He nodded. “I know,” he smiled. “That’s why we are finally talking. Artemis and Apollo never expected any of this to happen. Despite their almost perfect scheme, you somehow managed to flourish. You started taking over the world in your own right, all broody and guilty and hungry. They let it slide but kept a close eye on you in case you ever grew wise to your true bloodline. They didn’t tell Hera that you’d actually survived that fire as a babe due to fear of inciting her wrath. As long as you didn’t know your bloodline, you were no longer a real threat. Pleading ignorance was a safer bet for them. Because they are devious, cowardly, self-serving twats.”
I nodded with a faint smile at his unconditional love for his niece and nephew. Their admission would have started a war, forcing everyone to pick a side between Zeus and Hera. I studied Hades. “Why did you take my soul, though? And why keep it?”
“I already explained that. To keep it safe. And we made a deal—Artemis’ silver bow for your soul. That weapon is fatally dangerous to you. It always will be. Heed my words.”
I nodded at the stern look he gave me. “Okay. Don’t get shot. Got it.”
He studied me for a few more moments before relaxing. “I took your soul because you needed time to mature. Time to learn the truth for yourself. Time to grow into your powers. And I wanted to take Artemis’ bow so that she couldn’t hunt you down with it. It also gave me plausible deniability—or at least sheltered my true machinations. I couldn’t risk anyone learning that I was trying to help my brother, Zeus. I couldn’t even risk him learning the truth since he thought you were long dead. Any direct act to help you would have drawn attention to you and started the very war we were trying to avoid. A war that would have been your downfall because you were not strong enough to survive a battle with gods.”
I frowned, shaking my head. “Then what has changed? I started growing stronger after learning about Zeus—”
“No. Everything changed when you formed your trinity with your devils and your castle. That was the catalyst that let me know we finally had a chance to win.”
I stared at him, not sure what to say. But I didn’t like the direction it seemed to be taking.
“That is why everything has suddenly kicked off at full speed. It is why Zeus got involved. He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he sensed the sudden change in the air and tried to destroy the threat at the Statue of Liberty.” He smiled smugly. “Surprised the fuck out of him to find his own son was at the eye of the storm, so to speak. Surprised him in a good way,” he reassured me. “Zeus wants this just as much as me. He knows how corrupt Olympus has become. The Olympians are a plague of tyrants who must be eradicated. Just like your Dracula, but far, far worse. New blood is needed.” His eyes twinkled as he stared at me. “Hello, vampire.”
My heart was racing wildly. “You…want me to overthrow all of Olympus?” I breathed.
“Damned right I do. And Zeus agrees.”
I stared at him, licking my lips. “That is insane. Why would you want me to destroy…you?”
“Because I am the old generation, Sorin,” he said tiredly. “I might not be like them, but I let it all happen. Guilt by association,” he said, hurling another sapphire at Dracula.
I suddenly felt very, very small.
“Now that Lucian and Nero carry the gifts of the Titaness Hecate, the world the Olympians used to rule with an iron fist is beginning to tumble. They just don’t know it yet. Why do you think Hecate gave up her gifts in the first place?” I stared at him, feeling numb. “You, Nero, and Lucian are the new breed. The proof is that you bonded Natalie, Victoria, and your castle. Three entirely different sources of power. You represent change. A melding of magic that hasn’t been seen since the first creation.”
I frowned uneasily. He was talking about the same trinity Hazel had mentioned. Had I really done that? Without even knowing? And was it truly as powerful as he claimed?
I couldn’t even make my romantic relationships work, and he wanted me to topple the Olympians? “I don’t know, Hades.”
“Why do you think Zeus slept around so much?” he demanded. “He was trying to make a child with the correct qualities to birth a trinity—a real one that could span other supernatural classes. Ironically, the right son was hidden from him and labeled a monster.”
I’d found the catch I’d been looking for. And it was a big one.
Destroy the world. For your family.
“Shall we?” he asked, rising to his feet and holding out his arm to indicate what looked like a wide cobbled road leading to a massive wooden door set into a marble wall. “Just because the table is set does not mean dinner is ready.”
I nodded, eyeing Dracula’s predicament one last time before following Hades.
My family was even more fucked up than I’d ever thought. Many of them wanted to kill me.
And the others wanted me to murder them.
29
We finally came to a stop beside the massive door. I turned to Hades with a questioning look. He stared at the door, looking as if he was gathering his courage. Bellowing roars could be heard from the other side, and I felt a shudder of instinctive fear. Whoever was making those noises was loud. And very large.
He didn’t look eager to talk about it even though he had obviously wanted to bring me here. And after the secrets he had already told me, I was absolutely certain I didn’t want to see the skeletons in his closet.
I glanced back at Dracula, deciding to shift the topic from the door until he was ready. “Your scheme with Dracula weakened my Nephilim vampires,” I said carefully. “Will they be okay?”
He glanced over at me, as if I had caught him dozing. He blinked a few times, replaying my words in his mind. Then he waved a hand dismissively. “They’re just hungry.”
I frowned. “They tried feeding but it only seemed to siphon off into Dracula’s spell.”
He nodded. “Diet makes the man.”
I studied him for a moment, thinking. They had consumed souls and blood from their victims, but Dracula’s blood connection with the Underworld must have tainted the flow of souls. “Them trying to feed only served to make his spell stronger because the castle feeds off blood.”
Hades nodded with an approving smile. “Exactly.”
“I need clean souls.” I glanced out at the Underworld thoughtfully. “Is there a bulk discount option? I’ve given you quite a few bodies over the years, and plenty of blood and souls.”
“Yes, thank you for being responsible with your waste management,” he said dryly. “You can have all the souls you want.”
I waited for the catch, but he had returned his attention to the door. “Don’t you need them? I don’t want to tell you how to do your job or anything, but aren’t you supposed to protect them? It would be hell on earth to mess with the natural order like that.”
He shot me a frank look. “Imagine that.”
Right. I had momentarily forgotten about his insane plan.
He sighed patiently, sensing my obvious reluctance. “I believe in restoring the world. Even if it means destroying all the gods. We’ve had our turn, and we’ve done a lousy job. It’s time for the next generation to have a go.” He was still staring at the door before us.
“Me,” I said, not feeling very confident in my role—or even his plan. “Lucian and Nero. Three brothers, just like you, Zeus, and Poseidon so long ago.” He shrugged. “Why do the Nephilim hate the Olympians so much?” I asked curiously.
Rather than answering me, he was entirely still for a few moments. “The Alpha and the Omega,” he finally murmured, setting his palm on the door. I heard a resounding click from deep within the blackened wood, followed by a series of deep groans from some internal locking mechanism. “Perhaps Zeus isn’t just Zeus. Perhaps Hades isn’t just Hades. Perhaps the Titans aren’t just Titans.”
I stared at him. “Wait. What are you doing right now?” I demanded, glancing at the massive door warily.
“We both know you came down here with much gr
ander plans than reacquiring three souls.”
I maintained my composure, wondering if he was just fishing or if he had truly seen through me. “Oh? And what else would I want from you or the Underworld?” I asked.
Because it had only been a vague, absently-considered idea.
“Walk through the door, Sorin. It’s unlocked.”
I licked my lips. “You’re serious.”
“As serious as a coffin nail,” he smiled sadly. He lit up a clove cigarette—just like Aphrodite had been smoking—and began walking away. “Take your time. I’ll be waiting back at the pavilion. I’ll send Dracula back to your castle after I finish draining him of his stolen power.”
I blinked at him. “The river of blood…you really were draining it from him?”
“Can never have enough blood,” he muttered dryly. Then he chuckled darkly. “Remember your dreaded prophecy—the first one, anyway,” he said with a knowing wink. “The blood will run,” he quoted, holding out a hand toward Dracula in the near distance. At the river of blood mixing into the black waters.
“What about the second message the Oracle gave me? When I went back to her?”
Hades glanced back again, and his face was a mask of secrets. “Perhaps that one was authentic. Perhaps it was another lie. But you’ve had enough truths for one night.”
“What do I do on the other side?” I asked, glancing at the door nervously.
He paused, glancing back at me. “Use this,” he said, tossing me an inky black ring. I caught it, inspecting it in the ambient light. It was large enough for my thumb and made of a black, heavy stone, as smooth as polished glass. “It’s a soulcatcher. Use your imagination.”
“Soulcatcher,” I repeated thoughtfully. “How many can it hold?”
He smirked, lifting his hand to reveal his own matching ring. “Enough. Why do you think it’s so quiet down here? There should be billions upon billions of wandering souls. You’ve seen maybe fifty, right?” He kissed his ring and flashed me a smile.
“Is there a cost?” I asked, considering my plan in a new light. I could use the soulcatcher to feed my Nephilim.
He stared at me in utter silence, looking as if he was in great pain. “There is always a cost. And the price is always unknown when making epic decisions,” he whispered, sounding as if he spoke from a place of personal experience. “It cost me something to help you in that cave. And perhaps it’s costing me something even now. Sometimes it is the one giving the gift who pays the price, not the one receiving it. Like Hecate said about your friends.” Then he continued walking away, his shoulders slumped tiredly.
I let out a shaky breath. How had he known my plan? I hadn’t told anyone. I hadn’t even made a solid decision yet. It had just been a thought after Aphrodite’s comment about our family putting the fun in dysfunctional.
Talk about understatements. Aphrodite was the sanest one in the bunch.
I turned towards the door, taking a deep breath even though I didn’t need to actually breathe.
“Here goes nothing,” I said, pushing the door open. Wind that was simultaneously fiery and icy blew at me, forcing me to call up my cloak of blood and shadows. Frosted embers and frozen flames whipped through the screaming wind, and through it all I heard the agonized cries of the damned.
30
I took my time walking back, mildly surprised to find Dracula no longer trapped in the river. Had Hades sent him back to the castle already?
The souls working here and there gave me a wide berth, all of them staring at my new soulcatcher ring with nervous frowns. They bowed and scraped as I passed them by, redoubling their work efforts in my wake. Their fears gave me pause, wondering exactly what kind of deadly artifact I had accepted from him. But I didn’t dare take it off either.
Not anymore.
It was a perfect fit for my thumb, feeling like it was made of ice.
I’d considered my conversation with Hades in great detail as I walked. It was unbelievably troubling, but…I was in complete agreement. Especially the part about me having other, more pressing, matters to deal with before I needed to address his grand plan.
The table was set, but dinner was not yet ready.
Truer words.
So, I shoved it all to the back of my mind and focused on the tasks at hand.
I returned to the pavilion to find Hades staring into one of the braziers, lost in his own thoughts as he caressed the soulcatcher on his thumb in an absent, familiar gesture. He looked up at my arrival, his eyes latching onto my ring as his breath caught.
He watched me, his silent question obvious.
I nodded discreetly. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. Then he opened them and returned my nod.
Nero was leaning over a black marble fountain of purple liquid that hadn’t been there earlier; a vaporous mist shifted lazily near the lip of the bowl, but none of it overflowed.
Hecate was speaking to him in low tones, directing him from over his shoulder. He reached out with a skeleton hand—which made me jump in surprise—holding a chalice and scooped up a cupful of the liquid. “Drink,” Hecate urged him.
He lifted the chalice to his lips, and I marveled as it appeared to function the same as any other hand of flesh and blood. The joints between the knuckles consisted of a deep violet crystal that seemed to shine with dull inner light. As he sipped the purple liquid from the fountain, he let out a sharp gasp, almost dropping the chalice. He shook as if laughing, and then flung his head back, taking a deep breath. “My soul is back,” he breathed, and then he began laughing.
Hecate smiled, gripping his arm warmly. Then she released him, motioning Lucian over.
Persephone tugged Lucian to his feet with an encouraging smile. “Think of loping through empty fields of wheat, the sun at your back,” she murmured softly.
He nodded, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. “O-okay, Persephone,” he rasped. I sucked in a breath, relieved to see that she really had begun to help him get his speech back.
Persephone beamed. “Just like that, Lucian! It will get easier with time,” she reassured him, shooting a triumphant look at her husband. Hades nodded with a polite smile.
I grunted, shooting Nero an incredulous look. He nodded back at me, lifting his new skeleton hand. “He’s working at it, but he’s already said a few words. And I have my soul back!”
I stepped up beside Hades while Lucian went to drink his soul back with Hecate.
Hades didn’t look over at me, staring down into the brazier again instead. “I’ll move the Soul Spring to your castle for you,” Hades said, gesturing vaguely. “I’m sure you have an empty corner that could use a decorative fountain.”
I nodded. “Thank you. How does this…Soul Spring work?”
Hades was silent for a few moments. “It is well connected to the rivers here. It will offer consistent nourishment to your Nephilim.” His eyes flicked to my soulcatcher ring. “Their appetite could increase dramatically soon.”
“Am I on any kind of time-limit?” I asked, studying my ring warily.
He shook his head. “No. Time is meaningless when you start dealing in souls. You can even change your mind, if you wish. Just dip the ring into the Soul Spring and say my name. On that note, if anything with a soul touches that liquid and you say my name, it is considered an offering to me. A very painful offering,” he added, smiling up at me faintly.
I grimaced. “I could use it as a weapon, is what you mean.”
“Everything can be a weapon, Sorin.” He shifted his attention over my shoulder and cleared his throat. “Your friends are no longer soulless bastards.”
“We are now heartless but soulful bastards,” Nero crowed, “because we can all hear you.”
Lucian was smiling gratefully at Hecate. She nodded. “This will make your transition back easier, Lucian, but do not expect a full recovery anytime soon.” He nodded in mild disappointment. “Do not cut off that darker, wilder side of you. Embrace it and understand it. Much lik
e cutting off one ear will not make you hear any better, even if you really do not like the way it looks in the mirror. It is a part of you.”
He nodded solemnly. “Better,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Is my soul in there as well?” I asked, eyeing the fountain nervously, wondering what it would feel like. Hades nodded, gesturing me towards Hecate, who was holding out the golden chalice with an expectant smile on her young face. I took a step in that direction and the fountain abruptly disappeared. Hecate gasped, jumping back. The chalice was no longer in her hand. I stared at the empty space for about two seconds before slowly rounding on Hades. “What is the meaning of this?”
Hades was frowning at the empty space as well. “I…am not sure. Perhaps you must wait until you get back up top.” He looked deeply troubled, scratching his chin as he shot a pensive look at Persephone.
She flung up her hands. “Oh, no you don’t. I didn’t do anything.”
Hecate looked startled as well. She shook her head, realizing that Hades had shifted his attention to her. “I couldn’t have made it move even if I had tried.”
I studied the three gods suspiciously. “I do not appreciate games,” I warned them.
They each turned to me with similar looks of concern.
“I set it up to return to your castle,” Hades finally said, as if thinking out loud. “Maybe it left early, thinking it was already finished after giving Nero and Lucian their souls back.”
He was absently toying with his ring, staring at the empty spot and licking his lips nervously.
“You better hope so, Hades.”
He looked up at me, and then down at my ring. Finally, he nodded. And the tension in the pavilion lessened dramatically.
“So, nothing has changed for me—other than the fact that Dracula is no longer on the verge of breaking out. My enemies still wait.”
Hades nodded. “Technically, Dracula won’t realize the connection has been cut off between him and the Underworld until you return. It will be a very…painful lesson, and he will probably have nightmares about sapphires,” he added with a dark grin.
Devil’s Blood: Shade of Devil Book 3 Page 19
