by M H Soars
This is it. Mount Olympus.
Chapter 18
Dante
As soon as I open my eyes, I recognize the atrium outside of Zeus’s throne room. It’s an old memory from my time as Artemis’s wolf. I also know we need to get the hell out before Zeus discovers we’re here. Pegasus wasn’t kidding. Mortals aren’t allowed at Mount Olympus unless Zeus wishes it so.
But first things first. I search for Red, finding her not far from me, and Sam and Tristan have already formed a protective barrier around her. I have every intention of joining them when laughter down one of the hallways reaches us, raising the small hairs on the back of my neck. My canines descend unconsciously, and a low growl comes from deep in my throat. My wolf instincts are ten times more acute here; the beast is begging to be set free. It takes great effort on my part to prevent the shift.
“Great, the welcoming committee has come to piss me off,” Hades says.
“Who’s coming?” Red asks, clutching at her belly.
She said she was fine, but the creases on her forehead says otherwise. She’s in discomfort.
“Red, are you okay, my love?” I ask telepathically.
“I’m fine. Well, not really. Some powerful deities are approaching.”
“It’s Apollo, Dionysius, and… ah hell, Ares,” Sam joins the convo.
Pegasus positions himself in front of Red and my brothers, but I maintain my stance. I’m not going to cower behind Zeus’s champion. But Sam and Tristan better stay by Red’s side.
Apollo is the first to reach the atrium. He stops in his tracks when he notices us. He looks at me first, raising an eyebrow, before his curious gaze veers toward Pegasus and Hades, who, by some miracle, is standing next to the golden knight and thus adding another layer of protection in front of Red. I’m not sure if it’s on purpose, but I’m not complaining.
“Well, well, well. Look who we got here. The black sheep of the family has returned. How have you been, Uncle?” Apollo smiles wickedly in Hades’s direction.
“Spectacular. I’m surprised to see you here. Don’t you have to break the hearts of innocent mortals somewhere?”
Apollo snorts. “Why do you care? Are you taking pity on the lowly peasants now that your sweet Persephone is gone?”
Oh shit. Apollo did not just go there. Persephone, Hades’s former beloved wife, committed suicide millennia ago. I remember listening to Artemis gossip about it with Aphrodite.
Hades’s face twists into an expression of fury; he’s not known for reining in his temper.
“You fucking bastard!” A flaming sword appears in his hand right before he charges Apollo.
I run to Red, knowing things are about to get ugly. From the corner of my eye, I see Hades’s sword fly out of his hand and land a few feet away, close to the marble steps. The fire fizzles out. I don’t need to look to know who’s joined us—Zeus’s favorite daughter, Athena.
“What’s the meaning of this?” she asks.
“Just Hades acting like a sod as usual.” Apollo shrugs.
“And why are Artemis’s wolves here?” She glowers in our direction.
I open my mouth to reply, but Pegasus beats me to it. “We’re here because the Furies are loose and creating havoc in the mortal lands.”
Athena’s face remains impartial. She was always impossible to read. “How did the Furies escape your prison in the Underworld, Hades?”
“Oh fuck no. You’re not laying the blame on me.”
“And who else would she blame?” Ares scoffs. “You’re the lord of the Underworld, aren’t you?”
“It’s seems someone is slacking in their job,” Dionysius chimes in.
The tall golden double doors at the top of the grand stairs open outward with a bang. A six-foot-seven man with white hair and trimmed beard fills the frame. Zeus. Despite his hair coloring, his appearance is of a man in his thirties. Wearing a loose Greek-style toga with golden embellishments and a golden crown on his head, you can’t mistake him for anything else but the king of Mount Olympus.
No one makes a sound as Zeus sweeps the floor with his steely gaze. When his eyes land on our party of intruders, I feel a slight tremor under my feet. Shit. He’s definitely displeased with our presence here.
“Pegasus, it seems you can’t stay away from those mortals.” Zeus’s tone is harsh.
“I was the one who brought them here,” Hades declares.
The god glares at his brother through slits. “Of course you did. I want everyone in the throne room now.”
“Hey, why do we have to—” Apollo starts.
“I said now!” Zeus’s voice reverberates through the walls, hard and unyielding.
No one dares to contradict him, not even Hades.
While the gods follow Zeus to the throne room, I check on Red. She looks paler than before, but her eyes are defiant.
“It seems everything is still the same here,” Sam pipes up.
“You remember them?” Tristan asks.
“Yeah, as soon as I got here, all my memories from my time living among the gods returned.”
“Mine too,” I say.
“Everyone is an ass here. No wonder you wanted out,” Red replies.
Pegasus turns to us. “We’d better get going. No sense in antagonizing Zeus further.”
We follow him to the most lavish throne room I’ve ever been to. It beats Prythian’s palace by a long shot. From the white marble floor with golden veins to the frescoes on the domed ceiling that seem to be in constant motion, the large room oozes power and wealth. Nothing less for the king of the gods.
Zeus is already on his throne, and next to him is Athena, always alert. Apollo, Dionysius, and Ares are on the left, and Hades is standing alone to the right. Pegasus shoots straight for the middle of the room with steady steps and shoulders squared back. I have no doubt he knows he’ll be punished for assisting us again, but he doesn’t seem afraid to meet his fate.
“I want an explanation for why my most trusted champion has defied my orders twice, and worse, has conspired with my pitiful brother behind my back,” Zeus says coldly.
“I didn’t conspire with Hades,” Pegasus replies.
The dark god snorts. “You brought the wolf family to my domain and asked me to capture the Furies again. That’s conspiring, in my brother’s book.”
“Silence!” Zeus slams his hand on the throne’s arm. “You’ll speak when I command you to do so.”
Hades’s entire body begins to shake. “You’re not my fucking boss!”
“I’m your king.” Zeus leans forward, body poised to strike.
“Father, if I may speak,” Athena intervenes.
Zeus leans back, still glowering at Hades. But after a moment, he nods.
“I’d like to know why Artemis’s wolves are here.”
Before I can stop her, Red takes a step forward. “We’re here because the Furies have a vendetta against Artemis and decided to take their grievances out on the inhabitants of Crimson Hollow. They’ve altered everyone’s memories and are set on destroying my mates and me.”
“And what makes you think that’s our problem?” Apollo asks with an air of arrogance.
“The Furies are one of you, and they’re wrecking my town. They are your problem.”
Apollo turns his eyes to slits and flares his nostrils. Immediately, my brothers and I move closer to Red, offering her a protective barrier against the sun god.
“You’re not afraid of us,” Athena says.
“Oh, I am, but I don’t hide in the face of danger.” Red lifts her chin.
Athena keeps staring at Red for the longest time without saying a word. Not many people can withstand the goddess’s stare without looking away, but not my Red. She doesn’t even flinch.
“I can help you with the Furies,” Athena declares suddenly.
Zeus arches his eyebrows and turns to her. “I don’t remember giving you permission to interfere.”
“Am I not your right hand? Don’t you trust my j
udgment?” Athena replies calmly.
The god leans back and watches his daughter for a couple of beats during which I don’t dare to breathe. Finally, he replies, “Very well.”
“I know enough about deities to know you don’t do anything without expecting something in return,” Tristan interjects. “What’s your price to help us?”
“If you pledge your sons to me, the Furies will be nothing but a nightmare.”
A loud growl echoes in the room. Red steps forward, her body shaking with anger. “You want my sons? Over my dead body.”
“Red, calm down,” Pegasus begs.
She whips her face to him. “Calm down, my ass. I’m not going to give my babies away.”
“I asked no such thing. I have no desire to raise wolf pups. What I asked for was their allegiance.”
“Meaning they would be your servants at your beck and call. No thank you,” Sam retorts.
Before anyone can get another word out, a great disturbance rattles the very fabric of air surrounding us. A second later, the doors to the throne room open and in come the three bitches wrecking our lives: Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto. The Furies.
“So, it has come to this. The mighty Zeus has decided to bow down to the wishes of vermin,” Alecto sneers.
I expect Zeus to strike the goddess with his mighty lightning fists, but all the king of gods does is stare at the blonde bitch with a bored expression in his eyes.
“You’re one to talk.” Apollo snorts. “Picking on defenseless humans and wolf shifters when you’re too afraid to face my sister.”
A golden whip erupts from the goddess’s wrist, wrapping around Apollo’s neck in a split second. With a hard yank, Alecto brings him to his knees while all the other gods just watch. Looking like he’s struggling to breathe, Apollo grabs the whip. It melts under his touch, setting him free in an instant. In the next second, a spear made of fire appears in his hand. He launches it at Alecto, but the bitch moves out of the way and the weapon hits the far wall, burning a hole through it.
“Is Zeus just going to watch those psychopaths destroy his throne room?” Red asks, wide-eyed.
“This is entertainment to him,” I say.
Megaera, the red-haired goddess, sets her eyes on us. Malice rolls out in waves from her frame. “You’ve proven to be more of a headache than you’re worth. I’m done playing games with you.” She brings her hands closer together, and from her palms, a dark energy sphere begins to form.
“Come on, we need to get out of here,” Pegasus urges, but it’s too late.
Megaera strikes, sending her dark energy ball in our direction. I jump over Red, bringing her down to avoid a direct hit. She falls on top of Sam, who protects her belly from hitting the hard floor. A loud explosion behind us almost makes me deaf, followed by the howling of stormy winds. No, not winds, a tornado by the sound of it.
When we begin to slide toward the noise, I look over my shoulder. The dark energy Megaera sent our way created a small black hole which is sucking us in.
“Oh my God. What’s happening?” Red screams over the cacophony.
The sound of hooves on the marble floor catches my attention. Pegasus is trying to block the hole with his wings, but he’ll end up getting sucked into the void if he doesn’t move out of the way.
Suddenly, a piercing scream joins all the other sounds. Artemis has finally decided to join the party.
The question is, is she going to help us or watch our doom?
Chapter 19
Red
I can’t see much with the way my mates are covering my body, but I know our situation is dire. There’s no help coming from those odious gods. If I could, I’d send them straight to Hell. My wolf is churning inside of me, and the essence of the guardians has joined her too.
But besides the issue that I can’t shift, my water just broke.
When the piercing scream of a woman cuts through the noise of the howling winds, I know Artemis has arrived. Her cry is of despair, that much I know. Even if I despise her, I bear her mark, and thus I have a connection with her.
I scrunch my face and bite the inside of my cheek when a contraction comes through. It doesn’t last long, but the pain is enough to make me see stars.
Fuck a duck. This is just the beginning.
The wind stops suddenly, and finally my mates give me some breathing room. Leaning on one elbow, I lift my head in time to see Artemis pierce Alecto’s shoulder with one of her arrows. The other two Furies give a battle cry and advance toward the redheaded goddess, but Apollo and Ares block their way, engaging them in battle.
Another contraction comes along, so strong that I can’t help but cry out loud.
“Red? What’s happening?” Sam is in front of me in an instant.
“Oh hell. What’s that puddle under you?” Tristan asks
“My water… broke. The… babies are… coming,” I grit out.
“No, you can’t have them here. We need to go back to Crimson Hollow,” Sam replies.
I yell when another painful contraction robs me of air. I knew labor pains were the worst, but I had no idea they were this bad. It’s hell. The sound of battle is still going on in the background, but the world could be ending and it wouldn’t matter to me.
“Sending you back to Crimson Hollow right now is too risky.” Pegasus reappears before me in his human form.
“Riskier than Red having our babies in the middle of a fight between gods?” Tristan shouts.
“Damn it! It’s too soon.” Dante rubs his face, not hiding his worry.
“Not you… too,” I grunt. “I need… someone to… remain calm.”
Suddenly, everything becomes eerily quiet, and time seems to be going in slow motion. The strange effect only lasts a couple of seconds, but when things returned to normal, Zeus is standing, and in his hand, he has a staff that’s glowing bright blue, just like his eyes.
The Furies are facedown on the floor with their hands behind their backs. As far as I can tell, nothing is keeping them there, at least nothing visible to the naked eye. But I have no doubt that Zeus is responsible for it.
“I’ve had enough of this. Artemis, you started this war. You shall end it someplace else.”
“You want me to fight them alone?” She raises both eyebrows.
“You knew the consequences when you connived with my brother to have them locked away. Now deal with it.”
Artemis opens her mouth to reply, but another scream escapes my lips. Fuck, now they’re all looking at me. I wish I could suffer in silence.
“What fresh hell is this?” Hades asks.
“She’s in labor,” Pegasus replies. “Artemis, she needs you.”
“I… don’t… need her.” I glower in the goddess’s direction.
“Oh shit! Is that blood?” Sam asks.
Artemis appears by my side in the blink of an eye. “Your babies are in distress.”
“How do you know?” Tristan watches her suspiciously.
“I’m the goddess of childbirth, mongrel.”
Tristan peels his lips back and growls in her direction, but Dante puts a hand on his arm and keeps him in place. “She’s not wrong. This birth is premature and risky for Red and the babies. Artemis can help.”
“I don’t… want… ugh!” I roll onto my back and close my eyes. The contractions are coming one after another and lasting much longer.
“Can’t you help her with the pain?” Sam asks.
“I could, but I need Red to feel everything. Her reaction will help me assess the situation.”
I don’t believe a word coming out of her mouth. She doesn’t want to take away the pain because she’s enjoying watching me suffer. But I’m not going to beg. I’ll push through this.
“So we can go now? I have no desire to watch a she-wolf pop a litter out of her,” Hades says.
I’d tell him to fuck himself if I could say anything right now. I hear a tear, and then my leggings are coming off. Great, now I’m exposed to all these ass
hole gods. I’m used to being naked in front of strangers, but I don’t want an audience of hateful gods while I have my babies. I want to share this special moment with my mates only.
Artemis spreads my legs and positions herself in front of me. “We need to get these babies out. I need you to start pushing hard.”
Dante kneels next to Artemis while Tristan and Sam hold each of my hands.
“Come on, baby. You can do this,” Sam says.
My reply is a grunt, because another contraction is coming and I can’t focus on anything besides the pain.
Pegasus, back in horse form, steps in front of me and spreads his wings, blocking the other gods’ view.
“Oh come on. Is that really necessary?” Dionysius asks.
“She’s in a lot of distress. She doesn’t need four buffoons ogling her on top of it,” Athena retorts.
Those are the last words I hear from the group of gods in the room. Artemis is the only one commanding my attention now.
I’m not sure how long it takes for the first baby to come out, but when I hear the shrill cry of a newborn, tears of joy roll down my cheeks.
“Oh my God. He’s beautiful, my love.” Dante cradles our son in his arms.
“Can I see him?” I ask.
“Not right now, girl. You still have two more babies to go,” Artemis cuts in like a blunt knife.
The contractions keep coming, and it’s not long before the second baby is born.
“It’s another boy,” Artemis announces before she hands him to Tristan’s waiting arms.
“He’s perfect,” he coos.
“Okay, one more to go. You can do this, Red,” Artemis says.
Her encouragement is a surprise, but I’m too tired to find out if she means it or not. The contractions are more violent now, and the pain is so excruciating, it’s a miracle I haven’t passed out yet. But no matter how hard I push, the baby won’t come out.