by Leia Stone
Rhea got the ball rolling. “I’ll go to Russia. My frost magic works better in that climate anyway.”
Athena shot her a withering glare. “I’ll go with you.”
They zapped out of thin air, and Cronus looked at Thanatos, who nodded. “I’ll babysit them and make sure they don’t fuck up,” he stated before disappearing too.
Okay, that was some sexist shit. Would he have said that about a man?
#Feminist #FeministWhoLikedAnacondaDick
Crius and Koios grabbed Ares. “We’ll take China.” And poof, they were gone.
Hyperion looked at Apollo and Okeanos. “Europe?”
They nodded. Poof … gone. Then it was just Cronus and I, standing on the beach in Bali, the waves crashing in and rolling back out, the beautiful house we’d been looking at before up in flames, humans screaming and shouting as more destruction rang across their beautiful country.
This was it. End fucking game.
Cronus stepped forward, cupping my chin in his massive hand. “I’ve never loved anything like I love you.” His heartfelt declaration had my heart pounding in my chest.
A slow grin tugged at my lips. “I love you too.” Reaching up onto my tiptoes, I captured his mouth in a kiss.
When he pulled back, there was regret written on his face.
“Cronus…”
He chewed at his lip. “If you love me, then you’ll forgive me.” He grabbed my arm, and in a blip of time we were in my apartment in Santa Barbara.
“No!” I cried. “You swore you'd never leave me again!”
He stepped away from me, and unlike when he’d left me in Vegas, he showed every ounce of his distress at doing this. “I promise, love. I’m not leaving, not like last time. I’ll be right back. I’ll deal with the sins and be right back.”
Tears streamed down my face. “You can’t. Once you take Death, that’s it.”
I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, holding tightly. “Please don’t do this. Don’t go like this. What happened to us being in this together?”
He looked tortured, his eyes wide, chest heaving. “Maisey … if you get hurt again … I’m sorry … I can’t ever live through that again.”
“Cronus!” I fought him as he pried my arms away from his neck. “You’ll die!”
He peeled my hands back with ease and gently placed me on the bed, pinning my arms above me. “When will you see?” he snarled. His hold was gentle, but his eyes were filled with fire. “I can’t die. Not really. Nothing can destroy me except seeing you hurt!”
I shut my mouth with a snap.
#HolyFuckingRomanticTitan
“Let me go, Mais.” He released me and stood. “Let me go. I’ll be stronger knowing you’re safe here.”
The storm in his eyes, dark and glittering, broke my heart into a thousand pieces. I needed to do this. For him.
“Okay. You can … go.”
His shoulders sagged with relief as he leaned down, reaching under my ass to haul me up into his arms. Our lips crashed together, my mouth opening so I could taste all of him. His tongue was dominant, stroking my own, bringing my body to life with just that simple touch.
And then he pulled away right as my brain was a fuzzy mess and my body a burning ember. A tear rolled down my cheek. He reached out with a thumb and wiped it.
“I’ll see you soon.”
It sounded like a promise, and I accepted that into my heart, choosing to trust in him.
“Hyperion and I will resurrect you.”
This was my own promise to him. I meant it with everything in my soul.
Our eyes remained locked, no more words needed between us.
Finally he sighed. “Thanatos is calling. I need to contain my sin now.”
My chest heaved but I held my shit together. “I love you, you big dumbass Titan.”
He grinned. “Love you too, human.”
Before both of us lost our nerve, he was gone.
I wasn’t prepared for the grief that slammed into me. I held it together for about eight seconds before my chest tore right down the center. Sinking down beside my bed, I wrapped my arms around my legs and sobbed until my throat was hoarse.
Chapter 12
Eventually I pulled myself together. Crying wouldn’t do shit, and I’d gotten the initial grief out of the way. Now I could monitor the situation in the best way I knew how.
Social media.
Computer and phone in hand, I had it open to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and about ten others. Flicking between them all, ignoring the billion notifications I’d amassed since my last time online, I focused only on world events.
Fires Spread Across China.
Riots in the Streets Across the World.
Russia Having the Coldest Day of the Year With Ten Feet of Snow.
Mysterious Virus Spreading Across Europe.
Oh God. The fucking world was ending; the sins had enough time to get it rolling. I wondered if we were going to be too late.
Pop.
My head snapped up to see Hyperion, blood soaking his jeans and smeared across his face. “It’s not working, we need you. Cronus is getting battered and the sins are so powerful. He can’t get them into the necklace. He’s definitely going to kill me this time, but there’s no other choice.”
I leapt up, not caring that maybe this was where I’d die. I’d rather be obliterated on the front line with my family than sit here alone, wondering if everyone I cared about was being destroyed.
The second Hyperion touched my fingers, we zapped away. The first thing I noticed was the oppressive heat. Hot flames licked the pavement around us. Cronus was throwing around a blue magical whip, lashing at the flames to keep them back.
“I told you not to get her!” Cronus yelled at Hyperion.
I gasped as I saw that his entire right arm was burned and blistering. Sickness, Turmoil, and Strife stirred within me at the sight of a raging fire. The flames were orange at the top, normal looking, but at the base there was an inky shade to them.
A woman was screaming out of her window as the flames lapped at the side of the building.
I shoved Hyperion toward the woman. “You help her. I got this.”
“Mais—” Cronus gritted out as a huge flame wafted his way. “You shouldn’t have come.”
The sins were pounding against my chest and a realization came over me. Cronus might have the necklace, but I was made for this. I was the box. I might be part human and too fragile to hold them all, but they needed me to get them into the necklace so that Cronus could hold them. Reaching out, I moved my hand closer to the flame.
“Maisey, don’t you fucking dare!” Cronus shouted, lashing out with his whip.
The sins thrummed harder in my chest and I just knew I could do this. “Get behind me,” I barked.
Cronus looked at me incredulously, sweat dripping down his face, blue magical whip in his hand.
“Cronus, this time you need to trust me.”
Those words did something to him; his face softened as he stepped back and got behind me.
Please don’t be wrong. #ILikeMyHair #AndMyFace
I released my sins, letting them emerge and coat my hand in black energy.
Then I grabbed a flame.
Holy shit.
It was warm but not hot. My sins protected my hand like a glove. As I breathed in, the fire started to suck into my palm and I felt the heat pulling into my body.
“Are you okay?” Cronus’ concerned voice came behind me.
I nodded. I was. Weirdly.
“It’s working,” he murmured.
I looked behind to see the fire funneling through me and into Cronus’ necklace. I was the one to control them, even if Cronus now housed their essence.
I grinned, facing forward again. “We got th—” I broke off as the fire formed a humanoid figure, shadowy and dark like he had looked inside the cave in New Zealand. Before I could even react, energy shattered around us, throwing me ba
ck.
Pushing hair from my eyes, I desperately searched for him, only to find he’d vanished, the fire left in his wake still burning.
Spinning, I turned to Cronus. “What the fuck was that?”
Cronus looked … unnerved. “He … zapped.”
I touched his necklace, which was searing hot. “But we had him!”
Cronus shook his head. “Partially.” He cursed. “We forgot to take them in order, and that must have given him a shot to break off. Now he’ll find the others.”
“That’s bad, right?”
Cronus’ grim features answered for him.
“They’ll join forces,” Hyperion reminded us of the reason we’d been splitting up in the first place. “We missed our shot. It’s too late to try and take them out separately.”
Like they’d heard his words, or he’d called them with his energy, the rest of our ragtag group of deities popped back into existence, gathering close. Most of them looked a little worse for wear, but all were alive.
“Frost is gone.” Rhea’s voice shook, her hair matted to one side with ice.
“So is Death,” Ares added.
“Famine fucking disappeared like a god. How did he do that?” Crius growled.
They all started to talk at once. Cronus held his hands up to silence them. “They were gods once, remember?”
“This doesn’t change our mission,” Hyperion reminded them. “It certainly makes it a little harder, but in the end we still have to figure out how to wrangle the sins into Cronus. Then we have to transfer them to something that isn’t Cronus, to remain locked away for eternity. Neither of these tasks are going to be easy. We need more help…”
“Free Zeus,” Ares urged. “You have to anyway, as per our arrangement. Best you utilize his power now. He’s certainly many steps above all of us. He can be an asset.”
Cronus stared him down like he was a maggot. “Many steps above all of us?”
Ares shifted his stance. “I meant … us, the gods.” He lowered his head.
#LearnSomeDamnRespectBoi
Cronus took a deep breath. “Zeus doesn’t want to stop the sins. He wants to release their power into the world because he thinks he’s strong enough to control them. I’m not sure his sort of help is actually going to do anything but damn us further.”
Ares shrugged. “I’m sure you can figure out a way to ensure his cooperation. You’re going to need him.”
Rhea sighed. “Let me talk to him. I’m his mother … surely I can convince him that this is the best for everyone, including the Greek pantheon.”
“No. We don’t need him,” Cronus decided.
Hyperion approached Cronus, lowering his voice. “Zeus has the adoration of millions. They have entire university classes dedicated to his study.”
Cronus looked like he was thinking of punching his closest friend. They definitely had some unfinished business between them. Tensions were high. “So?” he said dismissively.
Hyperion sighed. “So this makes him powerful. A power we will likely need to keep the world from ending. If the world ends, he cannot be adored. Let Rhea get Zeus on board.”
#YouTellHimBabyDaddy
Cronus looked torn, but eventually nodded. “Fine. Rhea will talk to him, but do not release him without my say-so. I want to hear his promise, forged in power, before I release that lock on the prison.”
Rhea curled her lip at her ex-husband, but she still nodded her agreement before she disappeared.
“Is there no one else?” I asked, because Zeus was a loose cannon and even with this promise I wouldn’t trust him. “And what are we going to do about the container to keep the sins once you have them all?”
We’d been down this path. No box was strong enough to hold them.
It needed to happen though. That way I could have my Titan back at full strength.
Cronus rubbed a hand across his face, and then, like he couldn’t help himself, reached out and wrapped his hands around me, hauling me into his body. A deep breath left him. “I fucking needed that,” he murmured against my skin. He was pouring off heat, and his energy felt … different than usual. Like it was heavier or something.
Whatever was happening with the sins, he was definitely on the edge of losing control. For a brief moment I wondered what that might look like.
#ShouldIPushALittleHarder
“The world chaos is calming down,” Hyperion said out of nowhere. Cronus and I pulled apart enough to see him. He was looking down at a smartphone.
#WhenDidHeGetThat #AndIsHeFollowingMe
“The news is reporting an easing in the death and destruction…” He trailed off, blinking rapidly in confusion.
Cronus on the other hand, didn’t look confused at all when I turned back to him. He looked pale.
“It’s the calm before the storm,” he said shortly. “They’re together now and they’re going to form one nearly unstoppable entity.”
“Faminefrostfiredeath,” I said in one breath. “Gonna need a nickname for it.”
My attempt to lighten the mood didn’t really work, and no one came up with any suggestion, so I decided to work on it more later.
#MaybeTheDeathSquad #IronicallyAccurate
“I might be able to get Hephaestus to help us,” Apollo said out of nowhere. “Your woman was asking about the container. He’s the only one that has a shot. You should have pushed for this earlier.”
Athena agreed. “You know he had a hand in forging the first box that held the sins. Maybe … he can make something even stronger this time. A cage that will never break.”
Cronus’ chest rumbled as he growled. “Hephaestus told me last week, in no uncertain terms, that he would die and kill the entire world before he helped me again. Hence the reason I have not bothered to ask again. He’s also not one we can force the hand of. His fortress is impenetrable, even for me.”
“Do you have an in with Aphrodite?” Apollo asked. “Maybe she can help sway him.”
Cronus paused. “No, I don’t. But … Selene did. Maybe she would see her daughter.”
Everyone looked at me.
“I’m willing to try,” I said immediately, wanting him to consider this idea further. If I was useful, he wouldn’t try and hide me away from danger again. “Why is it good to see Aphrodite first though?”
“They’re married,” Hyperion told me. “And if there is one soft spot that Hephaestus has, it’s the goddess of love.”
“And what exactly does Hepatitis do?” I queried while Cronus tried to hide his smirk.
“Hep-haes-tus,” he said slowly, “is the best blacksmith this world has. He alone can possibly build a container for the sins after I’ve captured them.”
Relief poured through me. Was there actually a scenario where he didn’t die? Why the hell hadn’t we talked about this before? He’d just kept saying no box he’d tried had worked, when all along there had been this infectious disease of a god sitting out there, blacksmithing shit and having the ability to build a container.
What if Cronus could quickly get the sins into his necklace, and then into the box … maybe Death wouldn’t take him.
I clapped my hands together, straightening. “Let’s do it, then. If this is the calm before the storm, that means there is a fucking storm coming. I for one wouldn’t mind some shelter…”
A Greek god created shelter in the form of a Sin cage.
“Hephaestus hates me,” Cronus said hesitantly. “I’m almost certain this is a waste of our time. I already asked him to make a box for you and he flat out told me to fuck off.”
Obviously there was a story there. Bad history between them. But now was not the time for old grudges. Now was the time to put that shit aside and fight for the world.
They could go back to their feud tomorrow. “Well, I can be persuasive,” I reminded him.
#Right? #HumanCharm #ImQuirky
“I’m going to rally the troops while you’re gone,” Hyperion said to Cronus. “As many gods as we can find
. The power is going to come in handy, especially if we’re fortifying the cage.”
Cronus didn’t argue. They seemed to be over their earlier fight, or were putting it aside to deal with more pressing issues. Under all of that, it was clear that a bond of trust between them was strong. I loved that he had a friend he could rely on the way he did with Hyperion. Everyone needed that in their life.
“Once this is all over, I’m going to do my best to kill you all again,” Ares spat out, arms crossed over his impressive chest. “Don’t take this temporary truce as anything else.”
Hyperion and Cronus both chuckled, clearly unconcerned. Okeanos, Koios, and Crius growled, and I couldn’t really blame them. The fucking Greek gods had already killed them once. Ares really should have thought his threats through, or was he trying to get a Titan beatdown?
“Why don’t you come with us, Ares?” Cronus said flatly. “Hep is sure to kill you at first sight for fucking his wife over the past century.”
Ares’ cheeks reddened, and with a growl he blinked out of existence.
“We’ll be back as soon as we complete our task,” Cronus told everyone. “Let’s gather somewhere away from the human population. Then, when we have the box, we’ll draw the sins to us.”
“How will we do that?” Apollo asked.
Cronus’ eyes flicked down to mine. I didn’t really understand what that look was about, but I liked looking at him so much I really didn’t care.
“I have a plan,” he murmured. “So just find the best place to set it all in motion.”
In a split-second his hand was on mine and we were flashing out of there to the sound of the gods and Titans cursing behind us.
When we landed, we were in a frozen wasteland, not a single living thing in sight. I blinked at how odd it looked, everything being white like this. The cold had my teeth aching as I shifted closer to the natural heat that Cronus threw out.
“Where are we?” I whispered.
He kissed me hard, and all of a sudden I was no longer frozen. “This is the entrance to Mt. Olympus,” he said, pulling away. “A sanctuary for the gods. There are multiple entrances, but this is the one that’s least used and easiest to get in undetected. Aphrodite has a place here, even though she spends a lot of her time with Hephaestus in his fortress. She also has her own chambers. If luck is with us, we’ll have a few minutes with her before her asshole bodyguard shows up.”