When she didn’t reply, he only became more frustrated.
“Is Hades back? Tell me! Is he?”
She shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so. Well, I don’t know.”
“Well, which is it?”
“If Hades was back we should know about it now. He would have come for us.”
“Well, someone kicked Thanatos’ ass, allegedly.”
“I won’t believe it until I see it. I need to know for sure.” She grabbed a blade from the table and took a few paces toward the door when she froze. She saw a figure in the shadows by the door and recognized the outline immediately.
“Thanatos,” she said in relief.
He stepped into the light, and all of their fears were confirmed. He was badly battered. His clothes ripped, his face bloodied, and he looked exhausted. Though the wounds had all sealed already, he looked a beaten man.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“It was like he said, just as Zhang said, Theo.”
“Tell me, tell me who did this. Was it Hades? Is he back?”
“No.”
“One of his allies, then?”
“None that I know of,” he replied wearily and dropped into a chair. Theo grabbed a towel and began wiping the blood from his face.
“Tell us everything that happened. Every detail,” said Aaron.
“There’s not much to tell. I was finishing up for the night, having one last drink. Some guy all in black wouldn’t leave. He came at me. He was fast and strong, and knew how to fight, believe me.”
Neither of them doubted it. They knew it would take a great fighter to overpower him so easily.
“It wasn’t anyone you recognized?”
‘’I’ve never seen anyone fight like that, Theo.”
“Who else is that powerful?” Aaron asked in disbelief.
“There are many powerful beings in this life, many more than you realize. Many you will never encounter, or will never reveal themselves to your kind.”
“You think there’s another player in town? But what would they want? Hades wanted the crown, and we stood in his way. Who else would come after you?”
“Anyone who wanted to make a point,” replied Theo.
“What point?”
“That they’re in charge, and nobody can mess with them,” sighed Thanatos.
“Yeah, but why would you matter to them? It’s not like you’ve been trying to take over the world. You run a goddamn night club!”
“If there was someone hungry for power, they might see Thanatos as a threat, especially as he is so public.”
“And you aren’t?”
“I don’t tell the world my name and run a club called Elysium,” she sighed, “Even if someone knew I was in this city, they wouldn’t know where to look to try and find me.”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t think we had to hide,” snapped Thanatos.
“There are many powerful beings in this universe. Father told us of only some of them. But we stayed away from them and were protected by him,” replied Theodosia.
“Come on,” he protested.
“Like it or not, the Allfather maintained order. Whatever is out there didn’t often come looking for trouble with us, because we had the protection of the Allfather and all he ruled.”
“So what are you saying, that some new player is looking to test the water?”
“Maybe, Aaron, or maybe this is just another attempt by Hades. He found support last time. If he is back, who knows who he might rally to his cause?”
“So what do we do?”
“We need to know who this figure is, and what they want.”
“And then what?” Thanatos asked.
“If they are a threat, then they must be dealt with.”
“Dealt with?”
“Destroyed.”
Thanatos smiled.
“We may not longer live and rule beside Zeus in the heavens, but we still have a responsibility here. As far as I am concerned, this is still his realm, and perhaps one day he will return to us.”
“You think he is still alive?”
“I hope so. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so who can say? In the meantime, we must know more about this man who attacked you. We need to know who he is, what he wants, and what needs to be done. Where do you think we can find him?”
“This wretch came to my house and drove me out. Where do you think he’s going to be?”
“All right, your club is as good a place as any to start.”
Thanatos shot up on his feet.
“All right, let’s do this.”
“Not now. Look at you. You need rest. Sleep, and in the morning, we will try to unravel this mystery.”
He groaned, looking to Aaron for support, but he didn’t find it.
“Don’t look at me. I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do, but I’m in no state to go looking for a fight. If this guy is anything like you say, he’ll still be there tomorrow.”
Thanatos groaned, but he accepted it.
“Come on, you can stay here.” Theo helped him to his feet and led him to another room. Aaron followed and watched as she lay him down in one of a line of beds. They had clearly made the old warehouse a permanent base, those that remained of Theo’s followers. Thanatos lay down, his clothing still on, and he looked exhausted.
“We’re gonna destroy whoever that is tomorrow, you and me,” said Thanatos wearily as he yawned.
“Sure,” she replied.
He was asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow. Theodosia cut the lights and left him be.
“You want a drink?”
Aaron looked surprised, but he had nowhere else to be.
“I didn’t take you as much of a drinker.”
“Really? I lived in a paradise where wine flowed freely. As much as you could drink.”
She grabbed a glass decanter and poured two glasses, handing him one. It was a dark red wine, and nothing that he’d ever choose. He’d turned his nose up at the doctor, but that was in his own home. He didn’t much fancy refusing a god in their own home. He smelled it. It was dry and bitter, but also rich. He didn’t much like the idea of it, but he was too tired to care. He lifted it as a salute and took a sip. It was smoother than it looked, but almost as strong as spirits. To his surprise, he didn’t find it too offensive.
“Wow, that’s not actually half bad.”
“A far cry from what we once enjoyed, but still many times better than water.”
She walked over to several leather sofas that had been placed in a circle. They looked old and tired as if they had come from a reclamation site. The whole thing felt bizarre to Aaron. The facility looked more like a mechanic’s garage than anything else, although the expensive wine and godly weapons and armor scattered about the room showed it was nothing but. He took a seat opposite Theodosia and got comfortable. Something told him he wasn’t going anywhere that night, and he didn’t mind. His home was a lonely place, and it wasn’t like he could go out for drinks with Luca.
“Something on your mind?”
“My partner, Luca. I’ve not seen him in weeks. I’m worried about him.”
“He is missing?”
“I wouldn’t say that. There are no signs that anything bad has happened to him. He was not the same after our fight against Hades. These things affect us all differently.”
“Where do you think he is?”
“Probably somewhere he can relax, trying to forget all this. He has family scattered about two other states. There are plenty of places he could have gone to get his head straight.”
He suddenly looked suspicious.
“What is it?”
“You’ve never cared to ask before, so why now?”
She sighed as she poured another glass and got up to pour another for him.
“You have to understand, for me, mortals were nothing. The time we live, and the power we had, and still have to some degree. Mortals just
never mattered, and…”
“And now we do? Really? Why would you care now?” He took a large mouthful of wine.
“Thanatos, he was wrong about a great many things, but he was right about you. Without you and your friends, we could never have defeated Hades.”
“So that’s it? You needed us?”
“It’s not that. It’s the realization that you can be remarkable. When you live among mortals, humans seem so insignificant in it all. But that is because time passes by. Your lifetimes seem like nothing to us.”
“Wow, you sure know how to make a guy feel special,” he joked, and he drank again.
He no longer noticed the strong flavor of the wine, throwing it back like it was nothing more than beer.
“I think you mistake my intentions,” she said with surprise.
“Oh…really?”
“The things we have seen and lived through in just a few of your months, they are remarkable. It makes me realize how important every day is. We may live forever, but life can be changed in the blink of an eye.”
“What are you getting at?”
“That you, and any human, can have as much an impact in this life as the gods. Every moment is precious, and what we choose to do in those moments affects everything around us.”
He smiled, understanding that she really wasn’t being condescending.
“And you think that means we are somehow equal?”
She laughed.
“I never said we are equal. Thanatos and I, we are immortals from Olympus. But what I am saying is that anyone can have an impact on the path of history. Just look at what you have achieved.”
“Not without your help.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. We didn’t help you. You helped us. More than that, you saved us.”
He looked suspicious as if trying to understand what her angle was, but she did seem genuine as she poured another glass.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he smiled.
“What?”
“You actually like us. You spent a little time around us mere mortals, and you realized you actually liked us.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she blushed.
“That’s okay. I didn’t like you and Thanatos much either when we first met. Hell, you tried to kill us.”
“Only because you were in my way.”
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“What? Why do you laugh at me?”
“Stay around here a little longer, and you’ll get it.”
“Your own mortality is funny?”
“Yeah, I guess it is. It has to be. It’s that, or dwell on it your whole life.”
“How can you not? You know you are going to die, all of you. You even know roughly when, if it comes of natural causes. So few years to live.”
Aaron took a deep breath and took a large mouthful of wine, pondering the deep and potentially very dark thought.
“How can you deal with that?”
“Remember when we were fighting Hades?”
“Yes?”
“And you and Thanatos realized that despite all the time you seemed to have in life, in that moment you had no time left at all? In that moment you were no different to us, and you got through it. You had no idea if you’d live to see the next day.”
“But that was a battle.”
“Life is a battle.”
She looked confused. “You really think that, Aaron?”
“Of course. Life was never supposed to be easy. This was never a paradise for us to lie about and just enjoy ourselves. Humanity has battled every day to get to this point. How else could we have built all of this?”
“By working together?”
He laughed.
“What is so funny?”
“That you think we can all just get along for the greater good.”
“Why not? We did in Olympus.”
“Really? After a massive civil war, and you being cast out? That is getting along?”
She had no way to explain it.
“The fact we’re gonna die doesn’t matter. It’s going to happen, and we have to accept it. How we die isn’t so important, it’s how we live that is.”
She looked deep in thought, but simply smiled as she kept on drinking and thinking about it all.
Chapter 5
“Wake up, let’s go!”
Aaron felt a book strike him lightly on the leg to wake him up. He was dazed, his mouth dry and head throbbing. He tried to get up but felt exhausted. Finally, he grabbed hold of the arm of the sofa he’d slept in and pulled himself upright. He felt terrible and on the table in front of him were six empty wine bottles. His head was pulsating. It was the worst sort of hangover he’d had since his school days.
“Goddamnit, how much did we drink?”
“Come on, get up. We’ve got work to do!”
Thanatos was looming over him. His wounds were all healed, and he looked fresh and ready for action, the very opposite of Aaron’s condition. Theo strolled into the room as she pulled on her coat and sword belt. She looked just as refreshed as Thanatos.
“How are you not feeling this?”
“I guess you don’t drink a lot of wine?”
“Never.”
Thanatos laughed. “Amateur.”
“We don’t drink wine around here.”
“Your shops sell it, though, don’t they?”
Aaron groaned.
“Goddamn, how can you drink this stuff? Makes me not want to drink ever again.”
“You coming or not?” Thanatos asked.
He sighed, contemplating whether he was going to throw up.
“Look, this asshole took my club and kicked me out. Would you accept that at your school?”
“No, no, I’m coming. Just give me a moment.”
“We’ll need help, if this man is as strong as you say,” said Theo.
“I wasn’t exactly on top form, but there isn’t a mortal alive who could have done that, not even with the state I was in.”
Thanatos shrugged. He wanted to go alone, and yet knew that wouldn’t be wise.
“Arius, Aceso, you’re with us,” said Theo.
Aaron coughed and spit into a nearby bin, trying to clear his throat. He slowly pulled on his jacket.
“You gonna be okay?”
“If I can just get a coffee…”
He stopped as one was handed to him.
“Thanks,” he replied in a surprised tone.
“What? Some things you really do have better down here. The coffee, it’s to die for,” said Theo.
“So, it’s not all bad being down here among the mortals?” Thanatos asked playfully.
“I’m getting used to it.”
Aaron threw back his mug of coffee. The caffeine hit woke him up, but he still felt like a wreck.
“Come on, you’re driving,” said Theo.
“Really?”
“A battle can come at any time, and you have to be able to deal with that.”
“It’s not like you need me, though, is it? What can I do that the four of you can’t?”
“Do you want help handling Zhang or not?”
It was hard to argue with that. He sighed, drew his keys out from his pocket, and led the way. He climbed into his truck with a sigh and got them moving. As he drove through the city in daylight, he realized it didn’t look the same to him anymore. It wasn’t the city that had changed, but him.
“What if I’d never met any of you, imagine how different life would be?”
“Ignorance is bliss, is that what you’re saying?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, maybe.”
“I don’t believe you. You’ve dedicated your life to learning. All the hours you’re not working, and many that you are. If you were happy to lead a life of ignorance, you would never have lifted a sword.”
Aaron smiled. It was true.
“Some things are just too darn interesting not to know.”
It wasn’t long before they pulled up outside th
e club. Thanatos leapt out first, his jaw almost on the floor. The window he’d crashed through was fixed, and there was no sign of glass or a struggle.
“I thought you said you went through that?”
“I did, Theo.”
“What kind of villain would smash your place up and then repair it? It doesn’t make any sense,” replied Aaron.
“You’re sure you are remembering it right?”
“Maybe you’d drunk a little too much. What else have you been taking?” Aaron asked.
“No, I know what I saw! What, do you think I did this to myself?” He angrily looked down at his ripped and battered clothing. He sighed and rushed toward the front door. It was shut, and no doorman was standing on guard now.
“Thanatos, wait!” Theo chased after him.
The others quickly followed suit, but he wouldn’t slow up.
“We don’t know what we’re walk into!”
He reached the door and ripped it open, as if expecting to find it locked. He pulled with so much force it was yanked from one of its hinges, barely hanging onto the other as it crashed into the wall beside it.
“Damn it, Thanatos! Can he wait for nothing?”
“I guess you’d be pretty pissed, too, if someone came and roughed you up in your own place?”
Theo knew Aaron was right, but that didn’t make her any happier about it.
“He’s gonna get us in a whole lot of trouble one day,” muttered Theo.
“Like he hasn’t already. We’re down here because of him,” spat Aceso angrily.
“You know that isn’t fair,” replied Theo.
“I really don’t.”
They rushed through the building that was almost completely dark as few lights were on. Thanatos burst into the private room he adored so much and ran to the edge of the balcony that looked down toward the bar. A single figure loomed at the bar, just as he had expected. It wore a dark coat and a hood, and had its back toward the stairs.
“You see! That’s the asshole, down there.” Thanatos pointed.
He rushed to the stairs to go and face the stranger.
“Thanatos, wait!”
He ignored Theo and rushed on furiously. Aaron didn’t move for a moment and stayed at the balcony, studying the stranger curiously. His confidence and cockiness are what struck him most.
“Something isn’t right,” he muttered to himself, “Who would just sit there and wait, knowing what was coming for them?”
Fallen Gods II Page 6