by Meg Xuemei X
I glared at them, desperately looking for a weakness we could exploit and finding none. We’d have a hard time defeating this bunch who had nothing else to do but practice their swords all day long.
“Fuck. This is all Mom’s fault,” I cursed again under my breath. But blaming Mom wouldn’t help us win the fight.
“You won’t be able to sneak by Tartarus, Princess. No one can.” A cocky male voice boomed like a bass drum.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“Show your face!” Axel and Paxton demanded simultaneously.
“It’s Tartarus,” Héctor said, “the warden of the Eternal Prison. I recognize his depressing and arrogant voice.”
“Your observation is inaccurate, Héctor,” Tartarus said. “It’s been a long while since I last saw you. And for your information, if you, your cousins, and your woman choose to fight me today, you don’t stand a chance.”
If I could get my magic to work like last time, we might stand a chance. But my magic wasn’t exactly steady, and I wasn’t willing to gamble on it, or to fight our way in or out. I needed time to let my magic sink in and all my powers align in the Void. This realm was nothing like Earth or Hell, and we’d constantly been interrupted. I barely even had time to muse or reflect, let alone practice my magic.
And the unceasing mating call in my bloodstream wasn’t helping me think straight, either.
So I took this chance as a cue to talk our way into the prison cell to see Dad instead of fighting our way in. “We have no argument with you, Tartarus,” I said. “We do not come here to challenge your prison system.”
“The system is flawless under my supervision,” Tartarus said.
I restrained myself from shrugging. I had a habit of challenging all authority, but this wasn’t the time to let my old habit screw things up.
“Is this the way you greet your guests, Tartarus?” Zak hissed, the tip of his sword making a sweep of the hostile guards around us.
“Zak,” Tartarus said. “It’s good to see you too. How are you? Aren’t you in Olympus anymore? What happened? Did your dad finally get fed up with you because his queen kept nagging at his ear on the pillow? Did he throw you out like garbage because Hera was jealous? Was your pride hurt, or your heart? Oh, but I heard that you didn’t have a heart. Then how did you end up sharing a pretty little mate?”
“You talk too much, dude,” I blurted. “Not everyone here is in love with your depressing voice.”
“Ha ha,” Tartarus said, with zero mirth in his tone. “One gets depressed and lonely guarding the Titans for eons. And they never stop being a big pain in the ass.”
“Get your minions out of our way, Tartarus,” Axel commanded. “Or they’ll regret getting in our way.”
“You forget where you are, boy,” Tartarus said. “You have no power here, so watch your mouth. I heard Ares knocked up some mortal tramp on Earth. Are you his brat?”
My mouth fell open a little. How could the warden know all these affairs in the middle of nowhere? Did he have a spyglass room like Mom?
Zak whispered in my ear. “He can read memories. That’s one of his powers.”
“And we have no shield against him in this realm,” Héctor said in dismay.
“I’m the master of my domain,” Tartarus snickered.
Then I felt a prick in my head. I instantly put on a mental shield and punched back the invading force. I felt its surprise as it staggered back, and it didn’t come near me again.
“Interesting,” Tartarus said. “You are indeed Princess of the Void. However, I don’t need to read your mind to know things. What you know, your mates also know. They’re the weak link in the relationship, and they’re dragging you down in the Void. Perhaps it’s in your best interest to ditch them and look elsewhere.”
“And you think you’re that elsewhere?” Axel snarled.
I called for my magic to surface again, preparing to give the warden a taste of my power. I was fed up with him deriding my mates.
“I see that you’re trying, Princess,” Tartarus said. “But you can’t use offensive magic in Tartarus. The force field here is like the thickest forest. It’s the most powerful defense force in the universe, considering what kind of residents we have in the prison. We don’t take security lightly.”
I didn’t believe him. All gods lied.
“Are you going to hide your face forever behind the big men?” Paxton sneered.
“Ah, another brat bred on the insignificant Earth,” Tartarus said. “Poseidon couldn’t keep his dick in his pants either. No gods in Olympus can. However, Princess Celeste manages to leash her demigod mates.”
“I don’t put a leash on them, neither do they put one on me,” I snapped. “We stand on equal footing with mutual—multiple—respect!”
“Of course,” Tartarus said. “Of course. I apologize for misspeaking.”
He didn’t sound sorry. Then, he let out a sharp whistle. We tensed, bracing for battle.
“That wasn’t a battle call,” Tartarus sighed. “That was equal to ‘At ease, soldiers’ in Earth language. Very often, I find words are too redundant, so I resort to whistling. We need to adapt if we want to survive in the cutthroat and ever-changing world.”
“He’s even more annoying than you, Paxton,” Axel told the sea demigod.
The giant guards lowered their shields and opened a path, revealing a giant god who wore a black leather biker jacket and red leather pants, with tacky orange boots.
A pair of pitch-black eyes were set wide apart on his pale face, highlighted by his short blond hair standing on end. He must have used a gel to achieve that style, but somehow he got it wrong. All wrong.
I blinked, trying to wrap my mind around the being before us. The warden wasn’t what I expected at all. He looked like an overdressed cartoon villain.
“People often confuse me with Hades, so I have to make a fashion statement to differentiate myself from the Grim Reaper.” He gave Héctor a pointed look, and Héctor shrugged.
Maybe that was why Tartarus carried a large hammer instead of a scythe. But according to myth, Hades was extremely handsome, despite holding a scythe wherever he went. I wouldn’t debunk the myth, considering how gorgeous Héctor—Hades’s heir—was.
“You’re Tartarus,” I said. “But this place is also called Tartarus.”
Tartarus waved his hammer, and my mates glared daggers at him. Paxton and Axel stepped half a pace in front of me, just in case the warden wasn’t careful with his hammer. The whole time my mates watched the guards like hawks, their hands never leaving the hilts of their swords.
“The realm is me, and I’m the realm,” Tartarus said. “Tartarus is a primordial force alongside entities such as day, night, and time. Perhaps your demigods should educate you on the history of the Titans and me as their superior jailer. Weren’t they your mentors at Half-Blood Academy? I like the name Half-Blood, by the way.”
I’d studied Titans’ history briefly, just not a supporting character like him, who turned out to carry a major role now since he held the keys to the prison. Plus, during my brief time in the Academy as an unwilling initiate, I’d spent a lot of time fending off bullies and the demigods, before warming up to my mates. And then there were three kidnapping attempts on me before I was taken to Hell. So who had time to read thick textbooks?
“Especially Demigod Héctor,” Tartarus continued, then sniffed. “Oops, I stand corrected. The formidable death demigod, Hades’ proud heir, is no longer a half-blood.” He sniffed again and widened his eyes for a dramatic effect. “You’re a mortal, Héctor! What happened? I’d love to hear the firsthand story, if you’ll indulge me.”
He was being a complete ass. He’d already read my mates’ memories.
“You haven’t changed a bit, Tartarus,” Héctor said. “You’re still a dick. No wonder they sent you here.”
“Thanks to your father,” Tartarus said bitterly, then waved a hand. “Let bygones be bygones. Now, where are my manners? Let’s ge
t you all settled.” He gave me another “friendly” once-over, which sent a chill down my spine. “Queen Lilith and I have a truce,” he offered. “I won’t hurt her one and only heir.”
When he mentioned my mother, his voice held fondness, respect, and fear all at once. But the words of “getting settled” didn’t ring well in my ear. Who wanted to settle in the Eternal Prison? It sounded like a trap.
“We’re just passing through, Tartarus,” Héctor said, clearly thinking the same thing. “We have another realm to visit.”
A shrewd smile coiled on Tartarus’s dark lips. “The Field of Forever, isn’t it? Queen Lilith beat everyone and smuggled the princess out of the Void twenty-one years ago, but this time it’ll be different.”
“Are you threatening us, Tartarus?” Zak asked, his calm voice at odds with his lethal stare.
“Of course not,” Tartarus said. “I’m merely saying that the Princess is finally home, so she should stay for a while longer.”
“I can stay for a little longer,” I said before my mates got into another argument with Tartarus. There was too much testosterone around me already, and I didn’t need a fight breaking out while I had a mission. “I need to see my father anyway. I’d appreciate it if you can show us his room, Tartarus.”
There was no need to beat around the bush since the warden knew exactly who I was even before I arrived in his domain.
“Anything for the Princess of the Void,” he said with a shark-like smile, exposing a row of sharp fangs. He waved at us, ignoring my mates’ glowers. “Come, my honored guests, let me be a gracious host and show you the insides of the Eternal Prison no one has seen before.”
CHAPTER 12
__________________
We followed the warden toward the compound domes as he swung his hammer over his shoulder. The prison guards spread out and melted into the gray background.
Tartarus gestured dramatically at the domes ahead. “We have three types of residents. The once-great Titans have lived in the silver dome ever since they lost the war to their Olympian sons. These days, children are a formidable force.”
He slanted me a meaningful look that I didn’t reciprocate.
“The black dome hosts the criminals who sinned against the gods. Our famous inhabitants include King Sisyphus, who killed all guests to his castle, seduced his teenage niece, and reported one of Zeus's sexual conquests, which was unforgivable.”
I rolled my eyes as we came closer to the domes. The gods’ double standards never ceased to disgust me.
Tartarus continued, ticking off a finger with each name. “King Tantalus cut up his son, boiled him, and served him as food to the gods. Ixion tried to sleep with Zeus’s queen. And Tityos, the giant, tried to rape Leto while she had a sexual relationship with Zeus.”
“We don’t care much about your residents’ history and crimes,” Héctor said. “We just want to have a quick word with Hyperion and get out of your hair.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Héctor. No one’s in a rush. I’m not in a rush.” Tartarus glanced at Héctor sideways. “And you might care. The gods have the pit of the black dome reserved for any ‘present and future threats,’ in their own words. They’re very strict with laws.”
My pulse spiked. Right from the beginning, Septum, the ancient elemental who hid in the Ever realm, had warned me that if the gods knew about my origin, they’d hunt me to the end of the universe. Ares had uncovered my heritage and wanted me for himself. When he realized that I would never be his, he tried to murder me. And now Tartarus also knew. I must make sure the secret of my origin never leaked out of this realm.
My mates’ expressions turned murderous as they shared my inner turmoil.
Tartarus smirked at us, especially at Héctor. He thought he had an advantage and that none of us could bring him down.
I pointed at the red dome. “What about that one?”
Tartarus shrugged. “It holds my experimental subjects.”
A chill crawled across my skin, but I didn’t ask more. The warden wouldn’t tell us all his dark secrets anyway.
Tartarus stopped at the metal door of the silver dome, and we halted too, with my mates between him and me.
Tartarus lifted the hammer from his shoulder.
“Now, watch. This is fun,” he said and rammed his hammer into the door. “Whenever I bang the door, the Titans inside all get a kick out of it. They look forward to my presence, as it’s the only highlight of their day.” He flashed his shark-tooth grin. I preferred his straight face, which was less unnerving.
The door swung open from the inside after an ear-piercing gong.
“All the domes are warded by the most ancient, powerful magic. Only my hammer can open and close the doors.” Tartarus scanned my mates and twitched his lips to a lopsided smile, pleased with himself. “Don’t get any funny ideas. I am the sole keeper of my hammer. I sleep with it, sit with it, and eat with it. And even if you steal it, you won’t be able to open the dome. The ward only responds to the exact weight and pressure of my swing. If you miscalculate by an ounce, you’ll end up in a locked cell all by yourself, after the flame of the Void eats one of your organs. It’s an impeccable way to prevent any sinners from breaking out. There’s no escape from the Eternal Prison. Cool, right?”
I wondered how Mom had gotten into the prison, then slipped out. But then, she was Lilith, the former Queen of Hell, the present Queen of the Ivory Tower, the fairyland of the Void.
Tartarus entered the dome, and we followed. As soon as we were all inside, the platform where we stood flew to the center. Bleak, black walls surrounded us, and an empty abyss yawned below.
“The ninth level,” Tartarus ordered.
The platform plunged downward. My mates held me tightly as if afraid they’d lose their treasure, and Tartarus chuckled.
“If this is a trap, you’ll have my blade kissing your throat,” Héctor hissed.
“I like the kissing part, mortal Héctor,” Tartarus sneered. “But you’re in no position to issue threats. Not anymore.”
“You might underestimate his strength, Tartarus,” I said. “But my mates always have my back, as I have theirs. Though I was raised somewhere else, I’m still the child of the Void, and the Void sides with its own. So I say we’d better get along.”
“I like to get along with people,” Tartarus said. “But your mates are overbearing.” He sneered. “And they called me a jerk.”
“Let’s all just be quiet for a second,” I said, stopping my mates from retorting.
The lift kept plummeting, darkness rippling around us. A few groans, moans, and pained sighs arose from the dark. We’d passed many cells that imprisoned the Titans.
“How many levels does this dome have?” I asked.
“Twelve under the ground. Cronus is at the bottom,” Tartarus said.
“Is it because he’s the most dangerous Titan?” I asked.
“Not anymore,” Tartarus chortled. “I’m the new king here. I’m the biggest badass in town until the original gods come. They won’t stay long, though. They never do.” He gave me another meaningful look. “Their visit is overdue. I wonder what has delayed them. But they can be here any time now.”
My heart skipped a beat before it drummed, and I could hear the pounding heartbeats of my mates, too. Mom had said that we needed to sneak out through the portal the original gods opened and stay out of their sight. That would be quite a feat.
With my safety at stake, Zak, Héctor, and Paxton wouldn’t want to meet their fathers. Zak had a complex relationship with the God of Sky and Thunder. Héctor had been Hades’s former heir, but he hadn’t talked to the death god for a long time. And Paxton didn’t remember the God of Sea at all. Poseidon abandoned him and let him survive all by himself on the streets until Héctor found him and brought him into their demigod fold.
If the gods discovered my existence, they wouldn’t care that I was their sons’ mate. They’d eradicate me.
That was why Tartarus gave me
that evocative look. I’d warn him that if he sold me out, Mom would deal with him. No one liked to cross Lilith.
The lift suddenly stopped in the air.
“Celeste?” a voice called from the darkness, feather-light yet creaking like the hinges of a rusty iron gate.
I snapped my head toward the voice, my heart skipping a beat. My father had sensed me, and it sounded like he hadn’t spoken to anyone for a very long time.
A dim light sifted through the darkness like a wave of white fog.
A handsome long-haired man with a giant’s build perched on an iron bench inside a small barred cell. My father’s dark green eyes shone as they fixed on me.
“Hyperion,” Tartarus said cheerfully. “Look whom I brought to you.”
“My daughter.” Hyperion sighed, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Celeste.”
“Can we move closer to him please, Tartarus?” I asked in a strained voice as I struggled to get my emotions in check. I didn’t trust Tartarus, and I wouldn’t show any weakness in front of a stranger or a potential enemy.
“As I said, anything for you, Princess,” Tartarus said.
The platform careened toward my father’s cell.
I grabbed the bars that locked my father inside when we came in range.
“No, Celeste!” my father warned. “The bar—”
Sparks emitted from the metal where my hands clutched the bars. I felt only a sting.
Tartarus stared at me, his expression unreadable. “Interesting. The cells and doors are warded by magic as old as dirt. Titans get burned when they lay a finger on the bars. Even I have an allergic reaction if I touch them.”
My father and I shared a look as I dropped my hands. I wasn’t only his child. I had Mom’s archangel and demon blood in me, too. Maybe that was how she’d gotten in and out of the Eternal Prison while she visited Dad. However, I wasn’t going to consult Dad in front of the warden.
“To test my theory, could any one of you thumb the bar, demigods?” Tartarus asked.