I mean, it hurt me like hell, but still… I love that sound.
Hyperion shouted, cursed, tugged my hair harder, focused on drawing the sword up to my throat. I got my leg up and kicked his wrist, knocking the sword out of his grip.
"Ha!" I said, and he snarled, his face a mask of rage as he started shaking me, pulling my hair even harder. We rolled, wrestled further, and then he was springing up, surprising me with his speed again, and he leapt toward Hades, who had apparently been creeping up to get him off of me.
"Enough of the games, Olympian," Hyperion growled, and his attacks against Hades came harder, more vicious. He had Hades down before I could even blink, and he was slashing toward him. I barreled into Hyperion again, and he swung wildly, missed me, then slashed out at me again.
He had one huge hand on my throat, squeezing hard. I tossed fire at him, and he roared in pain and squeezed harder.
Um. Okay. Someone having the upper hand when you're wrestling is never good. When that being is an enraged, humongous, fully-armored Titan, you start wondering if maybe getting into a fight wasn't one of your best ideas.
It was starting to get hard to breathe, and I was positive my throat was bruised. I bucked my body up, shot more fire, tried breaking into his mind.
Okay. Now where the fuck was my father?
I started feeling myself blacking out, tried rematerializing away.
"Oh, no you don't, Fury," Hyperion said, giving my neck another shake. "I am going to enjoy being able to tell all your sycophants that I took your life."
I wanted to laugh. Yeah, that's what I had. It would have been funnier if his face hadn't stated blurring in front of my eyes.
I feebly tried fire again. Apparently, no matter how supernatural you are, that whole "oxygen to the brain" thing is still important.
I tried twisting, trying to get a bit of relief from his grip on my throat. He was talking, snarling, and I couldn't make sense of any of it. No idea what language it was or if it was something that counted as a real language at all. I was able to turn my head just enough to see my father lying on the ground, knocked out cold.
Well, that was just perfect.
It felt like my eyes were going to explode. I clawed at his arm, but it was useless, my fingers just sliding off of the armor. Everything started going black.
At that moment, something knocked Hyperion off of me with such force that his fingers ended up ripping at the flesh of my throat, tearing deep gouges in the skin.
I didn't even care. I lay there, trying to suck in gulps of air, trying to get my head to stop spinning. My dad must have snapped out of it, I thought as I gulped for more air. I could feel the flesh of my throat knitting back together, but it was going slowly, since I was already weakened from having Hyperion choke the life out of me. I forced myself to sit up, and even that little motion had me feeling like I was going to puke my guts out. I gritted my teeth, swallowed hard, determined not to throw up on top of everything else. I glanced toward where my dad had been passed out. He was up now, but he was sitting, too.
So, clearly he hadn't knocked Hyperion off of me. I heard crashing and screaming in the sky above us.
I had to shake my head, close my eyes, sure my mind was messing with me.
Nether was fighting Hyperion in the sky, shooting that pure white energy she has, and her voice was clear, enraged.
"She is mine to kill, you Titan bastard!"
Well. Nice to be of value, I guess.
Hades stood up, made his way toward me, then pulled me up, not exactly gently. I gritted my teeth.
"Thanks. I didn't just almost have my head popped off by a Titan or anything," I said.
"You were supposed to be protecting me, I thought," he said, smirking, reminding me of my warnings before we'd started fighting Hyperion. We both looked up, watched the battle still raging above us.
"Should we, uh…do something?" I murmured.
Hades shrugged. "Maybe they'll kill each other and solve the problem for us."
"I kinda doubt it," I said.
It was mesmerizing. Hyperion (now wielding his sword again) slashing so fast it looked like he was on fast-forward, and Nether shooting those white blasts of energy at him, my flames. Hyperion's golden hair, which flowed down his back from beneath his helmet, was on fire, and it was enough of a distraction that Nether used it to her advantage, shot another force of energy at him, and Hyperion went tumbling through the sky above the treetops.
Nether was vicious. Holy shit.
She whipped Hyperion across the sky by his hair, threw more flames, keeping them concentrated on Hyperion's heavy armor.
Yeah. Fire plus metal. Not a great combination. Hyperion screamed in agony, and Nether kept tossing more flame at the armor, keeping a steady flame on the chest plate.
With a final scream of agony and rage, Hyperion disappeared with a "crack." Which meant he'd retreated to lick his wounds, but we'd be dealing with him again.
Nether landed in front of us, eyes on me. Her hair was still a mass of snarls, her clothing torn and filthy.
Hades went forward as if to confront her. Her gaze hardened, and I put my hand out, pulled Hades back.
I don't know why I did it. She was dangerous. She wanted to kill me. I knew that.
But I also knew that she wasn't right inside, and I wasn't interested in fighting with someone who had just saved my life.
Besides, I wasn't in any shape to fight. Not after the beating Hyperion had given me. And Nether had made Hyperion look like a lightweight.
"Thank you," I said softly, and Hades stared at me incredulously. "I know you only did it so you'll have your chance to kill me, but thank you."
Nether watched me, confusion written all over her face. "Another time, my Prison," she finally said. She gave me a short nod, confusion still flowing from her, and disappeared.
"Well, what the hell was that?" Hades demanded.
I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "I'm not strong enough to fight her right now," I tried to explain as we rose into the air. "Though I forget: you were knocked out cold while Hyperion was kicking my ass."
Embarrassment came from my father, then irritation. There was a shock. "I thought you said you had it," he said.
I didn't answer. I started flying toward the loft. My neck itched from healing. I wasn't bleeding anymore, and when I put a hand to my throat, the flesh there was no longer shredded. Of course, I had blood all down my shirt, but that was pretty much a daily occurrence. I just wasn't used to it being mine.
"You should have gone after her. You have this soft spot toward Nether, and I do not understand it, daughter." Hades was working himself up into a froth now. "Do you not remember her nearly killing your mother? How you had to give just about everything to save her? How that act led to Strife freeing her? How she used your body and powers—"
"All right," I snarled. "I remember all of that. All right? I remember. And considering that I was the one she was possessing, I don't think you have the right to be more pissed off than I am about it. Pull yourself together."
"You forget yourself far too often, Mollis. I am still the lord of the dead," he said.
I rolled my eyes. "Don't expect me to start kissing your ass anytime soon. You wouldn't expect it of my mother, so you sure as hell shouldn't expect it from me."
We flew in silence for several tense minutes. I was relieved when the neighborhood where we were renting came into sight.
"You're going soft on her, and I don't understand it," Hades said, making an effort, it seemed, to sound reasonable. "Like you said, she used you. Took control of you to hurt people you love. She's threatened you and everyone you have ever cared about. Yet whenever you have her in your sights, you don't go after her. It makes no sense."
"She's stronger than me," I said. "I need to plan something before I try to face her. On even ground, she'll wipe the floor with me."
I kept my gaze focused on the house. I couldn't wait to get there, away from crazy-ass
immortals.
He wanted more of an answer, and I didn't have one to give him. He finally left with a "Good evening, then, Mollis," and blinked out of sight. I flew the rest of the way home in silence.
I couldn't give him the real reasons.
First: she was broken, and I don't hurt broken beings. It felt wrong.
Second: She was in no hurry to kill me. That much, I knew for sure.
And finally: I owed her my life. No matter what else she'd done afterwards, she'd saved my life when I was buried in the soil of the Nether. She'd given me enough power to free myself and get revenge on my enemies. And when I'd needed an extra jolt, she'd never held it back from me.
Despite all of the crazy, evil shit she'd done, I couldn't forget any of that.
I'd have to deal with her eventually. Just not right then. With a sigh of relief, I landed in the back yard of our rental house.
Chapter Eleven
For the next few days, life was fairly normal. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and, other than all of us being constantly tense, wondering when Hyperion or Nether would try to strike again, things weren't too bad. I spent a lot of time flying around looking for Hyperion. Nether seemed to have pulled a disappearing act. I checked for her at my old house twice after the Hyperion incident, and she wasn't there.
I didn't like it. I had hoped she'd stay put.
Nain and I got in late, both of us tired and annoyed after a fight against the final vampire cell that was opposing Rayna. Hopefully, this meant the vampires would be left alone for a while. I was looking forward to a hot shower, something to eat, and a warm bed with my husband in it.
The second we walked in the door, we were met with Brennan, pacing across the living room. It had been his babysitting shift, and a glance around showed both kids blissfully asleep.
He stopped pacing when he saw us. "Well, we heard from Hyperion," he said in greeting. "He said he's going to have a show for everyone during the Thanksgiving parade. He called it in to my personal line at work. And he called the DPD and the mayor, too."
I threw my hands up in irritation. "What the hell is even the point of that?" I asked.
"That's what I asked him. That guy is a major dickhead, by the way," he added.
"I noticed," I muttered.
"He said, and I quote, he has no reason to hide and is looking forward to spreading truth and making the mortals see the light."
"What an absolute asshole."
"He could be bluffing," Nain said. "Get everyone watching the parade, then attack somewhere else."
"Are we willing to risk that?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"Okay. I guess we're going to the parade, then," Brennan said.
"Ugh," I said in response. We spent the next couple of hours figuring out who to bring in for help and plotting our positions along the parade route. We talked to the local alphas of the shifter coalition. By the time we felt like we had a somewhat workable plan to protect all of the thousands of Normals at the parade, it was closing in on dawn.
I checked on Zoe one more time as Nain locked up behind Brennan, and then I pulled him into bed with me.
We spent the next few days coordinating with the feds and DPD, and working with the shifter coalition to plan our surveillance along the parade route. By the time Thanksgiving Day rolled around, we were all thoroughly sick of talking about it, and, from the emotions of my teammates, we were all significantly more freaked out about the whole thing. The big build-up, the planning, the wondering had us all more on edge. We were used to coming in and cleaning up. It was bizarre to have this much advance notice of possible trouble.
I had a sneaking suspicion that was part of Hyperion's game. That, and to get as many eyes as possible on the parade. There had been "leaks" to the media that a threat had been made for parade day, and it had been reported and debated almost nonstop on both local and national stations.
I spent the early part of Thanksgiving morning with Nain and Zoe, relaxing in our bed. An hour before parade time, we got up and dressed and dropped Zoe and Sean off with Gaia and Meaghan. Then Nain took my hand and we rematerialized on the corner of Woodward and Congress, which was where the parade route was supposed to end. We met the rest of the team there, and I immediately felt sorry for the mortal members of the group — it was freezing. I was relieved yet again that cold weather didn't seem to bother me. Brennan, Petersen, Jamie, and several of the shifters from the coalition stood with me, Nain, my parents, Megaera, Athena, Heph, and E. We were all there, except for Demeter, Persephone, and Gaia, who were with Meaghan, Zoe, and Sean. We weren't taking any chances with them.
"Okay. Eyes open. The Netherhounds are around, and they're acting as another couple sets of eyes," I said. "It's entirely possible this is a game, and he's going to attack elsewhere. We all know that. But I'm not willing to risk these people on that."
Petersen nodded. "Matthews, we're mobilized on this, right?"
Brennan nodded. "The entire division is out here today, patrolling the crowd. DPD has feet on the ground too, in uniform and plainclothes."
"If he shows, your job is to protect the Normals," I said. "Do not engage directly with him. Or Nether, if she shows. That's my job. If he ends up elsewhere, we have enough shifters watching out that we should get word soon. If that happens, immortals grab a mortal and rematerialize where we need to be."
I looked around, my daughter and friends at the forefront of my mind. I really hoped the bastard just showed up at the parade, despite the possibility of a bloodbath. "Okay. Let's do this," I said.
We split up, each team member heading toward the area of the parade route they'd been assigned to. Then I exchanged a look with Nain. "This is fucking terrifying," I said quietly.
"It'll be okay," he said, voice low, rough. I could sense the worry coming from him. Rage. Always rage. "Be careful, baby."
"You too," I said. "I love you."
He leaned down and kissed me, and for just a moment, I let myself revel in the sensation of his lips on mine, his tongue caressing mine, the feel of our power mingling.
"I love you, too," he said against my mouth.
Then he let me go, and, with a final glance, he stalked to the area he was supposed to be patrolling.
And that left me. I was kind of everywhere. I walked through the crowd, not bothering to try to hide from the excited looks of the Normals. I put up with the phones raised, taking pictures of me. I made myself ignore the way it felt like having my armor stripped from me every time someone captured my image. I maneuvered between people, keeping my eyes out for any sign of the gold that I now associated with Hyperion. Every once in a while, I'd catch sight of one of my teammates or my dogs. (Netherhounds. I still couldn't quite believe it.)
I started hearing the marching bands, and when I looked toward the parade route, I noted that the procession had started. The crowd started cheering. The first marching band was playing "Jingle Bells," and a float with a gingerbread house on it followed behind them. I kept walking, my mood very much not in alignment with the merriment around me.
Story of my life, really.
I didn't let my gaze rest on any one place for long, trying to see everything at once. It was some encouragement to know that my mom, aunt, and I could actually feel Hyperion as soon as he was near. He wouldn't take us totally by surprise. At least, that was what I was hoping.
I tried not to think about what would happen if he happened on one of my other team members first. Nain. If I let myself think about the danger he was in if Hyperion went after him, it was enough to make me nearly insane with fear.
The parade went on, bands and floats, giant balloons, dancers. Clowns. After an hour, I started hoping it had all been a ruse. He wasn't going to show. He was probably laughing his ass off, watching the parade on television.
The end of the parade was always Santa's sleigh. The nearest marching band started playing "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" and the crowd went nuts. I could see the sleigh coming along the p
arade route, hear the kids in the crowd shouting "Santa!" in excited voices.
Santa.
I felt something, turned toward the sleigh and the jolly man in the red suit. And then, Santa was being shoved out of the moving sleigh, and Hyperion was there, in his full armor.
The crowd started screaming, and I could hear Hyperion's laugh above the terror.
"Do you fear me, humans?" he roared, and it was met with more screams. The Santa was up and running away, and the crowd had started running away as well.
I guess they were finally starting to realize that sticking around when an insane being showed up was not the best idea. Better late than never.
As the people ran, it quickly turned into a situation that would result in people getting trampled. All those little kids in the crowd.
"Stop running, humans!" Hyperion thundered.
I rematerialized behind him as I noticed with irritation that many of them were stopping.
He turned, smirked, and then slammed me hard with his shield.
Well. There went my jaw. I could feel it hanging loosely as I tried to stand up. Screams erupted from the crowd again as I shot some of my fire at Hyperion, and he charged me, threw me into the nearest building.
"This. This is your champion. This pathetic, worthless being? Have you seen her past? Because I have, humans. How many has she murdered? How many has she tortured? How many of you, innocent humans, have had your minds, your memories tampered with by this monster?"
I pulled myself out of the crumbling brick of the office building he'd flung me into. I could feel blood trickling down my back. I was dizzy, but I tried to look strong.
Nether: Hidden Book Five Page 14