by Jamie Begley
Grimm appeared in the doorway, holding the door open and letting the dark souls escape. Legions of darks souls so vile that even the gods and goddesses who stood with Chronos were aghast.
“We will lose,” Zerina choked out. Despite her mother telling her to stay inside, she started to leave.
“Wait, Zerina!” Broni held her in place.
It was hard to watch, but she remained by the window, praying for everyone she loved to remain unharmed.
Hades stepped in front of Mother. “You think to use my kingdom for your gain?” His voice boomed out so loudly even the clouds in the sky shook.
As her eyes lifted skyward, she saw movement on the hill. It was Rocque and his warriors.
“Rocque!” Destiny had apparently seen them, too.
“Why are they standing there?”
“Rocque won’t interfere. He considers the fate of mankind in man’s hands.” Destiny looked away from her husband. She could understand. She didn’t agree with his decision, but it was his to make.
“I don’t understand?” Cara’s gentle voice broke as she watched her husband’s every movement.
“His lands and animals have been destroyed by human hands. He and the rest of the immortals won’t interfere. They look at it as a war between the gods.”
“But if earth is destroyed, they will be, too,” Cara argued.
“They know that, but they aren’t willing to make the sacrifice if the humans benefit. Do you see one human out there?”
Zerina searched the crowd behind Mother. No human was in sight.
“But isn’t he worried about you?”
“I married Rocque last night. And he knows I conceived our children last night and that I wouldn’t jeopardize my children by taking part in the battle. Chronos won’t harm me. It’s a damnable offense. He won’t take the chance that his own men will turn on him.”
“That’s why you agreed to stay inside.”
“Yes. As much as I love Mother, I have to protect my girls.”
Zerina’s eyes returned to Hades, who crouched down, rising with a handful of dirt in his palm. Then Hades spread his fingers out, letting the dirt slip through.
“From the soil underneath my command, rise up and defend me!” he roared.
The dirt swirled and tossed in the air, blowing the soil far and wide. Warriors that had been lain to rest for centuries started coming over the horizon behind them, the bodies as grotesque as the ones lining behind Chronos. The numbers still didn’t exceed those from the doorway that Merlin had opened.
Hades snapped his fingers and a humongous dog came bounding out of the doorway, trampling the dark souls escaping to rest beside Hades.
Zeus stepped forward. “Two of my sons have betrayed Mother.” He turned his head. “I am sorry.”
Mother bowed her head back in acknowledgment.
“From the skies above, my sons and daughters, defend me.” The skies grew dark as his children joined their ranks.
Poseidon stepped forward. “From the seas, all warriors, I command you to defend me.”
Zerina was staggered by the magnitude of warriors who strove to answer their kings’ commands.
“Their deaths will be on you.” Chronos rose his fist in air.
Mother rose her hand in the air, both staring at each other with mutiny.
The war began with the drop of Chronos’ hand, Mother’s dropping next.
The two sides started merging at a run.
Zerina turned away, unable to bear watching Hades. Cara couldn’t, either.
The battle shook the clubhouse, pieces of the ceiling tearing away and falling. Zandra and Abby screamed in fear, running toward the bar to hide.
“Broni, do you see Adam?” Abby yelled.
“No, stay down,” Broni yelled back as even more of the ceiling crumbled.
Zerina couldn’t stop herself from looking. She fearfully searched for Hades, seeing him sitting on the shoulders of Typhoeus as Cerberus bounded forward, using his large paw to knock Typhoeus down as Hades used his hands to blind the god.
Zeus was fighting Atlas, while Ares fought Apollo. The goddesses were amid the battle with Athena and Aphrodite fighting each other. Jinx had Morgana in a chokehold, and her mother had Demeter pinned down.
Her gentle father was fighting Eros, Aphrodite’s son. It wasn’t a fair fight. Valentine was older, and Eros was screaming in pain every time her father hit him.
The battle became bloodthirsty, gold blood spilling, glittering in the sun. The muddy, black blood clung to those warriors who fought the dark souls.
When Fate rose after bashing Demeter in the head with Thor’s mallet that he had handed to her, she returned it to her son. Zerina’s eyes stayed on Fate as she struggled through the warriors that were determined to destroy each other. She nearly fell as she tried to reach Mother, who was battling Merlin. Then Zerina saw Fate disappear beneath the throng of warriors.
“Fate!” Destiny ran outside, leaving the door open.
Broni hurriedly slammed it closed before grabbing Zerina’s shoulders to push her back. “No, Zerina.”
She sobbed, running back to the window to see Destiny throw herself into the crowd to reach Fate. The fighting was growing worse.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rocque running down the hill with his warriors following.
Before Rocque could reach her, though, warning yells rang out from Mother’s ranks as Cerus used his horn to make his way toward Mother. Even Zerina could see the glint of death in the bull’s eyes as he tossed one after another out of his way.
Destiny stopped running toward Fate, instead running toward Mother.
Just when Cerus would have reached Mother, Destiny threw herself in front of her, taking the bull’s horn in her stomach.
“No!” Rocque’s anguished cry filled the air.
Zerina, Broni, and Cara screamed in agonizing pain.
Abby came out from under the bar, recognizing Broni’s cry. The human woman tried to help them as they clutched their bellies.
“It’s Destiny. All Moirai feel her pain.”
Through tear-filled eyes, Zerina saw Grimm sink to his knees as Tartarus used the opportunity to thrust Grimm behind the doorway that he had created, tossing him back into the depths of Hades.
Zerina then saw Rocque lifting Destiny in his arms as his warriors turned into wolves. With a running jump, they sank their teeth into Cerus’ skin.
Rocque carried Destiny, who was dangling limply, in his arms. “Please …”
Mother sank to her knees, holding her hands out toward Destiny, weeping as she rocked her aunt.
“Heal her … I’m begging you,” Rocque gasped out.
“I can’t … When Destiny conceived your children, she had Jinx spell her, making her earthbound until after the children were born. I’m sorry … my daughter …” she cried. “I’m so sorry.”
Rocque rose to his feet to stare down at the red blood smearing his hands. His grief-stricken cry had the hair on Zerina’s arms rising.
“From the deepest forests, to the driest desert, to the highest mountain, hear my commands. Every immortal, hear my cry! Attack!” His voice rose so high that birds flew from the trees, circling overhead before flying away to spread his summons.
“Broni, keep Zandra safe.”
Broni tried to stop her friend, but it was useless. Abby had already run outside.
Zerina saw her picking up one of the planks that had fallen off the clubhouse. Zerina couldn’t understand why until she looked outside to see Adam fighting with the humans that had fled when Typhoeus had appeared. They had returned with weapons.
Knowing the bullets would be useless, they used the butt of their guns to smash into anyone who came near Mother and Destiny.
Zerina, Cara, and Broni took a final look before turning to stare at each other. Their eyes met. If they were going down, they wouldn’t do it cowering in fear.
“Zandra, run to the back room and hide,” Broni ordered the
young girl as they went to the door.
Zerina saw Chronos’ gaze pinpoint on her.
Immediately, he yelled his command to Dionysus, “Bring Zerina to me.”
Before Dionysus could reach her, Hades jumped down from Typhoeus’ shoulder. “Cerberus, protect Zerina.”
The giant dog ran to Zerina, blocking her from Dionysus.
Prometheus, the creator of fire, made the mistake of throwing a fireball at Broni. With one swipe of Rhys’ axe, he lost his head.
Zerina dodged Cerberus, running toward Destiny, dodging the grasping hands of Chronos’ warriors to fall next to her aunt.
Taking her limp hand in hers, she lifted pleading eyes to Mother.
Fate fell next to her, and Zerina relinquished Destiny’s hand to her mother.
“Don’t leave me, sister,” Fate pleaded as Asclepius knelt, laying his hand on Destiny’s gaping wound. Then the god of healing removed his hand, shaking his head before rising and leaving them to say their good-byes.
Destiny winced, a drop of blood trickling out of the side of her mouth. “Rocque?”
Fate brushed her tears away, trying to smile at her sister to ease her fears for the man she loved. “He’s gone berserk. He’s killing everyone. What he isn’t, his wolves and other creatures are. Two of his trees are using Atlas as a ping-pong ball.”
Destiny gave a small cough as more blood trickled down into the dirt. “I thought it was Rocque’s death I saw. It was mine.”
“Shush … You’re not going to leave me. I won’t let you …” Fate broke off, sobbing as she placed Destiny’s hand on her chest. “Please, Destiny … don’t leave me.”
Destiny lifted her eyes to stare up at Odin, who was guarding Fate’s back. “Odin will protect you … I …”
“Rocque!” Fate yelled over her shoulder.
Zerina cried, watching Rocque’s blinding rage turn to torment as he crouched down next to Destiny.
“Destiny …”
“How did I ever resist you for so long?”
“It’s supposed to be me. I believed it would me …” Tormented eyes blinked back tears.
“That’s why we’re not supposed to know our own destiny. Our daughters … I’m sorry … Zerina, my daughters’ souls will return to Mother. When Rocque finds another wife … will you …?”
“I will. I vow on my soul they will be held only by Rocque.”
“Thank … you.” Destiny turned her eyes away from her to Mother.
“I betrayed you … Please forgive me.”
“I forgave you long ago, my daughter.”
“There … is always a … price. For … give …” Destiny trailed off as her eyes dimmed.
With Destiny’s dying breath, Mother leaned her head down, kissing Destiny’s lips.
Zerina fell on her bottom as Mother raised her head. Lifting her hand, she closed Destiny’s eyes. As she did, a golden light wafted out of her, swirling upward. As Zerina watched, the golden light exploded, showering down onto those who fought.
“No!” Chronos yelled when his army started attacking each other, giving Poseidon and Zeus the opportunity to grab Chronos as Hades barreled into Merlin, lifting him over his shoulder. With a wave of his hand, they disappeared into the doorway, with Chronos still ordering Morgana to help.
The woman’s lips started moving as if she were going to chant a spell, but the first word wasn’t out of her mouth before Jinx took Thor’s mallet out of his hand and smashed it down of Morgana’s head. The old witch crumpled to the ground, where Cerberus lifted her into his mouth and carried her through the doorway that Hades had left open.
Zerina and Fate stood as Mother’s army started pushing Chronos’ army back to the doorway. Those who tried to escape were quickly rounded up by Thor and Thanatos.
Broni helped Mother to her feet, while Rocque lifted Destiny into his arms. Quietly, he moved away. Vlad signaled his vampires to move respectfully aside, giving him and his warriors enough room to pass.
“All of this is because Chronos saw me in a vision that never happened?” Devastated, Zerina stared at the wasteland the battle had wrought. Bodies littered the ground—humans, immortals, gods, and goddesses.
Zerina watched Rhys hold Broni as she sobbed over Adam and Abby’s bodies. Fate and Odin were following Rocque. Zeus was lifting Dionysus and Aphrodite’s bodies onto the chariot that Chronos had stood confidently on. So determined he would win, he had no conscience about the consequences.
“Chronos was always an old fool over his visions.” Mother took a faltering step forward, and Zerina reached out to steady her.
“What will Zeus do with their bodies?”
“Zeus will beg Hades to let their bodies be reunited with their souls.”
“Will he?”
“No. Zeus will pick one of their shrines and bury them there. Hades will make sure that no one will be able to return them home.”
“What will the humans do now?”
“They will rebuild. It’s human nature. All my creatures, either human, immortal, or animal have the same instincts.”
“To survive.”
“Yes, they will survive. Rocque will help. He may not want to, but he will, because he knows that’s what Destiny would want.”
Zerina didn’t see how they could.
Mother patted Zerina’s hand on her arm. “Don’t worry; you’ll see yourself. It won’t be long before they forget it even happened.”
Zerina turned toward the hill where Rocque was carrying Destiny. “But it happened. So many of those we loved were lost.”
“Many were lost, but many more lived. There is no victory without suffering. There is no light without darkness. There is no love without hatred. It is only when we recognize the difference can we truly appreciate the victory of what we overcame.”
Zerina’s tears coursed down her cheeks as Zandra ran out of the clubhouse and saw Abby and Adam. Broni caught the girl, comforting her when her grief became overwhelming.
Zerina could understand Destiny’s final words. “There is always a price …”
The Mother of all the gods face wasn’t racked with grief. It was filled with a mother’s love and pride. “It’s a price that Destiny paid, and so did Abby and Adam. It’s a price that everyone must pay.” Mother raised her hands toward the heavens, parting the clouds so the sun could shine across the earth. “Love is not a gaudy necklace you can wear. It must be worked for and cherished. It doesn’t come cheap, and it doesn’t come with a warranty that it will last forever. It takes courage and sacrifice because, at the end, that’s all you can truly count on. It’s what saved me today. You, Hades, the humans … it saved us all.”
Chapter 33
The book lay where she had left it on the window seat in the upper library. Hades held the book in his hands, staring down at it sightlessly.
It had been a full moon since Mother had carried Zerina home after the battle. It had taken him that long to straighten out the mess that Morgana and Grimm had conspired together to aid Chronos.
In his dungeon, Grimm had confessed that Chronos had promised him his domain. It was the last confession he had ever made. The fire pit’s hungry flames had consumed Grimm, Morgana, Merlin, and so many others that his shoulders ached from throwing them.
Hades laid the book back down. Waving his hand, he then transported himself to his office.
Sitting down behind his desk, he picked up the new violet glass ball. It was his Mother’s favorite color, and Chronos’ least favorite.
Shaking the ball, he stared at the face that became visible when the mist parted.
Hades was giving his father a hate-filled grin when the summons came.
“I have to leave you for a while. Don’t get in trouble.”
Placing the ball back down on his desk, he waved his hand again.
Transporting, Hades stared at the mysterious garden he had taken Zerina to see. He walked to the tree where they had made love, his heavy heart beating as he came to a standstill.
It took a few minutes for her to appear, and when she did, Hades knelt, respectfully bowing his head.
“Mother.”
“My son.” Mother held her hands out.
Hades rose, taking them in his. “Thank you for coming.”
“It is I who should be thanking you. Thank you. Without your intervention, Zeus would still be hiding in your dungeon.”
“I will always protect you and stand by your side …” Hades’ drawn features became tense as he tried to find the right words.
“But …?”
“I can no longer do one of your duties.” He had never denied her anything, but the burden had become too much to carry.
His mother’s face softened. “Zerina?”
“I want to love her the way she wants me to. I cannot with the burden I carry.”
“You’ve carried my mistake for far too long.” Mother placed her hand on his bearded jaw. “I entrusted earth to your care, and never once did you disappoint me. I promised you a reward, yet you never asked for it. You live in a world of darkness and never asked for the light. It’s time I keep my promise, as you have kept your word.” She moved her hand to his chest, pressing down over his heart. When she removed her hand, the Omphalos stone lay in the palm of her hand.
Hades took a deep breath, feeling the crushing weight removed.
Mother slipped the stone into the cleft of her bosom. “Now that you have returned what is mine, I will return something that is yours.”
With a wave of her hand, Zerina appeared.
Hades started trying to straighten his disheveled suit, but Zerina didn’t give him time, throwing herself into his arms.
He clasped her to him, crushing his cheek down on his silky hair. “I’m never letting you go again.”
Mother sniffed. “The girl whined the whole time she was home, wanting to come back. I told her you were busy, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Hades hugged her tighter. “Woman, it was everything I could do to let you go. I couldn’t return you home. It was one of Mother’s conditions when she gave us our inheritance. Poseidon and I wouldn’t be able to return home.”