by Haley Weir
Olivia took his hand as they followed Hades' servant to the corridor. The overwhelming ripple of magic that floated through the hall caught him off guard. Doors lined the walls, secured with enchanted locks and protective runes. Each door led to a different realm—many of which were part of the infinite labyrinth of Limbo. Balor stayed close to Olivia as they made their way towards a black door with golden markings along the frame. The eye of a dragon blinked at them before the door gave a heaving shudder. Olivia lifted her other hand and placed it upon a rune he didn't recognize. "The map is speaking to me," she said. "This is it. This is the door to The Unknown. Morpheus will be more powerful here than he was in your dreams. Don't let him get in your head, Balor."
He squared his shoulders and gave a curt nod.
Olivia touched the tips of her fingers to a sequence of runes that disappeared as the lock opened. The door swung on its hinges. A vortex of darkness appeared before them. Balor squeezed Olivia's hand reassuringly and led the way into The Unknown. Shadows slithered along his spine. Balor clenched his jaw as he fought against the urge to shout in pain. Morpheus's voice rang in his mind louder than a sonic boom. "Welcome home."
"He knows we're here," Balor hissed. There was a long pause before Olivia's screams caused him to fall to his knees. There were too many voices in his head. Balor blinked past the tears in his eyes only to find hundreds of thousands of spectral figures in the darkness. He had known the spirits. Not by name or by bond, but the look in their eyes as he took their life. War…war made fools out of all of them. War claimed the lives of the innocent as well as the guilty and saw no prejudice of color or nation.
"Balor!" Olivia's voice began to drown out the sound of Morpheus's cruel laughter and the sounds of death that played in his mind. "Balor, come back to me." She shook his arm until the darkness faded. Balor clung to her voice and returned to consciousness. The shadows were gone. They stood amongst an unkindness of ravens scattered over the unmarked graves of fallen soldiers. Balor recognized the place where Morpheus dwelled. Fog rolled across the ground as the ravens cawed.
"Where are we?" Olivia whispered.
"The Valley of Dreams. I've only read about it in ancient texts, but it makes sense that Morpheus would replicate his realm in The Unknown. There was a time when Caleb would pray to Morpheus to take away the nightmares he suffered from after losing his first love. Many see him as a merciful deity.”
“Do you?”
Balor shook his head. “Not if he intended to use me as his vessel. The things I’ve told him...of course, I thought he was my father’s spirit at the time, but I was a tool for the gods my entire life. I suppose I expected better from someone who had mentored me.”
“I’ve been through this, remember?” Olivia smiled up at Balor with love shining in her eyes. "It isn't easy learning the truth about yourself and those around you, but it's better to know than to continue living a lie."
He wanted to touch the softness of her cheek and drown in the light she inspired in his heart. Balor loved Olivia, but the woman that stood before him was not his mate. "What did you do to her?" he roared. Red flooded his vision as Balor lunged for Morpheus. "Where is Olivia?"
The figure transformed in front of his eyes. It had happened so quickly that he was barely able to track the deity's movements. Morpheus wore a black loincloth that showed off the glistening golden flesh of his sculpted body. Short, white curls and an incredibly human-looking spattering of gold hoop piercings made him look more like a living statue than a god. Morpheus's eyes flickered over to a crypt within the graveyard. "Don't worry. Olivia is safe," Morpheus answered calmly. "She's sleeping, Basilius."
He shoved past the God of Dreams and threw open the door to the crypt. Dust bellowed as he came upon the sight of Olivia Knight nestled amongst a bed of spider lilies. Balor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the steady rise and fall of her chest. He tapped her cheek gently. "Wake her up…"
"All of this has come to be because of her."
Balor knelt beside his beloved mate, but glanced over his shoulder at Morpheus. "Wake her up or I swear I'll—”
"She will awaken on her own once she sees what needs to be seen. And you will have your mate back once you hear what needs to be heard."
~*~
The Unknown
Voices echoed upon the shores of her memories. The sweet smell of freshly baked cookies wafted on the summer breeze. Olivia opened her eyes to the bright morning light that broke up the shadows beneath the porch overhang. She sat in a rocking chair with a glass of lemonade as beads of moisture slithered towards her fingers, where she clutched the bottom of the glass. The screen door swung open, and Marianne stood beside Olivia in her flowing skirts. "You best drink that up unless you want the ice to melt, darling," the kind woman chuckled.
"How did I get here?"
"I don't think your heart ever left." Marianne brushed her hands off onto her skirt and sat in the chair beside Olivia. "You haven't stopped moving since the day you left this place."
"The ranch was never my home…it was my prison," Olivia replied softly. "Every morning started exactly like this. It's been this way for as long as I can remember. Eddie and the boys out working with the horses and the cattle, the women cooking and tending to the chores, children laughing and playing in the meadows, and I sat here dreaming of the sea."
"Deep down, I think you always knew you were different than everyone else in the community." Marianne reached over and patted her hand with a sympathetic smile. "But my job was to keep you safe and to raise you to value all forms of life, to love yourself even when the world tells you that you shouldn't. And I think I did that job just fine."
"You should have told me who I really was."
"Would it have made any difference?"
"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "Maybe I would have been more prepared if I had known sooner."
"You're a Titan, Olivia. Nothing can prepare you for that. Magic can be taught, but that power inside of you is something that can only be unlocked with time. You must prove yourself."
She shook her head and glanced over at Marianne before she set her glass aside. "Life was much simpler when monsters and deities were trapped in my tv."
Marianne laughed through her nose and arched a slender brow at Olivia. "Now, we both know you've believed in all of this since you were a little girl. The only difference is that you're part of it now instead of watching from the sidelines."
"I used to think I was brave," Olivia sighed. "But I've just been running my whole life."
"You offered to fight beside shapeshifters in a war against the gods when you still thought you were human. You stood up to Hecate and bested her in a battle of wits. If you're a coward, Olivia, then this world could use a lot more of your sort of cowardice." Marianne pointed to the meadows of fragrant flowers beyond the grazing pastures. "I was standing out there the day you came to me."
"What happened?"
"Eddie and I were expecting our first child that year, but there were some complications with the pregnancy. When we lost the baby, I was distraught," Marianne explained. "I cried in that field until the heavens shined down upon me. My prayers were answered. I heard just the softest little cry ringing in my ears, and there you were. One look at you was all it took to bring love and happiness back into my life."
"Did you know I was a Titan?"
Marianne shook her head. "Not in the beginning. All I knew was that you were a miracle."
"When did you find out?"
"After a long day of working with the horses, Eddie came inside and found you standing at the top of the stairs. He said you were glowing like a star," she replied. "We looked into everything. Priests, witch doctors, psychics…no one had ever seen anything quite like you before. It was a man named Morpheus who told us what you were."
Olivia felt something within her snap. She had heard that name before, but she couldn't quite place exactly where. "Did he say anything else?"
"He said that
you were important, that the world would need you in the future." Marianne stood up from her chair and stepped off the porch. The wind rustled her long blonde hair as she glanced back at Olivia. "Morpheus was betrayed by Zeus and the others. He wants his justice, but not at the cost of humanity."
"He needs a vessel, doesn't he?" Olivia heard herself ask. She felt as nauseous as a knot formed at the pit of her stomach.
"Yes…"
"He can't have Balor."
"Morpheus has no interest in taking the bear now that he's mated to you," Marianne answered. "With Zeus gone, he'll be able to leave The Unknown. He has no reason to stop you."
Olivia fell forward as her stomach lurched. The world began to spin, and her vision blurred. "The Unknown…that…that's where I am. This isn't real." She crawled away from Marianne. "I need to get back to Balor. I need to get back to my mate."
Marianne returned to Olivia's side and laid her hand upon her forehead. "Sleep."
"Please! He needs me," Olivia begged. "Let us go and we—” She fought against the darkness that swarmed in her mind. The blunt ends of her nails dug into the wooden planks of the porch. Olivia choked on a scream just as her guardian faded and a man took her place. Her heart raced; fear threatened to consume her. The memory of her childhood home rippled like a stone breaking through the surface of a placid lake. Images distorted until there was nothing but the sound of Morpheus's soft humming echoing in the darkness.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Unknown
Balor watched helplessly as Olivia convulsed upon the altar. He held her arms gently, trying to keep her from hurting herself as the nightmares played havoc on her mind. The tears that slid down her temples broke his heart. He swiped them away with his thumbs and pressed a kiss to her brow. Olivia's skin was clammy. Her lips turned blue as she held her breath. "Come on, Olivia! Let it out…just breathe. Come on."
"She's fighting it," Morpheus muttered. "Your mate wanted answers and I am giving them to her no matter how hard she tries to find her way back to you. It's the only way to move forward."
"Release her!"
Those unsettling eyes pinned him with a look of pure disgust. "You used to trust me, Basilius. Even before I took the face of your father, I was guiding you. Did you really believe that those false magicians in the mountains had truly conjured Thanatos? Or that you would have grown as a Magi if not for the ancient tomes I had led you to."
"Why?"
Morpheus slammed his fist into a headstone that disintegrated with the strength of the blow. "Because I was there the day Atë set forth the events that would either end in the fall of the gods or end in your family's ruin. And I wanted to make sure that the Olympians got what they deserved. You and your brothers were a pain in my ass, by the way. Do you have any idea what I've had to do to get all of you to realize who your mates are? I've toyed with fate and set the match in my favor, but now it's time to place my bets. Don't let me down, Basilius."
Balor brushed Olivia's hair back and set her down as the tremors subsided once more. "The pain? Was that you too or just another perk of being a sage?"
"The pain was Hecate," he scoffed. "She wanted you on a short leash. Haven't you noticed the pain lessening now that you're free of her?"
"I thought it was Olivia."
"The mating bond can do a lot of things, but it doesn't take away pain. I'm sure she was a welcome distraction, though."
"I love her."
"Then you have to believe that she can do this," he said. "Olivia won't do it if she thinks you don't have faith in her."
"So, you do know where the Divine Blade is hidden?"
Morpheus chuckled and pointed to a mark etched into the stone of his crypt. The symbol was familiar to Balor. He approached the wall slowly and placed his hand over the mark. "This is why you taught me rune magic."
"I needed someone of Cronus's bloodline to open it." Morpheus moved beside Balor. "Zeus and the others were never worthy. And, though you cannot wield the blade yourself, I trust you with the task of watching over the weapon and its master."
"Olivia believes it is another sword." Balor traced the rune as curiosity began to unfold within him. "But I know the ancient ones weren't too fond of swords. Someone much older than the Heroes of Greece must have forged the blade."
"Callisto," Morpheus offered. "She wanted Zeus to suffer for all he had done to her, but Hera's plot unfolded before she got the chance. In the final moments before her death, she gave me the Divine Blade to keep safe until the one worthy of its power should rise."
"Did it ever cross your minds to leave all of us out of your immortal warfare?" Balor yanked his hand away from the rune and scowled at Morpheus. "We didn't choose to be made!"
"The gods didn't create humans and shifters to live peacefully in a world of their own creation. You were bred to annihilate humanity when Thanatos called you to arms, and they were created for nothing more than a temporary source of entertainment. Whether you want to believe it or not makes no difference to me. You're a weapon, Basilius." He looked over at Olivia and gestured to the symbol that marked her as Balor's mate. "You can either choose to live up to your father's legacy or you can help your mate tear it to the ground."
Balor nodded. "She is my freedom, but she's the world's salvation. Whatever that means…I'm with her till the end."
Morpheus smiled and handed Balor a shard of stone. "Then unlock the Divine Blade."
The stone sliced across his palm. Balor pressed his hand against the rune, watching as the other symbols flared to life. Blood trailed along the cracks in the wall, filling in the gaps between the stone until a macabre phrase was revealed. He spoke the words in the ancient tongue, and the blood of his lineage throbbed in his veins. Balor grew dizzy as the wall opened along the cracks. He reached into a hole that appeared. His fingers brushed the sharp tip of a weapon. "I've got it!"
"Pull it free."
He gritted his teeth, sliding his blood-soaked fingers along the edge until he was able to grasp the hilt and ease it out of the wall. Balor breathed raggedly through the churning in his stomach until the feeling subsided. He looked down at the legendary Divine Blade. It was no blade at all. Balor turned the weapon over and blinked in confusion at the long tip of a golden spear. "I expected something more."
"That was all Callisto had during the hunt," Morpheus explained. "A spear was a valued weapon to her people. To kill a bear—a living symbol of Zeus's strength—with a spear would have restored her honor amongst the Arcadians."
"This is the weapon that started it all. It's fitting that it should be the weapon that ends it all."
"With you and Olivia together, wielding the Divine Blade and the Sword of Zeus, the Olympians should be very afraid."
~*~
Mount Olympus
Thunder shook the mountain. Gods sat upon their thrones as Zeus stood over Giddeon Black's unconscious body. He raised his arms, calling upon the blood of Titans within him, and tore open Tartarus with an explosion of lightning. Artemis struggled against the chains that held her captive. Zeus watched as demons from the ancient world stepped into the light of day. "Let them remember who we are!"
Cars stuck in traffic honked their horns, shouting angrily at the people around them. Enormous demons, the size of three-story buildings, smashed their way through the cars. They were beautiful to Zeus, even with thick, greasy skin that covered bony limbs and faces with hundreds of beady little black eyes. Screams reached Zeus's ears on Mount Olympus as a smile appeared upon his face. "I have never seen a sight so pure."
"This is madness!" Artemis shouted. "How can we condemn the mortals when we committed the same acts of hubris against our creators?"
Zeus ignored her outburst and lifted Giddeon Black from the floor. The shifter opened his eyes in a panic. "Look at your world," Zeus said in a sing-song voice. "Hear those screams and rejoice! We are saving them from the lives they've enslaved themselves to. Humans are ruled by ticking clocks and currency. It's pathetic!"
Giddeon battered his fists into Zeus's face, but the Olympian's grip never faltered. The shifter roared in frustration, and Zeus tossed him aside. Giddeon bounced as he hit the stone. "Why must you be so arrogant?" Zeus asked. "Give up, Giddeon. Fighting is useless. Your people are in cages, your brothers are being skinned alive, and your mates will be fed to the demons. It is inevitable."
The shifter king laughed as he spat blood onto the floor. "And what, if I may ask, do you intend to do when Hades and Nemesis come for their daughter? You couldn't beat Hades before, and he's stronger now."
Zeus stomped over to Giddeon, looming over him like an omen of death. "Which one?"
"The only reason you have her is because she let you," Giddeon snorted. "Madeu, Caleb, Seth, Damien…they wanted to be here. It's as you always feared, Zeus. The Sons of Samael are ready to take Olympus for themselves."
"Liar! If you won't tell me which one of them is the child of Hades, then I'll just kill them one by one. Starting with your human mate."
"Plutus will come for his prophet," Giddeon added without missing a beat. "The Gods of the Underworld are assembling. Can you hope to contain all of them?"
Zeus walked over to Atë. "You know a way into Hades' realm. Do whatever it takes to stop him." He whirled around with seething hatred in his stormy blue eyes. "And you—”
Atë's shrill cry echoed through Olympus. Zeus turned in the direction of the scream and saw Prometheus standing over the goddess. The Titan was covered in flame. Cracks in his dark skin showed the molten lava within. Eyes like burning embers stared down at Atë as Hades stepped into the light. The God of Death smiled cunningly at the other Olympians. “You aren’t the only one who can strike a bargain,” Hades said. "Atë promised herself to Prometheus if he assisted you in finding the sword. He has come to claim his prize...and declare his loyalty to my heir."
