by Logan Keys
And she kisses me with sheer desperation, and I kiss her back, pulling her into my arms the same as we had done in her prison cell, only, this time, I do not—will not—let her go.
We break apart, gasping. “Because I love you, Gaea. I think this is the human fatalistic kind of love and yet, I cannot stop myself from wanting you. Should you perish and then what? I am alone again.”
She shakes her head, hair flying, misery stamped across her features. “Then I shall not go.”
“I cannot ask you to live here as a prisoner.”
“It is not a prison if it is my choice.”
I pause. “You would choose this?”
“I choose you, Thanatos. To dine with death for all eternity. I cannot promise that I will not venture out when I feel too trapped or when I feel like justice is needing me… But I will never leave for good. I choose your home as my home. Your life as my life.”
“And I cannot promise I won’t go to find you and bring you back.”
We both laugh, and though I worry at her promise, I am glad that she is not leaving here and now. Right this moment, she is here. That is enough.
“What are you thinking?” she asks.
“There is me and you and nothing else,” I say. “Nothing else.”
And I prepare to dive into oblivion with the woman who first chained me with my own bindings, and now she’s locked down my soul a second time.
Epilogue
Thanatos has a surprise for me. He says to come outside, and I know that since Hades and Persephone, and their children are here, he means to ask me to marry him.
Planning my pretend surprise, I exit the manor in a dress of gold to find a familiar beast at the bottom of the walkway. It’s my favorite mare, Sangoria, only, she’s now been changed to live in the in between like the black horse I’d ridden before.
I can’t help my glee as I race down the steps and hug my arms around her giant neck.
Thanatos seems relieved. He must have known of her passing and asked for a favor. “What is it?” he asks me, when I laugh and shake my head.
Hades and Persephone look on with conspiratorial smiles.
“I thought you were going to ask me to marry you.”
“Ah. Well, a horse is better.”
I laugh again. “Yes. Much.”
His eyebrows raise, but I’m too busy grabbing my horse’s mane to mount her and take her for a ride. Thanatos was ready for that, as he’s brought his own beast, and together we make for the forest, as I give Persephone a happy wave before we enter the dense fog.
We race one another for the boundary and I slow, thinking he will want to return, but Thanatos gallops through.
I follow, surprised, and a tad nervous. It’s my first time back since I was attacked by Pothos, but the sun is shining in my old world, and my brother’s land is full of growth for spring.
“It’s beautiful. How I’ve missed the sun,” I say, leaning my head back, reveling in the heat.
We ride to the hill that overlooks my brother’s kingdom. I’m nostalgic, but nothing more. There is no pull to return to my old life. I smile over at Thanatos. He is what I look forward to now.
“I thought you might enjoy a brief respite from the gloom,” he says, dismounting, and I follow suit.
Together we walk hand-in-hand to the highest crest. The wind catches my hair and I’m moving it from my eyes to find that Thanatos is before me, on his knee. He’s holding a jewel the size of a robin’s egg.
I don’t have to fake my surprise.
“Wed me,” he says and I snort a laugh, because this is so like him, to be full of pretty words when they are unexpected, but plagued with brevity, when they are expected.
“Yes,” I say, realizing that this is all that was needed.
He puts the ring on my finger, and rises. “That was short,” I say as he wraps his arms around me from behind.
“As will be the celebration,” he replies into my ear.
“Oh.”
“Yes, Persephone and Hades are planning it now, but promised that dinner would be quite prompt and without lingerers after.”
“Hmmm, why?”
“Because,” he says turning me to face him, pushing some loose strands of mine behind an ear. “The asking may have been short, but the ceremony of the joining, will be quite long.”
“Ceremony of the joining? That’s not a real thing… is it?”
“Oh yes,” he says straight faced. “Days and days.”
“Of bedding?”
He nods. “I’m not sure even a Warrior Princess can handle it.”
I shake my head and walk away.
“Where are you going, my soon to be bride?” he calls after me but I’m already mounting my horse.
“Let’s get this party over with, my handsome god.” I kick Sangoria into a gallop as I call back. “For I have nothing left but curiosity and time!”
And it is said that the joyous laughing of the death god, can still be heard on that very same hill to this day, if you listen close enough.
Dear Reader,
We are so glad that you’ve joined us in the Lands of Gods! We hope that you will continue the journey with us as we have a lot more in store for you. When we began this road into the Underworld and beyond, we decided that the Lands of Gods would be an epic background for our romance stories. The magic and mayhem, and of course, thrilling disputes amidst the most powerful. Nadia began this with Hades and I’m finishing our Underworld portion of this journey with Thanatos.
Soon, we will see the human world, and even others beyond that with Artemis and eventually Ares himself after being cursed! Even Poseidon is on the list for his encounter with romance unexpectedly.
I hope you enjoyed reading Gaea’s and the Death Gods story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Who doesn’t love LOVE? It’s what drives every human on earth---or in our case…immortals! It was fun researching and relearning the myths, then writing them for our own.
Do you love mythology? If so email me any time at [email protected]
Thank you for reading and we hope you will leave us a review to keep us posted on what you thought about In the Veil of Shadows, and if you are anticipating more.
xx
Logan
About the Author
Bestselling horror author Logan Keys is currently working on both her new disaster post-apocalyptic series The Long Fall while embarking on a new fantasy journey into Greek mythology. Sign up for her newsletter www.logansfiction.com click "VIP UPDATES" on the right-hand side of the page
Logan says she’s not so much a writer as she is a soothsayer and preparer for those who are still blissfully unaware. Her stories aren’t dystopian but rather a warning for the next generation. When she’s not writing disasters, zombies, vampires, superheroes, and robots, she’s fighting against government over-reach and oligarchy using military tactics mixed with a little bit of poetry.
Logan’s currently stationed in Kansas with her husband, two kids, and furbaby while starting her voyage into fantasy, but she’s still “keeping it real” and writing futuristic sci-fi on the daily.
Saving imaginary planets one story at a time she says, “My words are my riot.”