His eyes met hers and there was an urgency that she’d never seen before. “Kala Hicks, you must make your oath to me.” Her heart sank in betrayal. She had never expected that Talan would take advantage of her in this way. It was painful as she felt the power of the River Styx forcing her to agree.
His next words, though, almost made her cry with relief. “You can never make any oath to Asmodeus, Charon or any other supernatural being or human from this moment forward. Do it, Kala, now!”
Kala didn’t have a choice. The power of the River Styx grabbed hold of her and made her say the words: “I give you my oath.”
It was a horrible sensation being forced to promise something you had no control over, but Talan had known her fears and anticipated them. Feeling a surge of gratefulness, Kala pulled Talan in, embracing him while sprawled on the boat’s floor. “Thank you, Talan.” Then realizing her soaked body had gotten him wet as well, she returned the favor. “Make your oath to me: No supernatural being or human can force you to make an oath from this moment forward.”
His hand brushed her cheek and he smiled, “I give you my oath.”
Charon and what Kala could now see was some kind of creature burst through the surface in mid-fight. The beast was at least twenty feet tall and five feet wide. He was basically man-shaped, but his skin was a deep blue with scales the size of plates all over his body and black leathered wings the span of the entire river. Green glowing eyes bore into Charon with hatred. His black taloned claws ripped at Charon’s throat, but Charon fought back, trying to pull the creature under the water.
“Is that some kind of river monster?” Kala asked Talan, then searched for Asmodeus. “Where’s Asmodeus?”
Talan simply nodded at the blue creature.
Kala stared in shock.
“It’s his Demon form,” Talan explained, obviously not bothered by the sudden change.
Asmodeus was both terrifying and exotically beautiful, like a human dragon. Kala always knew he was a Demon, but seeing as he always had the same GQ model shape, she just assumed that was what he always looked like. She had been naïve, apparently.
Kala stood up, preparing to help Asmodeus in the fight, but before she could leap in, Asmodeus took both his taloned claws and ripped Charon in half.
Each half flew to either side of the river, lifeless.
Standing in shocked silence, Kala could barely register Asmodeus flapping his enormous leathered wings and pushing the raft to the opposite side of the shore.
Once safely on the other side, Asmodeus transformed back into his human body, completely naked.
As Kala continued to stare, Asmodeus smiled his wicked grin. “It seems I need some clothes.”
Chapter Fifteen
With a snap of his fingers, Talan had Asmodeus clothed in an instant. Kala didn’t think Talan wanted her seeing a naked Asmodeus any more than the Grigori wanted to.
The Demon inspected his t-shirt and jeans with some disdain. “What? Did you get these from The GAP?”
Still reeling from witnessing Asmodeus in Demon form, Kala didn’t even crack a smile at his joke. “So…” was all that came out.
Asmodeus was highly amused at Kala’s reaction. “Pretty magnificent, aren’t I?”
“I was going to go with ‘terrifying,’ but you definitely got the job done.” Kala stepped over the lower half of Charon’s body for emphasis. The creature’s guts were strewn across the shore, a deep purple against the gray sand. It was mildly repulsive, though Kala had seen worse. Kala had caused worse.
“I can live with terrifying.” Asmodeus examined his clothes again. “Though I don’t think I can live with this polyester blend. It’s itchy.”
Kala rolled her eyes. “I think I prefer the non-talking Demon form better.”
Talan joined in matter-of-factly, “He should stay in his human form if we’re to face Rhea.”
“I wasn’t serious,” Kala muttered. Talan took everything so literally. “Do you think she’s close?”
Asmodeus closed his eyes, concentrating, then opened them quickly. “She’s close, though I can’t pinpoint her.” He focused on Talan, “She carries one of the Grigori blades. Do you think you can track that?”
Talan simply nodded. His eyes began to glow a soft blue, then flared bright white before finally returning back to normal. “He’s right, she is close. Follow me.” He stepped forward, leading the way.
“Um, guys, shouldn’t we have a plan or something?” Kala didn’t like entering a fight without a tactical approach if she didn’t have to. To be fair, most of Kala’s battles had been on the fly, but if she could help it, it would be nice to have some kind of strategy.
Talan shrugged, “Rhea already knows we’re here, so there’s no chance of catching her off-guard. We fight. That’s about it.”
Kala sighed in resignation. “Good plan.”
Asmodeus was still futzing with his t-shirt as if it were crawling with ants. She knew his irritation was more to do with the fact that Talan had supplied the clothes and less with his discomfort, but Kala kept her mouth shut and ignored the Demon’s complaining.
Kala also noticed that Asmodeus hadn’t even tried to force Kala into making an oath on the River Styx. There was no way he could have known that Talan made that feat impossible, but it showed Kala that Asmodeus could be trusted on some level. She had thought for sure he would make her vow to be his sex slave for all eternity, but was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t even look like the thought of using the river had entered his mind.
“Does that mean there’s no more Ferry Man in the Underworld?” Kala wondered aloud. Being ripped in two didn’t exactly bode a favorable outcome in terms of living.
Asmodeus answered, slightly annoyed, “That lizard? He’ll be back. Hades has probably pieced that creep together already. Charon always was one of his favorites.”
“So some of you supernatural beings can die, but some can’t?” Kala saw this as an opportunity to possibly learn a few things about her new world.
Talan responded, “No one really knows. We weren’t even sure Atlas was dead until you confirmed it.”
“What about me? I’m part human,” Kala asked.
Asmodeus nodded, “But you’re more god now than human. I’d say that puts you in the hard-to-kill category. Being immortal isn’t literal, not if there’s someone stronger than you.”
“But Cronus and Hades? Can they die?” Kala kept thinking of her vision. The thought of putting her enemies in a coma, strapped to one of Turner’s machines for all time, was harsh by anyone’s standards.
Asmodeus laughed, “That’s pretty specific.”
Kala didn’t say anything. She hoped neither one of them would draw any conclusions about her query.
But Asmodeus shrugged, “No, Cronus definitely can’t die. And Hades? He’s the ruler of the Underworld. Why do you think Cronus put him to sleep? If he could have done so he would have killed Hades and Zeus and been done with this little family squabble.”
Hades had been asleep for 2,000 years and now Kala was basically going to do the same thing to him again – but forever this time, although, Cronus probably had intended Hades to sleep forever as well. Still, it didn’t make her feel any better.
“So how do we defeat any of them?” Kala asked.
Talan responded first, “The Grigori plan on making them call a truce. Or locking them in another dimension. It’s up to them, really.”
“Oh, gee, that sounds easy,” Kala countered sarcastically. But it did make her feel better. Locking them in another dimension was the equivalent of putting them in a coma. Wasn’t it? They’d be trapped, but conscious, awake, able to live… She brushed the nagging thoughts from her mind. Kala never thought she’d feel bad about doing anything to Cronus, but those machines…
As they walked, the terrain changed drastically. It went from shrubs and tree patches, to full sized boulders and rolling hills. Kala could see why Rhea chose this area: it was full of hiding places. Slippin
g into combat mentality, Kala kept her eyes peeled for any movement.
So far, nothing.
Kala was about to order the three of them to split up to cover more territory when a familiar figure stepped out in front of them.
Rhea.
She did not look happy.
Her eyes only met Kala’s, as if Asmodeus and Talan weren’t there. “Hades told me how you managed to break the spell of the River Lethe.”
“And how I was kind enough not to consume him?” Kala put as much confidence in her voice as possible. The truth was, she had no idea if she was a match for Rhea or not. The Titan was Cronus’s better half, and mother to half the Olympians. The woman had to be strong. At least Kala knew her devouring-mojo was still in action down in the Underworld. She didn’t want to use it for fear of not being able to stop herself, but she trusted Talan and Asmodeus wouldn’t let it go that far.
Rhea was careful how she phrased her next sentence. “Was it kindness or lack of control that you failed to consume him?”
Kala didn’t let Rhea’s insult affect her in the least. “For your sake, you better hope it was kindness. You wouldn’t want me to lose control, would you?”
Rhea wasn’t fazed. “I think I can handle a thing like you. My son is weak from sleeping so long. I won’t be such easy prey.”
And… now what?
Kala tried to discreetly search for the Olympians she had come to rescue, but with all the rocks and hills around they could be anywhere.
At least there weren’t any mystically-powered rivers. That was one less thing to worry about.
The situation now, though, was becoming awkward at this point. After all their fronting no one was saying anything. It reminded Kala of a spaghetti western showdown without guns.
Kala had to break the silence. “Are we going to fight or something?”
“Your move,” Rhea prodded.
As a sniper, Kala wished she was perched on some nearby rock with one of her rifles right now, with her super-aim skill that appeared to have been enhanced by becoming Atlas. She would definitely have made Rhea think twice about messing with her.
A sudden thought occurred to Kala.
Her super-aim skill hadn’t just been about being able to hit a fly on the top of the Washington Monument (which was awesome), it was about the fact that she could see that far. Kala could use that now to find the Olympians. To do that she needed to jump to higher ground.
She cast a brief glance at Talan. He nodded. Talan might not know what Kala was planning to do, but he understood she needed him to create a distraction.
Kala made sure Rhea’s eyes were on her, she used the good old-fashioned human technique of body-checking the Titan, feinting multiple frontal attacks. Kala almost wanted to laugh when Rhea fell for it each time, darting a foot or two backward in anticipation of Kala attacking.
Talan took advantage of Rhea’s focus on Kala and shot out a wave of black fire at the Titan.
How many colors of fire are there? Kala wondered as she leapt behind the largest boulder she could find. As she climbed the craggy rock, she saw the advantage of black, as Talan’s fire wrapped around Rhea like a dark fog, preventing the Titan from seeing in front of her.
Catching on to the diversion plan, Asmodeus joined the fight. He screeched his terrible scream and Rhea covered her ears from the sound.
Rhea shouted, “I will not lower myself to fight with a Malak and a Demon!” She threw her hands out to rid herself of Asmodeus and Talan, but the black fire prevented her from aiming correctly. She apparently didn’t know Talan was a Grigori, which was only to their advantage. Malaks were angels, but not nearly as powerful as the Grigori.
Asmodeus grabbed a softball sized rock and chucked it at Rhea’s face, hitting her square in the nose. The Titan reeled back from the shock of the blow.
The Demon shrugged, “Rocks work too.”
Talan did not look impressed. “Something a little more powerful, please?”
While the Hardy Boys had Rhea covered for the moment, Kala reached the top of the boulder. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated her eyesight as she had that day with Talan and the fly.
Sounds of battle threatened to break her focus, but Kala forced herself to ignore them and slowly rotated her body, making her eyes take in a panoramic view of the surroundings. Within seconds Kala saw further than her human eyes could ever have seen, miles and miles in every direction. She searched every rock, cranny, hill, tree or bush until…
Kala saw them.
The Olympians were huddled over a campfire like vagrants over an oil barrel. Kala’s Atlas memory recognized them immediately: Poseidon, Hera, Hestia and Demeter. The last four of the Cronus and Rhea hook-up. She had no idea where the rest of the Olympians were (i.e. Zeus’s brood, the god certainly did get around) but Rhea had made it quite clear that Zeus’s kids were not her problem. She was only concerned about her own children. (Though, from the look of them, it didn’t seem like she cared all that much.) Even from this distance, the Olympians appeared weak and downtrodden, all hunched backs and bowed heads.
Their location was less than a mile away behind a boulder almost the size of the one Kala stood on.
Olympians found, the Grigori blade that Rhea possessed now became Kala’s first priority, since it was the reason the Olympians were weak and stranded in this place. If she could steal the knife away from Rhea, then maybe the gods could regain some of their strength to help in their escape.
Kala just needed to find it…
There it was.
Rhea had resorted to making a swing at Talan with the knife. Apparently, though, the black fire was harder to extinguish than the Titan had anticipated. Not bad for a “Malak.”
Asmodeus jumped directly in front of Rhea, attacking with his Demon strength, then leapt away before she could swipe him with the blade.
It was time for Kala to join the fray.
The boulder was twenty feet high, so jumping didn’t seem like a feasible option. As quickly as she could manage, Kala clambered down.
Asmodeus showed up next to her. “So, the blade, right? We need it?”
Kala nodded, appreciating the fact that Asmodeus already knew what was needed to escape this place. “Rhea has the Olympians hidden a mile north of here.”
“Considering the ocean is our way out of this place, all we need is Poseidon. The others will be useless.” Asmodeus flinched when Talan was almost nicked by Rhea’s swing.
“Poseidon will be pretty useless if we don’t get that blade back,” Kala answered, stating the obvious.
“Plan?” Asmodeus eyed her hopefully.
“Get the knife.”
“Good plan.” Asmodeus took a giant leap. He landed directly in front of Rhea and sucker punched the Titan. Rhea flew back ten feet, almost dropping the Grigori dagger.
Kala took her shot and ran over to the fallen Titan, grabbing at the knife.
Rhea was too quick. She rolled away while trying to swipe the weapon at Kala.
Contorting her body backward, Kala was fast enough to evade the blow.
Impressed at the Titan’s apparent fighting skills, Kala relied on her modern day combat training to help her gain the upper hand.
Rhea acted as if she were in a bar brawl, all instinct, no schooling. Kala was good at both being as she used to have a bar fight almost nightly – plus her two black belts, in Aikido and Tae Kwon Do. Fighting was all about knowing and learning about your opponent.
Disarming Rhea was the goal, but she held onto the Grigori knife like it was her lifeline. Maybe if Kala could turn the blade on Rhea…
It would require hand-to-hand battle, but Kala had no choice.
Baiting Rhea, Kala yelled, “For someone who claimed a Demon and a Malak weren’t even worth your effort, you can’t even manage to hurt one of them!”
Rhea screamed in outrage, “They’re like gnats! Too small to swat, but don’t do any damage.”
Kala tilted her head, disagreeing, “You did
just fly back ten feet. I’ve never seen a gnat do that.”
Rhea did what Kala hoped.
She charged.
Using Rhea’s momentum, Kala easily flipped the Titan on her back. In a quick succession of hand movements, Kala had Rhea pinned to the ground.
“Grab the knife!” Kala shouted to either Asmodeus or Talan.
Asmodeus leapt in front of her with a smile and reached down to grab the blade…
A sharp pain hit Kala’s side.
When she blinked her eyes, Rhea was somehow standing next to her, holding the bloody Grigori dagger, grinning triumphantly.
Blood poured out of Kala’s gut and the magic of the knife flushed through her, weakening every muscle in her body.
“You fight like a human not a deity,” Rhea scolded.
Asmodeus kneeled next to Kala instead of attacking Rhea, his hand resting on her wound. Asmodeus healed her immediately, at least the bleeding part. There was nothing he could do about the magic of the blade, though. Recovering from that only required time. Being officially dead, Kala wasn’t sure if it would take longer for that process to happen.
And time was something she didn’t have.
It was strange that Talan wasn’t instantly by her side. He was normally so overprotective, like Derek. The Grigori had made a habit of putting himself in peril just to see if Kala was okay.
Meanwhile, Rhea was into the bragging thing, laughing at Kala’s struggle to stand. “Even if you had Atlas’s full power, you’d still be nothing to me, thing. You and your Demons and Malaks can buzz around me like flies, but that’s all you’ll ever be! I am the mother of the Olympians! Malaks and Demons are just pawns. I am the queen!” Rhea loved hearing herself speak, which fortunately only meant more time for Kala to think of a way to get that knife. Rhea continued to gloat, “You may have a piece of Gaia in you, but it means nothing! I will never be afraid of you, thing. I am the devourer! Your powers are immune to me!”
“Well, yeah, now that you took them away,” Kala had to interject. Though a part of her was relieved she didn’t have to test that theory.
The Underworld (The Atlas Series Book 3) Page 15