“Most of us have felt unsettled this morning,” Athena confirmed. “You're saying that it has something to do with Nyx and Aion?”
“I am,” Chronos confirmed. “These two gods have let anger consume them and have committed crimes against their own pantheon, three Olympians, and all of the realms. If we are to keep peace with the other Pantheons and the Fey, we must punish Nyx and Aion. I would have simply killed them, but their actions nearly destroyed Time itself and therefore, their punishment must be public. All of the Gods and the Fey must see that we have delivered justice, or I fear that we will become the target of their vengeance.”
“What exactly are you accusing them of, Chronos?” Athena asked.
“I accuse Nyx of murdering the Olympian, Persephone, and of attacking the Olympian, Hades,” Chronos declared.
The whole temple erupted into horrified and confused shouting. Hades and Persephone glanced at each other in confusion and concern.
“Silence!” Athena shouted.
The Gods quieted.
“Persephone sits right there, Chronos.” Athena waved a hand toward Sephy. “How is it that Nyx has murdered her?”
“Nyx has murdered Persephone not just once, but three times,” Chronos said and then held up a hand to stop Athena's questions. “Let me finish, Olympian.”
Athena bowed her head respectfully.
“Nyx sought to hurt Hades,” Chronos went on. “She knew that the best way to do so would be to kill Persephone. She conspired with Aion—who wanted revenge for his father, Zeus. They decided to alter Time; to change the past so that both Hades and Vervain were hurt. They thought that no one would know of their machinations, but they forgot about my wife and me; Primordials who stand outside the touch of Time and beyond the reach of other gods. We witnessed the whole thing.”
The assembled gods gasped and murmured uneasily. I looked over at Hades, and his dark brows lifted above his sunglasses in shock.
“Their first attempt failed,” Chronos continued. “They went back to a time just before Vervain met the Wolf Prince, Trevor; believing that this was the pivotal moment in the Godhunter's life. They thought that if they could prevent that introduction, Vervain would never become such a powerful force in the God War. So, while Nyx killed Persephone to get her revenge on Hades, Aion convinced the Goddess, Aphrodite, to give up her vendetta against Vervain; thus ensuring that the Froekn would never be sent after the Godhunter, and Trevor would never meet Vervain. But Aion and Nyx underestimated the bond Vervain has with her loved ones. History started to repair itself; drawing the Godhunter back to her destiny, and sending her into Tartarus with Hades, to kill Nyx and avenge Persephone.”
I gaped at Chronos as a strange tingling filled my body. There were flashes of memories gathering around the edges of my mind; I could feel them, but I couldn't see them yet. I glanced at Persephone and saw tears filling her eyes. So, I took her hand—the one Hades wasn't clasping tightly—and squeezed it reassuringly. Honestly, I don't know who I was comforting; her or myself.
“Then they tried again,” Chronos went on. “Aion took Nyx back to an even earlier time, and she murdered Persephone again; using Net to disable the Olympian before beheading her.”
The Greek Gods—most of whom adored Persephone—were becoming more and more inflamed by Chronos' testimony. The mention of the god drug, Net, nearly sent them over the edge, and Athena had to once more call for them to calm themselves.
“Please, continue, Chronos,” Athena said.
“After committing the same murder for the second time, Nyx went to the Norse God, Odin, and, under the guise of friendship, gave him news of his beloved Sabine. Nyx told Odin that she had found his wife's soul in Vervain and then reunited the couple.”
My gaze jerked to Odin, and he stared at me in shock.
“Odin found Vervain before Thor did and so the Godhunter never joined Thor's group of rebel gods,” Chronos said. “But again, Vervain's lovers were pulled back to her and they joined forces with Hades to avenge his wife's murder.”
“Is anyone else feeling sick?” Hermes murmured.
I glanced down the table at him and nodded. “You have no idea.”
Hermes grimaced at me in commiseration.
“I watched all of this with a growing fury, but I held back; hoping that Time would repair itself and teach this young god a lesson,” Chronos said sadly. “Unfortunately, neither of those things happened. When Hades and his army returned to Tartarus for the second time, Aion gave in to Nyx's urging and took them back further still.”
I frowned and blinked as shocking images filled my head. I saw my friends and family, but I also saw people who were supposed to be dead; including Niyarvirezi. I started to think through what Chronos was saying and follow the paths that Nyx and Aion had tried to set me on. What would have happened to my life with those simple changes? Where would I be if I hadn't met Trevor? Or if I'd met Thor too late? I often lamented meeting Thor before Odin, but what would that have done to my life?
“I knew that this was the end,” Chronos said. “Time was fraying, and if history wasn't fixed, it would snap. But I watched Vervain once more find her way back to her proper path, and I had faith in her.” Chronos stopped to give me a soft smile. “You had some rough changes thrown at you, Godhunter, but you handled them well, and you found your way to the people who helped to make you who you are today. You retained your ability to take god magic, and I hoped that you would use it to take Aion's magic and right his wrongs.”
“But?” I asked.
“You did take his magic,
