Ares dipped his head. “Thanks to you, I was.”
“She and you are a fitting couple,” Hyperion said with an approving nod of his head and relaxed his arms.
“How is the child?” Rhea asked.
“He is doing well,” Ares said.
“He,” Hyperion said happily. “It is good that you have a male to continue on with your genes. You are a worthy offshoot of me.”
“Have you chosen a name?” Rhea asked.
Why were they so interested in us? And what had they meant about owning everyone? What the hell was going on?
“Cratus Lupine,” I answered her.
She smiled. “That is a fitting name for a halfbreed baby like him.” She turned and looked at Hyperion, who I was beginning to believe was her mate. “Did you bring it with you like I asked?”
He pulled off a bag that had been hanging over his shoulder and opened it. “Of course, I did.”
She reached inside and pulled out two beautiful silver rings that gleamed in the sun with strange symbols. “We have come baring gifts to those who are deserving,” she said to the crowd. “Artemis Lupine, you and your mate, Ares, have shown true strength, devotion, and unwavering love despite times of trepidation. For your loyalty to the world, and each other, we present you with immunity to silver and absolute immortality.” She placed one of the rings on my finger and the other on Ares’ and then whispered, “May your love guide the hearts of others.”
My finger burned a moment and then the silver stopped hurting. I looked at Ares.
He asked, “What do you mean absolute immortality?”
Hyperion pulled out a sword and cut off Ares’ head. I stared down at the head of my mate and gasped. Seeing his head on the ground confused me enough that I couldn’t move to react.
Rhea sighed, “You could have just told him. Why must you be so dramatic?”
“It is better that the world see the truth now so none try to test him,” Hyperion said.
Rhea squatted down and picked up Ares’ head, placed it on his shoulders, which I realized was even more strange because Ares’ body had remained standing. Then, in total awe, we all watched as his neck reattached itself to his body and Ares shuddered and said, “That was unpleasant.”
“You get used to it,” Hyperion said with a smile as he patted Ares’ back.
“You can shift back now,” Rhea whispered to me.
I looked down and realized I had taken a half-shift. When had I shifted? I was still in too much shock and it took me a minute to focus enough to shift back to human form.
“Why are you giving so much to them?” Athena growled as she came up. “Why have you forsaken the rest of your children?”
Rhea looked at Athena with the sorrow of a mother whose child had gone astray. “You were given a chance to prove you were different, but you betrayed your daughter for your own selfish needs. Even if your daughter has forgiven you, it does not mean you deserved her forgiveness. Should I give you a gift for treachery?”
Athena stormed away with shame written plainly on her face. I felt bad for her, but in the same token, what had she expected Rhea to say?
Rhea turned to Ares and asked, “Are you sure that you do not want to be King of the Werewolves?”
Ares nodded. “The title rightfully belongs to Koda. I want to raise my pup with my mate without the stipulations of being Alpha.”
“None are more dominant than you,” Hyperion said and then added, “Except me.”
Ares smiled. “Yes, but I am not fit to rule them as I would not put them before my mate or my pup.”
Hyperion nodded in understanding.
Rhea said, “Then we have a proposal for you.”
Ares tensed beside me, and I held my breath as we waited for her proposal. These beings were very old and anything they offered had to be weighed before an answer could be given.
“We would like you and Artemis to return to our home after your son and daughter are old enough to shift. At that time, we will teach you and your children all that we know, and you will become guardians of this world. Will you accept?”
“We don’t have a daughter,” I answered right away.
Rhea smirked and said, “Give it a year.”
“What does being a guardian of this world entail?” Ares asked and moved closer to me.
“You are a smart boy,” Rhea said with a laugh. “Very inquisitive.”
“You would be charged with watching and preparing your children for restoring balance to the world should things get too out of hand,” Hyperion said. “I believe you will have a very long time before the balance is shifted again.”
“Why didn’t you assist us if that is your charge?” I asked, frowning.
Rhea placed her hand on my cheek and whispered, “We have always been with you, child. We created you and protected you from your father and mother, and you flourished into a greater woman than I could have dreamed you would become. Through you, beings who thought they were soulless learned to love. How many can say that?”
I glanced at Victor and he smiled at me, though I could see pain within the pinched corners of his eyes.
“What say you?” Hyperion asked me with a stern expression.
I looked at Ares, and he whispered, “We knew we wouldn’t be able to live alone forever anyway.”
I laughed and then looked at Hyperion and gave him my most serious face. “We accept.”
He smiled and clapped his hands together. The earth shook, causing everyone to wobble as we tried to maintain our balance, and then Hyperion grew taller and taller until he was too big to even fit on the planet. He continued to grow until he looked down at us from outer space and spoke with a voice that boomed. “By the powers as the Father of the Universe, I appoint Artemis Lupine, Ares Lupine, and their children as the Guardians of Peace.”
“We accept,” Ares and I said at the same time and then gaped at each other since we had not planned on saying anything.
The earth shook again and the tattoo that I had noticed on Hyperion burned like fire as it was drawn on both Ares’ forearm and mine. I growled at the pain but did not cry out.
Hyperion shrunk back down, landing lightly on his feet beside Rhea.
Rhea hugged me and kissed my cheek. “You have turned into a spectacular woman. I am so proud of you,” she whispered into my ear.
Tears filled my eyes at the heartfelt approval, and I realized that Rhea was my true mother. Athena and Darren had simply been vessels, which had failed the test Rhea had given them.
“Thank you,” I whispered and hugged her back.
She placed a necklace with a red heart around my neck and whispered, “Whenever you want to talk, press the necklace to your chest and Hyperion and I will be able to communicate with you.”
I threw my arms around her neck as peace consumed me and I felt fulfilled for the first time.
She patted my back and laughed.
Beatrice cleared her throat and held out Cratus to me. “I figured you wouldn’t want to wait another minute, since the battle was over.”
I smiled my thanks to Beatrice, took Cratus, and nuzzled his neck, inhaling his scent and realizing that it was all over. Ares and I would be able to raise him in a peace-filled world, and we would be able to do it wherever we wanted without interruption.
Cratus nuzzled his face against mine and then Ares hugged me from the other side of Cratus and rested his face against Cratus’ cheek. Cratus exhaled and relaxed between us.
“May I?” Hyperion asked, placing his bag on the ground and extending his hands out towards us.
Ares took Cratus from my arms and handed him to Hyperion without hesitation.
Rhea reached into the bag and grabbed a silver chain necklace and a golden rattle. “For Cratus.”
“The necklace is the same as our rings?” I asked.
“Yes.” She walked to Cratus and shook the rattle. “May I?”
Ares nodded, and she placed the necklace around Cratus’ neck.
<
br /> Cratus fussed a moment, but Hyperion bounced him in his arms softly and made soft shushing noises. The necklace shortened around his neck so that it was more of a choker than a long necklace like it had been.
Rhea put the rattle in Cratus’ hand and showed him how to shake it.
He put the rattle in his mouth and relaxed.
“Why is he developing so quickly?” I asked Ares. “Humans don’t develop this fast.”
“We aren’t human,” Ares whispered to me. “He is developing as all preternaturals develop. By tonight he will be crawling and in a couple of days he will be walking.”
Rhea turned to Victor and smiled. “You did well, Son of the Darkness. I will take the remains from you.”
“Will you dispose of them?” he asked her as he held out the bag.
She nodded, took the bag, and threw it up into the air. It disappeared from our view and she said, “He will burn in the sun’s flames.”
Hyperion continued to play with the rattle and make cooing noises at Cratus, which dimmed his super tough persona and made me like him even more.
Rhea walked to Hera and Zeus, and considered them with a somber expression. “I cannot bring back your son permanently, but I can bring him back so that you may all say goodbye.”
She waved her hands and Achilles appeared in front of Rhea. Hera gasped, but before she could reach him, I ran forward and threw my arms around Achilles’ neck.
“I’m sorry,” I cried as I hugged him.
He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You and Ares belong together, and I was a fool to think that I could intervene.”
“I—”
He put his finger against my mouth and stopped me from talking.
“Where is Apollo?” he asked, scanning the crowd over my head.
Apollo stepped forward, looking afraid and very young despite being over one hundred years old just like I was. “I’m here,” Apollo said as he approached.
I stood beside my twin protectively, afraid that Achilles might try to harm him. Achilles looked down at him and said, “I forgive you for killing me, and as Prince of the Sidhe I give you a full pardon for my murder.”
Everyone gasped, including me.
“Thank you,” Apollo whispered, eyes wide, and then he dropped to his hands and knees with his forehead touching the ground. “Thank you.”
“Protect Artemis and Cratus,” Achilles whispered. “That is your duty now.”
Apollo nodded and stood, putting an arm around my shoulders. “I will.”
“Achilles,” Hera whispered as tears flowed down her cheeks in a steady stream.
Achilles turned and smiled at his mother. “Mother, I am so proud of you,” he said. She sobbed and he wrapped her up in a tight hug. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she choked out.
Zeus hugged Hera and Achilles at the same time, and then grabbed Ares and pulled him into the hug as well. Achilles and Ares smiled at each other.
Ares said, “I am sorry that I could not save you from Death’s hold.”
Achilles shook his head. “You were right to save Artemis and your child. I would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes. Can I speak with you privately a moment?” He asked Ares.
Ares nodded and Hera reluctantly released her hold on Achilles. The brothers walked away together, far across the field away from everyone else to talk.
Apollo patted my shoulder reassuringly as he hugged me against his side. “It is good for them both to get some closure,” he said.
I knew he was right, but I desperately wanted to know what they were saying. “How relieved are you that you’ve been officially pardoned?” I asked with a smile.
Apollo whispered, “More than you know. I only hope that in time, the Sidhe learn to forgive me as Achilles did.”
I watched Ares and Achilles who were still talking to each other with their arms folded across their chests. Ares nodded briskly a few times as Achilles talked and frowned deeply a few times. They seemed to have finally finished when they hugged each other and headed back towards us.
Achilles stopped at his parents, and Hera hugged him again.
Ares walked to me and Apollo stepped aside so that Ares could put his arm around my shoulders.
“So, what did you two talk about?” I asked.
One side of Ares’ mouth quirked up in a smirk. “None of your business.”
I sighed, which made him laugh.
Achilles made his rounds, saying goodbye to everyone, but saved me for last. He held my hands in his and smiled at me. “You have grown into an incredible woman,” he whispered. “I am glad that I got to see it happen.”
My throat was too tight for me to speak and tears were threatening to break free at any moment, but I forced my lips to move. “I will never forget you. I will tell my children about you and your brave sacrifice. Everyone will know what a great warrior you were and how wonderful you were.”
He bent down and whispered into my ear, “I will always love you and watch over you, and I will always be in your heart. Do not let your relationships with others fail as I had with Ares. Verus amor vincit omnia. I love you.” His lips touched my cheek in a gentle kiss and then he was gone.
I wanted to scream at Rhea and make her bring him back, but I bit my tongue and walked to Zeus who pulled me into a tight hug, letting me bury my face into his chest as tears escaped, despite my greatest efforts to hold them in.
“Now is the time for rebuilding and peace,” Rhea called out. “Any who oppose this peace shall answer to us. Let the Earth unite as one world instead of different nations. You may all be different beings with different backgrounds, but you are all children of the All-mother, Gaia.”
People cheered all around me. I took a deep breath, shoved my feelings down, and turned away from Zeus, walked to Ares and took my place by his side. Cratus squirmed in his arms and I took him, cradling the baby against my chest and kissing his forehead.
Even though in the end I had hardly raised a finger in the final battle, it was finally over. Ares and I could finally build a house and raise our child and live as a normal family should. Despite the pain I had experienced over the years and the pain Ares had endured, it was all worth it to finally have our happily ever after.
Ares kissed Cratus’ head and then kissed my lips softly. “So, where are we going to build our house?” he asked as people crowded around Rhea and Hyperion for a chance to meet them.
I smiled and grabbed his hand. “I believe your meadow is the perfect place, don’t you?”
“I was hoping you would say that.”
I lifted our clasped hands and kissed the back of his hand as I pictured the meadow where flowers were blooming, bees were buzzing, and animals ripe for hunting awaited us. “Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
Immediately following the battle, the Council of Beings was created and each group was given a headquarters where the leaders were to live. However, everyone else was instructed to live together and that we were not to section ourselves off anymore. Areas like Las Vegas, Rome, and Paris were rebuilt, and millions moved together, opening businesses and helping each other.
Victor made a lot of changes within the vampire community and despite his battles, he still had a long way to go. It was hard to change people who had been set in their ways for hundreds of years, but with Dmitri’s help, he was making headway. I only hoped that they both might find love again so that the sad looks they had when looking at Ares and I together would leave.
I made up with Koda, deciding that I should take Achilles’ words of wisdom and not lose a friendship like ours. Despite being very powerful and being known around the world for his skills, he was challenged to fight many battles. However, he won all of them easily and even found a mate who was just as quirky as he was. Anastasia was standing on the sidelines during one of his fights and the sight of her pierced nose, lips, and eyebrow, and half shaved head caught his att
ention. He flirted with her during his fight and in the end, convinced her to go out with him. The two had been inseparable ever since.
Ares took Apollo under his wing and was teaching him everything he knew. I worried at first that he might snap one day and hurt him, but it seemed that due to Achilles forgiving Apollo and whatever Achilles had said to Ares, that he forgave Apollo as well. We built a house for Apollo a few miles away from ours, and together they trained every single day. Cratus watched and listened, and I had no doubts that he was learning just as Apollo was.
Beatrice built her own house deep within the forest, about ten miles from ours, but visited Cratus every day and took him and Apollo on hunting trips with her. She was taking her role as Grandmother like a full-time job, which was nice because it gave Ares and me time alone.
Cratus loves Blu, and we visited the hive at least once a month. Cratus’ powers and skills have developed much faster than I thought they would, and his magic was even more powerful than a child his age should have been. With the Council’s help, we were helping him understand how to control his emotions and his powers, but even the Council was shocked with his quick growth. He is a sweet boy though, and I had no doubt that he would become one of the greatest leaders in the world when he was older and might even surpass Ares in power.
Our daughter, Solara, was born exactly a year from the day Rhea had told us. She takes after her father when it comes to anger, but her powers were primarily sun based. She loved creating little balls of sunlight at night to dance with fireflies.
I loved seeing my two children playing together and with our other children in the pack.
The number of halfbreeds increased quite a bit and I knew the population would continue to grow now that Maurice and his evilness was gone.
The world is far from perfect, but the fear is slowly evaporating, and people are smiling a little more every day. Every type of being can be seen working and living side by side and even though we know the peace won’t last forever, we are enjoying it while we can. Together we were stronger than ever and together we could accomplish anything.
Thank You
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 76