Perfect Storms (Storms of Blackwood Book 4)

by Elle Middaugh

  Fuck. That was just me. What kind of eternal cricket hell was this?

  Snap!

  Suddenly, I was back at the Palace of Zeus, staring wide-eyed at his amused expression.

  "Don't question me, Alexis," he threatened. "Don't annoy me. Don't aggravate me. And we'll be cool, okay?"

  I nodded, not in any hurry to go back to the hellish terrarium.

  The guys swarmed me, taking turns pulling me into their protective embraces, checking my face, hair, skin, arms, legs—anywhere and everywhere for signs of trauma or pain. I didn't know what they thought they might do against Zeus if I had been harmed, but it was sweet that they were so concerned anyway.

  "I'm okay," I promised them, touching their hands and faces affectionately. "I was just… a cricket."

  Ben cocked a brow. "A cricket?"

  I nodded and said nothing more, figuring it'd be best if they didn't know I was being continuously murdered by a snake. Suddenly, I found myself feeling more sympathetic of Dion's snail punishment.

  Zeus stared at us curiously, the wheels of his cunning mind spinning faster than I'd like.

  "I have an idea," he announced, clapping his hands together excitedly. "I'll make you a deal. If I win, we simply obliterate Giterra from the galaxy. Poof! Gone! No more Storm King, no more Blackwood, no more Giterra, no more problems!"

  He seemed exceptionally pleased with this option.

  "And if we win?" Cal dared to ask.

  "If you win, I help you. I remove Ares from Giterra, send him to Tartarus to spend some time at the prison of the gods, and give you back your beloved planet to do with as you see fit."

  "What's the catch?" Dan asked. There was still a smile on his handsome face, but he clearly knew we were being hustled.

  "No catch."

  "Then what's the deal?" Criss asked hesitantly.

  Zeus clapped again. "Oh, my dear boy, I am so glad you asked."

  Chapter 29

  The king of the gods clapped six times, and with each smack of his palms, a new beautiful woman appeared before us. Six women and six Storm Princes.

  I did not like where this was going.

  But then he clapped one last time and Dion appeared, curiously glancing around at the people in the room.

  "Hey, guys," the party god said with a grin. "What's going on?"

  "Shut up, son," Zeus said in a pleasant tone. "Daddy's in the middle of a deal."

  Dion did as ordered and shut the fuck up.

  Zeus sighed contentedly. "Your relationship is fascinating to me. One woman and six men. All equally committed. All content with sharing… at least, amongst yourselves."

  Again, I didn't like where this was headed. But for fear of becoming a cricket again, or worse, I didn't say a word.

  "I want to know," Zeus began, drumming his chin with his fingers, "not just how strong your bond is, but how far you're actually willing to go to save your people."

  We met his question with a fearful silence, and based on the smile that tilted his lips, he very much enjoyed that.

  "Willing to, say, sleep with someone else?" Zeus paused, dramatically raising his brows and his shoulders in question. "These are my daughters: Aphrodite, Persephone, Artemis, Athena, Hebe, and Hecate. And my son Dionysus."

  My mouth fell open, but it was Rob who answered. "You want us to cheat on each other? To sleep with someone else in order to get your help? What the hell does that have anything to do with saving the people?"

  Zeus shrugged. "It doesn't. But it has everything to do with you. Are you or are you not willing to do this in order to save your people? Or are you too selfish to share with my beautiful daughters and handsome son for just one teensy tiny night?"

  Dion smirked and shook his head, which, apparently, pissed Cal off.

  "I thought you said you weren't interested in my girl?" he asked the party god in a betrayed tone.

  "Our girl," Ash reminded his brother in a bored tone.

  But Dion merely shrugged. "I'm not interested in her—at least, not like that—but I'm certainly not going to turn down fucking her if she wants to."

  "I don't want to," I assured him. "Besides, it's physically impossible. The blood bond won't allow it."

  Zeus scoffed and snapped his fingers. "Not anymore. The bond is gone. Any more complaints? Or shall I just snap my fingers and blow up Giterra right now?"

  I glanced over at the goddesses standing perfectly in a row. Aphrodite with her long, wavy blonde hair and gentle pink lips. Persephone with her hourglass figure and big doe eyes. Artemis with her gorgeous face and perfect legs peeking out through knee-high sandals and a short skirt. Athena with silken brown hair and supple breasts that didn't do shit to sag her perfect posture. Hebe with her enticing smile and magnetic good looks. And Hecate with her sly smirk and hooded gaze, looking ready to pounce at any moment.

  Fucking Hades…

  They were magnificent, and I'd be jealous for like the rest of forever if I knew my guys had slept with them.

  Then I glanced at Dion.

  Built like an athlete, he was ripped beneath the tight white shirt and strange blue pants he wore. His hair was mussed and sexy. His skin was the perfect shade of light brown, and when he smiled, his pale green eyes lit up with mischief.

  I knew my guys would be just as jealous if I fucked Dion.

  But what choice did we have? It was either that or sentence everyone we knew and loved back home to death. So basically, there was no actual choice. We were just screwed. Literally.

  "Come here," I said to my Storms, and the seven of us crammed into a tight huddle to talk in a bit of privacy.

  "I don't like this," Dan hissed. "I don't like it one bit."

  "Me either," Rob agreed. "It's the first crack in a rift that could tear us apart forever. I mean, we don't even have the blood bond in place anymore. What would stop us from falling apart after this?"

  Gods, the bond had been such a huge part of our relationship since the beginning. It was weird to think it was now gone. I almost felt naked. But for some reason, I also felt… sure. Confident. Optimistic.

  "Love," I said, and they waited patiently for me to elaborate. "Love will keep us from falling apart. I love you guys so much. I'd do anything for you. But I won't condemn an entire planet to death."

  Dan's jaw clenched. "So that's it? You're just going fuck Dion?"

  I didn't answer his question, nor did I nod or shake my head. "And you guys are going to fuck the goddesses."

  Everyone stayed deathly silent for far too long.

  "Peach…" Cal began, almost as if he were unsure of what he wanted to say. "Are you sure about this?"

  I nodded as silent tears welled in my eyes. "I'm sure. I trust you guys. I know tonight won't mean anything. And tomorrow, we'll be back together, and our world will be ours again."

  Rob glowered and shook his head. "This is bullshit. I don't want to fuck some goddess, and I definitely don't want you in the arms of that douche, Dion."

  I reached out and touched his arm. "But can you go through with it anyway?"

  "What about you?" Criss asked, staring at me closely. "Will you be okay, looking at us, knowing we pleasured some goddess all night long in exchange for the eradication of a petty war god?"

  I hated the word pleasure all of a sudden.

  My jaw locked tight, and I swallowed hard. "We can't defeat the Storm King if Ares is still around. If this is the only way to get rid of him and therefore save the kingdom and the planet, then… yes. But we need to all agree."

  I put my hand into the center of our circle, unsurprised to find it shaking.

  "For the people," I muttered.

  Then slowly, one by one, all of our hands were piled in the middle, while expressions of defeat, regret, and fear swam around on our faces.

  "For the people," they replied somberly.

  We backed away, and I suddenly felt the most sickening sensation of symbolism—as if the breaking of our huddle somehow foreshadowed the breaking of our ent
ire relationship.

  NO.

  I quarantined those thoughts and locked them down tight. The only way we would crumble was if we allowed it to happen. And I would never, ever allow it.

  Zeus smiled wide, seemingly unperturbed by our hesitation and the monumental decision before us. "Well?" he asked.

  I glanced at Cal, waiting for him to answer on behalf of all of us.

  His throat bobbed and his fingers curled into fists at his sides, but he squared his shoulders and held his head up high. "We have agreed to… accept… your offer, Your Majesty."

  "Really?" Zeus asked with extreme interest. "May I ask why?" He brought his fingers up to his mouth, like he might bite his nails in anticipation.

  "Because…" Cal began and then paused. "Because the lives of our people are worth more than our selfishness."

  Zeus continued smiling wide, staring at the lot of us before bursting into laughter.

  "But you're demigods!" he protested as he laughed. "Aside from gods and goddesses, you're arguably the most selfish beings in the universe—and for good reason. There aren't many creatures more important than us, and especially not human peasants."

  "With all due respect, sir," Cal said, sounding more confident now than he had a moment ago, "we disagree."

  Zeus's lips tugged into a smug grin. "As you wish then. Enjoy your nights of carnal bliss, everyone, for in the morning, all your troubles will be gone."

  He clapped his hands, and everyone and everything disappeared.

  When I looked around, I realized I was now in a big room with no door. A massive canopy bed rested on the left, and on the right, a small inground pool. Beyond those, a stone balcony stretched out with nothing but endless sky beyond.

  I took a deep breath, turned around slowly, and came face-to-face with Dion.

  He didn't look nearly so cocky now that it was just the two of us, and I was grateful for that. It made me feel less like prey. Less like a victim, even though it wasn't his fault at all.

  "So… we're actually doing this?" I asked him.

  He scoffed, but it turned into a half-hearted laugh. "Of course we are. No one defies the king of the gods. Remember, it was your choice."

  I couldn't deny it, though it made me sick. I was almost positive I was going to end up puking before I was even fully unclothed.

  Dion's features softened as he climbed onto the bed and patted the space beside him. "What did he do to you?"

  I stared hesitantly at the spot as I made my way to the opposite side of the bed.

  Just do it, Lex.

  Gingerly, I hefted my ass up onto the plush sheets and scooted as close as I dared. I might've agreed to fuck him in order to save our world, but I didn't have to be ecstatic about it.

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  Dion nodded at the wall. "Back in the throne room. When he sent you away. What did he do?"

  I raised a questioning brow. "How'd you know about that? You weren't there then."

  Dion simply grinned. "Yeah, but I was using my god powers to do a little spying."

  "Ah." I rolled my eyes and nodded. "He turned me into a cricket, trapped in a tank with a snake, doomed to be eaten over and over and over again."

  Dion scrunched his nose and smiled. "Damn, that sucks. At least he didn't literally make you hold your world on your shoulders or some shit. I heard he did that to Atlas once."

  I chuckled and nodded, staring out in front of us rather than making eye contact with him. "I suppose you're right."

  After a few moments of silence, Dion leaned forward and caught my eye, grinning almost coyly.

  "Listen, I meant what I said when I told your boy I wasn't trying to take you from him. Them. Whatever. And I still mean that. But you're definitely attractive, and I'm pretty fine myself, so this doesn't have to be difficult. Let's just have some meaningless sex, some inconsequential fun, and walk away in the morning as extremely awkward friends."

  I couldn't help but chuckle.

  "Extremely awkward is… one way to put it," I said, trying to hedge around the inevitable.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no avoiding this. May as well get it over with quickly.

  I turned to Dion and stared, silently studying him. His eyes were pale green, like Dan's. Maybe I could imagine it was him? His skin was dark, only a bit darker than Ben's. I could pretend he was Ben? He was arrogant like Rob, confident like Cal, and captivating like Criss. I could envision one of them instead? Or maybe, since he was Ash's friend, it'd be easier to just pretend it was him?

  With absolutely zero warning, my surroundings changed entirely. I squealed in surprise before I realized we were back in the throne room—all of us—standing before a giggling Zeus.

  He sat in his throne, pounding the armrests as he laughed and laughed. "You should have seen the looks on your faces!" he cried.

  I turned to face my Storms, sharing confused but relieved looks with each of them. Then I turned back to Zeus, wishing I could somehow call him out on his shit.

  What the hell are you playing at, asshole?

  When he was finally done giggling, he took a deep breath and held his chest. "Ah, I was only kidding. You don't have to fuck them in order for me to remove Ares. But it's truly admirable of you for choosing to fuck someone else to save your planet. I know it must have been a really difficult choice. Who the hell likes to have sex with attractive gods and goddesses, am I right?" He scoffed, and his sarcasm saturated the air.

  Fuck him. I knew how it sounded, but it really would have been a huge sacrifice for us.

  Cal swallowed hard and took a careful step forward. "So… you'll help us? Without making us cheat?"

  Zeus grinned and rolled his clear blue eyes—eyes that looked eerily similar to Cal's. "Of course I will, son. What are fathers for?"

  Riiight. Cal's “real” deadbeat dad was about to help us defeat Cal's “fake” deadbeat dad. I mean come on… ugh.

  "One snap of my fingers, and Ares is gone," Zeus said, matter-of-factly.

  He snapped and suddenly his war-loving son was standing to the right of his throne.

  "Dad?" Ares questioned in frustration and confusion.

  But Zeus ignored him.

  "Another snap, and you're back in Blackwood. Right at the heart of the war."

  Before he could snap, Rob spoke up. "And our army?"

  Zeus smirked at him. "And your army."

  "What the fuck, Dad!" Ares shouted. "You're not seriously going to let them take this place from me—"

  "Actually, I am, son. You have a term to serve at the prison of the gods."

  "Fucking TARTARUS?" Ares shouted. "You can't be fucking serio—"

  A metal band quickly snapped across his mouth, cuffs locked between his wrists, and with one more snap of Zeus's fingers, Ares was gone once more.

  The king of the gods took one last deep, cleansing breath, and let it out slowly.

  Then snapped his fingers a final time… and we were gone.

  Chapter 30

  TIA

  Blood raced through my veins. Air pumped in my lungs. Fear swam circles around my head, and terror took shape all around me.

  My arms were bound, tied behind my back with something sharper and stronger than rope. My wrists stung every time they moved. The scent of iron tinged the air as moisture slid down my palms. I had a very bad feeling I was bleeding. Hopefully I wasn't going to, like, die.

  My heart beat even faster.

  I glanced left to where the queens all sat tied to chairs and pillars and other random objects. The king was apparently not picky. He just wanted them stationary, and so that's what he did. Beyond them, further to the right, the brute in question sat menacingly in his throne, a handsome man with a sly smirk leaning over to whisper in his ear. I didn't know who the man was, an advisor of some sort? but I knew he never had anything good to say. Each time his lips moved, the king's features would harden or catch fire, and he'd storm off in a fit of rage. Sometimes he hit the qu
eens when he was mad. Many times, he hit my mother... and my “mother.”

  I hated it. I didn't understand what was going on or why he despised us so much, but all I could think about was doing anything in my power to keep her safe... I mean, both of them. All of them really. Those poor, helpless women.

  I twisted my bindings and gasped quietly as more warm liquid dripped from my fingertips. Blood collected in a tiny puddle near my feet, freaking me right the fuck out.

  I was a poor girl from the middle of nowhere, deep in the forests of Southern Blackwood. Nothing like this had ever even come close to happening to me before. I'd never experienced cruelty or abuse. I'd never been bound or gagged. I'd never been kidnapped or manipulated. But I guessed there was a first for everything, because thanks to the wicked king, I was experienced in all of those things now. I just wasn't cut out for it.

  When the Storm King told me to join his side of the war or my mothers would be harmed, it was a no-brainer for me. I might have wanted to help Alexis and the guys, but in the face of true tribulation, I wasn't ashamed to admit that I'd protect my mother and myself first. It's how it'd always been. We relied on each other. We were a two-woman team.

  Gods, what I wouldn't give to go back to my quiet existence with her away from all of this... even if it was all a lie.

  The Storm King jumped from his chair and immediately started screaming.

  "So where the hell are they?" he bellowed into the hall, his harsh voice echoing so loudly some chips of stone rattled off the walls. "We left that note a week ago! They found it with plenty of time to get here."

  "Yes, Zachy boy, they did," the sly man agreed in much too casual of a tone. "It doesn't matter though, does it? If they show up on time, they'll be slaughtered. If they don't, you'll slaughter everyone they know and love. It's a win-win really."

  My heart lodged in my throat and suddenly I couldn't breathe. He was going to kill... everyone? Me? Mom? The queens?

  A rapping came at the door, and the king rushed to answer it. After a dark chuckle, he opened the doors wide, and I watched a whole crowd of bound people being pushed into the room. Many of them were crying. Some appeared to have fought back and had taken a beating. Some were old, some were young. It terrified me to see children tied up and sobbing as they stood before this monster.