by Haley Weir
Zeus flinched. He clenched his jaw and towered over the bear shifter. The scent of his own lineage was thick in Giddeon's blood. Madeu, however, bore the mark of Thanatos on his very soul. "The blade is of little value. None of you are worthy enough to wield it. Bow to me, submit your miserable lives, and pass into the afterlife without the pain of war."
When Giddeon pounded his fist over his chest, Zeus curled his lip in disgust as the other shifters in the castle mirrored their king. "We are warriors of the ancient world, and we have fought your battles through the ages! But now the time has come that we fight our own!" Giddeon shifted into a monstrous bear with a growl that almost impressed Zeus.
"That just might be your final mistake." Zeus tapped into his powers and shifted himself into a great bear with a golden pelt. He slashed his claws at the shifter, but Giddeon jumped back. They stalked around one another just before Giddeon used his Alpha call. Wolves, Bears, Jaguars, and hellhounds clashed with the Olympians. Zeus snapped his jaw at Giddeon and sank his teeth into the fleshy area at the back of the shifter's neck.
~*~
Silver Shores
Olivia balled up her fist and swung towards Balor. He evaded her punch, jabbed her in the side, and launched her into the wall. She shook the plaster from her hair and grabbed a potted plant beside the entrance to the kitchen. Olivia bashed Balor in the head with the plant, causing the pot to shatter and dirt to go flying everywhere. Her feet slipped on the damp soil. He grabbed her by the hair before she hit the ground. Olivia threw her bodyweight down, causing him to lose his balance. They stumbled and rolled into the den where the furniture had been pushed up against the walls for their training. Styx sat on top of a bookshelf with a handful of cotton candy hovering next to his lips.
"She's kicking your ass, Furball," Styx goaded from his perch. "You're useless without magic. Should have trained with your brothers more."
Olivia flipped to her feet and tossed a book at Styx. Balor fought better than Eros and Adonis combined. He had a grace to his movements that came from eons of fighting in wars. She barely kept up with blocking his hits as she fumbled her way through the tactics he had taught her. Each of her trainers used different methods, but it was Balor that made her fight for her life. He wanted her to use her surroundings to her advantage—to fight smart and wear her opponent out so that she could dominate the fight.
The timer in the hallway chimed, and all bets were off. Balor smiled. "Magic is now in play," he announced. "Olivia, my beloved Titan Goddess, I vow my soul to you in the name of the Magi. With each breath that I take, I will use them to speak of your divine glory." He crawled towards her on his hands and knees. Olivia bit her lip, feeling her face grow flushed at such an erotic sight. Balor knelt before her with that cunning grin on his gorgeous face. "And with this body that I devote to you, I vow to bring you immeasurable pleasure until the end of our days."
Olivia slid down to her knees in front of him and licked the sweat from his bottom lip. "I accept your vow," she whispered before tasting him fully. Balor slid his tongue into her mouth and sucked on her lips, causing Olivia to moan. She squeezed her thighs together as tingles spread through her body. Maddening lust pushed aside their training. Balor tore his shirt off, revealing his glistening tattooed torso. Muscles flexed beneath her palms as she caressed every inch of him that she could reach.
A strange vibration coursed through her. Olivia pulled away from Balor. "Wait...something isn't right. I feel—” her mouth opened wide, frozen in a silent scream as her eyes turned to liquid mirrors. Olivia levitated off the floor. Balor scrambled to catch her, but she was too high. White light surrounded Olivia, growing until she was hidden from sight. A boom of power shook the mansion. Styx dropped down from his perch and gaped at the sight before him.
An implosion of magic dimmed the light as the power that built to a frightening crescendo seeped into Olivia. She fell to the floor. Her wild ginger curls were gone, replaced by long waves that cascaded down her shoulders. The clothes she had worn for training had been seared off of her body. A phantom glow surrounded her like an aura of pure light. Olivia blinked open her eyes and looked around. The world seemed as if it had been washed in vivid colors. She felt a current of power in her veins like a livewire. "What happened to me?" she asked Balor, who stood with a wide-eyed expression on his face.
"I...think you ascended. For the gods to have power, they need followers. When I became your devotee, it must have unlocked your full potential."
"How do you feel?"
"My magic is as it was. Maybe even more powerful considering you're a Titan," he snickered. "How do you feel?"
"Immortal."
"You are."
Olivia turned to Balor and placed her hand on his chest. "Are you?" She thought about watching him grow old and fade away, but it hurt too badly. Olivia felt his heartbeat through his chest and sighed. "Are you immortal, too?"
Balor shook his head. "Shifters live longer than humans, but we aren't immortal. I'm from the bloodline of Arcadians and Olympians. We were blessed with magic, long life, bear forms, and a throne...but not immortality."
"Why not?"
"Olivia, Casey is human, and so is Rina. You and Diana will outlive your friends…you'll outlive your mates as well." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Immortality is both a curse and a blessing."
"What if I don't want it?"
You're a Titan," he replied. "You have a responsibility to the world we're fighting for. I know what it's like to—”
"No! I'm not listening to this. I don't accept that the fates would bring us together just to take you away from me. Our life forces are connected, Balor. That's what the mating bond means. We live and we die as one."
Styx brushed off his leather jacket and sauntered over to them. "I guess she figured out what her first declaration as a deity is," he chuckled. "Soul-bound mates shall be unified in life and in death." Though Styx had said those words in a very poor imitation of Olivia's voice, she thought it was a wonderful idea.
"That's exactly what I'll do!" Olivia leaned in to kiss Balor, but they were blown apart by a portal that appeared at the center of the room. Adonis limped out of the portal with a huge gash in his side that dripped with luminous blood. He collapsed against the wall and pressed a hand to his side.
"The Olympians have stormed the castle. Zeus has taken your brothers to the mountain. He intends to open Tartarus and allow a horde of demons to enter Earth."
Chapter Nineteen
Castle Black
Destiny Falls, Alaska
His home was gone. Zeus and the Olympians had decimated the palace, leaving behind nothing but charred wood and crumbled stone. Balor walked through the remnants of his family’s legacy with a heavy heart. The very earth was soaked in the blood of his people—people he was trusted to protect with his every breath. He had failed his brothers and the Sleuth. Though he had a duty to his mate, Balor had always prided himself on his ability to put his people first. What had befallen the palace was his fault, for there was no one else to blame. "What do we do?" Balor asked as Olivia approached. "Zeus has my family. If Giddeon and Madeu couldn't stop him, what chance do we have? Seth, Caleb, Damien, Rina, Diana…everyone is gone."
"We go to Olympus, and we get them back."
"How?" Balor scoffed and gestured to the wreckage around him. "I can sense their power. Atë is stronger now, and Zeus is desperate. The four of us are no match for them."
Olivia shoved against his chest. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself! You can either fight with us or you can lay down and admit that you let a bunch of forgotten deities beat you. Which is it going to be, Balor?"
He stepped away from his mate, unable to meet her gaze, and crouched beside the velvet seat of the throne that was singed around the edges. Balor placed his hand on the fabric, using it to sift through the images that flashed behind his eyes. "Giddeon and Madeu stood here as the Olympians forced their way into the palace," he said. Balor squeezed his eyes shut and pushed
deeper into the memory until the whispers of time spoke to him. "They spoke of the Divine Blade."
"It hasn't been forged yet."
"One exists," Balor corrected Olivia. "We have to find it." He broke the connection with the memory and stood up. Adonis and Styx stood beside Olivia with skeptical expressions. "Eros said we have allies in Olympus. We have to believe that they'll keep the others safe until we find it."
"How?" Olivia asked. "They had Athena's sword, Artemis's bow, Hades' bident, and an entire arsenal of celestial weapons, but they didn't work against the Olympians. How are we supposed to find a Divine Blade that no one but Zeus even remembered existed—”
Balor saw a look on Olivia's face that terrified him. "You have an idea, don't you? A bad idea that will most likely end up with one of us either dead or injured?"
“Yep, pretty much." She tiptoed through shards of glass and debris as she made her way over to a painting of Samael that had seen better days. Olivia wiped the soot from his father's face and pointed to the image.
"He's dead."
"But Morpheus isn't."
Realization dawned, and Balor resisted the urge to kiss her. "You're brilliant! Zeus wasn't just afraid of Morpheus because of his powers, but because of the memories he saw while in their dreams. He must know where the Divine Blade is. Why else would he be locked in the Unknown?"
"One problem," Styx interjected. "Much like the demons Zeus intends to raise—Morpheus can't leave The Unknown without a body. I don't think we have a spare one of those just lying around, do we? Not to mention the fact that he has MONSTERS! The kind that shapeshift into your greatest fear!"
"We can work with that."
Balor, Styx, and Adonis turned and looked at Olivia as if she had gone mad. Balor reached out and touched her arm. "It was a good idea, but Styx is right. It's too risky."
"Look at us," she chuckled. "We never turn our backs just because something is a little sketchy."
"Then, what do you propose?"
"Go to The Unknown. Physically. We can offer Morpheus the opportunity to get revenge on Zeus if he tells us how to find the sword and agrees to help us fight the army of demons on Tartarus."
"That's insane."
"As much as I hate to admit he's right, I have to agree with Balor," Adonis sighed. "Going to The Unknown is dangerous. We may never get back."
"I know how."
Balor smiled down at Olivia. "The map? I really need to start trusting your instincts...even if they seem batshit crazy in the moment."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Balor kissed her briefly, stealing a moment of light from the darkness. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a fond grin that came from the depths of his soul. "All right, the plan is simple, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy to pull off. Adonis and Styx will try to find Giddeon's allies here on Earth. Olivia and I will travel to the Underworld and use Hades' doorways to get to The Unknown. Wait for us as long as you can. If we don't make it back in three days, then try to save the others."
Styx shook his head. "What about the monsters?"
"We'll try not to unleash any of your personal horrors while we're down there," Balor snorted. He led Olivia away from the others, heading towards the graveyard of trees that had once been a forest. "There's a place here where the veil between worlds is thin. I used it to visit Hecate. We might be able to transport to the Underworld using the same function."
"Does Hades know that his dickhead of a brother took Diana?"
"I'm more curious as to how they were able to take Diana and Rina without losing their heads," he replied. "My in-laws are fierce warriors—even Damien."
"Once Zeus had Seth and Caleb, he knew they would go without a fight."
"How do you know?"
"Because it's what I would do if he had you," she admitted. The smile on her face made him feel as if the world had stopped spinning just to admire her beauty.
~*~
Destiny Falls, Alaska
The streaks of blood marred the snow like some sort of macabre painting. Olivia shivered as she touched the marks on the ground and shoved down the bile that burned in the back of her throat. Claws had gouged long chunks of ice and frozen earth where shifters tried to resist the Olympians. "Your people didn't go without a fight, Balor. They didn't submit to Zeus," she whispered. Olivia looked up at her mate and saw the faraway look in his eyes. "And I'm willing to bet that your brothers believe in you. They know we're coming for them."
"I let them down, Olivia."
"No, you didn't." She stood up and pulled him towards the thin veil. "Everything is happening the way it was always meant to. Our fates were decided long before a last-minute vacation brought my friends and me here all those years ago. Now, look at us! Casey and Giddeon have three kids, Rina and Caleb are working on their second kid, Diana and Seth pretty much run the Underworld together when they aren't being badass like Sherlock and Watson! And us! Balor, you and I have been through so much together. I refuse to believe that the universe would finally allow us to be together only for us to fail now."
He cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. The warmth of his breath tickled across her skin. "I love you, Olivia. Before we go one step further, I just want you to know that I love you."
"I know," she whispered. "I love you too."
Olivia stepped out of his arms. She used the skills that Eros, Adonis, Styx, and Balor had taught her and reached inside of the roiling energy that lingered in her soul. The dead trees and stones that surrounded them lifted off the ground, floating as if gravity had no meaning. Olivia felt the chill of the Underworld seeping through the cracks in the veil. She tugged on the tendrils of magic like a loose thread that slowly unraveled to reveal a glimmering portal. It was so different than the ones she had seen Balor and the others create. "I did it," Olivia breathed in amazement. "I can see why this is so addictive to you."
"Luckily, I found something sweeter and far more seductive to appease my cravings." Balor winked at her suggestively before he walked through the portal. Olivia hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder and felt as if she may not return to the world she loved. Her chest tightened. Though the life she lived had been a lie, Olivia mourned the friends she had made along the way. They reminded her of the goodness that still existed in humanity. And that was what they had to fight for. That last glimmer of light was enough to spark a flame.
Olivia stared straight ahead and took a leap of faith. She passed through the portal feeling as if she had submerged herself in frigid water. Fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins until she gasped for air. Balor took her hand, guiding her to the other side of the portal. They stood on a grassy hilltop that overlooked the enormous obsidian palace where Hades lived. The sky was streaked with dark yet vibrant colors that washed the land in a spectrum of shapes and patterns. It was like watching rays of light shine through a stained-glass window. "I never expected the Underworld to be so beautiful. All the times I visited Limbo, I never peeked over on this side."
"It changes when Diana is here," Balor revealed. "Different, yes, but no less spectacular to behold. Shall we?"
She nodded her head and walked along a path paved in black marble pebbles. However, obsidian, emerald, jade, and silver seemed to be favored. Olivia's eyes flickered over every inch of Hades' realm that she could before they reached the entrance. A mountainous male with gray, leathery skin and horns that curled back against his head opened the doors. His unsettling red eyes made Olivia's skin crawl. "We need to see Hades. We're friends of Diana."
"This is no place for the living."
"Please," she said impatiently. "It's important. Diana's life may depend on it."
The demon curled his lip in a snarl as he opened the door wider to allow them entrance. Balor took the lead, and Olivia was grateful. Her experience with demons started and ended with meeting Hades' doorman. The unnamed demonic chaperone led them towards a study just off of the ridiculously decadent entrance hall. Hade
s scribbled away on black parchment scrolls with a silver-tipped quill. "Two types of people come here looking for my daughter. There are those who wish to do harm to her and those who want something from her."
"Actually, we came for you, Olivia answered brazenly. "I need access to your corridor."
Hades glanced up from his writing and peered at Olivia over the rim of his wire-framed glasses. "Oh? It's a big castle. You'll find many corridors."
"You know which corridor I'm talking about," Olivia snapped. "We need to enter The Unknown."
“Doesn't exist."
She slammed her hands on top of his desk and leaned in close to his face. "You know what I am and what I have. Don't make this difficult. The map is branded into my mind; I know the door is here." Olivia walked towards his desk and lowered her voice. "We have to save Diana and the others—”
Hades stood up from his seat with a clatter, and dark flames shot out of his body. Gone was the handsome father of her friend. The being that stood before her was the God of Death in his true form. His skin was dark as coal and the bat-like wings that sprang from his back took up the entirety of the room. "Where is my daughter?"
"Zeus took her to Olympus. He wants to open Tartarus and bring a horde of demons to Earth."
Hades summoned a bident much like the one he gifted to Diana. "I'm going after her. The door to The Unknown is made of ash and smoke. Follow Yelaxis. He'll show you to the corridor."
Olivia nodded. "Thank you. Good luck."
"I won't need luck," Hades replied. "Zeus shall remember the day he awakened the full wrath of Hades. Be swift. Do not linger in The Unknown longer than you must."
Chapter Twenty
Underworld
Balor watched Hades as he stormed out of the office. Olivia glanced back at him with a look of uncertainty in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to remove that hesitance from within her. The Olivia he knew and loved was a fighter. She was far more worthy of the quest that lay before them than anyone he had ever met. If there was one to wield the Divine Blade, Balor was glad it was her. Pride swelled in his chest when he looked upon his mate. "We need to hurry," Balor said gently. "Zeus won't wait to start his ritual. Let's get this over with."
