“Me?” Raven scoffed. “What’s that Old Man?”
“You should be more polite to the one offering you the Godhood you seek so desperately,” Zeus advised as he took a step toward Raven. “Do you still want it? Do you still want to be an Olympian?”
“You know I do,” Raven countered as he stood firm. “One day I’m gonna prove to you that I’m just as good as you are.”
“Why wait?” Zeus dared. “Get on your knees, boy.” Zeus threw his arms wide and the sky overhead thickened with black clouds that blocked out the beautiful colors of the sunrise.
“Father?” Apollo grunted. “What are you doing?”
Although he didn’t take his eyes from his Grandfather’s gaze, Raven sank to his knees in the snow with his spear laid out before him.
Zeus raised the staff to the sky. Thunder rolled, it boomed so loud and so close it echoed throughout their bodies. Lightning crackled, it sparked, and streaked across the dark morning sky.
“No!” Alena shrieked.
“No, Alena!” Ares reached out, he grabbed her hard by the shoulders and held her back. “Don’t touch him.”
Caught in her Husband’s strong grasp, Alena wriggled, struggled, and continue to protest, “No!” she cried again but she was helpless to stop what came next.
In a regal authoritative tone, his voice boomed above the crashing thunder and brilliant lightning. “I, Zeus, Lord of Olympus, God of All Gods, Accept you Raven, Son of Ares God of War and the Dark Fae Bitch Magdalena MacLeod as one of Us. You are an Olympian fit to sit at the Counsel Table and claim his place among the Gods.” The white staff attracted the wild lightning as he held it up, up, up, and then directed it down at Raven in one forceful stroke. Lightning traveled from the heavens, through Zeus, through the staff in his hand, and exploded into Raven’s head. It cascaded down his body, making it convulse in the snow. “Rise new Lord of Olympus. Rise, Raven God of the Damned.”
Still struggling in Ares’ arms, Alena kept screaming her protest until the lightning subsided and Ares’ released his hold on her. She fell to her knees in the snow beside her Son. “Raven? Raven?” His eyes rolled over to her showing her only the whites for a long moment that struck her with fear before his irises finally descended. “Raven? Are you alright?”
“Never felt better,” he growled at her before shaking his head hard and then springing to his feet. “I feel fan-fucking-tastic. Wow!” He looked down at his hands and his arms, they didn’t look any different but they felt like they could lift locomotives over his head. Raven glanced over at his Father in amazement. “Is this how you feel?”
“All the time,” Ares agreed.
Every inch of him tingled, every synapse was turned to the fully ‘ON’ position and every pore felt as though it exuded strength and power. He felt invincible, unstoppable, as though he could take on entire armies with one hand and lay them all to waste. “What a rush!”
While Raven reveled in his new strength and power, Alena looked up at Zeus from her place on her knees in front of him. “Why?”
“You’re going to need him,” Zeus returned and then stepped back to take in the look of rage Apollo was trying to hide. “Go on, go save this world if you can,” Spreading his arms apart one more time the formidable Gates of Olympus opened.
Ares picked Alena up from the biting snow, wrapped his arms around her and led her through the vortex back to their island home.
The End
Lisa Beth Darling
August, 2011-October, 2012
Look for the next novel in the OF WAR series, KINGDOMS OF WAR is coming late in 2013.
About the Author
Lisa lives in her hometown of New London, CT with her husband of 26 years, Roy, and their two daughters. For more information and novels by Lisa Beth Darling please visit her website www.moonsmusings.com
OF WAR Anthology Novels 1-3 Page 147