by Mary Ting
From Titans
Descendant Prophecies Book 4
By
Mary Ting
Copyright © Mary Ting 2016
Smashwords Edition
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Chapter 1
Mason
“Sky!”
No answer.
“Sky, answer me!”
Silence.
“Where are you?”
Still as the night.
Running in a sea of darkness, searching for a way out, I had no sense of direction, so I eventually stopped. Though blackness engulfed me, I could see my hand as I held it in front of my face. A dream? If not, where was I? And why?
A giant hand belonging to the titan Cronus had grabbed me through Bella Amor’s kitchen wall. Sky ran for me, so I zapped her to knock her away from the danger with all the energy I had left. My poor Sky. I hoped she hadn’t gotten sucked in with me. And if she hadn’t, she must be as devastated trying to find me as I was desperate to find my way back home. The terror on her face as I forced her to let me go haunted me. Her image, tattooed in my mind, shattered my heart in pieces.
I released a long sigh, glancing around. No sky, no sun, no tree, and not a single living thing around me. I saw only the ground beneath me and enough light to know I was alone. Not even my shadow kept me company. I’d tried reaching out, walking toward one side, but strangely, I ended where I began. Either I was trapped in my mind or some other world.
“Mason, are you awake?”
I twitched, and disappointment flushed through me. The voice didn’t belong to my Sky. A soft and seductive female voice echoed around me like it came from everywhere.
“Where am I?” I spun around in circles but still couldn’t pinpoint its source.
“I got you.” The voice sounded way too cheerful. “I have you. I’m going to take you.” Her wicked laughter rang painfully in my ear, vibrating louder with each horrendous cackle.
Covering my ears didn’t help, so I yelled, “Stop!”
Silence.
Only my own pounding heart vibrated through my ears.
She spoke again. “Don’t hurt my feelings, Mason, or there’ll be consequences.”
Her words skidded chills down my spine. She wasn’t someone friendly. I might not know my location, but I knew I’d been locked up in unfriendly territory. Things weren’t looking good for me.
“Since you didn’t answer my question last time, I’ll ask you again. Where the hell am I?” I raised my voice to show I had no intention of playing her game.
“Don’t worry, my love. You’re somewhere safe, where no one can find you.” Her tone signified a frightening promise.
“I’m not your love. Let me go,” I demanded. “My friends will find me, and when they do, you’ll be dead. Let this be a warning. You can be free and live if you do as I say.”
Another sinister laughter burst forth. “Silly, my love. Goddesses can’t die. I’m so touched you care about my well-being. I love that about you. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure we’ll be together forever.”
Goddess? My mind ran through a list of goddesses, but it could have been anyone. They were all crazy. Panic struck me. My family would find me, but it would be complicated with not only Cronus, but also a goddess involved in my kidnapping. My shoulders drooped and hope faded.
No!
I needed to fight smart. Sky and my family wouldn’t stop trying to find me. I had to do whatever I could on my end to get information.
“Who are you? Show yourself.”
No answer.
Raking my hair back, I paced through the emptiness. Think! Some crazy bitch thought I loved her. Obviously, she had a sick crush on me. I hated to flirt back, but I had to find any clue.
“If we’re going to be together forever, at least tell me your name and let me see your beautiful face.”
A coy giggle vibrated around me. “Oh, really? You want to see me? Only if you promise me you’ll behave.”
“I will,” I lied, wiggling my fingers, summoning my energy. A warm tingling sensation coursed through my body and down my arms. A flicker of light crackled.
“Your beauty will make my day.” Saying that made me want to vomit.
“You might want to cover your eyes, love.”
Before her warning registered, light emerged from above. It began as a pinprick in a corner of space, and then it burst into a blinding glow. I covered my eyes and shivered in a rush of cold air as the scent of apple assaulted my nostrils. Apples?
My vision constricted into a square tunnel above me. What the heck? I rubbed my eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on me. But when I tipped my head back, the newly visible clouds far above confirmed I had been taken underground.
I jerked back and fell on the ground when a gigantic face appeared over my sky window and strands of blonde curls dropped to dangle over me. My heart pounded against my chest and rendered me speechless. The massive head shifted and an icy blue eye stared down at me. The fairy tale Rapunzel came to mind; only my Rapunzel was a lunatic and obviously a giant. This was my chance to escape. I jumped as high as I could, blasting electric bolts out of my fingers at her. She flinched before the impact, and my lights seared her cheek instead of directly hitting her eyes.
The goddess screamed and clutched her face with a giant hand. “You’re going to pay for that,” she screeched.
Just as I released my bolts to propel me toward the line where dark and light met, the light blinked out as if something covered the opening, blocking my only escape. Then the ground shook under my feet. I bent my knees and swayed with the movement to steady myself. My stomach dropped and then lurched. The huge woman had either lifted or dropped my confinement. I had no idea which way I’d been tossed. But when she left, I knew she wasn’t happy with me.
When the motion stopped, I dropped to my knees, grabbed my stomach, and threw up from the roller coaster ride. Rolling over to lie flat on my back, gazing up to darkness, I tried to recall hearing of any giant goddesses. There were none. Cronus? No, it couldn’t be. It was a voice of a female for sure. Unless…Holy Zeus. Was she a giant, or had I shrunk?
Chapter 2
Skylar
The glorious sun radiated warmth, happiness, and new life over the land. Light seeped through the thin layer of clouds that decorated the blue sky with various shapes and sizes. A soft, gentle breeze brushed against the leaves of the trees as they moved in waves like the ocean. It was a beautiful day, but not for me.
My mind saw only darkness. Gut-wrenching pain dimmed the sun, taking away the warmth, taking away the happiness, and every part of life in me. An abyss engulfed me, so deep nothing could pull me out. I’d drowned myself in a place no one should ever be, and I couldn’t get out. I floated there, hopeless.
I had been in mourning since the day a giant hand had punctured the wall in Bella Amore restaurant and took Mason from me. We fought and struggled till the very end, but it overpowered all of us. And then Mason was…
The month that passed felt like years.
As I stared at the white wall, the very wall Mason went through, I ran my hand over it, recalling the incident over and over in my head. What could we have done different to have helped him? If only I had tried harder. But the hand was too big, too strong.
I came to the wal
l every single day trying to find a way in but only ended up crying in front of it because hope seemed lost. Mason wasn’t inside the wall. I hoped maybe, perhaps, Cronus’s giant hand would come get me, too. If I could get to Mason, at least we would be together. At least he wouldn’t be alone.
I tried using my water and lightning powers and even tried to burn the wall, thinking I could travel the same portal to find Mason, but oddly it didn’t make a mark or a dent. None of our powers made a difference. It only meant one thing. A spell had been placed to keep us out. We needed to break the spell. But how?
I didn’t know what danger or torture Mason faced. But Cronus had him, and if Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades feared their titan father, then we were all in trouble. If I couldn’t escape those thoughts, I’d go insane. Maybe lack of sleep and eating had already driven me crazy. I had to find a way to build my strength, because when the gods found a way to save Mason, I had to be in top shape.
“Skylar,” Hades whispered, sounding as somber as me. “You need to eat. Nick brought some food. Come with me. You have guests.”
Though I sat curled on the floor with my knees tucked in and my arms covering my face, I recognized his voice. He bent low to me and placed his arm around my shoulders. Unexpectedly, Hades had been my strength. He had supported me most besides my parents and the Grand family. They lived in the hell pit as well, trying to cope with Mason’s abduction as we searched for any tiny clue to give us hope.
I grunted, having no will to move off the cold tile floor. My body weighed a ton, and I moved slowly and with much effort. With my face still hidden under my arms, I nodded.
“We’ll find Mason. We’re doing everything we can. Zeus sent Hermes in search of Cronus to all corners of the earth, and the Oracles are trying to track down Eris.”
Eris became another mystery we needed to solve when a golden apple rolled across the floor as the wall closed. Zeus insisted Eris was somehow connected to the plot. She’d upset the wedding of King Peleus and Thetis with a golden apple, and she had grown to be known as the goddess who stirred trouble wherever she went and left a golden apple behind. After all, she was the goddess of chaos, so no surprise there. She was just foolish enough to go against the gods and work with Cronus. All the facts lined up, pointing to her. As for the apple, Zeus tossed it in the trash.
“Up you go. I can’t let you starve to death.” Hades pulled me to stand. I weighed as much as a feather to him. I wished I had ten times the gods’ enormous strength so I could punch through the wall. But a spell was a spell, and no amount of strength would break it.
“What happened to the blood?” I asked, realizing the bloody streaks had been wiped from the wall. I had punched it until my hands bled and my wrist broke, but my powers had healed it.
“We cleaned it up. Come on. Let’s get out of the kitchen,” Hades urged.
To my surprise, everyone already sat at a table smiling, watching Hades and me come out of the kitchen. Pleasant aromas filled my nostrils, making my stomach growl and cramp with hunger. On the table, a big platter of a whole roasted chicken surrounded by assorted vegetables sat in the center. Adjacent to it, a big bowl of chicken noodle soup.
“Hello, Skylar.” Zeus greeted me first. His blue eyes sparkled.
“Hi.” I greeted him back somberly.
Everyone else smiled with a long face and sadness in their eyes; even Persephone graced me with her presence. She had been staying at New Olympus with the Oracles for safety reasons and visited Hades when time allowed.
They were there for me, making sure I ate and stayed alive. Hades must have told them I’d spent most of my days and nights standing by the wall. It didn’t solve anything, but I didn’t know what else to do. After we told the Oracles what had happened, we waited for some answers while they searched for clues and ways to find Mason with no luck.
Hades pulled out a chair for me, guiding me to sit down. After he pushed in my chair, he sat next to me. Then he placed a drumstick, carrots, beans, and potatoes on my plate and handed me a bowl of soup. Everyone already had their plates filled.
Nick, Everett, and Amanda looked as bad as I felt, with puffy eyes and dark circles under them. They tried to hide their worry and sadness, but strong emotions like those couldn’t be hidden. It was clearly written on their faces, and their smiles—short and sweet—were façades.
“Let’s eat,” Zeus said, adjusting the collar on his polo shirt. “I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving,” Poseidon commented, taking a piece of bread out of the basket and passing it to Nick. “You’re always eating too.” He chuckled.
“I enjoy my food and wine.” Zeus took a long whiff of his red wine, sipped it, and exhaled a long breath to show how much he savored it.
Poseidon arched his brows. “Don’t forget to add how you enjoy women.”
Zeus cleared his throat, holding a drumstick in his hand. “Don’t tell me you don’t.”
Poseidon flashed his ocean-blue eyes at us. “Let’s not discuss this here. There are children here.”
Hades arched his brows. “They’re not children. They’ve probably done more things…” He squinted and shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t want to think it or say it.”
Everyone released a light chuckle, gaping at the gods teasing each other. It felt strange to see gods wearing jeans and plain shirts. Nick had taken them shopping to blend in with humans. We didn’t want them sporting long gowns and flashing gold embellishments. But I had to admit, they looked like they walked out of GQ magazine.
The three gods, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades…could they be any hotter? Everywhere we went, to the mall, grocery store, to the theater, women’s eyes focused on them, and sometimes even men’s did too.
“There’s another reason why we came here,” Zeus started to say, swallowing a spoonful of soup. “The Oracles want to meet with all of us tomorrow. They have come across something they think will lead us to Eris.”
My heart fluttered and my lips twitched, wanting to smile, but it never came.
“Wow, so quickly,” Amanda said sarcastically with a mouthful of beans.
“It’s about freakin’ time,” Everett grumbled.
Nick frowned. “They think?” His nostrils flared. “They’ve had a month. They asked us to stay low so we wouldn’t disrupt or scare the shit out of whatever energy they’re feeling. We could’ve found Mason by now if they let us handle it.” Nick ran his hand down his face and grunted. “I shouldn’t have listened to them. I should’ve searched for him.”
Poseidon rested his hand on Nick’s shoulder and so did Kayla. “Don’t be hard on yourself. Finding Cronus or Eris is like finding…what’s that phrase? Finding a needle in a haystack. You have to give us time. We’re finally back from a long slumber, and we’re adjusting to our limited powers that are getting stronger every day. And you have no idea who you’re up against. You think Hephaestus was bad? You haven’t seen anything yet. Our own father, Cronus, tried to kill us. He ate us. If it hadn’t been for our mother, Rhea, we would’ve been dead. What crazy father would try to kill his own children? Now you understand what we’re dealing with.”
“Any news is better than no news,” I said sheepishly, staring at the bowl of soup in front of me.
I still couldn’t comprehend Rhea was my mother, too. Strange enough that the three gods at the table were my half-brothers. And the fact my mother was pregnant with Hephaestus’s child? That threw everything normal out the door.
Nick nodded in understanding, but frustration showed in his expression. He gazed at Everett, Amanda, and then me. I wondered what he thought. “Skylar is right. We’ll be there,” he said finally. “I should be grateful for their help. You’re right. I’ve heard what a monster Cronus can be, but I have no clue about Eris.”
Zeus licked his finger and took another bite of chicken. “Eris is a bitch. Excuse my language. I shouldn’t be talking about a woman like that, but she has no heart for anyone. I can’t believe she’s Ares’s siste
r.” He stopped talking and stared at the wall. It had been reconstructed after the fire when the vultures found us there with my dad’s group. Then Zeus turned back to us. “Even he doesn’t want anything to do with her.”
Amanda wrung a strand of her hair behind her ear and then reached down to break her bread in half. “When’s the last time you saw her?”
Zeus gazed distantly at the high ceiling. He took a breath and turned to us. “I last saw Eris at King Peleus and Thetis’s wedding. She was furious she wasn’t invited. She even dressed for the wedding. That’s how dramatic she is. As if her appearance wasn’t disruption enough, she threw out a golden apple marked For the fairest, tempting Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena. The goddesses fell right into the trap. From that chaos came the Trojan War. Her evil ways had a ripple effect on all of us. I think she’s not just after us. She wants it all.”
“You mean the…humans?” Everett swallowed audibly.
“I’m afraid so,” Poseidon chimed in. “I hope we’re wrong, but something isn’t right with the weather.”
I’d been in my cave moping and hadn’t noticed. I’d worn the same pair of jeans, shirt, and cardigan for several days. I didn’t even know if the sun was out or not.
Nick took a bite of potato and shook his head. “The gods are crazy. No offense. But you’re all screwed in the head.”
Zeus didn’t say a word as he finished off his plate. Poseidon simply nodded. Hades lifted his glass in the air. “I’ll toast to that.” Then he gulped down
his second glass of wine.
Chapter 3
Skylar
Later that evening, I went home. The home Mason had purchased and surprised me with, a place we could call our own away from his family. It was our own private five-bedroom, five-thousand-square-foot getaway. Its brick façade and manicured lawn looked similar to Nick’s house, partially because it was only a block away.