“Mommy? Why isn’t Daddy coming?”
It was at least the third time Cassandra had asked the question. Euryale wasn’t sure of the total number since she was doing all she could to hold it together as they left. She knew Cassandra deserved an answer—needed an answer—but she had none to give, at least, none that didn’t involve the foulest language and the most gruesome vows that the Fates would no doubt hold her to.
Stheno seemed to share the same sentiments. “Hera can’t get away with this,” she said as they cleared the entrance to Apollo’s temple. “I thought—”
“She won’t,” Euryale said. “As you said, we’ll be back. But I have to ensure the safety of my children first.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely,” Euryale replied.
The trio soon exited Apollo’s temple. Initially, Euryale headed for her own chariot with its adorable and loyal ponies waiting for her return, but when she spied Apollo’s, the one Alex had used to escape the ambush with, she shifted course. Those horses were faster than any other she could hope to obtain. And that was something that she might need to rely on in the near future.
“Grab my chariot, if you would,” Euryale said, nodding toward her own. “I’ll take this one.”
“Anything else you want to get before we go?”
“Only Aison,” Euryale replied as she grabbed her phone to call Artemis. Right as she was about to get in touch with her, she noticed a small envelope tucked away in the chariot’s carriage.
Unsure of its significance, Euryale picked it up and gave it a look. On the front, scrawled in her husband’s messy handwriting, was her name. On the back sat a simple seal of emerald-green wax with “A&E” stamped in its center, perfectly round and unbroken.
“What is it?” Stheno asked.
“A letter from Alex,” she replied after her heart skipped three beats.
With the care of a world-class surgeon, Euryale broke the seal and opened the envelope before gently removing the letter contained within. It was folded in half, written on heavy, rough paper. For a long time, all she did was stare at it, scared to death what it might say, for without having yet seen it, she already knew why it was there.
“Aren’t you going to read it, Mommy?”
Euryale mouthed a yes, or at least, she thought she did.
“Come here, my vicious little niece,” Stheno said, snatching her up. “Help me check the horseshoes.”
“They don’t have shoes, silly.”
“Well, we better check anyway. You never know.”
Euryale placed a pair of fingers to her lips and slowly opened the note. Her vision blurred the moment she saw Alex’s chicken scratch, but she forced herself to focus on what the letter had to say.
It read:
To my dearest Euryale, the light of my life, keeper of my heart and soul, the woman I breathe for, and the perfect mother to our perfect children,
It’s strange to pen this letter to you. I’m about to go find Hera, and if you’ve found this, that means things have gone, well, about as well I expected them to. You know, Hera and all.
At the very least, you should have Cassandra back. Let her know every day I love her with all my heart, just as I love you with everything I have and am. Tell her I think about her with every breath I take, and when she’s grown, be sure to let her know how honored I am to be her father.
Aison, too. Tell him how he’s so much stronger and braver than his dad ever was, and that I’m in awe of all that he does and all that he’ll be. But most of all, make sure he knows there’s not a father out there that’s prouder of his son than I am of him.
And tell yourself…Oh, I could write countless books on that. I’m not sure where even to begin.
Do you remember when we first met? I mean after I jumped in fright and knocked myself silly on that boulder. When I stirred, thoroughly dazed, I called you an angel as you loomed over me. You laughed, that sweet, melodic laugh that warms my heart every time I think about it, and said, ‘I’m no angel.’
Oh, how you’re wrong.
So very, very wrong.
You’re my angel. You’re the woman who rescued me from an eternity of solitude, a woman who’s shown more strength than Ares, more courage than all the heroes of Elysium, and who has proven herself the most capable, patient, and loving mother and spouse the world has ever seen.
If that’s not what makes an angel, I don’t know what does.
I’m sure our children will have questions. I’m sure you do, too. And if all of you are mad at me for what I’ve done, I understand. I would only pray that at some point in time before the stars burn out and this world grows cold, you don’t hold my choice against me.
All that said, I don’t know what the future holds for me. I will forever long to be at your side again, to see that beautiful smile of yours once more, to feel the soft caress of your hands and see that twinkle in your eyes when you look at me.
But if there’s one thing I don’t ever want out of all of this, it’s that you suffer on my account. So, if the Fates have other plans that do not include our reuniting, I want you to find someone else. You shouldn’t be alone, and you deserve to have someone love you as much as I did. I’m sure he’s out there, somewhere, and I’m sure he’ll take wonderful care of you—and you, him.
I love you. Always. Forever.
- Alex
Euryale carefully folded the letter closed, and sometime later, Stheno returned while Cassandra kept inspecting the ponies. She didn’t know what sort of expression she wore on her face, but her sister embraced her fully the moment she looked at her.
“I’m here,” Stheno whispered, hugging her tight.
Euryale furrowed her brow, digging her nails into Stheno’s back. And as blood ran freely down bronzed skin, Euryale's eyes darkened, and her pupils went to slits. “I’m going to make her wish she were never born,” she growled. “By the River Styx, I’ll have her head on display for the world to see.”
“That’s dark,” Stheno grinned, not at all taken aback by the utter seriousness of the oath. “I don’t suppose you have a plan brewing in that delightfully vengeful mind of yours? Because I think she’s going to command all of Olympus against us.”
Euryale knew what to do, though up until a few minutes ago, she’d never have considered it. The Fates had set a path for her—a path offered not even a half day ago. “We go back to Nyx, and do whatever it takes to become her adopted daughters,” she said, slowly watching this future unfold in her mind.
Stheno chuckled. “You’re serious?”
“More than I have ever been before.”
“But she hates me.”
“We’ll have to find a way to change that,” Euryale replied. “Because when we return, I want us both to be so dreadful, Hera could never fathom what we’re capable of.”
Stheno flashed a wicked smile. “Oh, I like the sound of that,” she purred. “I like the sound of that a lot.”
Epilogue
Athena wearily raised her head. Chains still bound her wrists behind her and kept her ankles pinned together, each link enchanted ten times over to nullify any magic she might employ to escape. When her gray eyes focused on her latest visitor who stood outside her jail, the Goddess of Wisdom sighed heavily.
“Athena, my dear, sweet child,” Hera said, her voice teetering a strange line between contempt and elation. “What have you done to find yourself in such a predicament?”
“I’m sure you know already,” Athena replied. “I take it Alex gave you the ax?”
Hera smirked. “I’m surprised you ever thought he wouldn’t.”
“Knowing he would and hoping he wouldn’t aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“And yet you said nothing. Why?”
“Because it was the right thing to do,” Athena said. “Cassandra had to be saved, and if she weren’t, I still shudder to think what desperate measures her parents would resort to.”
Hera folded her arms over her chest and drumm
ed her immaculate fingernails on her side. For several tense moments, the Queen of Olympus stared at Athena, scrutinizing every inch of her body. Eventually, the sharpness in her features softened, as did the tone in her voice. “Tell me, Athena, do you think I was wrong to seize the throne?”
“Why? Are you still looking for loyal subjects?”
“Is that a yes or a no?” When Athena didn’t immediately reply, Hera, surprisingly, kept her calm. “I wasn’t lying when I told Aphrodite I’d gone to great lengths trying to ensure no one was hurt when I tried the first time. And as it were, I’d love to put the past behind us and release you this very moment.”
“If I pledge my fidelity to you,” Athena finished.
“That and find your troublesome sisters as a show of good faith,” Hera said.
Athena cocked her head. “Sisters?”
“Sisters,” Hera said, nodding. “It seems that Artemis and Aphrodite have fled Olympus. Being close to them both, you should have no trouble finding and bringing them back.”
Athena snorted and shook her head. “To face your wrath?”
“Only if they don’t bend the knee,” Hera said. “I’m not so brutish to realize it would be a terrible waste to destroy either. You have my word they’ll both be afforded the opportunity to repent so we can all live under a unified house once again.”
Athena spent a few moments genuinely considering the offer, not because it was anywhere close to ideal, but because the threat of Typhon still loomed, and if he were able to regain his strength during an Olympian civil war, he could very well destroy whoever was left when the dust settled. That said, another matter—a more personal one—came to mind. “And what of Euryale? Are you going to let her be as well?”
Hera growled, and her features hardened at the gorgon’s name. “With her husband as my loyal subject, I think we both know how that will eventually play out.”
Athena nodded, her body slumping in the chains. “Then no,” she said. “I will not help you.”
The Queen of Olympus narrowed her eyes and drew in a long, slow breath. “You will rot here for the next ten thousand years if that’s the path you want,” she said. “Are you sure?”
“Dad was wrong to set himself against her,” Athena replied. “Both in terms of underestimating her ability and in terms of refusing to believe he wronged her. Don’t make the same mistake he did.”
“And she killed him!” Hera roared, her hands grabbing the bars that separated the two. “She didn’t just turn him to stone—something I could reverse. She took his head and cast it in front of us all to see. Did you know that, child?”
Athena jerked, body straightening, breath catching in her chest. “He’s…he’s dead?”
“Yes,” Hera calmly replied and backing a half step. “Your father is dead by the gorgon’s hand.”
Athena shook her head as her gaze drifted to the stone floor at her feet. “I don’t believe it.”
Hera chuckled sickeningly. She didn’t care one bit, no doubt, that her wayward husband had met his end, other than perhaps she found it a tremendous insult that a monster dared lay a finger on an Olympian. But she also knew how close Athena and Zeus had been, and no doubt was using his death to try and manipulate her. “Tell you what, dear child,” Hera said. “I’ll bring you his head, set it here for you to look at. And then in a week, we’ll see where your heart is.”
Athena managed a feeble nod for a reply. She said nothing, did nothing, until Hera had left. A solid two or three minutes passed before anything happened. Then, a portion of wall near the far corner of the room shimmered. Artemis dropped her arm and flipped her magical cloak over her shoulder, revealing not only herself, but Aphrodite as well, huddled against her.
“That was close,” Aphrodite said, exhaling sharply.
“I told you I could beat a false path she’d take to,” Artemis said, chest puffing with pride.
Aphrodite grinned as much as her disfigured face would allow. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
Athena cleared her throat. “Perhaps less chatting and more freeing should be in order.”
Artemis gave a slight bow and whipped out a tiny copper key from the folds of her robe. “Of course. I’ll have you out of there before you can say logolepsy.”
“Logolepsy,” Athena said.
Artemis froze for a moment with the key in the lock. “Maybe you should count to ten first.” She then grinned and added. “Slowly.”
Acknowledgements
I feel like I have to thank the Greeks at this point for giving me such a wonderful world to play in and explore, especially whoever first thought up Euryale and Nyx (who was surprisingly fun to write).
Thanks to all the fans of the series as well. Without you, it would never be.
And then of course, Crystal, my fantastic editor who’s helped guide this series from the start, as well as Natasha, the best narrator an author could ever hope for, hands down.
Last, and never least, I’ll always be eternally grateful to both the Mrs. and the Littles for providing motivation and inspiration as I work on all the stories in my head.
About the Author
When not writing, Galen Surlak-Ramsey has been known to throw himself out of an airplane, teach others how to throw themselves out of an airplane, take pictures of the deep space, and wrangle his four children somewhere in Southwest Florida.
He’s also recently taken up murder yoga, and thus discovered a passion for choking friends out.
Drop by his website https://galensurlak.com/ to see what other books he has out, what’s coming soon, and check out the newsletter. (Well, sign up for the newsletter and get access to awesome goodies, contests, exclusive content, etc.)
About the Publisher
Tiny Fox Press LLC
5020 Kingsley Road
North Port, FL 34287
www.tinyfoxpress.com
Table of Contents
Chapter An Unwanted Meeting
Chapter Demands
Chapter The Prisoner
Chapter Declaration of War
Chapter Schemes
Chapter The Bath
Chapter Confessions
Chapter The Island
Chapter Stheno
Chapter Whale Riding
Chapter The Trial
Chapter A Mother’s Love
Chapter Confessions
Chapter Find Her
Chapter Hera’s Place: The Sequel
Chapter Maps
Chapter Eagles
Chapter Into the Bog
Chapter Athena and Artemis
Chapter Achlys
Chapter Bargains
Chapter About That Vault
Chapter Scrying
Chapter From Death to Dark
Chapter Interview with a Goddess
Chapter At the Vault
Chapter The Final Council
Chapter A Choice
Chapter To Chaos
Chapter The Flower
Chapter Botanical Extractions
Chapter An Inevitable Meeting
Chapter A Divine Conflict
Chapter The Cost
Chapter Fin
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
About the Publisher
A Storm of Blood and Stone (Myths of Stone Book 3) Page 30