by Drako
The boys left the room, stopping in their room before leaving out of the house. Andreas looked to Zeus, who took a seat in front of the window.
"Your current plight disturbs me," Zeus started. "I am aware only a god could have stolen the soul of your lover. This causes me several problems. First, there is your state of mind. With your soul mate in danger, I cannot guarantee your judgment is where we need it. Your instinct is to save him. I'm not counting on your ability to fight that instinct, even though it would mean breaking the laws of your father. As such, I have to make certain allowances to ensure that you not only retrieve your soul mate, but stop the resurrection of my father."
"What kind of allowances?" Andreas asked.
"First was giving the boys weapons. They must be able to defend themselves when you're not around. Next, for just this one instance, you are not subject to the will of a god, the god responsible for this situation. You may attack them at will. But first and foremost, I give you one gift." Zeus raised his hand, which had a strange glow to it. He held up his hand and a ball of light shot into Andreas.
"What the hell was that?" Andreas demanded, instinctively touching the place where the light had entered him despite there being no difference.
"When your soul mate died, you lost your connection with him. You can no longer tell where he is, simply because he was no longer of your world. Now, you can sense him. It'll be faint at first, but you'll sense him. And if you find him, you find the god or goddess helping Kalos, and Kalos himself. I believe you'll know what to do from there." Zeus stood up. "I sincerely hope you succeed in this. Otherwise, I'll have to send someone in to handle the job myself. But I believe you're more than capable of handling this task. Now, your father and I have more matters to discuss."
Jarel barely held back a sigh. "How about we go back to Solaris instead of Olympus? I'd certainly feel more comfortable."
The two gods vanished. Andreas sat back and closed his eyes, searching. He could faintly sense Kazarian, which meant he wasn't very close by. Andreas sighed as he opened his eyes.
How in the hell can I pull this off? He thought. I think it's time for me to go see Hades.
Twenty Two
I despise this place, Kalos thought.
He walked through the dark halls for the stone palace he was forced to call home. He was in the lower levels, making his way through what was clearly a dungeon. Behind him were several attendants, all former humans he made to see to his needs and desires. As they walked, his mind was going through ideas and plans. There were mostly empty cells here, and that bothered him. He turned to the male at his left.
"How close are we to completing a cell for the twins?" he asked.
"We are having difficulty creating the proper enchantments, my lord," the male answered. "If they were half human, half demon, it would be simple. But we can't find a way to suppress the dragon portion of their makeup."
Kalos scowled. "So we can kill a dragon, but we can't find a way to just contain them?"
The male looked uneasy. "Perhaps if we had the blood of a dragon, we could find the answer."
"Imbecile!" Kalos back handed the male, knocking him to the ground. "I could easily have obtained that in my last confrontation. I suggest you give me information in a timelier manner."
The male sat up, wiping a thin line of blood from his lip. "Forgive me, my lord."
Kalos walked off, continuing to the only currently occupied cell. A smile appeared across his face as he looked in at the man seated against the wall, his arms bound in chains. His long brown hair was disheveled and covering his face. The formerly white chiton he wore was filthy, now browner in color as evidence of repeated beatings. His arms were covered with bite marks, which looked like little holes in his skin. No blood showed anywhere. His hazel green eyes were filled with malice as he looked up at Kalos.
"It looks like your condition has worsened since last we met," Kalos commented, his sadistic smile growing.
"Go to hell!" the man spat at him.
The spit missed Kalos, causing him to laugh. "Such spirit. I can see why Andreas is so attracted to you. It's a pity we'll have to destroy you. You would make an interesting little pet."
"Do you think you frighten me?" Kazarian asked. "I'm already dead. Only two gods have the power to restore me to life, Zeus and Hades. Without them doing so, you can't kill me, and you don't have the power to destroy my soul. That bitch helping you with this pales in comparison to those two, not to mention your creator."
Kalos' smile faded. "You talk pretty big for a human."
"I'm not really human anymore. And what are you going to do, drink my blood? Maybe drain me dry?" Kazarian taunted. "Your little servants tried that already. I'm not alive, so I don't have blood. Apparently the bitch forgot to tell you how stealing a soul works."
Kalos waved him off. "In a short time, I'll restore the rightful king of the universe to his throne and then I'll have the power to destroy you. It'll be one of many rewards Cronus will give me."
Kazarian let out a laugh. "You obviously don't know who you're dealing with. I'm going to enjoy watching you die when Andreas finally gets a hold of you."
"You know, the best part about you being dead is that you still feel pain." Kalos' eyes began to glow. "And I'm going to enjoy making your afterlife a living hell."
Twenty Three
“So you’re telling me that Andreas is planning a trip to Hades to bargain with the lord of the underworld?” Jarel narrowed his eyes at Vic.
“Yes, and he’s taking one of the boys with him,” Vic replied.
“What exactly does he hope to gain by going to Hades? Zeus has given him all he needs to find Kazarian.”
“From what I understand, even the bond of soul mates doesn’t allow him to track him as precisely as we hoped. He can only tell that Kazarian is out of the underworld and somewhere on earth, far from where he’s stationed.”
Jarel rose up from his throne and went to the window to look out over Solaris. “So he hopes to find someone to use against Kalos the same as Kalos is using Kazarian. That’s a bit of a stretch, assuming that Kalos truly loves anyone as much as Andreas loves Kazarian.”
“Wasn’t Kalos’ wife his soul mate?” Vic asked.
Jarel rolled his eyes. “In all your years of living you’re as naïve as a child listening to fairy tales. Just because he married and spawned with her doesn’t mean he loved her. She was essentially a breeding mare for him. Using his wife will get Andreas nothing. Furthermore, I myself sent her to the Elysian Fields. Hades will not release her soul to Andreas.”
“Then what purpose does this journey serve for Andreas?” Vic came to Jarel’s side. “If Kalos will not bargain for his wife, who will he bargain for?”
Jarel turned to look down at Vic. “He won’t bargain for anyone. The only loved one he has in the Underworld is his son, who is currently burning in Tartarus for his role in my son’s death. And he knows full well only I can extinguish those flames.”
“Which you obviously have no intention of doing,” Vic commented.
Jarel nodded. “The little bastard deserves the pain I gave him. And Kalos will share his fate as soon as Andreas kills him. However, this begins to concern me.”
“So what do you want to do?” Vic asked.
Jarel paused in thought. “Summon forth the other Dragon Gods. I tire of leaving things solely to Zeus’ command. We are the primordial forces that forged the universe. It’s time for my laws to be properly enforced.”
“Do you really want to clash with Zeus?”
Jarel scowled. “I have no intention of clashing with Zeus. It is by my will that he rules, the same as it was by my will that his father and grandfather ruled. And my will dictates that Zeus will remain in power. Cronus must not be summoned forth from Chaos.”
Vic studied his creator for several seconds. “Being that you are essentially the most powerful force in the universe, why does the return of Cronus bother you? Couldn’t you destroy him again?”
; Jarel turned away. “You’re beginning to test my patience, bird.”
Vic shrugged. “I’ve been doing that for eons. But there’s a reason for this desire to stop the return of Cronus. What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m not telling you the complete nature of who and what I am, and before your existence comes to its final end, I suggest you do as I ordered you. Summon forth my Dragon Gods. We will hold council and decide the next course of action. But before you do that, return to my son and give him my order. He is not to venture into Hades. It would be a colossal waste of time. He is to await my orders and move only if he can finally sense Kazarian’s actual whereabouts. At that point, he may move to rescue his lover and if possible kill Kalos.”
“As you command.” Vic transformed into his phoenix form and flew off, leaving Jarel watching after him. With a sigh, the Black Dragon God returned to his throne, his face turned up in a frown. His thoughts were dark indeed and he vaguely thought of the one and only woman to capture his heart. That wasn’t meant to be, however. She was beyond his reach and no matter how he wished she were by his side, some things were beyond even his power.
“Why in the hell is my father blocking me?” Andreas asked irritably.
He and Vic were standing outside on the back patio, and Andreas wore a fierce scowl on his face.
“It’s not our place to question why,” Vic answered.
Andreas rolled his eyes. “You always question why. Obviously, my father refused to give you an answer.”
“He said it was pointless for you to make the trip, since there is no one Kalos truly cares about. His wife was not his soul mate, and your father will not release Kalos’ son. You’ll have to come up with a better plan.”
Andreas turned away, leaning on the rail of the balcony. “There’s more to it than that. Father is hiding something.”
Vic gave a nod. “He did say he’s not telling us the true nature of what he is. Obviously, there’s more to being black fire embodied than we thought. He has ordered the Dragon Gods to come to council. And if I know him, there’s a pretty good chance the Olympians will be involved in this council as well. There’s something about the idea of Cronus being resurrected that bothers your father. It’s obviously not fear. He knows he can destroy Cronus if he returns. And it’s more than fear for the earth. But I can’t begin to tell you what it is.”
“By now we all know Father keeps plenty of secrets.” Andreas rubbed his eyes, feeling the tension building in between them. “There is something else I can do to draw Kalos out. If I can’t use someone he loves, I’ll use someone he fears.”
“You mean…” Vic started.
“Vlad,” Andreas finished. “If I can find his resting place, I can bring him back. Vlad is the true enforcer for all vampires, the strongest and most lethal. The one they all fear. Kalos is no match for him. His return would mean the extermination of their kind, and Kalos knows it.”
“I see a problem with this. Only your father knows where he is, and it is only at his will that Vlad can be awakened.”
“Well, I guess I’ll need to get my father to change his will. Kalos does not fear me because he knows me. But Vlad is one he doesn’t know. He only knows the legends, and most of what he knows is probably tainted by the human legends of Vlad. Vladimir Dracula, the vampire that cannot be killed. No matter what he always comes back.” Andreas turned to Vic. “Vlad is no stronger than I am, but he surpasses the power of all descendants of Vacker and Deidre and he may possibly be stronger than Vacker and Deidre because he has no descendants. The mere presence of Vlad will scare Kalos. It’ll force him to make a mistake.”
“Yeah, assuming he can act on his own. He has a god shielding him, remember?”
“Yes, but it’ll force him to get clumsy. Vlad’s presence could force him to disobey whoever he’s working with. That’s what I’m counting on.”
Vic shook his head. “I think you’d be better off just trying to find Kalos yourself. Find Kazarian, you find Kalos.”
Andreas ground his teeth. “I already told you, I can only sense that he’s on earth. I can’t tell where he is.”
“That’s because you aren’t used to feeling the connection anymore. This is a hunt, Andreas. Treat it like one and track him. The only difference in this hunt is you’re aiming to kill the guy holding him hostage.”
Andreas narrowed his eyes. “If I go by your logic, I have to start where he started. I have to go to Hades. If I start where he started, I can get a better idea of what direction to go in.”
Vic sighed. “You can’t go against your father’s orders.”
“All I need is for someone to change his orders.” Andreas stopped. “And I know exactly how to make it happen. He told me I can’t go to the underworld, but that leaves any of the other gods free for me to visit.”
Vic raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to attempt to go over your father’s head, knowing per his own rules you can’t disobey the direct order of another god. You realize that if those orders contradict Jarel’s orders, it’ll just piss him off. And with the mood he’s in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him vaporize whatever god or goddess you go after.”
“I don’t need them to give me an order. I need them to change my father’s mind and there’s one goddess I have in mind to do the job for me.”
“Please tell me it’s not Aphrodite.”
Andreas grinned. “I need someone to change his mind, not piss him off further. No, I need someone that can follow my logic and explain it properly to Father. You have to think a little more outside the box. No way in hell any of the mothers of his children would be of help right now.”
Vic shrugged. “I hope you know what you’re doing. Now I’m off to summon the Dragon Gods to council.”
Andreas watched Vic fly off. He took a deep breath before heading off to do what he had to do next.
Twenty Four
Cassandra returned to the house, collapsing on her bed. She'd had the boys to guard her all day as she made her rounds among her kind, treating injuries and the few illnesses they were able to contract. Andreas had been noticeably preoccupied since finding out about his old lover being captured. She could understand, albeit slightly, but she was getting worried. With his focus on his lover, she couldn't help but doubt his ability to protect her and the boys. And there was obviously a lot riding on his ability to protect her.
After a few minutes, she got a knock at her door.
"Come in," she called out.
Andreas opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "The boys told me you came straight to your room. I figured we should talk."
Cassandra sat up, barely ignoring the urge to roll her eyes. "Is this about the person Kalos has hostage?"
Andreas leaned against the door and folded his arms across his chest. "In a manner of speaking, yes. Obviously you're concerned about where my priorities lie."
"I'd be crazy not to be concerned," Cassandra replied. "Your soul mate is in the hands of the enemy. My brother is presumably still in his hands too, but I'm not the one in charge of hunting. My only job is to heal you guys and keep my own ass safe."
Andreas was silent for several seconds before responding. "I guess Kazarian is my soul mate. I know I've never gotten past him. I mean, eleven thousand years is a long time to go without sex, and I'm a male with perfectly functioning parts, so obviously I've had affairs and flings, but no one holds his place in my heart. There was never any like him. I'd hoped he'd been reincarnated and I'd eventually find him. I was never allowed into the Elysian Fields to see him, and I never asked. Honestly, this is hard on me, knowing he isn't in the peaceful afterlife he should be in. Ares couldn't resurrect him the day that I went into my father's service but I was happy knowing he sent him to the Elysian Fields."
"I get it, sort of. I mean, I don't know my soul mate, but I can imagine the difficulty."
"I realize that this problem is much bigger than Kazarian and me. Father won't give much detail, but t
here's a reason he doesn't want Cronus resurrected. And if Father won't tell any of us, it must be pretty bad. So I know I have to stop Kalos, no matter the cost. I just don't know what will happen to me if I lose Kazarian a second time."
"Well, technically, Kalos doesn't have the power to permanently destroy him. Only a handful of gods or goddesses have that much power. I don't think whoever he's working with can do it."
Andreas snorted. "We still don't know who it is. It could be anyone. Zeus makes enemies of a lot of beings. Hell, for all I know, it could be Gaea herself and that would be a major problem.
"Well, I imagine the primordial earth goddess shielding him would cause problems for everyone, mortal and immortal alike."
"Well, fortunately for you, kiddies, it isn't my darling great grandmother." Artemis appeared on the bed next to Cassandra, her gaze locked on Andreas. "I got your call, but I was a bit preoccupied digging up some dirt for you. I've found the location of Kalos and I might have figured out who he's working for, but nothing on that until I know for sure."
Andreas straightened up. "Where is he?"
"Some old palace outside of France. His godly helper has bewitched the place to hide from mortal eyes, but you'll see it just fine." Artemis huffed. "I'm not allowed to go in with you, but your father has told me to give you orders. You are to attack the palace at your leisure, rescue Kazarian, and kill Kalos, in no particular order. You are also to take the twins in as backup, while Vic will remain here with Cassandra."
Andreas raised an eyebrow. "He wants me to take the boys instead of Vic? What for?"
Artemis shrugged. "Guess he feels the two of them could be of help to you. Now go on and get the boys ready. I'll be here with Cassandra catching up on girl talk."
Andreas hesitated but left the room. Artemis turned to Cassandra.
"Now we're going to talk about the secrets you've been hiding," she said with a smirk.
Andreas walked into the boys' room, finding them already up and getting ready. They had dressed in all black, covering everything from the neck down, even putting gloves on their hands. Completing Brandon's attire was a long black leather trench coat, and for Demun, a short black leather jacket.