“Aidan, stop! He has Valentina tied to him, if he dies so does she.” I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes turning to Valentina as I considered what I could do. Manipulating the lightning bolt in my hand I cracked it like a whip, watching it wrap tightly around Gage and hold him in its grasp. Every time he tried to move, it would crackle and electrocute him, but with every electrocution Valentina felt nothing. As a Goddess born from Zeus, she could withstand the power of my lightning bolt so for now, she was safe.
“Griffin, get her out of her. Get her back to the Underworld and make sure she drinks from the River Lethe. Trust me, we’ll be fine without you two.” Griffin looked me over, glancing at the fighting behind me but he nodded his head and grabbed Valentina’s hand, pulling her away from the fighting.
My chest felt like it was going to burst, a combination of Zeus’ and my own emotions overwhelming me. We had done it, we had saved them and brought Valentina back. Now I had to deal with Soren and ensure Asher no longer existed.
Turning back to the fighting, I surged headlong through rings of more flames cast by Oliver, looking around wildly for the Titan in charge. Oliver was doing battle with Zane, though the God of War always won his battles I wasn’t concerned for my Godly son. Instead, I turned next to the body who leapt through the flames, stopping in surprise when I saw Savannah.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m good, are you?”
“Yeah, looking for Soren, besides Oliver, I think he’s the last.”
“I’ll help.”
“No, this is my fight. You make sure everyone is okay and get them back to the throne room. That includes Titans, we’ll give them one chance or otherwise send them into Tartarus.”
Savannah nodded her head and surprised me as she walked away without complaint or argument over my command. I was finally acting like the King my Queen deserved, of course she would respond in kind. Savannah was a natural born follower, to the right person.
Surging through more of the flames, I finally found my target fighting Royce who unfortunately was losing the battle. I ran forward, collecting the back of his shirt in my fist as I pulled him out of the path of Soren’s next blow.
“Control the fire! Tame it and I’ll deal with Soren.” I clapped Royce on the shoulder as I sent him on his way before turning to the Titan who grinned maniacally at me, teeth bloodied from fighting.
“I see you finally found the courage to come and fight me like a man.”
“I never needed courage Soren, I had people who wanted to fight in my place because they love me. Can you say the same?”
I conjured another lightning bolt and while Soren was distracted, I drove it right into his chest, the power of it knocking him right off his feet and flying him into the wall. It was morbid and gruesome but it did the trick as Royce tamed the fires around us and revealed the extent of the damage we had unleashed on the Titans.
“This is the end of your Titanomachy,” I declared, looking around to make eye contact with those still alive enough to comprehend. “Surrender now and your punishment will be kinder than death. I don’t intend to live in a world where the influence of Titans is not felt, but if your desire is to see my pantheon overthrown, then so be it. Choose now and choose wisely.”
We began organizing ourselves, welcoming the Titans who surrendered back to our ranks and disposed of the dead bodies. Everyone chose to surrender, a wise decision. I was going to be a fair and just ruler, the kind of ruler Zeus had originally set out to be before his own pride got in the way.
I sat on the throne of the Underworld, looking around as everyone took care of each other and loved ones were reunited. Even as Griffin and Valentina kissed, I found it hard to look away, happy I had managed to fix everything once and for all. Someone had to die in her place to make sure everything worked out, but at least Soren was someone I could do without.
It was now time to decide on the punishment of the few Titans that were left. Oliver, Gage and a girl I didn’t recognize. They knelt at the base of the thrones and I rose to allow Griffin and Valentina their spot. Stepping from the platform, I moved around the three kneeling bodies.
“Where is Asher?” Oliver looked up, confusion written on his face and I felt myself let out a small breath of relief. “I mean Atlas.”
“Atlas, sir?” I nodded my head and looked from Oliver to Gage who looked indignant, we needed to do something about his attitude before it became a problem.
“Was Atlas not involved in your plans?”
“No, sir, Soren only took over when Lincoln was killed.” I nodded, pleased to know I didn’t have to go chasing after the Titan who was meant to take care of us.
“Alright, well, your punishment will be to live on Earth for a hundred God years, you have to be a part of the repair of the damage you caused and when I feel you have paid your dues, I will allow you to return to Olympus and join the other Gods once more.”
Savannah stepped to my side, “But you will be granted parole in twenty-five years if you can prove you have used your time on Earth for good and not spent it wallowing in desire for revenge. We don’t want to see your punishment cause more damage but for you to use the time to see everything you have to offer the mortal race and us, your fellow Gods.”
I smiled at her addition, wrapping my arm around her waist and nodding, “As my Queen says. In twenty-five years, we’ll see you and if you can prove to us you have changed, you will be welcomed back sooner.”
The three of them rose and Gage looked grateful. I wasn’t sure if he would be still feeling that way later once he figured out there was a big difference between 25 God years and 25 Earth years, but I wouldn’t have to hear about it until then. I nodded my head at Griffin and he conjured a portal out of the Underworld. The three Titans made their way out and the door closed behind them a sense of closure overcame me. It was finally done; our Pantheon was now safe.
Chapter 22
Everyone packed what they had accumulated in the Underworld before we decided to make our way back to Mount Olympus. Not that I wasn’t grateful for the security the Underworld provided us, I missed the brightness of Olympus and the sense of hope that seemed to flow around there.
“Ready to go?” Savannah sidled up next to me, her warm hand sliding into my cold one. I looked at her, smiling as I agreed. I still needed to talk to her, let her know I knew about the pregnancies and how I was going to step up and be the kind of man she needed, not the one I thought she needed.
Griffin created a portal connecting the Underworld to Mount Olympus and my first order of business was to decree it would remain open so those who were up could go down and vice versa. I wasn’t going to fall into the habits of Zeus and declare that as Prince of the Underworld, Griffin had to remain there. This fight and everything that had happened proved we were stronger together instead of divided.
As we stepped through the portal, the change of light was blinding. Everyone shielded their eyes against the brightness the huge glass windows cast on our throne room. For some, I’m sure it was nice to feel the sunlight again, but for me it showed the extent of the damage suffered on my throne room. Damage that would need to be repaired as soon as possible. I began a mental to-do list right away to make sure I didn’t lose track of all the things I had to do, here and on Earth.
Turning to the screens, I planned to relieve everyone’s eyes a little bit while being able to take in the wreckage the Titans had made of Earth. The screens shifted to show each of the remaining cities, one in the left bottom corner looking a lot like the one I had passed with Cronos in the truck.
Realization startled me as I recalled leaving the Titan on the cliff’s side. Being caught up in our Titanomachy I had forgotten about Cronos of the past completely. I was going to have to call him back to here before he got into more trouble. Atlas could sort him out and catch him up to speed with the future.
“What’s that?” The other Gods were looking on with mute horror as they took in the condition of the world we
once called home.
“Is that a vampire?”
“They can’t be real.”
“I see a werewolf here.” Someone stepped closer to the screen and reached out to point out what they were talking about. The world was different now and we had a lot to make up for. Each city seemed to be run by different creatures who had taken control of the city following the chaos. The population was depleted and humans were outnumbered by supernatural creatures. When we got the world back to how it used to be, there would need to be a way to control the supernatural creatures to ensure all races lived together in harmony. If they could.
“Should we introduce ourselves to them? Try to make this better?”
I hushed everyone, stepping toward where my throne was supposed to be and held my hands out to get their attention.
“We need to fix this, of course, but first we need to fix ourselves and our home first. When we’re ready, we will send help to the humans. Until we are fully united with our Gods however, we are no help to the humans and they are no help to us. We need to fix their world and their belief in us for them to sustain our existence in this world. It’s a long road ahead but I think we’re up to it.”
“I can get to work fixing this room,” Royce limped forward, a bad gash caused by Soren’s magic would leave him with a permanent limp like his God’s. Others began offering their services and it seemed like everything was coming together. I still had a lot to explain to Savannah but I was currently exhausted and I could sleep for a century. With my arm around her once more, we walked out of the throne room and back to our suites.
It felt like it had been an eternity since the last time I was in the suites I was meant to call home. When I hit the bed, time didn’t matter because it felt like a cloud and all it wanted to do was pull me under.
“Am I gonna get answers about your weird appearance and behavior this afternoon?” Savannah climbed onto the bed next to me and curled into my side. I leaned in, pressing my lips to her temple as I murmured through my tiredness.
“Not sure you would believe me if I did.”
“I’ve gotten pretty good at believing the unbelievable lately, try me.”
“I had to go to the past, because in the future… Or well, in another future that no longer exists, Valentina died and it was my fault for not protecting her better. We had let this God into our ranks who turned out to be a descendant of Zeus whom Atlas released from sleep early. This demi-God was angry about spending a few hundred years by himself and wanted to kill us all for our power and out of revenge… Long story short, I went back in time and made sure his parents never had sex.”
“How did you do that?” She sounded concerned as if my plan was to sleep with the girl myself or something.
“They were burned at the stake for being witches.”
Savannah laughed as though she couldn’t help herself, pressing her mouth into my shoulder as she continued to giggle.
“Really, they were. I think I was in the 16th century or something, hence this stupid outfit. I almost got arrested myself because I ended up naked somewhere… Anyways, it was an adventure and now I’m glad to be home with you.” I curled one arm around her tightly, pressing my face into her neck and rolling on top of her to pin her down. Savannah groaned under me but I only lifted my weight with my forearm as I braced myself on the mattress.
“You’re right, it does sound unbelievable, and yet I can do some pretty unbelievable things myself. And I’ve seen a dog with three heads.”
“True.”
“What’s the past like?”
“I prefer the future. And my future.” I kissed her chin, making my way down her body as I carved my path with kisses. I stopped on her belly, kissing it again as I looked at her.
“You…” I gave her my trademark smirk and shrugged one shoulder. She laughed for a second before the mirth disappeared and she chewed on her bottom lip, looking worried.
“Savvy, it’s okay.” I kissed her belly again before crawling back to her mouth. “I know you’ve been trying to hide this from me and I want you to know you don’t have to anymore. I want to have a family with you. There’s nothing I want more than to have a family with you.”
“Really?” It killed me a little she seemed genuinely surprised by this fact.
“Yes, I know I do a terrible job at showing it but I am a family guy. I have always wanted to have a family with the right girl… I was scared I would never find her and if I did have a family, I might become my father. But I’m not him and with my Queen at my side, I never will be. How could I ever become him with a wife like you?”
“Oh, I’m a wife now?” My hands ran down the side of her body, finding her own fingers and thread our hands together before bringing them to the side of her head. I concentrated my magic into my fingertips and a small lightning bolt crackled from me and wrapped itself around her ring finger. I felt her jump under me as it crackled and burnt her but when it disappeared a white ring was wrapped around her finger, its color marbled with bolts of grey throughout it.
Savannah stared at it in surprise, before looking at me with a smile, “Does mean we’re married now?”
“We’ll still have the party all about you because I know that’s what you want… But yeah, I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me you’re my wife Savannah, my heart already knows.”
She wrapped the ringed hand around my neck, leaning in to kiss me. My heart sped up, excitement coursing through my veins at the prospect of starting a family with this woman I loved. Without a nerve in sight, maybe I wasn’t so much like my dad as I thought.
“I used to torture myself, you know.”
“What?” I looked at her in alarm.
“Before I would use magic on myself, I would imagine what it would be like to have a family with you and I thought about names for each baby, making them seem much more real to me. That’s why it was becoming harder and harder to keep it a secret from you. Guess I slipped a little too many times.”
I couldn’t say what it was that had caused me to catch on, although I suspected maybe Zeus might have something to do with it. “Well, now you can start thinking of names for real.” Her hand slipped off my neck, sliding down my arm to my waist as she kissed me again. Her hand found the ball in my pocket and pulled her hand away in surprise before diving in to see what it was.
Savannah pulled out the little glass ball from my pocket and rolled it around in her hand before looking up at me for an explanation.
“Hope,” I said, reaching out and taking it from her. “I got it from Pandora’s box, I thought maybe we could use some.” She watched as the light caught it creating rainbows on the wall across from us.
“I don’t think we need it, but I know someone who does.” She took it back from me before shimmying out from under my body and climbing off the bed. I was tired and frankly didn’t want to move but Savannah gave me that look said I didn’t have a choice. With reluctance, I peeled myself off the mattress and followed her as we returned to the throne room. Most people had gone off to do what they needed to but some still lingered helping Royce clear the broken marble and make sense of what needed to be fixed.
Savannah walked over to the screens, watching them for a moment as they panned and jumped between cities and the people whose happiness now depended on us. She turned to look at me over her shoulder before holding the little glass ball out. I walked up beside her, taking the glass ball back from her. As I rolled it around in the palm of my hand, I thanked it for everything it had done for me in the last few hours. I had no doubt the ease with which I had conquered all my tasks was due to this small little glass ball.
But I didn’t need it anymore. Our people did. I dropped the glass ball, watching it shatter into a million tiny little pieces. From the wreckage, a small ghostly white light flickered out of the shards, drifting into the air. It hovered there right before my face and I reached out, touching it slightly.
It felt wet but when I pulled my hand away my fingers were dr
y, how strange.
“You’re free,” I finally said, smiling at it. “Go out and cover the world with your Hope, let people believe in happily ever afters again. I got mine, I want them to have theirs.” Although the mist was not a real person, I could have sworn it seemed to bob its head and drifted out the window, hopefully to find a way into the world.
Savannah was smiling at me as I turned to look at her, she leaned in and our lips brushed once more the sensation of a million butterflies filling me. I was not a man who went weak at the knees over a woman but something about Savannah made me turn to goo.
“So, about names.” She set her hand on her belly, absently rubbing the spot where one day soon the bump of my first child would swell. “What about Asher if it’s a boy?”
I felt the blood drain from my face as my heart skipped an unnatural beat. I tried to force a smile, “Asher, why Asher?”
“I don’t know,” she looked away again, observing the screens that laid out our kingdom and surveyed all the work we had to do to fix it. “I just like the name. It means blessed or happy in Hebrew, and that’s exactly how I feel these days.”
I wrapped one arm around her waist, setting my hand on top of hers and pressed my lips to the top of her head.
“Actually, I was hoping we’d have a girl.”
THE END
Thanks so much for reading the Grace of Gods series. I hope you enjoyed it! Please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
If you are interested in reading more books by Kyleigh Castronaro, they can be found here.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Grace of Gods Boxset: Reincarnated Greek Gods YA/NA Series Page 89
