It is my job. It is my fault that she was taken in the first place. I fell asleep and…”

  “No,” Michael said smoothly. “It happened just as we predicted.”

  I froze. “Excuse me?”

  Michael sighed. “We did not think it would happen so soon, nor were we aware of the extent of Thanatus’s power, but it was assumed that since he was a dream-walker, he could enter through her sleep and take her.”

  “And you didn’t tell me because…?”

  “She’s safest where she is.”

  I bit my lip to keep from cursing in the presence of one of the archangels “She’s safer in Sheol? Than in my arms?”

  Michaels gaze hardened. “You tell me.”

  I looked down at the floor. “Nothing happened.”

  “Yet,” he said quietly. “She must have the freedom to choose, if, in fact, you are what she chooses.”

  Now? He was bringing this up now? I wanted to punch something as adrenaline pumped through my system. “I would never do something irrevocable.”

  Michael leaned forward “When El made your race, he made you special, unique. You feel everything, good and bad. You can control the emotions of those around you, but at the same time, you possess the emotions of those near you. You know as well as I that the minute she professed similar feelings for you, it was the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your existence — leaving her in that room.”

  “How did you even know?” I sputtered.

  “I know you.”

  Unfortunately, he had me there. “Nothing happened.”

  “I know. And again, I imagine that when the time comes for her to choose, she will of course decide to be with you. But until that choice is made, she isn’t yours to possess, Adonis.”

  I closed my eyes, and fear clenched my chest. I hated that he was right. I wanted her more than anything in my existence. Leaving her had been difficult. Several times I’d walked back to her door only to curse myself and go back to the couch. It was never easy with our race. We felt everything. I’d heard her soft breath escape her lips when she’d drifted off to sleep. I could still taste her tongue on my lips, and every time she’d twisted and turned in that bed I’d felt as if I was there, feeling her body pressed against mine.

  Michael chuckled. “It seems I’ve made my point.”

  “Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. “I still want to be in charge of extracting her from the situation.”

  “No.”

  “No!” I roared. I’d never raised my voice at Michael before; I think he was just as shocked as me. He leaned back in the chair, his eyes wide with amusement.

  “And now you see why. Your emotions blind you.”

  “I am perfectly fine.”

  Michael rose from his seat and approached me. “You will put yourself, as well as the woman you love, in grave danger, if you are the one to make the extraction. I’ll allow you to accompany the teams. After all, she will want to see you after her experience in Sheol, but I am sending another into the Darkness.”

  I almost didn’t want to know. I swallowed my bitterness before asking, “Who?”

  “Seth.”

  “He’s Fallen,” I stated dumbly.

  “He is,” Michael agreed. “He’s also very powerful and very much needs to be needed. I believe this will be a good task for him. He has been in this human form for a very long time, experienced things that no angel should ever have to experience. He is cursed with the life of a half-breed, but he is also the only one we can send in who will not be affected by the dark.”

  “But he is affected.” I clenched my fist again and rolled my eyes. “You should have seen him on Denali! He almost killed her!”

  “That was the influence of Thanatus. Seth was confused, and he is much stronger now that he knows who he is.”

  “Oh, great.” I l
et out a bitter laugh. “So now that he’s found himself, you think you can trust him?”

  “I know I can trust him.”

  “And if he falls prey to Thanatus again?”

  “He won’t.”

  Michael seemed so certain. I wanted to cause him physical harm, which was a little amusing, considering he’d kill me in an instant. I paced in front of him, clenching and unclenching my fists in turn at my sides. “I don’t like it.”

  “Hmm…” Michael grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me toward him. “What are you so afraid of?”

  Losing her. Losing her to him. Now that he was Fallen, he was cursed with being partially human; he was just like a Nephilim, only he had cooler party tricks than the Seekers and black wings to show off when he wanted pity from the opposite sex.

  Michael studied me for a minute. “I see.”

  “I know.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry. And you’re right.”

  “I know.”

  “You don’t have to be so smug about it.” I folded my arms across my chest and exhaled loudly. “I’m blinded by her.”

  “It will be better this way, you’ll see.” Michael walked me to the door. “Prepare yourself as you must, Adonis. This battle will not be a pleasant one.”

  “How many?” I paused at the door, my back facing Michael.

  “At least a hundred thousand, maybe more.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “See that you are,” he called out as the door shut behind me. I walked purposefully toward the main hallway and elevator, where Janus stood waiting. I would be ready and I wouldn’t let her down.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The wet Seattle air whipped at the back of my neck as I walked toward the private jet. Most of the Seekers were traveling by plane, though some of them were actually lucky enough to be taking the train. We all had different arrival times to not raise suspicion.

  I preferred driving or maybe even walking. Being confined in a small space with Seth, Atlas, and Alexander was not what I would call fun. For one thing, I had to sit there and pretend to like Seth, when really all I wanted to do was rip his face off, considering he had a thing for Athena.