by River Ramsey
“Damn, that’s hot,” I purred, enjoying the faint hint of a blush on Loki’s cheeks. I could tell he wasn’t used to the tables being turned.”
“Glad you’re enjoying yourself.” His tone made it clear he was too, despite trying to play it cool.
Whatever Dionysus was doing to him now made that attempt go out the window. Loki’s eyes rolled back in his head, his hips bucking slightly.
Dionysus cupped my breast with his free hand, his touch gentle yet commanding. I was so close. We all were, just dancing on the edge of a cliff. One more thrust, one more brush of heated flesh on flesh, and we were sailing over the edge.
I gasped as Dionysus’ seed filled me. Loki’s moan made it clear he wasn’t far behind. I could feel their pleasure mingled with mine, intensifying to the point where it was blinding. Any doubt that we were all connected disappeared the moment I collapsed on Dionysus’ chest. He was still breathing heavily, licking a trace of white fluid off his lips as Loki sank back against the headboard, his freshly spent cock still on display.
“I take it you both felt that,” he said hoarsely, digging a hand into his own hair.
“Oh, yeah,” Dionysus said, reaching up to sweep a bit of hair behind my ear. My skin tingled at the innocent touch, even after all we’d just done, and my body still thrummed with pleasure. “Guess that settles it.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, gazing down at him in amazement. I still couldn’t believe it was true. Not only did he want me the same way I wanted him, but he was the final piece of the puzzle that had fallen into place.
For the first time ever, I was actually starting to think we stood a shot at stopping Cronus, but this moment was so much more than that. I snuggled up between the two of them, intent on enjoying the bliss for as long as they’d tolerate each other. Aside from the casual bickering that lulled me to sleep, I thought it was a pretty damn good start.
Chapter 20
Fenrir
As soon as we received the word that Dionysus and Loki had found Kore, I had to fight the instinct to go to her side. Ever since we’d slept together, the bond I’d felt with her from the beginning had grown even more intense, but that was all the more reason to stay away for now.
With half of Olympus looking for her, my presence would only draw more attention. Same with Hades. For the moment, we had both agreed to go back to the Academy to do some damage control. Hades had been in a meeting with Odin and the OSTF for the last six hours, and I could only imagine how much fun he was having convincing them that he had no idea where his fiancee had gone with two other gods.
Better for them to think she only had two allies. That would allow us to move more freely, at least for the moment. According to Loki, Cronus was the one who’d given Thor the order to attack Kore, which raised more questions than it answered.
Was Cronus aware of who Kore was, and what she was destined for? Did he know we’d been to the Ether to meet with Ares? Until we knew for sure, she wasn’t going to be safe anywhere, let alone at the Academy.
At least we had Helle under control, for the moment. Not that it was hard when we could literally pin a murder on her. The only reason I hadn’t made all our lives easier by coming clean and letting her take the fall was because we needed to know just how deep the conspiracy went. Better for Kore to be in hiding, anyway. At least until we knew who we could trust.
When it became my turn to get interrogated, I prepared for the worst, but there wasn’t much even Kunzite could do to me. She was probably one of the few who actually knew what I was, assuming Odin had told her, and when I saw the wariness in her strange eyes as I entered the room, I knew he had.
A hellhound was probably the one thing that could make a member of the OSTF uneasy.
“Good afternoon, Fenrir,” she said, nodding to me from behind Odin’s desk. “Please, have a seat.”
“I take it the Headmaster is in the broom closet?” I asked, sinking into the chair that felt comically small in comparison to my broad build.
“He was gracious enough to provide this office as our investigation headquarters, for the time being,” she answered, her thin hands folded on the desk in front of her. “I take it you haven’t heard anything from Ms. Ademone, either.”
I could tell from the disbelief in her tone that Hades had been as much of an asshole as I expected. His gifts probably made him immune to her power, just as mine did, but if she had managed to crack that walnut, I almost pitied her. “I haven’t heard a thing,” I answered, not bothering to put too much emphasis into my words. She didn’t believe them, but I could tell from her stony gaze that she knew she wasn’t getting the answers she wanted. Just going through the motions for the sake of paperwork.
“I’m sure you understand how this looks,” she said, leaning in.
“How does it look?” I asked innocently.
She frowned, almost too faintly to notice. Before she could say anything, I felt a strange pulling sensation I hadn’t felt in months deep within my chest, like someone had me tethered to a leash. Hades had gone through the portal, and he wouldn’t have gone without telling me unless he was summoned.
No. Summoning implied he had a choice in the matter. If he was gone, that meant Cronus had dragged him in.
“Where are you going?” Kunzite demanded, leaping up from the desk.
“Duty calls,” I said, ignoring the guard I brushed past on my way down the hall. High and mighty as she was, no obligation was greater than the one I had to Hades, issued by Cronus himself. Even if it meant killing the old god one day.
By the time I reached the gate near the heart of Atlantis, I could sense that Kore was near. Not being able to go to her was torture, but I couldn’t leave Hades at the mercy of his father. Not when everything hung in the balance.
Heimdall was waiting at the portal, as always. He looked me over, furrowing his heavy brow. The god was as ancient as they came, but the only sign of it was his naturally silver hair. He was as big and broad as I was, maybe even an inch or two taller, but the axe in his right hand was all for show. At least, it had been for the last few centuries.
“Your master isn’t with you?” he asked.
“He was summoned,” I answered, stepping up to the silver plate in the center of the portal room. The circular walls surrounding it were made of a translucent blue crystal that reflected the light in rainbows that danced all along the stone walls.
Heimdall’s grave expression told me he understood perfectly just how rare and unpleasant that particular honor truly was.
The only consolation was knowing that Kore was still in Atlantis. I had to count on Loki and Dionysus to protect her.
“Safe passage,” Heimdall said, dropping the base of his axe against the stone floor. The disc below me was illuminated in blinding white light, and as soon as it disappeared, I found myself standing at the dreary gates of the Underworld.
The graying wasteland on the realm’s border wasn’t quite as barren as the Ether, but in a way, it felt even gloomier. There was something haunting in the chill of the air, and the faint cries of the wind sounded like the echoes of the lost souls drained away by the capricious ruler of the Underworld.
Despite what he thought, I knew Hades would be a better ruler than his father. Deep down, he cared more than anyone, not only for this world but for the one above it. I just hoped I could keep him alive long enough to get the chance.
As I made my way toward the palace, a growing unease traveled deep through my bones. I could feel Hades drawing closer, but something was wrong. It wasn’t physical danger. My instincts had grown too sharp to miss that, but there was definitely something amiss.
Not that anything could be ideal when it came to Cronus.
The castle gates blew open with a ghostly wind the moment I reached them. I quickened my pace on the winding path to the great stone doors, careful to keep my wits about me. Cronus had no need for guards. I doubted there were many he hadn’t already turned into fuel for his insatiable sickness, anyway.<
br />
The moment I saw Hades standing before his father’s throne, I finally let myself breathe. The look on his face kept me from being truly relieved.
“There he is. The loyal hound,” Cronus said, his voice dripping with malice. Only he could make that pleasant tone sound wicked. “I was just about through with the lies my son was telling me. Perhaps you’d care to provide some novel deception?”
I glanced Hades’ way, knowing better than to respond too hastily to his challenge. “To what do we owe the honor of a summons, Your Majesty?”
Cronus’ eyes turned a stormy gray that looked off somehow. His eyes always shifted according to his mood, and just when I thought the last shade was the most unsettling, he proved me wrong.
“Proceed carefully, Fenrir, lest you prove the prophets right and meet your father’s fate.”
It was no hollow warning. If it wasn’t for Cronus, I’d have met my end at my father’s side long ago, and while I had considered salvation a mercy at the time, now I was sure he had really meant it as a curse. I was nothing more than a utility. A means to protect the heir who so often disappointed him on earth. The moment his patience with Hades ran out, I was as good as dust.
Not that I particularly wanted to live if I ever failed in that most sacred duty.
“He thinks we know where Kore is,” Hades said, giving me a guarded glance. “What I’d like to know is why it matters, father. What do you want with a petty murderer, anyway?”
Cronus’ mouth became an even more unforgiving line. “You’ll find I have less tolerance for your recalcitrance than I once did,” he said coldly.
“I’m not interested in your tolerance,” Hades spat. “What I want to know is why you gave Thor the order to kill the woman you arranged for me to marry.”
“That’s quite a lofty accusation,” said Cronus.
“And I make it with absolute certainty,” Hades countered, taking a step closer to the throne.
“Very well. Let us dispense with the foolishness,” Cronus said, his long fingers curling around the head of his staff. I flinched in anticipation. One enchantment from that thing and he could wipe out the remainder of souls in the realm if he wanted to. Then he’d have nothing left to feed from but the world above. “I know who she is. What she is,” he said pointedly. “And what you’ve been planning.”
I looked to Hades for his reaction, but his face was a mask of stone, just like his father’s. They were so alike in some ways, and complete opposites in the one that really counted.
“You sound surprised, father,” he said bitterly.
“Surprised? No.” Cronus’ eyes narrowed. “I knew you would disappoint me from the moment your whore of a mother fell pregnant with you.”
In that moment, something snapped. The thin string of filial respect by which their fragile relationship hung. Hades lunged and I shifted into my beast form, prepared to throw myself between them, even though it would mean certain death. The kind even he couldn’t bring someone back from.
Instead, Cronus turned his staff toward me and I saw the curved gem on top of it turn a bloody red before my whole body went stiff. I looked down in time to see gray stone crawling up my legs, spreading quickly until my entire body was completely cast in stone. Hades’ cries of rage became dull, but I remained aware enough of my surroundings to know they were fighting. And there was nothing I could do about it.
The sharp, needling sound of teleportation gave me hope that whatever became of me, at least Hades might live to fight another battle. His bitter cursing confirmed that Cronus had indeed disappeared, but for what purpose, I could only imagine.
Chapter 21
Kore
A sickening panic wrestled me away from my dreams and I woke with a gasp. I was going to have to start taking sleeping pills or something. This shit was getting old.
Being awake for a few seconds did nothing to ease the dread buried deep within my chest. Dionysus and Loki were still sound asleep, but the former began to stir as I got out of bed and pulled my clothes on.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, yawning as he sat up. It was almost as infuriating as it was impressive that he woke up looking like a dream.
“Something happened to Hades and Fenrir,” I answered, hastily tugging on my boots.
Loki sat up, glancing over at me in confusion. It didn’t last long before a look of panic crossed his features and he threw the covers off. “I feel it, too,” he muttered.
Dionysus frowned, touching his bare chest just over his heart. “I think I do, too. It’s weak, but…”
“Give it time,” Loki said dryly, pulling his shirt on over his head. He glanced over at me, unusually sober, which made me even more unnerved. “You’re the one he’s linked to the strongest. Any idea where?”
I hesitated, tempted to respond in the negative. My instincts told another story. “The Underworld, I think,” I said, looking between them. “Both of them.”
Loki nodded, as if the news wasn’t remotely surprising. “They wouldn’t have gone without telling us if something wasn’t wrong.”
Before long, we were all dressed, but I still felt like I couldn’t move fast enough. I went for the door, pausing when Dionysus called my name. I looked back at him in confusion.
“We need a plan before we just waltz up to the portal,” he reasoned. “Heimdall would never let us through.”
“He has a point,” Loki mused. “Even I’m not permitted to visit unless I’m with Hades.”
“Shit,” I muttered. They were right, of course. I just hadn’t been thinking clearly in my panic.
“Can’t you shift?” Dionysus asked, turning to Loki.
“Right,” he said dryly. “Heimdall’s never seen that trick before.”
Dionysus rolled his eyes. “I don’t see you coming up with any better plan.”
And just like that, they were back to bickering like an old married couple. Some things never changed. “I have an idea,” I said, reaching for the rumpled card in my jeans pocket. It was a little bent, but the sigil was still legible.
Loki leaned over my shoulder to inspect the card. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Hermes paid me a visit,” I admitted. “He said to call him if I ever needed help.”
“No offense, but why would he care about you?” Loki asked.
It was a fair question, and I wasn’t thrilled about the answer. “He’s the one who told me Ares was my father. Call it nepotism.”
“Ah. I know it well,” Loki chuckled. “If anyone can get us past the bridge, it’s probably him, but are you sure you can trust him not to turn us in?”
“I don’t think he’s overly loyal to Cronus,” I answered. “Besides, it’s not like we have many options. The only problem is, I don’t know how I’m supposed to use this.”
“It’s a summoning sigil, so it activates with blood,” Dionysus said, shrugging at the looks we were giving him. “What, am I the only one who pays attention in Alchemy?”
Loki snorted. “Nerd.”
Dionysus flipped him off. “Anyone have a knife?”
“No, but I’ve got one better,” I said, forming a small vine in my palm. I pricked my finger on one of the thorns and wiped it on the sigil. “Like this?”
Before Dionysus had the chance to respond, blinding light filled the room. When it dissipated, Hermes was standing before us in a pristine white suit fit for Sunday morning--or collecting souls, which seemed more likely.
“Well, well,” he said, folding both hands over his glossy black cane. “If it isn’t the talk of the town. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Is that offer for a favor still good?” I asked hopefully. Dionysus was staring at him in disbelief, and even Loki seemed a bit starstruck.
“Of course. I am a man of my word,” Hermes said, giving me a curious once over. “But before I help, answer me this. This favor wouldn’t happen to be aiding and abetting the commission of treason and chaos, would it?”
I winced. Lying to Hermes
seemed like the only thing more dangerous than telling him the truth. “Kind of…?”
“Marvelous,” he said with a short bow. “In that case, I’m at your disposal.”
Dionysus blinked. “We need to get past Heimdall to go to the Underworld.”
“Ah. Tricky, indeed,” Hermes mused, pressing a nimble finger to his lips in consideration. “I’m afraid that’s quite impossible. There are only a few allowed passage through that portal, and Heimdall is too sharp for even my arsenal of subterfuge.”
“So much for that,” Loki muttered.
“I didn’t say I couldn’t help,” Hermes snipped. “They don’t call me the Messenger of the Gods for nothing.”
“I thought only you could travel between realms,” I protested.
“Technically, yes, but my job requires the transfer of various parcels and missives,” Hermes said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “There are no size restrictions, or prohibitions against live cargo.”
“That seems like a rather loose interpretation of the words,” said Dionysus.
“Yeah,” Loki agreed. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I offered the favor in good faith,” Hermes said, shrugging. He glanced back at me and his lips quirked. “However, I am a man who tries to stay ahead of the times. In the event that you succeed on your journey and young Hades becomes the master of the realm…”
“You’d like to have the future Queen of the Underworld in your pocket,” Loki said knowingly. “It figures.”
Hermes’ smile widened to a Cheshire grin. “Nothing in life is free, my boy. Certainly not charity.”
