One night, we were the only two awake. She was leaning against the wall, staring out the tiny cell window with a smile on her face.
“How can you smile when we are locked in here?” I asked quietly.
“Because I can still see the stars,” she replied.
“The stars can’t help us,” I muttered.
“No, but they are always there. I find that comforting.”
At the time, I thought she was an idiot, but she was able to see the good in any situation. She reminded me of my mother. Always thinking of others, and I felt selfish in comparison. I had been given a chance to live by Hades and I was wasting it. I spent years letting the world pass me by, too wrapped up in my own grief and misery to do anything except exist. I vowed to change that if I escaped. But had I? Living my life meant sharing it with someone, making memories, but I couldn’t even do that. That girl was executed a few days later. Only seventeen and I think she lived more in those few short years, than I have in a hundred, or even a thousand.
I think what bothered me most was that I couldn’t remember her name. Yes, it had been over 500 years, but still. I guess my brain only has enough room for so much information. The names are always the first to go.
Someone banged on the bars and I looked up to find Carlisle glaring at me. “Your lawyer is here.”
*
A Long Time Ago
Hades
She’s home.
Persephone’s face lit up when she entered the room. I was off my throne in an instant, taking her in my arms. I kissed her passionately.
“My love, I have missed you,” I said.
“How much?” she asked breathlessly.
Shedding her gown, she stood before me. I took in the sight of her beautiful body. The curve of her hips, her full breasts. I grew instantly aroused.
Picking her up, I took her to the bed. Our love making was frenzied, months of longing and lust coming to a head.
Afterwards, I lay beside her, watching her sleep. Her thick black hair was splayed out on her pillow, her heart shaped face peaceful.
I decided there and then that I would do anything to ensure she survived. If the God killer was targeting Gods, then maybe it would be better if she wasn’t one. Ambrosia granted her immortality, but I knew of a man who might be able to reverse the effects.
“I love you, Persephone,” I whispered.
Her lips curled into a smile in her sleep.
7
“And furthermore, you are lucky that my client doesn’t sue this entire station for police brutality.”
I had to supress a grin as I watched Carlisle’s face as Sully laid into him. He hadn’t been able to get a word in edgeways since Sully started talking. Jean-Pierre had called him and he had come right down. Lawyers didn’t come any better than Montgomery Sullivan, or Sully as he preferred. That man could argue his way out of an empty room. He was one of the few humans I actually had respect for, even if he was only called when I was in trouble. God knows what he thought of me, but he wasn’t paid to ask questions, he was paid to keep me out of jail.
I could see Clark watching the exchange and was that a ghost of a smile I saw on his face? I think it was.
“If you have any other questions, you can call me on this number.” He pushed a business card across the desk to Carlisle, before turning to leave. I resisted the urge to flip Carlisle off.
I followed Sully out of the building before saying, “Always entertaining, Sully. Although I don’t think it will be enough to get Carlisle off my back.”
“That’s why you will have to buy the store legally, from his estate.”
I sighed. “That’s going to take too long.”
“You can speed it up by offering well above the asking price.” He seemed eager to leave, which considering the distance he had to drive to get here, I couldn’t blame him.
“Okay, do it.”
Sully nodded and got into his red Porsche. I paid him enough to buy several Porsches over the years. I’ve never seen the point in them. A car is a car as far as I’m concerned.
My first encounter with Sully was about five years ago when I got into trouble over a bet. I bet a rich business man that I could drink him under the table and if I won he had to give me a million dollars. If he won, I had to spend the night with him. My metabolism is not like a normal human’s, so I agreed.
When he slumped onto the table after about a dozen shots, I tried to take the briefcase full of cash from his bodyguard. The bodyguard wasn’t very cooperative and…well let’s just say it didn’t end well for him and I needed some legal help. I got my money in the end though. I wasn’t interested in going to court over it, so I waited until he was passed out in his hotel room, snuck in and took the briefcase. I haven’t been back to Vegas since. Maybe in a few decades when he is dead.
As soon as Sully was gone, I headed back to the store. I needed to get rid of that skin before someone found it. That would be hard to explain. I worried that Carlisle would be watching me now.
As I burst into the store, I found Gavin there. He was behind the counter, flipping through the pages of a ledger.
“What are you doing here? Don’t tell me they let you go!” he said.
“You seem surprised. I told you, I’ve done nothing wrong, now I want you out of my store.”
“It’s not your store. I’m going nowhere. I’m going to make sure that you aren’t stealing from Mr. Johansen.” He stabbed a finger onto the ledger.
“That would be redundant, I would be stealing from myself. Make yourself useful then. You can make some coffee.”
He looked shocked that I wasn’t strong arming him out the door, but I needed to try and act normal. I didn’t need him running to the cops again. That meant putting up with the little shit for now. “Okay. But only because I need one for myself. Not because you told me to.”
I rolled my eyes. Teenagers got more and more belligerent with every generation. Once he was out of sight, I grabbed the trash bag, making sure it was tied up. I was going to hide it, but Gavin appeared in the doorway.
“I’m just going to take the trash out,” I said.
“I’ll do it,” he muttered, reaching for the bag. I pulled it back, not trusting that he wouldn’t open it.
“I’m perfectly capable, thank you,” I said with distain.
Pushing past him, I found the back door which led to the alley way behind the stores. The dumpster was overflowing, definitely due to be collected. Could I risk leaving it in the dumpster and hoping no one found it? Not with Carlisle lurking. He would need a warrant to check the store, but not the trash.
I glanced back at the store to see Gavin watching me through the open door, sipping on his coffee. Lifting the lid, I threw the bag into the back of the dumpster. I would come back for it tonight and bury it in the woods.
I left a little while later, I needed to check on Cerberus and to take a shower. I really didn’t like leaving Gavin behind. I had closed up the secret room, but he might already know about it. He said that Harris wasn’t paying him a wage, but maybe he was slipping him the odd antique? But that didn’t sound like something a demon would do. Actually, I’m surprised it didn’t just eat him. I would have the first time he opened his mouth.
Just act normal, or you’ll end up back in the cell.
Cerberus was happy to see me, he doesn’t like being left alone. “Hey, boy, sorry, I have to take care of something. Do you want to go for a run?”
He bounced up and down and let out a yip. Opening the garage door, I watched as he took off into the trees, sending the wildlife fleeing. I shook out his blankets and cleared away some of the toys. There wasn’t much left, he must be eating them. I made a mental note to buy some more when I was in town again. Maybe it was time to upgrade to actual bones. I could probably get something at the butchers.
While he was out, I showered, changed my clothes and grabbed a coffee. After everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours, I wondered if it was
time to put Bedford in my rearview mirror. Too many questions were being asked, how long before Carlisle came looking for me again and Sully couldn’t get me out?
No, I’ve come this far.
Call me stubborn, and plenty of people have over the years, but I wasn’t going to throw in the towel just yet. I would get rid of the skin, then empty the store of anything that could be the power source. I had a go bag ready, if I had to use it, I would. I always keep one, with a change of clothes, money and a new identity. The only thing I would hate to leave behind is my book collection. It had happened a few times in the past and I had to start again from scratch. I ran my hand along the book shelves.
Stories were an escape, a way to forget my own tragic life for a little while. I had collected quite a few first editions over the years, classic writers like Austen and Shelley. I also liked some of the new stuff, particularly paranormal romance. What can I say, it speaks to me.
When night fell, I drove back to town, but parked several blocks from the store. I wore a black hoodie over dark jeans. Bedford was quiet, the main highlight was a bar, but it was on the other side of town, so for now, there was no one around. Cutting through the alleyways, I made my way back to the dumpster. It was so dark, I had trouble seeing where I was going. I kept tripping over trash as I walked. I had to slow down, the last thing I needed was to face plant into rotting garbage.
I reached what I hoped was the correct dumpster. I pulled out my phone and switched on the flashlight app. The light was blinding compared to the dark, I needed to be quick in case anyone saw me. The kind of people who hang out in dark alleys are probably up to much worse.
I flipped open the lid, heaved myself up and started checking the trash bags. From the smell, I was guessing that the restaurant two doors down was using this dumpster too. I gagged at the smell. Mexican, I was guessing.
“Come on, where are you?” I muttered.
Tearing open the next trash bag, I found the skin when my hand sank into it. I shuddered. Gross.
As I stepped down from the dumpster, I heard a door open. Slamming the phone against my chest to douse the light, I backed into the shadows and held my breath.
A man in an apron appeared from the restaurant, carrying a trash bag of his own. He hefted it into the dumpster.
When he went back inside, I jimmied the lock on the store door and slipped inside. I hated all this sneaking around, this was all Eris’ fault. If she hadn’t come here, then maybe none of this would be happening. But then I wouldn’t have Cerberus back. He was the one bright spot in all of this.
Switching the light on in the office, I opened the hidden door. All the items were as I left them.
I took some time and went through the files again, searching for any mention of Ares.
I found one file marked The Cult of Ares.
“Shit, not those psychos,” I muttered.
The Cult of Ares was formed when he was still walking the Earth. Worshippers would do anything to honor him, including violent acts and not limited to murder. They would tattoo his symbol on their right forearm. It was the symbol for Mars with his name in Greek.
The file contained information on the cult and a list of three names. Three names I recognized from my research, they were residents of Bedford. The cult was here in town.
*
A Long Time Ago
Hades
“You are the God of War! Who else would I come to for help bringing down the God killer?”
“I don’t know, Athena?” Ares said, popping a grape into his mouth. He surveyed his temple, checking out the offerings that had been left. He liked to come down once a month to check he was still worshipped and adored.
“You are the expert on weapons. I need to know what I am looking for. The latest oracle said that the God killer was forged using the essence of a God. What does that mean?”
Ares shrugged. “I don’t know. Blood perhaps?”
“You can make a weapon out of blood?”
“Yes, there’s iron in it, but you would need a lot of it.”
“How would anyone even get our blood? We are the only ones who can make each other bleed.”
“I’ll make you bleed right now, if you don’t leave me in peace,” Ares muttered.
“Don’t test me, Nephew. I am trying to prevent our demise.”
“I know, I have heard the rumors. They are spreading across the land thanks to you.”
I knew the humans were beginning to talk, but I didn’t care. Whether they knew or not, it wouldn’t change anything.
I noticed an altar covered in swords. Ares liked weaponry as an offering too.
“Call for all the weapons in the land to be melted down.”
Ares looked at him like he had grown a second head. “You think the mortals are going to hand over their weapons?”
“They will if you order it. It could be melted into a statue and dedicated to you.”
He was definitely considering it, but then he shook his head.
“No, Uncle. Take your crusade elsewhere.”
8
Why did it have to be them? Ares wasn’t the only God who spawned a cult, but his was the most enduring. Certainly, the most violent.
In my day, they practised openly, offering sacrifices to Ares and starting wars. It got so bad that Zeus ordered Ares to strike them down to stop them from spreading. Ares followed his father’s orders, but he didn’t get them all. The few survivors, rather than be discouraged, believed that they were the chosen few. That Ares had spared them because they were the most loyal.
They went underground, growing their numbers and they were smart enough to stay under the radar, for a while at least.
In 1979, I was living in Wyoming. I was on a solo camping trip when I came across a tent that had been torn apart.
“Hello?” I called as I approached the tent, wondering if a bear had attacked the occupants. I didn’t see any blood or body parts, but something about it felt wrong. I shivered, despite it being broad daylight.
The best thing to do would be to report it as soon as I got back, but I lingered. Everything seemed normal, but it was what was out of place that mattered. Closing my eyes, I listened to the sounds around me. Birds, the river in the distance and there was something else. Someone was crying.
Following the noise, I found a woman huddled beside a tree about thirty feet from the tent.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She was young, maybe twenty-one, with red hair and blue eyes. Her eyes were red from crying and her clothes were dirty, but she didn’t appear to be hurt from what I could see.
“They took her,” she whispered.
“Who?” I asked, crouching down beside her.
She backed away from me, looking like an animal that had been cornered.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. “Tell me what happened.”
“They came in the night, surrounded the tent. I thought they were going to kill us, but they grabbed my friend Jane and dragged her away. I tried to hide in the tent, but they started shaking it and making these weird screeching noises. They were crazy.”
“Did they hurt you?”
“No, they ripped up the tent and chased me into the trees, then they left. They have Jane. They were talking about a sacrifice.”
I swallowed. That sounded bad. “Did you recognize any of them? Did they say where they were going?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t know any of them. But the guy in charge, he had a tattoo.”
“Okay, that’s something. What did it look like?”
“It was on his arm,” she pointed to her right forearm, “it looked like a circle with an arrow coming out of it and this weird lettering.”
I wracked my brain trying to think what it could mean, if anything. It did sound vaguely familiar.
“Can you draw it?” I said.
“Yeah,” she said, grabbing a twig and drawing it in the dirt. I recognized it – it was the brand of Ares.
More specifically, one used by his cult members.
“Shit,” I said.
“You know who he is?”
“Yes, or at least what he is up to. Listen to me, you need to go and find help. I will look for your friend.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No, please. Don’t leave me alone.”
I gripped her arms. “Jane is on her own right now. She’s in danger. If you want to save her, do as I say.”
I saw the fear she felt for herself shift to fear for her friend. She nodded. “Okay.” Her voice was slightly steadier. I helped her to her feet.
Once I was sure she was going to keep moving, I headed into the hills. They would want somewhere secluded to work. There was a lot of ground to cover, but I kept walking. What I didn’t tell the girl was that it was probably already too late for Jane. Most sacrifices were performed just before dawn, but maybe she got lucky.
I walked for over an hour, the hot sun beating down on me. Sweat poured off me and I was ready to head back and find a ranger when I heard laughter in the distance. Up ahead I could see a crop of rocks which were littered with beer bottles. A jean clad leg was stretched out, but i couldn’t see the rest of the owner as he was hidden behind the rocks.
I took off my backpack and left it on the ground, so I wouldn’t be hindered by it. I sneaked up on them with no real plan in mind. I needed to see if Jane was still alive, then I could decide what to do.
There were four of them, three men and a woman. They were all lying around, clearly, they had been drinking for a while. I climbed up onto a boulder overlooking their camp.
Raising Hell Page 4
