Chapter 12
“Where do you want to be sent?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet. The next thing I must do is go and track down Atlas, he’ll know when Asher was born and where. Once we get information out of him, I’ll be able to tell you.” I looked at her and she had shifted back into her true form.
“Is that where you’re off to next?”
“Yes, I’m going to find Atlas and make him pay for his treachery. Not before he tells me where we’re going.”
“You’re going after Atlas?” I turned to find Hunter and Zane enter the hallway behind us. Zane’s eyes jumped to Hecate and sized her up before flashing a grin that likely tore the panties right off Aphrodite when he wanted it. Hunter arched an eyebrow, “What the hell are you wearing?”
I looked at my toga, back at Hunter mimicking his expression, “What the hell are you wearing?”
“Something normal, you look like you’ve stepped out of. What’s with the toga?” I had no idea what he was talking about I ignored him, Animal House carrying on as I brushed his second question off flippantly and replied, “Yes, I am off to find Atlas. He will have information on Asher we need and I think he needs to pay for his lies.”
“I want to help.”
“Funny, you are showing your face, Hunter.” I turned to face the vessel of my brother, leveraging him with a cold look.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You didn’t back me in the throne room yesterday when I was trying to come with a plan and now here you are wanting to help. What’s with the new attitude?”
“It’s no attitude. I’m in the same boat as you, metaphorically of course. My God is dying without our connection to Olympus and I don’t exactly want to lose this new lease on life I’ve gotten with the whole Olympian thing, I want to help and fix things.”
“I’m in too.” Zane looked over at me finally, “I like a good fight.”
“You’ll be helpful anyways, you were a military man in your previous life?”
“Yeah, special ops overseas.”
“Good, we’ll need that training to get the information out of Atlas that we need.”
“You’re not going to torture him for information, are you?” Hunter seemed for a moment concerned about the wellbeing of Atlas but as far as I was concerned, what he was going to get was mild compared to what he deserved. When Hunter realized what I was going to do, he swallowed hard and changed his question, “Okay, where do we start?” Hunter spoke again but I ignored him, Poseidon was always fickle though that likely had to do with his connection to the sea. Waters were fickle as well.
Turning to Hecate I arched an eyebrow, “Any idea where we might find the devious Titan?”
“I’m sure I could find him, for a price.”
“Zane, anything you have to offer the lady?”
“About nine things, if she’s interested.” He grinned at her again and she arched an eyebrow before looking at me.
I shrugged, “I have nothing left you would be interested in.”
“I doubt it. But I’ll take Zane’s… nine things. Hopefully he’s not stretching the truth.”
“I might be underestimating it, to be honest.” He gave a casual shrug like he was being modest before Hecate drew her hands up and closed her eyes. She seemed to suck the air out of the room, the magic in my veins burning in reaction to hers before a wall grew out of the ground and in the middle stood a door.
“That should take you through to where you want to go. Find me when you get back.” She was speaking to me but Zane took it as a suggestion for him as he slapped her ass on the way through the door.
“All brawn, no brain.” I assured her before following my son and brother through the door.
We came out on the other side in Olympus. Standing in the throne room, I took in the shambles of my once great center of worship. Although I was out for his blood, I had to admit Atlas had placed such an endearing touch of nostalgia on the room it looked as if I had never left it. It might be two thousand years later but I felt like I was back in Hellenistic Greece. But this was not where I wanted to be, why had Hecate sent me back to Olympus? Atlas was with Asher if our intel was right.
I looked around suspiciously, “This cannot be right. That little witch lied.”
“Hang on a second, I know Atlas had an office but he also needed somewhere to live like us.”
“An apartment?”
“Perhaps.” Hunter led the way out of the throne room and into the hallway of doors. He had a destination in mind as he walked through, coming to the end and pushing the first door open. Beyond the threshold, a mess of an office appeared. Everything was trashed and one thing was for certain, Atlas was not here. This did not deter Hunter as he stepped through the wreckage, eyes narrowed as he looked for something neither myself or Zane could see.
The office was cramped with furniture from different eras, bookshelves which had teetered over and spilled scrolls and tombs out on the ground. It was a cacophonous mess. Perhaps in this wreckage I could find something about Asher. As Hunter looked around, I stepped forward and picking through the remains looking for anything that may be of use. Most of the books were nothing, literature collected over the years no doubt for amusement purposes more than anything else. The scrolls held ancient spells but nothing that would be helpful to me.
“Anything?” Zane stepped beside me, his eyes on Hunter who was still looking for something. He spun around for a moment, closing his eyes as he held out his hands. From his fingertips, spurts of water appeared and the room began to fill. My feet soon were flooded by how much poured from his fingers. I did not know what he was up to but Hunter seemed to be pleased with himself as he continued to move through the room, watching the water as it spread out.
After a moment or two he spoke, “Right here.” He stopped in front of a massive globe standing against the wall, at its base the water seemed to be disappearing somewhere and Hunter crouched to investigate. He traced the base, following it up the staff that held the globe before nodding his head like he was impressed.
Without warning, he pushed the globe forcefully into the wall and it disappeared, a map appearing instead, peeling off the wall to reveal a threshold behind it.
“Dramatic,” I muttered to myself, unimpressed with the show as I stepped past the vessel of my brother and into the room beyond. Sure enough, Hunter’s hunch was right and there was an entire apartment beyond, lavishly decorated in Hellenistic tastes that sent another wave of nostalgia through me. Atlas was sitting on a chaise reading old papyrus scrolls when he saw us enter. He lost his composure for a moment, no doubt surprised we had found him here without a care in the world.
“My lord.” He bowed to me like he knew he should, making Hunter turn to look at me with questions in his eyes. A flicker of recognition passed through his eyes and perhaps he knew now I was not Aidan masquerading around in a toga, but in fact the King of the Gods in his true glory.
Returning my gaze to Atlas, I held out a hand as a signal, “Stay down Atlas, you have been disloyal.”
“I am sorry, you know I love the Gods. It was never my…”
“Enough, I am not interested in your pathetic babble. You disobeyed me once and I, in all my profound kindness, gave you a second chance and you have betrayed me.” I nodded at Zane, directing him with my eyes to the Titan. My son wasted no time taking over his vessel as he moved to the Titan, hauled him up with one hand and in a blast, threw him into a chair where magic sealed him to the seat.
“Well done, Ares.”
“Ares, my lord? Aidan…” Hunter frowned as he looked from me to Zane and back again, “You’re not Aidan right now. You’re Zeus.”
“Yes, and perhaps it would be in your best interest to allow my brother a chance to roam free in your body. What happens next would not be something you may wish to see or have on your conscience, surfer boy.”
Hunter frowned, obviously conflicted with something I had no interest in, whatev
er he decided had no bearing on what I was about to do. I had a task at hand and a Titan to punish. With another nod, I conducted Ares to land the first blow, the wind visibly sailing out of Atlas’ lungs as his eyes rolled back in his head. Magic prevented the air from returning as his throat collapsed in on itself and he struggled to try and breathe. His skin turned bluish and purple, like he was covered in bruises without any effort being put into it.
“I imagine you do not wish to die, nor would you want to go to Tartarus where you will live out your days for disobedience. I will give you one more chance, Atlas. You will tell me about Asher, where he is from, when he was born and who his mother is. Then, if I decide your answers are to my satisfaction, your punishment will cease. However, let me remind you of the price you will pay if you do not cooperate.” I felt a steady presence at my side and turned to find Hunter standing there, his bright blue eyes afire. “Brother, if you will.”
He nodded and stepped forward, pinching Atlas’ cheeks to open his mouth before pressing three fingers on his tongue. The way Atlas struggled made the water Poseidon shot into his lungs overflow from his lips and crawl his chest. But still, despite his efforts, Poseidon’s salt water found its mark as I watched Atlas’ eyes widen and bulge from his features. His nails clawed at the arm of the chair, helpless to stop or do anything. He wouldn’t die, but he would be in immense pain.
“Alright.” Ares punched him again, this time in the chest, and Poseidon stepped back as the contents of the Dead Sea spewed forth from Atlas’ lungs. He coughed desperately, tears blinding his vision as he tried to catch his breath once more.
“I will tell you my lord, let me speak. Please.”
“Speak.”
“Asher was born in a colony of Britain, they call it America now.”
“America is a pretty big place Atlas, which settlement?” Ares was the one to speak, drawing on the knowledge of his vessel, no doubt.
“Uh, it was…” He floundered, his memory perhaps failing him but I suspected he was buying time to try and figure out a way to help himself. Titans were tricky. I nodded again and Ares reached out faster than a blink, snapping Atlas’ arm until it was bent in the wrong direction. He screamed out in pain and as he screamed, Ares bent his chair backwards and Poseidon stepped forward to shoot another spray of water into his mouth as he screamed.
They water boarded him for a minute or two before releasing him and his chair steadied itself. Atlas coughed desperately, choking on algae and seaweed as it came back out of his mouth. Reaching, he grabbed the ends of one piece of seaweed and tugged it out of his throat before hacking for air. Unamused by his time wasting, I snapped my fingers and Ares stepped forward to take hold of his other arm.
“Virginia! He was from Virginia. His mother was the daughter of a well-known merchant, he traded in…” He coughed again, more water coming from his lungs, “tobacco.”
“Her name?”
“Gods, I do not know Zeus! Mary, Elizabeth, Bethesda? I have no idea, it was never any concern of mine.”
“What year?”
“1657.”
“From what I know, there were not a lot of villages at that time in Virginia, finding out which one should not be a problem, Father. But I do not understand how this will help you stop Asher.”
“I have a plan, do not worry.” I eyed Atlas one more time before looking at Poseidon. “Atlas once spent an eternity holding the sky. I now desire he spend an eternity holding the land from the sea, brother. Find a suitable place for him within your domain where he might reside and make sure he has several lethal guardians to watch over him for all time.”
“A kraken?”
“A kraken will do, but perhaps a few more, in case he gets any clever ideas to help himself before he helps us.”
“But I did help you, my lord! You promised, I helped, I gave you the answers!”
“You also betrayed me and cost me lives from my pantheon. I will never give you another opportunity to do that.”
Ares helped Poseidon lift Atlas out of his chair and the two of them walked out of the apartment to take Atlas to his next home.
Looking around the apartment one more time, I walked to the scroll Atlas was reading. I sat on the couch and unrolled it, my eyes scanning the Ancient Greek. It was a spell for immortality. I paused for a moment, looking away from the scroll. If Asher had gotten his hands on this, he could have undone everything I was trying to do. Going back in time wouldn’t change anything if his soul was already immortal. But if Atlas had the spell here, it was sufficient to say Asher still had not cast the spell. I could only hope. Children were trouble, I had told Hera as much when we finished the first Titanomachy. Look at what I had done to my own father. I never wanted a child of my own to usurp my power, that’s why complete obedience had always been required. But one child on the loose with the desire to see me overthrown would not do. I was not attached to the idea of heirdom if it meant losing my reign as God of Gods. And unlike Aidan’s pathetic attempt to appease Asher by turning over his power, I was not going to give him the opportunity to make such a foolish mistake.
What was I if not the King of the Gods, Zeus Almighty, lord of Lightning? Nothing. It was simple and it was up to me to take every measure necessary to ensure my power did not slip through my fingers and land in the careless hands of someone like Asher who had seen too many mob movies.
Having Aidan cooperating with me would be easier, we could work together combining his own historical knowledge with my own political savvy but until Aidan accepted that some things were out of his hands, it would have to do that I maintained control.
Not that I did not want to cooperate with him. So far, he had proved himself a worthy vessel for a King. However, his insecurity, his fear of rejection and his desire to please at any cost were weaknesses that would not do in a time of war. This was a battle of life or death, it could afford no weaknesses. And it required us to play dirty.
It seemed like I was going back to colonial America now in search of a tobacco trader’s daughter. It was not as much as I hoped to go on but it would have to do. Hopefully Ares was right, the population was small enough tracking her would be easy.
Keeping her legs shut around me, however, might prove to be the more difficult challenge.
Chapter 13
I had what I needed to give Hecate for her time portal, but first I needed to plan for what I left behind. The next portal door I found brought me out into the Underworld at the door to my shared chamber with Savannah. Stepping into the room, I found my blonde-haired goddess sprawled on the bed with a pillow tucked under her arms and face.
“Go away, Aidan…” This was her first initial mumbled statement until she turned her head to see it was me. Her expression grew dark and she turned away, “Go to hell, Zeus.”
I could not help but chuckle as I walked over to her and sat, setting my hand on her bare ankle. She pulled her foot away like my hand was lava and grunted, turning her back to me.
“I am afraid we are already in “hell” although my people once called it Hades in honor of its God.”
“I’m not talking to you, piss off.”
I reached out and grabbed her ankle, tugging her back toward me and forced her to flip over. She grabbed the pillow, smacking me with it but it had little effect, other than annoy me with her juvenile displays. Grabbing the pillow, I sent enough of a shock through it making her react with a jolt, pulling away as the pillow exploded into a mess of singed feathers floating around us.
“Enough of this, woman. You know your place and it was necessary I put you in it. Aidan is far too soft with you, worried about hurting your delicate little feelings. Well, let me tell you, no respectable marriage is built on the grounds of a man catering to his woman. It is your job to cater to me and as wife of the Gods-”
Savannah broke into my monologue with several colorful expletives, grabbing another pillow and hitting me over and over with it until she discarded the pillow and resorted to banging her fist
s on my chest. She was incoherently screaming and crying that I knew her female emotions had gotten the best of her. And here I thought I would give her a little bit of responsibility and leave her in charge. I was such a fool.
Standing, I rolled my eyes and left her crying on the bed. She needed to get over herself, women went through worse things than having sex with their husbands for procreation.
With no other option for my heir apparent while I was gone, I made my way back out of the bedroom and deeper into the Underworld to seek out the next best thing. My brother and son would have to do for this titanic task as it was out of the question I would risk leaving another woman in charge. I went in search of my other son, the disfigured one, although his vessel shared no such trademark with him. This rattled me, from what I knew about the spell Hecate had first cast to put us to sleep, I knew our vessels had to be almost a perfect match with us for the binding to work and yet Hephaestus shared no physical similarities to his vessel. What deformity was Royce hiding from us?
I considered all the possibilities for my amusement as I made my way through the Underworld in search of him. He had made himself at home in the rooms transfigured to look like a smithery. He worked away at the fires, banging at some piece he was working on when I appeared at the doorway. He sensed me immediately and stopped working, turning to look.
“Aidan, or should I say Zeus?”
“My lord will do.”
“’Father is out.”
“I am leaving you in charge,” I ignored his sarcasm as I stepped closer to examine his work. “Do not let it go to your head. It is only temporary, as you are a last resort.”
“Well, doesn’t that give me the warm and fuzzies.” He slammed his hammer on the metal iron one more time, sparks flying right in my direction like he did it on purpose. I stepped back, my features lacking any fragment of amusement.
“Here I thought you would be more gracious I was giving you an opportunity.”
“Sorry if I don’t find your insults gracious. Plus, I had rather speak to Aidan, he has a little more decency than you.” He finished hammering at the piece of metal and lifted it to transfer it into the bucket of water. He turned, swinging the hammer onto his shoulder as if I would find the weapon threatening.
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