by Sarah Bale
Hades sighed and crossed the room, filling a goblet for me. He brought it back and I took it, my hands shaking. I only meant to take a small sip, but I coughed when the sweet liquid went down my throat.
“What is this?”
“Nectar. Do you like it?”
‘Like’ didn’t begin to cover how I felt about the drink. It was the best things I’d ever had in my life.
Hermes wiggled his eyebrows. “So far.”
“Oh my god, you guys have to stop doing that! My thoughts are mine. Stop listening!”
Hades said, “You will learn how to hide them from us.”
His eyes were sad, as if maybe he didn’t want that to happen.
Vedah cleared her throat. “My Lords, there are things that we need to talk about. Now.” She glanced at Ares. “He can stay. He’s too drunk to understand what’s happening and I don’t want a war started over this.”
That sounded cryptic.
Hermes pulled me into his arms, hugging me. “I will count the minutes until I see your smile again.”
Hades rolled his eyes and then nodded his head at me before following Vedah from the room.
When they were gone, Ares laughed. “Poor mortal. Can’t believe they left you all alone with the God of War.”
I took another drink of my nectar and said, “I’m sure I’m safe.”
“Are you, now?”
His tone made my heart skip a beat.
“Yes?”
Did I really just say that like a question? Shaking my head, I crossed the room and sat in the chair next to Ares. He eyed me warily.
“What do you think they were going to talk about?”
“Who knows. There’s always something going on when an Oracle is involved.”
I said, “You’re the God of War. Shouldn’t you know if something big is happening?”
He shrugged and refilled his glass.
“Maybe if you didn’t drink so much you would know what’s going on.”
He froze, a murderous look on his face.
“What?”
Oh, crap. I stood and put my goblet down. “Nothing.”
He came toward me, and I took a step back. He was so big and overpowering that it made my heart pound.
“Why do you run, love?”
The term of endearment felt anything but and a shadow of anger flashed across his face.
“Because you’re scaring me.”
“Maybe you should call out for Hades. He seems to like protecting you.”
I sensed something in that moment. Something I would bet my life on.
Against my better judgement, I stepped closer to Ares. “And that pisses you off. Why’s that?”
His eyes flashed. “Because he’s always been too quick to jump in when he should just stay out.”
“And I’m one of those things?”
We were so close that my chest brushed against the armor piece over his chest.
He hedged. “It’s probably for the best if he rescues you. I’ve been known to hurt people.”
His eyes clouded over, and I touched his arm.
“I promise I won’t break.”
“The others did.”
“I’m not them.”
He stared down at me and then I did the unthinkable. I lifted on my tiptoes and kissed him. He froze for a beat and then pulled me against his chest, sighing against my lips. My kiss with Hades had been fire. With Hermes, love. But Ares left me wanting more.
Our tongues battled against each other, each unsure of the prize we were fighting over. His rough hands ran up and down my sides, bruising my skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him hostage to my kiss. When he finally pulled away, he shook his head and spun on his heels, muttering under his breath as he left the room.
His mood swings were confusing. He acted like he wanted to kill me and fuck me at the same time.
“It’s always a little of both with the Gods.”
I jumped as Vedah appeared next to me. “You have got to stop doing that.”
My heart was pounding, but it wasn’t from fear. I’d wanted Ares so much. And now I was left wanting. Again.
She smiled. “Sorry. Old habit.”
“Where are Hades and Hermes?”
“They are busy.” She motioned me to follow. “Come. There’s something I want you to see.”
I didn’t know if I wanted to go anywhere with her, but what choice did I have? We walked down several hallways as the air grew cooler and everything seemed darker, like we were going deep underground.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To the crypts.”
I stopped. “No thanks.”
She sighed. “You need to see what they’ve been through. It will help you understand.”
Riddles. In movies and books Oracles always talked in riddles. Apparently, it was true.
“Does Hades know you’re taking me somewhere?”
She huffed. I really didn’t want to follow her, but I found myself trailing after her. Ahead, I could see a rock covering the entrance to the crypt. It moved aside when Vedah waved her hand. This girl certainly had the creep factor down.
We entered the crypt and I shivered. Torches gave off little light as we went further down the path. My teeth began to chatter, and my breath came out in puffs of fog with each exhale. When I thought I could take no more, Vedah turned. There was a door with words carved about it.
“What does it say?”
“Basically, beware and turn around. It’s fine.”
She opened the door before I could tell her to stop. Inside, the room glowed with gems still in the ground. A tidbit of information flashed through my mind. Hades was known as the God of Wealth, too, because of all of the precious stones beneath the surface of the earth.
“Very good, Goddess. I’m impressed that you are remembering.”
Her words unsettled me.
“I’m not a Goddess and what am I remembering?”
She chuckled. “You are who you are.”
Ares was right – nothing but answers that didn’t make sense.
“Come.”
She led me down a path that grew more ominous as we walked. It was scarier than any movie I’d ever seen, and I expected something to jump out at any moment.
“Stop being so dramatic. The only thing on this path is the Furies.”
I stopped. “What?”
“Aubrey, they are harmless unless Hades commands them to attack.” She paused. “Usually.”
Oh, my god. I was going to die, and no one knew where I was.
We finally reached our destination and stepped inside. Vedah waved her hand and the room lit up. I gasped as I looked around.
The paintings on the wall told every story since the beginning of time. I walked and took in all the stories, some feeling like old memories. The rise of the Titans and then their fall as the Olympians took over.
And then the prophecy was right there in front of me. It was the same words that had haunted me my entire life.
A prophecy shall unravel what has been since the beginning of time. Old Gods will weep as the Beloveds fade. Only New Blood on the throne will restore balance to their World.
I touched the wall. Each Goddess faded away as a replacement was born. Persephone and Aphrodite stood side by side and beneath them was a dark-haired baby. Me. This was repeated two more times by two other women.
“Are you… are you saying that I’m both Persephone and Aphrodite? How is that even possible?”
I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea.
“You are more than they ever were. You are their superior.”
It felt strange hearing her say that. How could I, a nobody, be more than two Goddesses?
Vedah said, “There were design flaws when they were created. We now know why. Come.”
She led me to the last bit of wall where there was an epic battle depicted. My heart missed a beat when I saw Hades, Hermes, and Ares in chains, bloodied and bruised. I traced the image and my br
eath caught in my throat.
“How is that possible? Were they betrayed?”
Vedah stood next to me. “You are very wise, Aubrey. In a sense, yes.”
“By whom?”
“That is what my sisters and I cannot see. Our vision is veiled.”
My stomach churned.
“I’m guessing only a powerful force could do that.” At her nod I asked, “Do they know? Is that what you were telling Hades and Hermes?”
Vedah pointed to the mural. “It’s not just them.”
There were nine other men being tortured as well. One was missing his head. I knew this was Zeus.
I gasped. “The rest of the Gods? Where are the Goddesses?”
She gave me a wary look. And then I saw. At the bottom of the painting was a pit with three women inside. All dead. And one of them looked just like me.
“Vedah?”
“Whatever is coming is powerful. You will need to be able to fight it.”
“How do we do that?”
“You can start by being intimate with them. That will be your biggest source of power.”
My entire body flushed at her words.
“And when they fall in love with you, your strength will be unbreakable.”
A laugh escaped my mouth. “Any other options?”
“What does that mean?”
“Come on Vedah. None of them are going to fall in love with me.” I shook my head and amended. “Maybe Hermes, but definitely not Ares and Hades.”
“You don’t give them enough credit.” She motioned for me to follow. “Come.”
I looked at the painting one last time before following her out of the crypt. She led me even further into the darkness until we came to a river that glowed a faint blue.
“What is this?”
“This is the river of sight. The river Serafina. A river that can only be seen by those with true sight.”
“How am I seeing it?”
She smiled. “Because you have a certain type of sight. You see the dead. Come.”
She went to the edge of the bank, looking down. I did the same and gasped. Beneath the surface I saw two women looking up at me.
“Is that-”
“Yes.”
Persephone and Aphrodite. Their blonde hair floated around them beneath the water, covering their naked bodies. Persephone smiled up at me, her mouth moving as she spoke soundless words.
“But Hades said she faded away into nothingness.”
“She did, as did Aphrodite. But nothing in this world is truly ever gone.”
Both were so full of beauty that it took my breath away. I was nothing like them with my dark hair and too-curvy body. And yet I was supposed to be the best of them? It made no sense.
Vedah touched my arm. “If you swim with them, they will be able to connect with you for a short amount of time.”
Did I want to talk to them? Heck yes. I nodded to Vedah and removed my gown, stepping into the cold water. My teeth chattered as the water rose until it was to my neck.
“What now?”
She smiled. “Now you must give in.”
I opened my mouth to ask what she meant when something took hold of my ankle and pulled me under. I gasped, taking in a mouthful of water. I thrashed, trying to make my way to the surface, but whatever held me was too strong. My chest ached with the need to take a breath until my jaws began to unclench. No! If I inhaled, I would die.
Above me, I could see Vedah looking down, shaking her head.
“Silly girl, stop fighting this.”
Her voice was in my head. I shook my head. This wasn’t right! I couldn’t do this. I didn’t want to die!
And then a bubble escaped my lips.
And another.
Until there was nothing left in my lungs.
So, I did the only thing I could.
I inhaled.
7
HADES
“Where’s Aubrey?”
Ares shrugged as he took another sip of his wine. Fucking lush. He and Dionysus ought to be best friends with the way they drank.
Hermes came in the room, a frown on his face. “Something’s wrong. I felt distress coming from Aubrey.”
I had, too, but I was trying to remain calm.
“She’s not in her chambers,” Hermes said. “I just came from there.”
I closed my eyes, willing myself to find Aubrey’s location in my own fucking realm, which should be a piece of cake.
Cursing, I said, “She is hidden to me.”
Ares laughed. “How is that possible?”
“It’s possible because we haven’t lain together. That’s what makes the bond between us final.”
Sex was the ultimate act of two becoming one. I grimaced. I wasn’t looking forward to hurting Aubrey in this way, but eventually I would have to.
Hermes frowned. “It’s the same for me. If we were fully bonded I could easily find her.”
Ares rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
I said, “Surely you know that you’re going to have to bond with her, too, at some point. We all felt that kiss you shared with her earlier.”
“So what? It was just a kiss.”
It was Hermes turn to laugh. “Just a kiss? Dude, the ground shook when she kissed you.”
Ares’ face turned red. “I suggest you stop talking, brother. I’d hate to injure you.”
Hermes held up his hands in surrender. I wasn’t ready to let the subject go, though, not after the news Vedah had shared with us.
“Ares, I know you’re still hurting over Aphrodite, but you need to hear us out. We need to bond with Aubrey as soon as possible.”
Ares jumped to his feet. “How dare you even say that to me! I guess you didn’t love Persephone as much as I loved Aphrodite. If you had then you wouldn’t dare say that to me.”
His words struck just as they were meant to be. I was going to reply when Hermes stepped between us.
“You forget that I loved Aphrodite, too, brother.”
Ares sneered. “Please. You were with her a millennium ago. I loved her my entire life.”
Hermes said, “That may be true, but I did love her. The moment she faded away, I knew it. I knew before you called out to me. But I also knew what was waiting for us here, in the Underworld.”
This was news to me.
Ares stilled. “You knew that girl was down here, and you still brought me? How could you? You had no fucking right!”
Hermes replied, “I’ve been there while Zeus held Hera’s hand, begging her to stay. I’ve watched the ocean grow sick as Poseidon focuses on Amphitrite. And I’ve seen the state of the other Goddesses. So yes, I did have a right.” He sighed. “Brother, the more you fight this the worse it will be.”
He echoed Vedah’s words from earlier.
I added, “We need everyone to be on their best game, so we can figure out who is causing all of this turmoil.”
Ares dipped his head. “I agree. Because once we figure out who is behind all of this I am personally going to rip their head from their body.”
He grabbed another bottle of wine and shoved past me. When he was gone, Hermes sighed.
“I know I shouldn’t push him, but he’s so stubborn that he could be our downfall.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that Hermes was right.
ARES
I wanted to go back into the room and throw my perfectly good bottle of wine at my fucking brothers. They had no idea what I was going through!
“Fucking pricks.”
I walked aimlessly down the hallways willing my mind to go blank. But it was no use. Because I was a fraud. I had just given my brother hell about moving on from Persephone, but I was the one who couldn’t remember what Aphrodite looked like.
I moaned. How was that possible? I’d been with her since the fucking beginning of time! But when I closed my eyes all I could see was Aubrey’s dark eyes right before she kissed me. And that kiss… my Gods, that kiss was better than any fight I’d e
ver fought in my entire life.
I took a swig right from the bottle and stopped in my tracks as realized where I was. The crypts. How had I gone this far without realizing?
Ahead, Vedah stood looking down at Aubrey, who was sopping wet at her feet. Instinct took over when I realized she wasn’t moving. I rushed forward and scooped Aubrey into my arms without a second thought. She was so fucking still, and her skin was too pale.
“What did you do, witch?”
Vedah glared and a cold breeze whipped around me.
“Careful.”
I wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit. “Tell me. Now.”
Vedah pointed to the ground. “Aubrey was able to see.”
Aubrey stirred in my arms and shivered. I held her closer to my body and spun on my heels.
“Just wait until my brothers hear about this.” I picked up my pace and called out to them. “Hades! Hermes! Something has happened to Aubrey.”
They were waiting for me when I reached Aubrey’s chambers.
Hades pushed the door open and asked, “What happened to her? Why is she wet?”
“I don’t know. She was with your Oracle.”
Hades’ eyes flashed and the ground trembled. “Vedah!”
Hermes followed me into the room and watched as I laid Aubrey onto her bed.
“Should we get her out of her gown? She’s shivering…”
We both looked down at her. The black mesh gown clung to her body leaving very little to the imagination. A surge of lust shot through my stomach and I cursed. I was a dick and now wasn’t the time.
Aubrey moaned. “It’s okay.”
Hermes asked, “What’s okay, light of my life?”
Aubrey’s eyes fluttered opened and she stared right at me. “I felt the same way when I saw you, Ares. That doesn’t make you a dick.”
“You- you heard my thoughts?”
She nodded and then put her hands over her eyes. “It’s so bright in here. Can someone turn off the lights?”
Hermes met my gaze, mouth open. Her chambers were dark, as the evening fires hadn’t been lit yet. Hades came into the room and took her hand into his.
“Where did Vedah take you?”
She smiled and touched my brother’s cheek. “I got to meet her.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. “I got to meet both of them.”
