“Like the Titans were trapped in Tartarus, the Gods are trapped on Earth until he who holds the key welcomes them back to the mountain.”
“Magic has trapped them on Earth. Like a curse.” “Yes. And magic has exposed them to the dangers there that none of them know about.” “What dangers?”
“The reason Atlas brought you back of course.” I imagined all the worst-case scenarios that were possible. Picturing the horrors that might’ve come to my friends and I panicked. I was overwhelmed with fear for their lives, frustration at this Greek idea to keep secrets and angry because there was nothing I could do about any of it.
“What dangers!” I screamed, the panic bubbling out of me.
All three women snapped their heads in my direction, eyes narrowed. “Disbelief; people, no longer believe and without belief they have no power. Without power, they cannot protect themselves against the unseen... Creatures like us that have existed all this time that the Gods were sleeping. They were trapped in a conscious sleep until the Gods returned. Not all of us were happy about the imprisonment and blame the Gods for their selfish ways. Without belief to fuel their powers there’s only many ways a God might protect themselves against a Minotaur or a Kraken before they run out and can be killed.”
“Because they’re not fully ascended because the union isn’t complete.”
“No, because they have a limited supply of power on Earth. Without belief to fuel their magic there is only much power in each God outside of the three realms that can be wielded.”
“Like battery power,” I said quietly, but the women stared blankly at me. Pursing my lips in thought I considered my options for a moment before speaking, “I can go back to Olympus though.”
The women looked at me in confusion, “I wasn’t cast out. Hades trapped me here in the Underworld, trying to control me for himself, we – at least, I – wasn’t in Olympus when they cast out the Olympians. I could still get up there. I could steal the keys back from the Titans.”
“It is not a real set of keys as you think it is.” “What is it then?”
“Well, at first it was Atlas’ globe. It was to be Zeus’ lightning bolt. It changes depending on the owner you see.”
“Who is the current owner?”
“Coeus, Titan of Intellect. He is the one who came up with the plans. But-“
“But what?”
“He has gone mad, there is no humanity left in him.” “Like Cronos.” The women nodded at me sullenly. I brought my hand to my mouth, chewing on my thumbnail as I considered this. Turning around to consider the scene before me, the throne room was still empty but my eyes fell on the broken remains of Zeus’ throne.
“Where is Zeus? You said he was captured.”
“Zeus is being held by the Titans in a prison much like the one he put them into.”
“Is the prison here? Is it in the Underworld?”
The women shook their heads, their faces betraying the fact that they didn’t know.
“If Zeus wasn’t cast out of Olympus either I could find Aidan, I could free him and help him get the key... What about Hades, where is Griffin?”
I looked back at the women for answers; the only sound answering my questions at first was that of the hissing snakes.
“Hades has sided with the Titans, he has betrayed his fellow Gods and given them up to the Titans.”
“No, he wouldn’t do that.”
“He did. In a bid for self-preservation, he turned over Zeus and Hera to save himself and his domain.”
“No, he did it to protect me. If they had come down here and found me here, they would’ve cast me out as well, trapping me on Earth.” I was firm, absolute. Griffin wouldn’t do that, not after all the progress I’d made with him. I could even feel Persephone was sure Hades wouldn’t act rashly either. He wanted power but not enough to work with the Titans. He’d fought them in the first Titanomachia, it made no sense to side with them in this one. Hades was playing a game with the Titans, a dangerous one, but now I was as much a part of it as he was. He had freed me from the apartment knowing that I would find sanctuary in the Underworld. He must’ve hoped eventually I would learn of what was happening and I would be able to help. I would help. I had surprise on my side.
“If I got the Titans to come down here while I’m still here while I’m still the Queen, the rules apply to them, right? Those that enter can never leave unless given permission?”
“This is true.”
“For Gods too?”
“No, some Gods can come and go here freely, others would require permission.” I licked my lips trying to think about what I was going to do, or more important how I was going to do it. I wasn’t as powerful as Aidan; I couldn’t fight off a Titan and win. I also didn’t know how to lie to people like Griffin did to protect myself. But I was small and I knew how to stay out of the way if need be.
I could make myself invisible, that was my specialty because I was nothing special to begin with. If I could get up into Olympus and get into wherever the Titans were, I might be able to find out what the keys looked like for Coeus and steal them back. I could bring them to the other Gods and those Gods in turn to the Underworld... Then, somehow, I needed to convince the Titans to come to the Underworld as well where I could trap them.
I saw the plan formulating in my mind, all the things I needed to do, and things I was sure I could do with Persephone’s help. She was still with me and if we were still in Olympus I would have the power I needed to get to Griffin and to Aidan and help my other Gods out.
I turned to the hags once more and nodded my head, “Okay, I’m going to need your help.”
“We only step in to help when a God as been unduly sinned against. It is a shame what has happened, but it is not enough to required our help.”
“No, I don’t need your help with that,” I said flippantly, hoping that they wouldn’t see what I was doing. “I told you before Hades kidnaped me and brought me down to the Underworld against my will. He tricked me and lied to me, locking me in a room with no resources. I need you to help me exact justice on him for what he did.”
“We’re...”
They weren’t buying it. I licked my lips and tried again, “He intended to rape me and make me love him against my will, he told me he was going to take away my ability to have a choice. He was planning on keeping me locked in that room forever until I loved him.”
They exchanged glances between themselves, silently debating over what they were going to do. As I waited for their answer, I thought about Griffin’s thread and a renewed sense of urgency filled me. If Griffin was going to die it only made sense it was because of this, either because the Titans were going to try and take back the Underworld from him. Or they would find out he lied to them and his “loyalty” was all a ruse. Could I change its length if his fate were already sealed?
Remembering the small package Aisa had given me I fished it out of my bra, looking down at the soft linen in my hand. Licking my lips, I carefully undid it, pulling out another golden thread from inside. I frowned, dropping the bag as I straightened the thread out and stared at it. Was it mine? A part of me wanted to know and another part of me didn’t want to if it was.
I glanced at the Erinyes, but they weren’t looking at me, they were conversing with themselves, deciding on the judgment of Hades’ crimes. I hoped it was enough to get them to agree to take me to him; it might be my only way out of the Underworld.
I gripped the other end of the thread in my free hand and twisted it, watching the images appeared as they had last time. I frowned in confusion, seeing the images of Griffin reappear in front of me, but they started from him on the street – the first time I had ever seen him in Atlas’ globe.
He approached a woman who brushed him off and he turned away, curling into himself and slipping to the ground. His shaking hands pulled a needle out of its container and he filled it with heroin before injecting himself. The images showed me how scarred and damaged the skin of his arm
was from the injections he had given himself. Then for a moment he relaxed, falling back against the wall and letting his eyes close.
His body started to convulse suddenly, trembling out of control like he was having a seizure. His body slumped to the side and he puked. I didn’t understand what was happening or why this was important, or what it had to do with the thread. Atlas appeared then, lifting him up and disappearing with him in his arms. It jumped again to the hallway where I saw Atlas first bring him to Olympus, myself spying from the threshold of my apartment and the first time I had felt that longing to save him and help him.
“Oh,” I said softly, understanding now what this was. Griffin’s thread was short because he wasn’t Griffin anymore. He had died and his life restarted when he came to Olympus... He had overdosed, but Hades had saved him. Here I had been thinking of Griffin and Hades as separate entities but all along, unlike the rest of us, they were one in the same already.
That’s why his struggle against his God was much harder. Hades was already united with him; he had no choice but to give into the whims of his God. He wasn’t weak against Hades, he simply had no will left in the matter anymore.
I frowned, my fingers slowing down and I let the thread come to rest in a pool in the middle of my palm. If that was true then, Griffin had to in some way have wanted the things Hades did. He had liked Savannah, but Hades had taken it too far, and again... with me. But had Griffin’s feelings for me simply been a forced reflection of what Hades felt for Persephone? I’m sure Hades would project those feelings onto Griffin.
My feelings were muddled, I didn’t know what to think, but I knew what both Persephone and I were struggling with. We both wanted to believe that there was still some good inside of them and although they both made bad decisions, they weren’t completely bad men. The Erinyes had to be wrong. He would’ve never done this. It had to be a ruse, the more I thought it, the more I hoped it was true. I wanted it to be a ruse, and I would only know if I could get to Hades myself and figure out once and for all what was happening.
I looked up again at the Erinyes, who had finally stopped talking and were staring at me.
“You are right, it is unjust for another God to impose his will on another. Especially one such as yourself who has not completed ascension and would have no way of defending yourself. We will cast judgment on Hades.“
“No, I want to serve judgment myself. He is, after all, my husband. It is my choice. send me to where he is and I will deal with it from there.”
They looked unconvinced for a moment before finally nodding, “well but after this we will not interfere with the events that are to unfold.” They gave me a long look as if trying to convince me to change my mind. But whatever they knew didn’t matter, nothing mattered more to me than the fate of my friends.
I nodded, “I understand.” I bent down and picked up the small bag, slipping the thread back inside before securing it in my bra once more.
“Then, when you’re ready, that door will take you through and you will find your husband on the other side.” The one hag pointed to the wall to our right and a door appeared. Last time I’d gone through a door I’d ended up on a gigantic trampoline and shot back right to where I had come from. But these women had been far more helpful than the judges had been and they had said the Titans had corrupted the judges.
“Alright.” I smiled at them, “thank you for your help. I appreciate it. If there’s anything I can ever help you with, please find me.” I started toward the door, feeling Persephone’s power surge within me. Pushing it open, a ridiculously bright light filled the room making me squint and protect my eyes as I stumbled back in surprise. It took a few more blinks before my eyes adjusted and I stepped forward into it, hoping I was heading home.
Chapter 21
The door led me into a room I was far more familiar with than any of the others had done in the Underworld. I looked around at the shambles of the poor throne room, the room Atlas had put much effort into. It was all destroyed now, at least the parts that had depicted the glory of the Gods.
“Val?” I turned around to find Griffin staring at me, paler than usual and worry laced through his features.
My muscles felt stiff with caution as I stared at him, trying to gauge for myself which side he was on. As my Godly husband, I should’ve known how to read him but he was unfamiliar now as he’d ever been. He stood there waiting for me to reply I said the first thing I thought.
“It worked!” I cried in relief. If he weren’t faking it, I couldn’t let him believe I suspected it I needed to act naturally. I moved to him swiftly and wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, burying my face in the crook. It took him a moment to recover, to lace his own arms around me tentatively like he was unsure whether it was a joke or not but as I pulled back and smiled in relief he tensed.
“You shouldn’t be here. You need to go back to the Underworld.” His hands slid along my cheeks, cupping my face between them as he stared down at me.
I shook my head, “I know; I know everything. Don’t worry.”
“Val... It’s not safe, if they find you here they might kill you instead of casting you out. I don’t… I can’t.“ He swallowed and frowned, grabbing my arm and dragging me back to the door I had come from.
“Griffin, stop. Wait.” I pushed him off me, glancing worriedly at the opposite door before looking back up at him. “I know that you completed your union with Hades after you almost died.”
He paled, standing frozen in front of me, “Val, I’m sorry.“
I shook my head and cut him off, “it’s fine. I understand that when he has urges you can’t control him. I also know you kept me down there because of this, which means you both aren’t entirely bad.” I was going out on a limb, believing my heart here. It could backfire and hurt both myself and my Goddess. But I was sure, certain, he wasn’t evil. King of the Dead, Prince of Hell, no matter what his epithets were, he wasn’t evil. “You’re misguided, and that’s not your fault either. I forgive you, Griffin. I’ll always forgive you, but you need to forgive yourself.” Before he had the chance to say anything else to me, I slid my hands up his chest, pushed up on my toes and kissed him gently.
I still hadn’t fully forgiven Hades, that was up to Persephone, but I was glad Griffin was alive. I would even say I might love him, not that I was going to let Hades know. A kiss would have to do for now.
Griffin’s hands slid along my waist gently, kissing me back before he suddenly remembered the situation.
“Valentina.” He said firmly, pushing me away from him. “You need to leave. Please.”
I shook my head, “no because long as Aidan thinks you’ve betrayed him he won’t let you help him. I’m the only option we have anymore to get Aidan out of here. He needs to get the key back and we still need to find the other Gods that are dispersed on Earth. ” I frowned. There was a lot to do and not many of us left to see it all done. There also wasn’t any guarantee that my planning would do the trick. “You need to keep the Titans on your good side, you need to keep them believing you’re on their side and let me do what I need to do.”
“It’s dangerous, I won’t.“
“Stop arguing. You wouldn’t have set me free if you didn’t believe in some way that I can do this.”
“He set you free because she got through to him. He’s trying to be better for both of you, but siding with the Titans.“ He took a deep breath and looked down at his feet shamefully.
I held up my hand and shook my head, “If you’re going to tell me it was self-preservation, save it. Don’t tell me. I want to pretend you were doing the right thing.”
His face screwed up slightly and he nodded, “fine.” I had to admit though, I was a little curious to know what his reasons were for the things he and Hades had done. In my head, and my heart, I wanted to believe it was for wholly good reasons. But that was because I couldn’t fathom how I’d feel if it were for purely bad reasons and I was eternally an optimist.
I knew I had to keep believing Griffin was a good guy until he believed it of himself. Otherwise, he would give in and lose faith like I had seen him do all his life. He needed someone in his corner, acting like a cheerleader and helping him through. That was exactly what I intended to do.
I pulled away from him completely, mentally preparing myself for my mission. However, much I wanted to talk to Griffin, now that I knew it was Griffin and Hades there, now wasn’t the time. Our pasts and our futures would have to wait until another time when it would be okay to be selfish.
“Alright, where are they keeping Aidan?”
Griffin reached out and tenderly moved a piece of hair from my face to behind my ear before speaking, “Well, they were talking about a chair that Lincoln used”
“Savannah broke it when Aidan rescued her.” “Yeah, they mentioned that and then one of them came up with a backup plan – something about a rock and an eagle.”
I frowned, trying to think of what they could mean. Biting down on my lip I walked away from Griffin, recalling everything I had ever read about the Gods and Goddesses. I might’ve come from a strict Catholic background but the last month of researching and trying to learn everything I could about Greek mythology had to come in handy now. Even if it had failed me in the Underworld.
“Prometheus.” I finally said, turning around to look at him. “Zeus tied Prometheus to a rock and punished him by having an eagle fly to him during the day, tear his liver out and then at night it would grow back.”
Griffin looked sick at the idea before shaking his head, “Sounds about right. They seem to be all for punishing the Olympians for the wrongs committed against the Titans.”
“What about Atlas, he’s a Titan.”
Griffin frowned sadly, “Val, I don’t think they...” He didn’t finish his sentence, he didn’t need to.
My heart flipped and sunk, but I refused to believe it. “No. He told me himself it’s nearly impossible to kill him unless someone wants him dead. I can’t imagine they would’ve bothered to put that much thought into him. They must have him somewhere like they do Aidan.”
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