by Haley Weir
Olivia shoved Balor away. She fell from his grasp and caught her balance against the bathroom door. "You really think that I would betray you? That I would betray my friends?"
"I just need to know what you said to Zeus."
"Go to hell." She closed the bathroom door with a deafening bang. It slammed so hard that the soap dish wobbled on the vanity sink. Olivia caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and touched the yellowed bruise on her cheek.
~*~
Destiny Falls, Alaska
Balor finally answered his phone as Giddeon called for the eleventh time. He listened idly while his brother barked into his ear about one thing or another. The wards on the cabin were impressive despite Olivia never having any formal training. He powered her spells with a few of his own and waited for a chance to speak. "Listen, her getting captured wasn't my fault!" Balor whispered harshly into the phone. "I wasn't the one who told her to steal the sword."
"You're the Sage! Aren't you supposed to foresee this kind of thing?"
"I can't!" Balor winced. He hadn't meant to reveal that particular secret to his brother. "I can't see the future with Olivia. I can only get glimpses into the past, but only when I'm touching her. My powers have been changing since we hooked up on that cruise."
"You hooked up with Olivia?"
"It was never supposed to get complicated," he sighed heavily.
"Has it happened again?"
Balor went quiet. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. Giddeon knew the truth. There was no reason to keep it hidden. "Yes, but it won't happen again."
"Stay away from her, Balor."
"I can't. She has information that might help us."
"Then get what you need to find that damn sword and leave Olivia to deal with her own mess." The line went dead, and Balor tucked his phone into his back pocket. He smelled the scent of apple shampoo wafting from down the hall. Steam rolled from under the door as it carried the heat of her shower through the rest of the cabin.
"Olivia, we need to talk."
"Go away," she snapped.
"It's about your powers. I don't think you're a succubus." Balor turned the handle and the door opened slowly. He licked his lips as he watched the silhouette of her shapely figure through the curtain. "I think you're—”
"A Titan? I know."
"What? How?"
"I don't know how time passed for you here, but I had plenty of time to think in that dungeon," Olivia said with venom dripping from her words. "Zeus and the gods can't touch me without harming themselves. Their magic doesn't affect me. So, they had to find other ways to hurt me. Styx said only primordial Titans can physically harm Olympians."
"He's correct."
"But I don't want to be a Titan," she said as a river of soapsuds trailed down her back. Balor was momentarily distracted by the way her body moved.
"I'm not sure that's something you get to choose." He pulled aside the curtain and removed his clothes. Olivia watched him closely, but she made no move to push him away when he joined her. "My brothers have no idea what sort of pain I feel every day or how many sleepless nights I've had. If I could choose not to be what I am...I wouldn't hesitate to live a human life."
"How did you know you were different than them?"
"When I cried out for Persephone and she appeared before me," he revealed. "She placed a crown of ivy on my head and called me little prince."
"That's sweet."
"It was until my father found out. He sent me away to train with followers of Thanatos." Balor grabbed the sponge from Olivia's hand and gently scrubbed her body clean of dirt and blood. "Neither of us can change who we are or where we come from."
She turned around to face him, and Balor was struck by her beauty. He traced his finger along the curve of her brow, the peak of her cheekbone, and the cupid's bow of her top lip. Balor committed her features to memory. "But we can choose how we move forward," she said suddenly. "I just want to leave all of this behind and start over."
"You saw what happened with Seth. He left the castle and became sheriff, but fate brought him right back."
"I'm not Seth."
"No, you're not." Balor shook his head. He wanted to ask her to stay, but he couldn't find the words. "So, when you say you want to leave all of this behind...you mean me too, right? Whatever this is between us, I mean."
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, but Balor coaxed it free with a little swipe of his thumb. "Nothing good can come of this. One of us will get hurt, and I think we're both tormented by enough demons to add more to the list."
"Where will you go?"
Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Wherever the wind blows. I'll try to find out where I come from and see if I can dig up something from my past, but I don't have some elaborate plan."
"Will you give us the sword?" Balor set the sponge aside. He ran his fingers through her hair, slowly detangling the strands until the tension in her shoulders relaxed. His hands massaged her scalp and moved down to her shoulders before he helped her rinse away the soap. Olivia leaned against him as he helped her from the shower.
"The sword is safe, Balor."
"It can turn the tides of this war, Olivia. Trust me," he implored. "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my intentions?"
She accepted a towel from his hand and wrapped it around herself carefully. Balor helped her to the bed, waiting for her answer. "When you heard that I had been taken, did you have faith in me?" she asked.
The question caught Balor off guard. "I had my concerns."
"Did you have faith in me?"
Balor knew Olivia would never divulge the whereabouts of the sword to him if he lied to her. However, there was also the possibility that she would have withheld the sword's location if he told her the truth. "No. I thought you would give Zeus the sword to save yourself. I regret thinking that, but you can't deny that you are a difficult person to trust."
Chapter Nine
Destiny Falls, Alaska
The comfort Olivia had once felt with Balor no longer existed. He was under her skin in a way that no one else had ever been, but she felt as if something had been taken away from them. She observed him closely as he knelt in front of where she sat on the edge of the bed. The flecks of silver and gold in his eyes were breathtaking. Olivia gasped when he placed his hands on her legs. Warmth spread through her body, chasing away the pain as he healed her. "Zeus and Hera both talked about a prophecy. Hera believes that you or your brothers will be the one to lead a new era of gods. They don't know about Diana's power yet, but it won't be long until Atë tells them."
Balor looked up at her in surprise. "That's what they're afraid of? I knew Zeus was growing paranoid, but I never thought we were the cause."
"You're part of his bloodline, Balor. And wasn't it you who said shifters had enough divine blood to rise above the Olympians if—”
"I was wrong," he said while raising his hand to stave off her rant. "It happens sometimes."
"I don't think you were. Zeus seemed really afraid of you. He kept going on and on about the Sage. Something about you makes Zeus nervous."
Balor tilted his head up and kissed Olivia. She tensed for a moment, but the desire overwhelmed the fear that threatened to steal her breath away. Her hands curled over his shoulders as he slid between her thighs and lifted himself onto the bed. The towel that covered her body parted like an unspoken invitation and fell to the sides. Balor's chest vibrated against her hands with a low growl. She captured his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged playfully. Her back arched off the bed as his hands cupped her breasts. But when his palms slid along her ribs, moving towards her abdomen, Olivia kicked wildly.
She looked down at her torso, expecting to see the places where Apollo had carved her up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Balor's magic had healed her wounds, but the memories would haunt her forever. The rift between them grew larger with every second that passed. Olivia pushed to her feet and hurried into the closet. “W
hy did you think I was a succubus?”
“I sought counsel from my father.”
“But Samuel is dead…”
“I went to The Unknown,” he replied. “It’s a place where death and time hold no value. Only those like me can enter such a place.”
“A Sage?”
Balor shook his head, and Olivia got the feeling that Balor Blackheart had too many secrets. “Sage is my title within the royal bloodline, but it is not what I am. The Sleuth calls me an Alpha, and my brothers call me Balor or Baby Brother. What people call me is not who I am.”
“Stop talking in circles and answer the damn question!”
“It’s complicated,” Balor said in frustration. “I am of the Magi. And there are things that I have done in the name of magic that I regret—things that would change the way you see me.”
“For once, just tell me the truth.” Olivia pulled a shirt over her head and wiggled her way into a pair of Casey’s old jeans. They were a bit snug even though she had lost a bit of weight in that dungeon. She tossed her hair out of her face before returning to the bedroom where Balor sat curled in on himself at the center of the bed.
“The Magi did anything they could to strengthen their magic. Summoning demons, sacrifices, blood rituals, drugs...but I took it a step further. I sold my soul and my body to the goddess Hecate. She marked me as her male concubine. As the Goddess of Magic, she fueled my power better than any ritual ever could. But I fell in love with her.”
Olivia’s jaw dropped. “You fell in love with Hecate?”
“Hermes was furious, and rightfully so. What she and I had was never supposed to involve feelings,” he explained. “She loved me more than she ever loved him, and it tore them apart. Hermes tried to kill me, but Hecate stopped him. I grabbed his winged sandals, and I left Olympus without looking back. She visits me from time to time, but it hasn’t been the same since that day. I felt abandoned and betrayed.”
“She still owns you?”
He met her gaze with a sad smile on his face. “She does. I changed my name, ruined my reputation, left behind everything I ever loved...and yet I’m still bound to her. It is her power that allows me to use magic the way I do. It’s an addiction that I can’t shake.”
“I find it a bit vexing that you’re a male concubine and you accused me of being a sex demon! You judged me and made me believe I was somehow taking advantage of my lovers.”
“Olivia, I had reason to believe Samael—”
“What reason? When has he ever done anything for you and your brothers that didn’t have some sort of hidden agenda?” Olivia stomped over to the bed and threw the covers off of him. “You hurt me because of the man who cursed your bloodline. Because of the so-called father who had you fighting as Champions of Thanatos against the Athenians! Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?”
“What could he possibly gain from telling me that you’re a succubus?”
Olivia leaned closer to his face and asked, “If I really was a sex demon and the marks appeared that bound us as mates, would you have claimed me? Or would you have blamed my powers of seduction?”
“I think I would have welcomed you with open arms. After all, what is a succubus and a Magi if not two parasites feeding off of one another?”
~*~
Mount Olympus
Lightning crackled across an ebony sky as Zeus’s anger shook the mountain. Hera watched from her throne, marveling at his lack of control over his emotions. Gods were supposed to be above trivial human feelings, but Zeus had never been. He paced in front of his throne like a caged animal. “You have ruined everything,” he barked at Hera. “We had the Sage in our grasp. He could have forced the girl to tell us where the sword is!”
“Olivia would have never revealed the sword’s location.”
“You don’t know that!” Zeus’s rage manifested in another clap of lightning that cast a flashing blue light inside the temple. The storm clouds on the wall churned wildly as if they were a perfect representation of his confusion.
“I know women. She feels for the Sage, my love. If you want to find the sword, then follow her actions, not her words.” Hera moved closer to Zeus. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I believe it is time to awaken Persephone.”
“Why?”
“Hades is out of control. He’s too comfortable with the shifters. I believe he’s hiding something,” Hera answered. “Somehow, he was able to stop Prometheus from destroying the underworld, and we need to know why. Perhaps it is something we can use against them.”
Zeus spun in her grasp. He smiled down at his wife but felt no passion. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved Hera. Passion, however, was something else entirely. Zeus had always taken what he wanted. It gave him a thrill like no other. Olivia had awakened that passion he thought had died long ago. Of all of the maidens he had taken in the past, Zeus knew she would be the sweetest. “I will follow her myself.”
“Send Apollo.”
“No,” Zeus argued. “He is still upset with you interfering in our work.”
“Then send Eros to seduce her! You will not go after her yourself.”
Zeus stepped out of Hera’s arms and left his temple without a word. Dark clouds obscured the usual radiance of Olympus’s sky. He wandered along the path towards the temple of Eros. The God of Desire lazed about in a hammock draped between two trees that grew in the center of his garden. Zeus crossed his arms over his enormous chest and watched as Eros toyed with the mortals on Earth. "Busy making lovers jealous?"
"Always."
"I have a task for you," Zeus snickered cunningly. "A woman named Olivia Knight is not who she seems. I need you to get close to her."
"A woman? Why not go yourself?"
"Hera insists."
"When has that stopped you before, brother?" Eros chuckled. "All right, I'll go."
"When?"
"When I'm good and ready. Love, desire, passion, romance...it isn't something that can be forced. Not even by me."
Zeus stepped deeper into Eros's garden. He touched a finger to a budding rose that was redder than any flower in the mortal realm. "She is beautiful."
"As beautiful as Aphrodite?" Eros asked.
"Indeed. She invokes urges I have not felt in ages. Not since the first moment I looked upon my wife." Zeus swallowed thickly. He glanced over at his brother and smiled. "I almost regret that she will die with the others when the war comes."
Eros leaped out of his swinging hammock. "Tell me more about her."
"There is a fire in her spirit that beguiles me," Zeus whispered. "She does not bend to the will of anyone but her own. Her screams are like celestial harmonies, tears scented with raindrops, and lips plump like ripe raspberries."
"How is her figure?"
"She should be worshipped," Zeus replied. He shuddered as he lifted his hand and cast an illusion of Olivia in the garden. Her image stood amongst the roses, but she was by far the most beautiful flower. "Creamy skin, ginger waves, and eyes of emerald and amber."
The flare of her hips caught Eros's attention. He licked his lips and cocked his head to the side. The soft, rounded belly of Olivia Knight made Zeus yearn for her as well. "Plump thighs, ample breasts, and a succulent backside...she is perfection."
Zeus nodded along with his brother's observations. "The sort of woman to inspire sonnets."
"Or start a war." Eros turned towards Zeus. "You wouldn't be here if she was just any woman. Tell me what you know or I will not help you."
"She burns."
"Yes, I can see that—”
"No," Zeus said urgently. "You don't understand. We cannot touch her without burning ourselves, and the healing is slow."
"Magic?"
"I don't know yet, but she has my sword, and she's loyal to the shifters," he informed his brother. "There's something familiar about her that I cannot explain. Something that slips through my fingers before I can grasp onto it."
"I suppose if she were simple, you wouldn't be interested." Eros clapped Zeus on the shoulder with a scoff. "But fear not, brother, I enjoy a good challenge. Especially one in such a pretty little package."
Zeus felt a pang of jealousy. He grabbed Eros by the arm and shocked him with a jolt of lightning. "Be cautious, brother. Unless you wish to find yourself on the wrong side of my anger."
Eros snatched his arm free and pinned Zeus with a seething stare. "Return to your wife, Zeus. I'm sure she'll start to think the worst of you if you're gone too long. Fear not. I'll handle Miss Knight, and I'll do it with more finesse than you could ever manage."
Chapter Ten
Uninhabited, Canada
The small plane landed on the outskirts of town. Wind blew up gusts of snow as she grabbed her bag from the pilot. Leaving Destiny Falls had been harder than she anticipated. Balor had bared his soul to her, but without trust, there was no hope for them. So, Olivia packed her bags and left before sunrise while he slept peacefully in the cabin. She wondered if telling her about his past had lessened his burden. What she hadn’t expected was Styx and Adonis tagging along on her journey. After what happened in Zeus’s dungeon, Olivia thought they might have headed back to their own homes. But it was time that she acknowledged that the world had changed—that she had changed.
Styx, however, seemed as if he was back to his old self. The winged low-level deity sauntered around like the self-centered drama king she knew and loved, but the glamour around him kept his true form hidden from mortal eyes. Adonis was far more accustomed to the ways of humans, for he had spent a number of years living on Earth. As the male God of Beauty and Fertility, he drew a lot of attention with his otherworldly appearance. Olivia enjoyed the company of her new friends, but they bickered like a couple of old ladies.
“Why must we always be somewhere covered in snow and ice?” Styx complained as he buttoned up the coat he stole from Giddeon. “Alaska, Canada; what’s next? Antarctica?”
