Grigori Returned (The Atlas Series Book 2)

by Becca C. Smith

  Kala nodded. “Atlas knew Rotoph.”

  “Rotoph betrayed Atlas and the Olympians worse than any of us. The whole time he was really working for Cronus. He made them believe that he engraved the knives to help the Olympians take down the Grigori and then in turn kill the Titans once and for all.

  “Zeus fell right into Cronus’s hands. He was so focused on double-crossing his father, he didn’t see Cronus’s true plan coming until it was too late.

  “Cronus had convinced Zeus that the Titans were still weak from their last war, that the Olympians needed to take down the Grigori because they were stronger. Zeus suspected his father was up to something, but he didn’t know what. He thought having Hephaestus make the blades would protect them. He never suspected Rotoph would be working for Cronus.” Talan motioned for Kala to pull out the knife. “Let me show you something.”

  Kala took out the knife and placed it on the table. Talan pointed to a small rune in the shape of a slanted “F,” on the bone handle. “See that there? Rotoph seared it into every handle so that it would drain the power from the user. The more the Olympians used the blades, the weaker they became.” Talan sat back as he stole a fry from Kala’s plate. “Weakening the Olympians worked too quickly and the Grigori almost escaped banishment, but the Titans stepped in and used their combined powers to capture and torture the Olympians and seal us into the 5th Heaven.”

  “A lot of fives going on: 5th Heaven, 5th Level of Hell. What about one through four? Aren’t they any good?” Kala didn’t bother hiding the snark from her voice. She sipped her scotch and sighed in bliss. Just what she needed.

  “Five is a powerful number. Look at your human religions. The Torah contains five books, Jesus had five wounds, there are five pillars of Islam, the five sacred Sikh symbols. I could go on, but I can see the drool forming around your mouth.” Talan stole another fry.

  Kala liked this side of her stalker angel. Attitude and sarcasm went a long way with her. “Cute.” She grabbed some fries herself and began eating. They were greasy and scrumptious. Kala added thoughtfully, “Let me get this straight, the Titans spent too much energy destroying the Olympians and banishing you guys, so they hid in the 5th Level of Hell? Couldn’t the Demons or Malaks take them down at that point?”

  “A weakened Titan is still more powerful than any Demon or Malak,” Talan stated frankly.

  “What about a second generation Titan?” Kala asked of herself.

  “Thousands of years later? Yes, there are some Demons and Malaks who could challenge you, but you still have the advantage. Plus, you have two Grigori on your side. Not to mention Turner’s toys if you need them.” Talan finished off her fries.

  Talk of Turner reminded Kala of her Atlas task. She could tell Talan. “Turner may hate me after I complete my mission.”

  “You don’t have to kill Roberta, do you?” Talan’s face paled.

  “No. No killings…” But Kala didn’t get to finish her sentence.

  Through the door walked Rotoph, but this time he had company. Though they looked human, Kala knew that they were Demons. Three of them. Kala was surprised that she could now tell the difference between humans and Demons. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on. She simply looked at them and knew what they were. She wondered if it would be the same for Malaks.

  After Rotoph and the three Demons entered the bar, she got her answer.

  Behind them, entered two Malaks.

  “It’s about to get ugly,” she muttered under her breath.

  Kala was on her feet, holding the Grigori blade. She knew she couldn’t rely on it too much though. If it could drain the power of an Olympian, it could most certainly drain the power of a baby Titan.

  Talan took her lead and stood beside her.

  “Power?” she asked.

  “I’d say I’m up to half strength,” Talan answered.

  “It’ll have to do. And, by the way, this situation right here is why I wanted Derek with me. No one can win a bar fight like that man,” Kala reprimanded. Derek had always been her back up and she’d pretty much needed it on a daily basis. Bar fights were what Kala did best. She just felt sorry for the handful of people that were still in this joint. They were about to see quite a show.

  Kala watched the group of six make their way toward her. It was an intimidating sight for all the patrons to watch.

  The bartender stuttered weakly, “I don’t want any trouble.”

  One of the Demons waved his hand in the general direction of the barkeep and the poor man flew into the air, smashing against the wall of bottled alcohol behind him. Glass and liquid shattered and poured over his unconscious body.

  That was enough for the rest of the people in the bar. They took their cue and ran out the front door.

  Kala eyed the Malaks behind Rotoph and the Demons. She hadn’t had much luck with Malaks, seeing as the only one she ever met tried to kill her… twice. But these two stared at Rotoph with pure hatred.

  “Oh, don’t think these two will help you. They’re under my complete control.” Rotoph smiled.

  The Malaks looked positively enraged but didn’t say or do anything to contradict Rotoph’s words.

  Kala did the math in her head. If Talan was only at half strength, then Rotoph should be even less since she’d stabbed him later. Nevertheless, the fact that he could control two Malaks testified as to how powerful the Grigori really were.

  “What’s your deal, Dude? Why are you even here?” Kala gave him a look that diminished most men where they stood. But to Rotoph, Kala was simply irritating.

  “I’m here for him.” Rotoph pointed at Talan.

  Kala was surprised by that. “Talan? You seriously aren’t after me?” She looked at Talan and shrugged. “That’s surprisingly refreshing.”

  “Why me?” Talan asked Rotoph.

  Kala knew Talan’s curiosity was his Achilles heel. A part of being Grigori she guessed. She just wished he could focus on taking these beasts down as opposed to having a conversation with them. But Kala could use it to her advantage. As long as they were talking, they were off guard. And from the steaming piles of hatred radiating off the Malaks, Kala knew she’d have allies if she could break Rotoph’s hold over them.

  “Simple, Brother. I want you to help me free the Grigori from their prison.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Wait. What?” Kala felt the need to join in this conversation. “You were the one to trap the Grigori in the first place.” She turned to Talan. “Don’t trust this guy.”

  “I don’t plan to.” Talan kept his eyes on Rotoph.

  Kala felt the need to drive her point home despite Talan’s agreement. “And! You stabbed him in the back. Not really a way to show you’re a good guy.”

  “I don’t need to explain myself to a reject Titan who has a nasty habit of picking the losing team,” Rotoph snarled.

  Kala decided to try a little bluff. “Atlas was weak, and this lowly human consumed him. I might just do the same to you.” She didn’t think she could perform a repeat of the act. Nor did she want to. Having to integrate with one schmuck was difficult enough. But she needed to make Rotoph believe it. And from the look on his face, it worked.

  Kala decided to hammer the last nail in the coffin. “Being raised by a Grigori gave me everything I needed.”

  That did it.

  Rotoph took a step back.

  The three Demons didn’t like the way this confrontation was going. They obviously wanted a fight.

  More importantly, they wanted to fight Kala.

  The Demon on Rotoph’s right leapt at Kala full force.

  Kala was prepared. She shifted her weight to the side and avoided impact. As the Demon flew by her, she grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him against the wall. Dust and plaster fell in chunks to the floor where his body made contact.

  Rotoph ordered, “Attack her!”

  The remaining four Demons and Malaks came at Kala in a pack. Kala knelt down and tucked herself into a
ball as their groping hands reached for her. She rolled away, causing them to smash against each other.

  Rotoph used the distraction to reach for his brother. He was about to teleport Talan, Kala knew with certainty. She couldn’t let that happen. The little angel had grown on her, doe-eyed and all.

  The Demons and Malaks didn’t take long to regroup. The Demon closest to Kala grabbed for her throat. She used an Aikido move by rotating her arm to deflect the blow. Being fast kept her out of their grasp.

  Kala spun and jumped toward Rotoph before he could touch Talan.

  But Talan was on it.

  He threw his hand out: Rotoph grabbed his own throat, writhing, as if he were choking from invisible hands.

  Within seconds, Rotoph shook off the attack. Being Grigori himself, he knew all the tricks and how to counter them. Even at half power.

  Half power. Kala let the words roll in her head. She looked at the blade she was holding and immediately felt foolish.

  Vaulting onto a table, Kala kicked the nearest Demon in the face. Her Titan strength caused him to jolt backwards giving her enough time to leap to the next table.

  With only a few inches separating her from Rotoph, Kala slashed the knife forward.

  It was enough.

  A trickle of blood formed on the side of Rotoph’s arm from where Kala nicked him.

  Whirling around to see if her idea worked, Kala smiled.

  The two Malaks grinned at her triumphantly. Rotoph had no powers now, which meant no control over the Malaks.

  The first Malak called out, “We’ve got it from here. Go. Accomplish your mission.”

  The Demons snarled at their new opponents while the Malaks finally looked like they were fighting the right enemies.

  It sounded like a catfight breaking out as the Demons and Malaks tried to rip each other to pieces.

  Kala stayed on the table, watching as if she were witnessing a train wreck.

  Demons and Malaks didn’t fight elegantly. They fought like animals. They fought to destroy.

  Kala filed that away in her arsenal. Always know your opponent. And Kala was pretty sure she would be fighting a lot of Demons in the days to come.

  Rotoph reeled on her, furious, yelling over the noise of the destruction of the bar. “I stabbed Talan so that he would listen!”

  “Yeah, that’s smart, stab the guy you want to talk to. It’s too late to explain yourself, jackass. Next time don’t look like you enjoyed it.” Kala jumped down from the table and stood next to Talan. “Powers up?”

  Talan nodded. “Ready to go.”

  “Take us to Penny. I actually miss her.” Kala shrugged.

  Rotoph reached out, his face pleading. “Talan, please! Listen to me. I want to free our brothers and sisters! I just did something that could get me killed, but it won’t be worth a thing if you don’t help me!”

  Talan shook his head. “You turned against your own kind and left us in that prison to rot.”

  “Rot is a strong word,” Kala interjected, remembering the beauty of the Grigori pokey.

  But Talan and Rotoph ignored her. Talan looked at his brother with a genuinely hurt expression. “Why should I listen to a word you say, Rotoph?”

  Before Rotoph could respond, the two Malaks came at him from both sides.

  Then Kala noticed what was left of the three Demons laying on the ground. It was as if a bear had broken into the bar and mauled the three of them. Kala figured that was probably what the headlines would read when the bodies were found.

  Rotoph had no defenses.

  The Malaks ripped into him like savages.

  “Is he going to end up like these three?” Kala had a momentary pang of sympathy.

  Talan shook his head. “Grigori can’t be killed. Even powerless.” He turned to her, eyes sad. “Shall we?”

  Kala nodded wishing she could say something to make Talan feel better, but her mind came up blank. “Let’s go.”

  Talan reached over and held her hand.

  Kala’s surroundings blurred for a second. They re-focused sharply moments later when they teleported into Talan’s apartment. Kala felt a strange solace being back in Talan’s lair. Even though it was a tiny studio with the simplest of décor – a couch, recliner, super-sized flat screen and a small kitchenette – it still felt a little bit like home.

  Penny sat on the couch thumbing through her stack of papers. She looked up when hearing them arrive. “What took you so long?” Then she noticed the blood on Talan’s shirt. “What happened?” She hurried over to examine Talan.

  Talan waved her away. “I’m fine.”

  “Your shirt is covered in blood and it’s slashed. What kind of Demon could get the jump on you like that? Did she distract you?” Penny’s eyes barely glanced in Kala’s direction.

  Kala took back reminiscing about Penny. “His brother, Rotoph, had the privilege, thank you very much.” Kala pulled out the knife from her jacket. “Using this beauty.”

  Penny’s face turned about three shades of white. “Where did you get that?” She turned to Talan as if Kala had made up the whole thing. “Is that true? Rotoph attacked you?”

  Talan apparently didn’t feel like confiding in Penny, or maybe he just didn’t want to re-live it. “Yes, Rotoph stabbed me.” Talan’s eyes glanced at Kala.

  Kala was shocked that she knew exactly what he was telling her without him saying a word. He didn’t want Penny to know that not all the Grigori had escaped. Talan wanted to keep her in the dark, and by telling her that Rotoph needed Talan’s help to break out his brethren would reveal too much. Kala had no idea how she knew Talan’s thoughts, but she didn’t question it. Once she decided she could trust someone, Kala stuck by their side to the bitter end.

  And in Talan’s case, that could be very dangerous.

  Penny crossed her arms in annoyance. “Are you going to elaborate?”

  Kala stepped in front of her. “Why don’t you stop acting like a jealous girlfriend and do something useful. Did you find anything else in your scrolls?” Kala nodded to the stack of papers on the couch.

  Penny pursed her lips from anger and walked over to the couch. “No. Just more of the same.” She eyed the knife. “That doesn’t belong to you. My father made that knife, you should give it to me.”

  Kala laughed. “Yeah, right.”

  Penny turned to Talan for support. “You don’t honestly trust her with that blade, do you? She could rip your powers from you anytime she wants!”

  Talan was livid. He moved so that he was inches from Penny’s face. “I trust Kala with my life. The knife stays with her.”

  Penny didn’t argue. She looked positively shocked. Then her face softened as she turned to Kala. “I’m sorry. You’ve more than proved your loyalty. I’m just not used to everything being so out of control.” Penny laughed nervously. “I never thought I’d think of my days with the Atlas as easy, but compared to this?”

  Talan eased up on his attitude as well. “That’s the nature of prophecies. They come with a lot of destruction.”

  Penny sighed deeply and said to Kala, “The 5th and Zeus can wait. How can I help you fulfill your mission?”

  Her mission. Kala didn’t want to think about her mission. She wanted to find Zeus and force him to break the curse. The last thing on the planet Kala wanted to do was find Fortski and destroy his life’s work. If the curse was broken and balance went back to happening on its own, then Fortski’s cure for cancer would somehow be destroyed if that was what the universe wanted. Kala just didn’t want to have to be the one to do it. It was hard enough adjusting to the fact that she was a Titan. Without the curse, what would that mean? Maybe Turner would take her back and she’d be some kind of super soldier with her Titan strength.

  Kala felt like she deserved to be condemned to this life after what she did to Jack. But if Zeus broke the curse, then killing him would have been for nothing. It would just be murder. It left a gaping empty hole in her chest that was too painful to contemplate. If
she continued to do Atlas’s job, then at least Jack died for something.

  Penny grabbed her attention once more. “Can you tell us your mission?”

  Kala snapped out of her reverie. “No. I told you: I’m not ready yet. I want to confront Zeus first. Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to save your dad? What exactly are we saving him from?”

  Penny couldn’t hide her emotion. “Hephaestus is being held against his will by Cronus. He’s being forced to make weapons for the Titans and Demons. Rotoph sears the runes into them like he did with that knife. The fact that you managed to steal that blade is a small miracle.”

  “Not really a miracle, more like bad planning on his part.” Kala examined the knife more carefully. “This rune drains the power of the user. Can we get rid of it or something?”

  Penny and Kala both looked at Talan for an answer. He gently took the blade from Kala and touched the power-sucking rune. When he pulled his hand away, the rune still remained. Talan shook his head. “Rotoph always had a knack for this kind of thing. Owen might be able to remove it.”

  Kala took the blade back and tucked it into her jacket. “I don’t care if it drains me. I haven’t felt anything so far and I’ve used it twice. I’m thinking the Olympians did a lot more than just a few slices.”

  Talan’s eyes flared with bitterness. He nodded. “My brothers and sisters were hacked into pieces. Only a few of us managed to fight back, but even the injuries I sustained kept me weak enough for Cronus to banish us all. When the dimension sealed shut, there was nothing any of us could do.”

  Unsure of how to respond, Kala felt for Talan. Her rage grew every time she thought of Cronus and his lackeys hacking up angels. The supernatural were egotistical jerk-offs. Kala didn’t want to have anything to do with them. Of course, she was one now, too, and that only made her angrier.

  Kala imagined seeing Owen lying in pieces…

  “If we have this knife, where are the other eleven?” Kala decided to be tactical instead of emotional. It helped her in life when she didn’t want to deal with feelings she wasn’t ready to face.

  Penny was very sure of herself, “Cronus has them. After the banishment, Cronus sealed the blades away in the 5th Level of Hell. Rotoph and my father have been working for him ever since. I don’t think Rotoph knew what he had gotten himself into when he betrayed his kind.”