Titan: An Epic Novel of Urban Fantasy and Greek Mythology (The Gods War Book 1)
Page 22
Where is this coming from? I shake my head to clear it. I’ve had so many strange dreams, so many strange thoughts. It’s my connection to Cronus. Through the accident of my birth, I absorbed part of his power, but what if I absorbed part of who he is as well? What if I’m no better than him and I just don’t know it yet?
“The plan,” I say, “what is it?”
Hannah shrugs. “To free my father.”
“Yeah, you told us that, but how exactly? You do know where Hades is, don’t you?”
Hannah chews her lower lip. “It’s complicated; the location is cloaked by magic. Magic no immortal can see through except Cronus, since it’s his spell.”
“And me?” I ask. “You think I can because of my connection to him?”
She nods. “That’s what Ares and I are hoping.”
“OK, so how do I do it?”
“Um… you just close your eyes, reach out, and look for him.”
“I look for him with my eyes shut?”
“Yes, genius! Look with your mind’s eye. The magic of Tartarus will enhance whatever natural ability you have… if you have any.”
“You can do it,” Mark says. “Have faith!”
“Spoken like a true priest,” Hannah jokes.
He looks away. “Well, I don’t know about that. I’m kind of between deities right now.”
I apologize. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I appreciate your confidence in me. Both of you.”
“Charon too,” Hannah adds. “He may not look it, but he’s cheering you on.”
I look at the grim, skull-faced ferryman. He looks back, with empty, unknowable eyes. “Thanks,” I tell him.
Charon gives me a stiff, creaking nod, then returns to staring straight ahead. I watch his pole go in the river, propelling our boat forward. Pole in, pole out.
I try to time my breath with the pole. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly. I close my eyes. Relaxing, going inside myself. I listen to the sound of the boat, the river, the rustle of Charon’s robe.
I reach out, sensing water, sensing rock: the river, the tunnel. Forward motion: slow, rhythmic. Across the Styx, the River of Hate and Promises, and beyond… deep, into haunted Tartarus…
I sense the whispering presence of ghosts, but feel the physicality of monsters. Breath hot, muscles strong. Wild, animal, unnatural. Magic.
I feel other things too… brothers, sisters. Titans. Some monstrous, some fair, but all to be avoided. Unless… some of them want to rebel against Cronus? But no, as helpful as that would be, we can’t risk it. Why should they follow me? I’m no one, nobody.
I pull away from them and keep searching, but it’s no use. I don’t know what to look for. I come back into myself, feeling drained.
“Any luck?” Hannah asks.
“None. Everything radiates magic, and I’m too new at this to know what to look for.”
“The first time’s always hard. Don’t worry, you’ll get better at it.” She says it with a smile, but I can tell Hannah’s not happy.
“I’ve let you down. I’m sorry.”
“No,” she says. “Not yet, you haven’t.”
We drift downriver, the only sound the creak of Charon’s bones, the slosh of the pole dipping into the water. Maybe I can try again…
All of a sudden, Mark says, “Hey, wait! I’ve got an idea.”
“Yeah?” I say. “What is it?”
“Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way.”
“Wrong way how?” Hannah asks.
“What if the problem isn’t just that Andrus doesn’t know what to look for, or that the whole underworld is covered in magic? What if instead of looking for the spell hiding Hades’ prison, we should be looking for an area that doesn’t look like magic?”
“You know I’m a witch, right?” Hannah reminds him. “I already tried that. I tried everything! I really thought Andrus might be able to succeed where I failed.”
“Maybe it’s impossible,” Mark says.
Hannah snorts. “Really? That’s a good attitude!”
“No,” Mark says, “I didn’t mean it like that. What if it’s impossible for you, or Andrus, or anyone else to find Hades?”
“All right, maybe… but I don’t see how giving up helps.”
I’ve known Mark long enough to understand his moods, and how his devious mind works. “Hear him out,” I say. “Go on, Mark.”
He nods. “OK, so assuming Cronus’s spell cloaks Hades’ prison from immortals, what about mortals?”
“You mean you?”
Mark shakes his head. “No, not me. I mean monsters.”
Hannah and I stare at each other, then Mark. “Even if that’s true,” she says, “the monsters are all on Cronus’s side. They’ll never agree to help us.”
“I’m not talking about any monster,” Marks replies. “I’m talking about one in particular. The one closest to Hades. The one guaranteed to be on our side and to know what to look for.”
Hannah’s face lights up. She leans over and hugs Mark, kissing him on the cheek as the thin boy blinks in surprise. “I love this mortal!” Hannah says, all trace of her bad mood gone. “Didn’t I tell you it was a great idea to bring him?”
I scratch my head. “Wait, I don’t get it… What monster are we looking for?”
“Cerberus,” Hannah says. “We’re looking for Cerberus.”
To find out what happens next, don’t miss
The Gods War, Book II: Kingdom of the Dead
available in ebook and paperback July 20, 2018
and the adventure continues in
The Gods War, Book III: Gift of Death
available in ebook and paperback July 27, 2018
More Great Books to Enjoy
THE BEST URBAN FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION
BOOKS BY
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
JACKSON DEAN CHASE
BEYOND THE DOME
Science Fiction Series
Book 1: Drone (releases August 3, 2018)
Book 2: Warrior (releases August 10, 2018)
Book 3: Elite (releases August 17, 2018)
Book 4: Human (releases August 24, 2018)
JON WARLOCK, WIZARD DETECTIVE
Urban Fantasy Series
Book 1: Warlock Rising (releases Sept. 14, 2018)
Book 2: Warlock Revenge (releases Sept. 21, 2018)
Book 3: Warlock Reborn (releases Sept. 28, 2018)
BOOKS BY
DANIEL MIGNAULT
&
JACKSON DEAN CHASE
THE GODS WAR
Urban Fantasy Series
Book 1: Titan (releases July 13, 2018)
Book 2: Kingdom of the Dead (releases July 20, 2108)
Book 3: Gift of Death (releases July 27, 2018)
Want to read exciting previews of these series and more?
Get a free book at
www.JacksonDeanChase.com
Acknowledgments
DANIEL MIGNAULT: This book is dedicated to my loving family.
JACKSON DEAN CHASE: I would like to thank my friends, family, and fans, especially my street team, for their tireless support and dedication.
Additional thanks to my influences and inspirations, from late night sessions playing Dungeons & Dragons, to the time I watched Clash of the Titans four times in 1981 original. Thanks to the stop-motion magic of Ray Harryhausen, who filled me with wonder as he “unleashed the Kraken.”
Writing a fantasy or science fiction book—and this book is both—is always a lengthy and challenging process. It involves a lot of world-building and research to get right. Not always real world accurate, but emotionally “right.”
Everything, no matter how impossible in our reality, must make sense in the story world. It must be true to the characters, and by extension, to the readers as well. Hopefully, Titan achieves that. So I have one final thanks: to you, the reader, for taking this journey with us. Now go all the way with Book II…
Tartarus aw
aits!
The GODS WAR
Book II: Kingdom of the Dead
releases July 20, 2018
If you enjoyed Titan, please leave a review online! It only takes a moment, but it makes a HUGE difference in helping other readers discover our book.
Thank you for being part of our author journey!
— Daniel and Jackson
Glossary
Archieréas: The high priest of Cronus who serves as administrator, pope, and president of the New Greece Theocracy. The current office holder is Enoch Vola. Pronounced Ar-CUH-ray-us.
Cronus: King of the Titans, father of the Greek Gods. His symbol is the Unblinking Eye. Pronounced CROH-nus.
Day Patrol: Armed bands of human warriors that serve as police; they answer to the priesthood.
Gaia: The Earth Mother. She created the Titans with her lover, Ouranos, the Sky Father. Pronounced GUY-yuh.
Gods War: The final battle between the Greek Gods and Titans in which the Gods lost and were either killed or imprisoned in Tartarus.
Hades: Greek God of Death and the Underworld, older brother of Zeus. His symbol is the bident (a two-pronged trident). His imprisonment at the end of the Gods War prevents mortals from dying, but not from aging or becoming diseased or injured (see zombie). Pronounced HAY-dees.
Losers: A popular insult, and also the name of the lowest free caste in society. Most slaves live better.
Loserville: Slang for the run-down, economically challenged area of East Othrys; its population are “Losers.”
New Greece Theocracy (NGT): An oppressive regime built on what’s left of America after the Gods War destroyed much of the rest of the world. The NGT runs along what was the west coast, from Washington state to California. The Titans used their magic to transform its climate to match that of the Mediterranean.
Night Patrol: Armed bands of human-hating monsters that enforce the after dark curfew. Mostly made up of centaurs and harpies.
Othrys: Capital city of the NGT; named after Mount Othrys in Greece, birthplace of the Titans and their former capital on Earth. Previously known as Los Angeles. Pronounced AWTH-rees.
Ouranos: The Sky Father. Lover of Gaia, the Earth Mother. Devoured by their son, Cronus. Pronounced OR-raw-nos.
Pankration: A form of mixed martial arts practiced by the warriors of the NGT. It combines boxing and wrestling, with lots of takedowns, chokes, and joint locks.
Rich-O: Loser slang for the wealthy caste.
Zeus: King of the Gods, ruler of Mount Olympus, brother of Hades, and son of Cronus. His symbol is the lightning bolt. Pronounced ZUICE.
Zombie: A person who should be dead but isn't, often with a traumatic brain injury. Zombies are doomed to wander in pain for eternity―or until Hades is freed from his prison.
About Daniel Mignault
Daniel Mignault started in the entertainment industry from a young age as an actor and model surrounded by worlds of fantasy and imagination.
As Daniel grew older, he found his passion change from being in front of the camera to creating the stories and characters he once played. Now a full-fledged writer, Daniel is ready to bring his stories to life.
Titan is his debut novel.
CHECK OUT DANIEL’S FILMS AND VIDEOS
Visit his IMDB page or visit his YouTube channel.
For more information:
www.danielmig.com
www.imdb.com/name/nm3693355
About Jackson Dean Chase
Jackson Dean Chase is a USA TODAY bestselling author and award-winning poet. His fiction has been praised as "irresistible" in Buzzfeed and "diligently crafted" in The Huffington Post. Jackson's books on writing fiction have helped thousands of authors.
From the author: “I’ve always loved science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but it wasn't until I combined them with pulp thrillers and noir that I found my voice as an author. I want to leave my readers breathless, want them to feel the same desperate longing, the same hope and fear my heroes experience as they struggle not just to survive, but to become something more.” — JDC
Get a free book at www.JacksonDeanChase.com
jackson@jacksondeanchase.com
TITAN
Copyright © 2018 by Daniel Mignault & Jackson Dean Chase. All rights reserved.
“Climb!” © 2016 Jackson Dean Chase, previously published in Be the Magic. Used by permission of the author.
First Printing, July 2018
Published by Jackson Dean Chase, Inc.
Cover Art by Christian Bentulan at www.CoversByChristian.com
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