"I can't do this again... I can't do it to Aidan." I looked at the sound of my name, feeling my bodiless condition complete the action of frowning. She grabbed the toilet paper and wiped her mouth after spitting into the water, flushing the toilet before straightening herself up.
She looked at the mirror again, looking curious and sad all at the same time. She pulled up the hem of her shirt, admiring her belly for a second before sucking it in. When she decided she couldn't fool anyone with that trick, she breathed out again and set her hands over her tummy once more.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to no one in particular, her hands beginning to glow. Despite the familiarity of this situation I felt myself jump in shock as her magic permeated her skin, sinking into her belly. Tears streamed her face like rivets as she stood there, absorbing the magic from her hand.
When she pushed the door open, Valentina was standing there, looking at her curiously. Their faces were barely illuminated by the candles hanging in the air, lighting the dark hallways of the Underworld. This couldn't be more than a day-old memory. If that. Right before we had gone to Olympus to find the key. Why didn't Savannah tell me?
"I felt it," she whispered.
"What are you talking about?"
She held out her hand to her best friend, the girls taking each other and holding on tightly. "Your baby, I felt its soul come into the Underworld. And I could feel your pain. Why are you doing this?"
Another blow brought me back to reality as my head crashed against the stone wall behind me. Disoriented, I looked around for Savannah, wondering why I felt much concern for her when she was doing well earlier. Montgomery was opponent-less though. She was fine. She had to be.
Asher was only an arm's length from me and I reached out, grabbing his neck much in the way he had magically done to Griffin. There was something deeply satisfying in squeezing the life out of him but it didn't last long. He returned the favor with a magical blow that left me seeing stars as I crumpled at his feet. He didn't need to be close to do damage so he backed away, putting a comfortable distance between us.
When he was ready he threw another blast at me, this time I managed to conjure a bolt at the same time and threw it toward his magic. They collided, the explosion rocking the whole room lighting it in a blast too bright for their eyes. But for me, I could see more clearly than ever before.
I drew another lightning bolt and used this chance to fire it right at Asher, landing a perfect blow to his chest. Not where his heart was but it was good enough. His body flew across the room, pinned briefly to the wall by the force of my magic before it slumped to the ground in a heap. I had never experienced the kind of smugness I was currently feeling.
I stalked toward him, ready to finish this. I was sick and damn tired of people threatening me and my loved ones. I was going to put a stop to this arrogant little ass and I was going to finish off Soren before returning my family to our rightful place on Olympus. I was King of the Goddamn Gods and I was not going to let this go any further than it already had.
But I should've been paying more attention to the room and my friends around me. I couldn't hear Griffin's anguished cries over the soft buzz that permeated all sound in the room from my blast. I was too focused on my own battle.
The bolt I had sent to Asher had been strong but not enough to bring down the Demi-God who had been collecting magic for Gods knew how long. It didn't matter though; my magic was buzzing through me with excitement at the prospect of what we were about to do. I could conjure bolt after bolt right now and never feel depleted. I was riding high on the success of my own kill shot.
Conjuring another bolt, I twirled it around expertly and moved closer to him with the intention of finishing the job now. It took two bolts for Lincoln, it would take two for Asher.
"This is what happens when you screw with my family," I sneered as I towered over him, holding the bolt as it sparkled and crackled toward its target. “When you get to Tartarus, you tell any other little bastard there with daddy issues who thinks they can overthrow me, ‘boring old Zeus’, this is exactly what will happen to them."
It soared through the air with every intention of hitting its target when Asher moved at the last second, rolling to avoid it while he threw his own blast of power at me. I went to dodge it when it collided with my next bolt. And there was Griffin, flying right into the middle of what we already knew would be a huge explosion.
"Griffin!" I shouted, despite all better judgement and the room exploded in bright light once more. The room rocked and I watched Asher stumble from his knees to his feet. He cast a leery glance my way before running for the door.
"I'll be back Father, just you wait." Instinct told me to go after him. If I let him get away now, I risked him healing and collecting more magic. But Griffin landed before me in a heap and I rushed to his side, sure he was dead. He had to be. He had absorbed an entire blast into his body. God or not, it seemed impossible he would be able to withstand that kind of raw power.
But as I reached his side he looked as he always did. A little skinnier than he should be, a lot paler than was natural and one more bruise to add to the collection he seemed to sport.
"Jesus! He blew you up." I tried not to touch him too much as I examined him for damage but he was perfectly fine. Griffin must've united with his God as I had mine. Thank the Gods.
"Huh?"
"Asher blew you up and here you are, not a scratch."
"Asher," he whispered back to me deliriously. I frowned at him, wondering if maybe he had lost his memory. If he hadn't, interestingly enough, the guy was more coherent drunk than he was sober.
"Asher, yeah, the coward ran. Throwing a half-assed threat over his shoulder. Won't be the last time I see him, I'm sure." I glanced at the door once more with a second frown, regretting already that I had let him get away.
"Asher."
"Griffin, are you okay?"
"Life-force." He sat up, grabbing my face between his hands. It made me jerk as he touched me and we both stared at each other. And then he started drawing my magic from me. I could feel it and I knew exactly what it was because it felt the same as when Savannah and I had been practicing how to share powers.
His magic snaked into me, permeating my veins and stealing their warmth as he surged through me, collecting every ounce of life I still possessed. My body went rigid, my muscles tensing as it found itself being attacked. I couldn't move my hands despite every urge willing me to grab him and pull him away from my face. Maybe if I could send a shock of magic through to him it would be enough to jolt him away from me.
"Grif-" The sensation made me gasp as my entire body felt like someone had dropped it into a pool full of ice. No matter how much I tried to concentrate though, my magic refused to cooperate and I couldn't force myself to use magic. It couldn't come. Was he doing that? "Griff-in..." I managed to say his name and he snapped out of the delirium he had gone into. He looked around, searching the room for something.
"Valentina?" He looked lost as he glanced around desperately for her. My eyes followed his, searching for her as well. "Valentina." He gasped like he remembered something before stumbling to his feet and running off toward his girlfriend. I coughed a couple times as my senses came back to me but I no longer felt the high of my power anymore. If anything, Griffin's attack had left me feeling shaky and weak, neither sensation was something I was comfortable with. I touched my face, making sure everything was still in place as it was supposed to be before I looked around for Savannah.
I still couldn't spot her but something in my gut told me that wasn't a problem. I would know if something was wrong with her, I would feel it. We had a connection. Like Griffin and Valentina did before Soren severed it. Maybe she had gone back through the portal to get Zane and Royce, both who were handy in a fight and eager to help.
I shouldn't worry too much about her right now, I had to get Griffin back under control before he did something stupid while he was out of it. I pushed myself
to my feet, approaching him as I heard him speaking to himself.
"This isn't real. Let me wake up." He clung to a dark shape of a human, the ashes of their form crumbling under his hands and I felt my stomach turn with horror. What had he done?
"Griffin." I knew he had the power to take people's lives, but this was not what I had pictured when I imagined it. I had seen firsthand the effects of his magic back in the throne room during the take-over and this is not what he had shown us. And he had done it to me, the little prick. And that person, whoever it was. Because it wasn't who I thought it was.
As soon as I considered it, I felt my heart drop right into my stomach and I stared at the heap of ash in his arms. My throat tightened and my head pulsed with fear and anger. No, Griffin couldn't have. Not to her. "Griffin, who is that?" It took every effort on my part to make my voice work but I knew I had to ask.
He sobbed and my heart seemed to have stilled in my chest resumed its motions, pounding against my rib cage far quicker than it should. No. It was all I could think as the voice in my head, my God, screamed. It scattered all my self-control.
It couldn't be, I refused to believe that the shell of a human in his arms, crumbling to ashes from the pressure of his touch was Valentina. Our Valentina. My Persephone.
Chapter 5
"Griffin. You need to let her go, you're destroying her." Through my own rage and heartbreak, I knew I needed to pull him back before we had nothing left of the princess. I touched his shoulder, perhaps startling him as he turned viciously toward me with every intention of throwing a punch.
"Hey." I caught his fist, twisting his arm to disarm him and he gave up the fight immediately. I wouldn't call Griffin and I friends, but watching his heartbreak killed me. I couldn't imagine what he was going through because I couldn't fathom something like this happening to Savannah. "Hey." I was shit at comforting people, I knew before this happened. But as I patted Griffin's back, like I was burping a baby, it was never clearer to me how bad I was at this. "I'm sorry." Well, that was lame.
I stared at the ashy remains of Valentina and swallowed hard, still numb from the shock of it all. Minutes ago, she had still been here with us. How was this possible? It didn't feel real.
"Aidan?" My head whipped around at the sound of Savannah's voice. I knew I was not equipped to deal with her grief as well. I knew all too painfully Valentina had been Savannah's best friend. "Oh. Oh no. No. That's not. Please..." My skin felt itchy and uncomfortable as I heard her start to cry. I pulled away from Griffin long enough to catch Savannah as her knees buckled, holding her against my chest and patting her head like she was a dog.
"Okay. C'mon, we need to get home." I couldn't do this, I really couldn't. I was a terrible boyfriend, but I didn't have it in me. Griffin let out another anguished cry that twisted my heart and stomach. Savannah tensed in my arms and she looked at me. Her eyes were red already as they glassed over with the pain she felt for Griffin as well. Reaching out, I brushed my thumb under her eyes, collecting the pooling tears. I didn't know what to say or where I could even begin to comfort her.
We couldn't afford to fall apart right now. That much was clear. We needed to get back to the Underground, we needed to regroup and we needed to come up with a plan. I swallowed the last of my emotions and did what I did best: shut off. Now wasn't the time for the King to lose his shit. I was going to be fine, if I needed to be fine for the next two hours or two years, I would do what I needed to, to make sure my people didn't lose it.
"Savannah, help Griffin. I'll... get Val." I swallowed hard as I released Savannah. She did as she was told, moving to the other God's side and helping him onto his feet. I watched her struggle with him for a moment, making sure he didn't fight her or Gods forbid throw a punch before I turned to the corpse on the ground.
I took a moment to close my eyes, taking a deep breath before I bent to carefully lift her. It was a struggle to not knock more of her crumbling form off. Once I was sure I could make it through the portal I walked, careful not to take any steps that might jar me and lose her.
Passing through the entrance back into the throne room of the Underworld, I was unprepared for the reception. I knew Valentina had made herself known with most of the Gods but I would have never guessed how passionately they all felt for her. People were crying, others looked angry and out for blood. But none was so awful looking as Griffin who was standing near the heap of destroyed thrones on the dais.
People tried to get a look at her as I passed but I only had one goal in mind: get to Griffin. I stopped behind him, staring at the destruction and knowing Valentina wouldn't have approved of it.
"If I summoned her, would she come?"
"I don't know, Griffin. Do you want her to come?" I could barely handle seeing my own mother in that unnerving ghostly form. Would I be able to handle seeing my soulmate like in Griffin's position? No. It would be the thing that sent me over the edge. Unfortunately, Griffin has always teetered on the edge. Would her death be the thing that pushed him over? "You'd have to send her away eventually." He didn't answer me, his back still turned as we both stared at the mess of his throne and I continued to hold onto the corpse of innocence embodied.
The thrones beyond us began to float, putting themselves back together as if nothing at all had happened. I watched the final pieces fall into place and Griffin's shoulders slumped with defeat.
"Typical. I can fix chairs, but I can't fix her." He turned to face me and I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't fully understand what had happened. Given Griffin's reaction though, I sensed it had something to do with him. I couldn't help but still wonder if maybe it had been his magic that had done this to her. The angry, hateful voice in the back of my head reminded me Griffin had a tendency to screw things up. Was it out of the realm of possibility he had done this to Valentina? Or if he wasn't the direct cause of this, he had obviously been there, it begged the question of why he didn't try to stop it.
"Where do you want her?" My throat ached as I forced myself to speak. I needed to focus on the task at hand, keep myself busy instead of speculating and giving into my building anger over this unfair turn of events. Grief was a funny thing; and today had been overwhelmingly awful with it.
I stepped away from the dais, hell bent on putting Valentina down before I lost anymore of her. A sarcophagus appeared in the middle of the room, made of gold. It was covered in flowers and vines, candles surrounded it and illuminating the bed where she would lay for eternity.
"Here?" I walked over to it, careful as I laid her down making sure not to disrupt any of the pieces that were still holding her together. As I stood there staring at her, my heart throbbed in my chest while my hand hovered over her face. I wished she looked real. I wished it wasn't her.
My jaw tensed as I fought the burn at the back of my eyes. I would keep it together.
Everyone piled in around me and I stepped back, letting them get a good look at her. I wished I had the ability to make her appear like herself instead of as this carcass of soot and smoke.
"Now what do we do?"
"We hold a funeral rite, like the Greeks would've."
"Does anyone want to say anything?" Savannah stepped next to me and slipped her hand into mine. I was thankful she was able to step up in my place and lead this moment. Griffin was understandably useless and I was at a loss for words. I was afraid if I did speak I would break, letting my armor slip and that was the worst thing that could happen. I needed to be strong. I was strong. I repeated the mantra over and over again in my head. Hopefully the more I told myself, the more of a reality it would become. It was better this way. If I didn't feel anything at all, I wouldn't fall apart in front of my pantheon.
"Val was... Val was a light in a dark room. She had this uncanny ability to make everyone she met feel like they mattered to her even if she knew nothing about them. She had the biggest heart of everyone I ever knew. And she was so insightful. For someone her age, it was amazing how she had this wisdom beyond her
years. She always had the right thing to say. She could make you feel better in a moment. She was such a beautiful individual."
"Valentina never stopped smiling. I have never met a person who never stopped smiling. She was blessedly optimistic that even when there didn't seem to be a chance in hell, she believed for the both of you."
As people spoke, giving deep meaningful eulogies to honor her memory, Griffin moved ever closer to her corpse. Savannah was tense at my side as she watched him, expecting him to break at some point. To be honest, I'm sure everyone present was waiting for him to snap. It had to be coming soon, he couldn't last this long before losing it again.
When he moved to touch her, Savannah pulled herself away from me and moved to his side, "Griffin?" She reached out and I supposed he touched her because her voice grew stern like she was a mother, "Griffin."
"She's trapped."
"She's gone, Griffin." The words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. I turned from the pack, taking a few long steps away from people as my hands fisted at my sides. Anger coursed through me at a pace I had never known before. I knew her death had been avenged but I wanted nothing more now than to rip off the face of whoever had done this.
Sucking in a sharp breath through my nose, I forced myself to pull it together before turning to face the group once more. As I approached the memorial once more, I overheard Savannah telling Griffin he ought to say something for her memory. Zeus wanted me to as well, he wanted to speak for the daughter who had been close to him in the way most teenage daughters were with their fathers. But had I known Val well to properly honor her? Had any of us in a single month?
"Val, I didn't get the chance to say it enough, but I love you. I think in a strange way, I've always known I love you. The first time we met, after you'd spent weeks hiding from me and taking care of me, you took my breath away and I knew. You were it. The whole reason for my life. But I ruin everything I touch. And you were no exception. I ruined you... And I'm sorry. It should be me here and not you. I should be the one who is trapped and alone forever with no one crowding around to say their condolences because I didn't deserve the love you offered me. I would trade places with you if I could. I would give my life ten times over to bring back your smile and your beautiful laugh."
All Hail the King: Modern Greek Gods YA/NA Series (Grace of Gods Book 4) Page 4