Finding Paradise (The Gods of Oakleigh Book 1)

by Juanita Kees

  “Screw you. If I have to endure your company, please be quiet. The game is about to begin. This is one soul you won’t be taking away today.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  ***

  The Demons won the toss and chose their goal. Odys and Jax lined up in centre field ten metres from the ball and waited for the whistle to blow. Odys kicked off and Jax drove the ball forward, only to be met by resistance from Craig. The arrogant tosser was in his face, taunting, testing his patience, and playing a dirty game. Jax wanted to plant him squarely on his arse but this was a battle that deserved skill and sportsmanship, so he performed Maradona’s tiki-taka move, and between him and Odys they performed a series of short passes that had McMahon crying foul.

  The crowd booed and the referee called, “No foul, play on.”

  McMahon amped up his attack. He shifted into open spaces left by the Hellenics, approaching the goal using his wingers, and attempting to feed the ball to strikers. Jax shadowed him, waiting for an opportunity to seize the ball. In the moment it took McMahon to look for an open pass, Jax stole the ball and drove it to midfield and beyond.

  Anger flared as McMahon gave chase, fisted his hand on Jax’s shirt and yanked. Jax stumbled while McMahon fell. The referee blew the whistle to stop play, and held up a yellow card for McMahon. The crowd cheered, McMahon swore and Jax shrugged it off.

  For the next forty minutes there might as well only have been three players on the field, when the ball never made it past midfield. McMahon took every opportunity to abuse Jax who ignored the taunts completely.

  The half-time whistle blew and Jax jogged over towards the sidelines, hesitating only slightly when he spotted the figure sitting next to Zeus. His glance slid to Zeus and Jax raised an eyebrow. Hades. Jax wondered how much money he’d bet at office to see him lose and what the odds were.

  ***

  Curious, Arian followed Jax’s gaze and studied the dark man in the suit. Cold, empty eyes met hers and she sensed a deep-seated evil in his being. Shivering, she tore her gaze away. Hatred for Hades boiled in her blood. Zeus had promised to keep him away — another broken promise. What was Zeus playing at? As determined as Hades was to take Jax’s soul, he shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near them.

  Arian … Catching her gaze, Jax’s voice reached for her mind. Please, be careful.

  She tucked her hands under her bottom to stop herself standing up and reaching for him, knowing she’d lose more of her heart if she touched him.

  Promise me you’ll stay away from him. After his humiliation in Paradise, he’ll be looking for revenge.

  She frowned. It’s no business of yours, Ajax the Great. I have my own powers to fall back on. Rejecting him splintered her soul and made her eyes sting with tears. Weakness was the devil’s playground, and she was damned if she’d let him take advantage of her sorrow in losing her soul mate.

  Hurt and shame flickered in Jax’s eyes as he held her gaze. Even so, stick close to Helen and Zeus. Don’t leave them at any cost. They will protect you from his powers. Stay safe.

  For a moment Arian closed her eyes and imagined his hand cupping her cheek, pretending he really cared, because she would never feel his touch on her skin again. I will. Now go kick some Demons arse.

  He ran off to join the team, leaving Arian even more curious about Hades’ presence at the game. Cold fear gripped her spine and panic flooded her mind. He’d come for Jax. She’d saved his life for nothing, cleansed his soul and set him free, only to die again by Hades’ hands.

  The second half began with less monopolisation of the ball by the three men, and Arian suspected the referees had had a word with the coaches.

  “Does our lovely queen know what is truly at stake here?” The dark man’s voice lifted above the calls of the crowd to reach Arian’s ears.

  “Shut up, you fool,” growled Zeus.

  “She doesn’t? Oh my, what a dangerous game you play, old man.”

  Arian frowned. Jax’s warning not to engage him echoed in her head and she forced her attention back to where Odys had driven the ball close enough to the goal to aim a kick, only to be blocked by the Demons. The crowd groaned in frustration and Zeus’ response was drowned out.

  “Excuse me, my dear.”

  The voice, dark and thick and sinful as chocolate, reached for Arian as the crowd quieted. She felt the pull of it reaching into her mind, drawing her attention until Helen broke the spell by leaning across and touching her hand.

  “Ignore him. Focus on the game,” she said aloud and the man chuckled.

  “That’s not going to help, my lovely Helen.”

  “I’m not your lovely anything, you slime.”

  He clicked his tongue. “Careful, my dear. Tis not so long ago you committed your crimes and I might take home your soul instead.”

  Arian shivered at the threat. Terror, sharp as the blade of Jax’s sword, pierced her stomach. There were so many ways he could carry out his evil promise, so many people who could be hurt or killed in the process.

  “That’s enough,” roared Zeus. “Hades, if you can’t behave and have the decency to wait for an outcome without throwing the match, please bugger off.”

  Arian looked at Penny, who was too busy watching Odys to notice the man who’d joined them. Perhaps she couldn’t see him. Black thoughts edged into her mind, wisps of evil and doubt.

  The feeling of unease that had dogged her since meeting the gods crept back into the pit of Arian’s stomach. You are my heart, my soul, the very breath in my lungs. Jax’s words echoed in her head. She looked out onto the field and found him in the scuffle of bodies as they fought over the ball in the Demons’ half. I’m a descendant of the Welsh goddess Arianrhod, the Queen of Reincarnation.

  Unease grew to full blown nausea as pieces of the last few weeks began to fall together like pieces of a badly cut jigsaw puzzle. Arianrhod, Faerie Queen and Restorer of Souls. I’m glad I saved yours tonight.

  Jax broke away from the pack, drove the ball down the field and with a hefty kick, sent it flying past the defence and through the middle post. The crowd roared and leapt to their feet, cheering. Arian saw nothing as the sense of betrayal pushed aside the fear and crept into her heart. Save me, Arian. Save me from the purgatory I have endured these thousands of years, from the clutches of Hades who snaps at my heels.

  She looked across at the dark man who’d also remained seated as the crowd had risen to its collective feet. He looked back at her with a sly smile.

  “He used you, my dear.” His lips moved but she heard the smooth voice in her head. “He pretended to love you to save his soul, not to protect you as he was elected to. A soul a coward does not deserve to keep.”

  Pain, sharp as a hot knife, stabbed at her heart. “No.”

  The crowd stamped on the concrete steps in the upper stadium and cheered as the action on the field heated up.

  “It’s true, and deep down … you know it.” Hades’ smile was smug now, the seeds of doubt sewn and beginning to bloom.

  “He showed me the Shield of Achilles.”

  Hades shrugged. “His reward for saving Paradise, keeping you alive for long enough to claim the throne. A payment that has nothing to do with love and everything to do with avarice.”

  “You’re lying. It doesn’t matter anyway. When the game is over, I return to my throne a queen and Jax will live forever in peace on Earth.”

  “On the contrary, my dear, today is his last day here because I will take control of Earth. Keep your little parcel of Paradise. Humans are far more gullible than faerie folk. Eventually I will rule the universe.” The crowd screamed, and chanted the Hellenics team song as Jax took the match to a three goal win over the Demons. “You, my dear, are simply another trophy, a means to an end, the giver of immortality, a tool I will save until the last good spirit falls.”

  Craig McMahon sank to his knees on the field, head in his hands, playing to his fans as the cameras panned in on him while the Hellenics danced around
the field and high-fived the spectators leaning over the fence. The cheers rose to a roar as a tinny voice announced the final score over the loudspeaker. “The Hellenics take the game in a record win ...”

  “That’s my cue. This will be the last victory your god sees. Don’t waste any more effort on him. Say goodbye, my dear. He doesn’t have much time left.”

  Excitement raised the roof of the stadium, fans cried and screamed around her, but for Arian time stood still and none of those sounds made the journey from her ear to her senses. Everything Hades said made sense. She’d been so blinded by the intensity of her feelings for Jax, so swept up in the magic of his loving, that she’d failed to see it. He needed her for nothing more than to live again. Confusion, anger, hurt swirled through her, a tsunami of emotions that confused the truth with the lies.

  Her throat closed around the anger and bitterness that rose. In her mind, Hades’ voice chanted, “Fool.”

  Once again, Arian Kendrick had been manipulated, she thought. Just like Craig had used her then cast her aside, Jax would do the same. Zeus’ words rang in her ears.

  This is my chance to pay your grandmother back, Arian. To make things right, to give you the piece of Paradise that should have been hers, and to present you with the gift of immortality so you may share it with the man who deserves a soul.

  What angered her more than the thought of Jax’s betrayal was that Hades had stolen Gran’s life, her happiness. She was damned if she’d let him do the same to her or Jax, no matter what his crime, not when she’d fought so hard to save him.

  ***

  Zeus sat down, exhausted and hoarse at the victory. He looked around for Hades and found the seat next to him empty. Headcount. Helen, Ermioni, Penny … “Oh, shit.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Arian ran hard to catch up with the devil. Ahead she saw Hades strolling along, taunting her with looks cast over his shoulder, laughing insanely.

  “Truth or lies, my dear ...” he taunted.

  “I won’t let you steal his soul, you rotten coward, nor will I let you take control of Earth.”

  “Who’s going to stop me? You?”

  “I did once and I will again.”

  “Ah, but my earthly powers are far stronger. I made it easy for you up there. Down here, I’m the king. Look around you, girl. Everywhere in this world there is evil. Murderers, rapists, thieves and terrorists … your sickly goodness is outweighed here. Go back to Paradise and enjoy it while you can.”

  Arian reached inside her cape for her sword, the hilt moulding into her hand, the blade ringing with power. She muttered her chant but Hades kept moving, the only sign he’d heard it a roll of his shoulders as he shook off the magic.

  He waved at her as he boarded the bus that waited to transport supporters away after the game. She followed, knowing that whatever he planned, she couldn’t let innocent people suffer in the wake of his destruction. Disgruntled Demons fans had already almost filled it, muttering their disappointment at the loss.

  “Get off the bus,” she yelled, raising her sword. Power flashed from the blade, taking out the overhead lights.

  “Oh, don’t make me kill you, Your Highness.” Hades sighed. “I’m not in the mood for messy business.”

  The crowd fought to get off the bus, pushing Hades aside. In the crush Arian lost sight of him. As soon as the aisles were cleared, the bus jerked and pulled away. The passengers at least were safe. She and Hades were alone, and she would put all her powers into stopping his plans even if it killed her.

  The bus swayed around the corner onto La Trobe Street. Arian braced herself against the seat in front. She looked across at the familiar figure in the driver’s seat. Hades looked back and smiled, sharp yellow teeth bared, his eyes cold and empty, the neatly combed, jet-black hair replaced with a flaming halo.

  “Why?” She braced her legs against the sway of the bus and faced him, her sword clenched at her side.

  “Why what?”

  “Why did you steal Gran’s fey, her immortality?”

  “She betrayed me, just like your chieftain betrayed you. She told me she loved me, and then she married your grandfather, the brave soldier, the war-time hero. We could have been good together. Her white magic and my black.”

  “How could Gran love a man like you? Her heart was pure and yours is as black as coal.”

  Hades accelerated through an intersection at the same time as a tram whistle screamed a warning, continued through two red lights leaving screeching tyres, crunching metal and smashing glass in his wake.

  “My heart wasn’t always black, my dear. Love destroyed me and your grandmother was the cause. Now you will suffer the same fate, sacrifice peace and happiness to pay for her mistake.”

  “I already have. I have nothing more to lose. Leave Ajax to live out his life in peace and take me instead.”

  Arian raised her sword and called upon its power. The blade glowed blue-white against the darkness inside the bus, a cool contrast to the red flames surrounding Hades.

  “I have no use for your soul, Arianrhod. Its purity is a hazard to my plans, a flaw, if you will. But Ajax the Great … his soul is tortured thanks to dear Athena, his mind already twisted. It wouldn’t take much to turn him to the dark side. Not this time ...”

  The intersection at Harbour Esplanade loomed fast. Clutching the back of the seat, Arian said, “You’ll kill me anyway.”

  “Oh yes, my dear, and you will not rise again. You’ll drown just like your brother did when you couldn’t find the courage to save him. I tried so hard to get rid of the both of you even then. Eliminating the Faerie Queen’s offspring should have been simple. You father was so easy to manipulate. Just like Ajax, he was weak with greed, wanted everything your grandmother owned, so he stood by and let your brother drown. The idiot couldn’t find it in himself to murder you too, so I killed him.”

  Memories flashed through Arian’s mind like a soundless black and white movie. Her father frozen at the water, her standing on the banks wondering why he watched instead of diving in to save his son … just like Jax had the day Ermioni nearly drowned.

  “Yes, my dear. I nearly had you that day but you muttered that stupid curse your grandmother taught you. You have no idea what pain that causes me. Luckily Athena gave me a potion to counteract it this time. She too will have her revenge today.”

  All their lives they’d been manipulated by the devil. Her whole family was lost to her because of greed for riches and possessions. As greedy as Jax was for the Shield of Achilles … enough that he’d sell his body to keep it.

  “Ajax will be devastated, his soul will sink into the dark depths of despair and he’ll be mine for the taking. Bait, my dear, that’s all you are and all you’ll ever be.” Hades laughed, loud and harsh.

  Arian leapt at him, over the rail between the driver’s seat and console. With a roar, she raised her sword ready to strike just as Hades put his foot flat on the accelerator pedal, rattled across the tram tracks, over the cycle path, through the garden and off the edge of Central Pier.

  Fear echoed through her as she fell back, hitting her head on the windscreen. Her sword clattered down the aisle as the nose rose and the bus became airborne, seconds before plunging into the freezing water of Victoria Harbour.

  ***

  Jax jerked back as an invisible cord ripped up his spine and pain spread through his body. His head pounded and fear gripped his throat. The roar of the stadium and celebratory cheers of his teammates faded rapidly as darkness enveloped him. He struggled to keep on his feet but a black force drew him down … down … until the air was almost severed from his lungs.

  “Jax?” He felt the grip of Odys’ hands under his arms, dragging him back out of the crowd. “What’s up, buddy?”

  “Arian … dying ...” he choked out.

  Then Zeus was beside him and he felt the touch of a bottle to his lips. Liquid dribbled into his mouth and down his throat, clearing the constriction. “That’s it, swallow.”
>
  “What the hell is going on?” Odys demanded.

  “Hades … I think he’s taken Arian.”

  “What? Zeus, you were meant to be keeping an eye on her.” Odys yelled angrily above the roar of the chanting crowd.

  Zeus shook his head. “Got caught up in the game. Took my eyes off the bastard for two seconds.”

  Jax coughed and raised his head as sirens screamed outside the stadium. He took the bottle out of Zeus’ hands and swallowed the contents in one gulp. Energy and magic poured through him, chasing away the darkness. “We have to find her quickly.”

  “This is Hades we’re talking about. She could be anywhere. Besides, you’ll need the Shield of Achilles for protection. Without it, he will kill you.”

  “There’s no time.” Blackness hovered at the edge of his vision, and the ripe smell of rotting garbage and sulphur seared his nostrils. With his mind, he searched for Arian’s thoughts. All he heard was the deathly silence interrupted occasionally by the sound of something heavy sinking through water.

  “I can’t help you then, Jax.” The stricken look on Zeus’ face gave him no comfort. “I cannot summon the shield here with magic. It’s too risky.”

  “Attention. Your attention please.” The loudspeaker rattled at full volume. “There has been an accident on the harbour. Please remain calm and stay inside the stadium as all exits have been closed to accommodate emergency services. I repeat ...”

  Jax sprang to his feet and took off at a run. The smell of sulphur increased around him, a sure sign Hades was close. Stay with me, Arian. Desperation lent wings to his feet as he charged through the crowd with Odys and Zeus close on his heels. Out the stadium and down La Trobe Street, he ignored the angry shouts from crowd control, dodged the grabbing hands of police officers.

  Fear tore at his gut. The Shield of Achilles, release from Purgatory, none of it mattered if Arian wasn’t there to share it with him. He had no need of a soul without her. Everything he had to live for lay in the hands of Hades.