Those three words chased themselves around in her head until she was sick from them.
Unwilling to believe it, she ran to her pond and summoned the universal eye. There in the water, she saw Xiamara lying dead on the palace floor and Apostolos…
From the deepest part of her being, a scream of rage and grief swelled and when she gave vent to it, it shattered the pool and rocked the garden around her.
'I am Apollymia Thanata Deia Fonia!' she screamed until her throat was raw and bleeding.
She was ultimate destruction.
And she was going to bring her son home…
May the gods have mercy on each other because she was going to have none for them.
June 25, 9527 BC
Hades, the Greek god of death and the Underworld, stood in the center of his throne room, staring in disbelief at their newest arrival who lay in one of the darkest cells of Tartarus.
And he hadn't put him there…
He looked down at the timepiece on his wrist and ground his teeth. It was still three months before his wife would be returned to the Underworld to be with him. But honestly, he had to speak with her.
It couldn't wait.
'Persephone?' he called, hoping her mother wasn't close enough to hear him. The old bitch would have a stroke if she caught them together. Not that it would be a bad thing… if only it would kill her.
An image of his wife flickered in the darkness by his side. 'Butterbean!' Persephone breathed. 'I was just missing you something terrible.'
He really hated the nicknames she came up with for him. Thank the gods that she only used them when the two of them were alone. Otherwise, he'd be the most mocked of all gods. But he could forgive his beautiful wife anything. 'Where's your mother?'
'Off with Zeus looking over some fields, why?'
Good. The last thing he needed was for Demeter to come in and catch them talking.
But that brought him back to his current 'dilemma.' Anger swept through him as he gestured toward the wall that showed the cells where his prisoners were kept. 'Because I'm getting really sick of cleaning up the messes of the other gods and right now I'd love to know whose ass I need to bust over this latest fiasco.'
She solidified before him. 'What's happened?'
Taking her hand, he led her to the cell where they could see inside, but the occupant inside was completely unable to see them.
At least that was the normal case. In this one, who knew what the occupant could and couldn't see?
He pointed to the blue-fleshed god who lay cuddled into a ball on the floor. 'Any idea who killed that and sent it here?'
Eyes wide, Persephone shook her head. 'What is it?'
'Well, I'm not completely sure. I think he's a god… Atlantean… maybe. But I've never seen anything like him before. He came in a short time ago and hasn't moved. I'd try to destroy his soul and send him into complete oblivion, but I don't think I have the powers to do it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that just by trying, all I'd do is piss him off.'
Persephone nodded. 'Well, sweetie, my advice to you is if you can't defeat it, befriend it.'
'Befriend it how?'
Persephone smiled at her husband who was far from a sociable entity. Tall and muscular with black hair and eyes, he was gorgeous, even when befuddled and angry. 'Wait here.' She opened the door to the cell and made her way slowly to the unknown god.
The closer she moved toward him, the more she understood Hades's concern. There was so much power emanating from the god that the air was rife with it. She'd been around the gods her whole life, but this one was different. His marbled blue skin was strangely attractive as it covered a body of perfect proportions. Long black hair fanned out. He had two black horns on top of his head and black lips and claws.
And more than that, he wasn't a god of creation. He was one of ultimate destruction.
She held her hand up to signal her husband that she was fine. Her legs trembling in trepidation, she reached out to touch the god.
He opened his eyes that were a yellow orange encircled by red. They flashed from that to a swirling silver color. And they were filled with raw anguish.
'Am I dead?' he asked, his voice demonic.
'You want to be dead?' She actually dreaded his answer because if he didn't want to be dead, there could be serious consequences.
'Please tell me I've finally made it.'
Those desperate words tugged at her heart. Reaching up to comfort him, she brushed the black hair back from his blue cheek. 'You're dead, but as a god you live.'
'I don't understand. I don't want to be any different than anyone else. I just want to be left alone.'
Persephone smiled at him. 'You can stay here as long as you want.' She summoned a pillow for him and tucked it under his head. Then she covered him with a blanket.
'Why are you being so nice to me?'
'Because you seem to need it.' She patted him on the arm before she got up. 'If you need anything, I'm Persephone. My husband, Hades, is the one in charge here. You call for us and we'll come.'
He gave a subtle nod before he closed his eyes and returned to lying quietly in the darkness.
Mystified by him, she returned to her husband. 'He's harmless.'
'Harmless, my ass. Seph? Are you insane? Can you not feel the powers he holds?'
'Oh I feel them. Go near him and you'll have nightmares. But he doesn't want anything. He's hurt, Hades. Badly. All he wants is to be left alone.'
'Yeah, right. Left alone here in
'You can ally him,' she said, trying to calm him down. 'Having a friend is never a bad thing.'
'Until the friend turns on you.'
She shook her head. 'Hades…'
'I'm a lot older than you, Seph. I've seen what can happen when one god turns on another.'
'And I think he poses no harm to either of us.' She lifted herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek. 'I have to go before my mother finds me missing. You know how she gets when I see you during her time with me.'
'Yeah and a pox on the-'
She pinched his lips together before he could let fly the insult. 'I love you both. Now behave and take care of your guest.'
Only his wife could get away with treating him like this and being so cavalier with his body. But then she held his heart and he'd give her anything.
He kissed her finger. 'I miss you.'
'I miss you too. I'll be home soon.'
Soon, yeah… right.
But there was nothing to be done about that.
He nodded glumly, then cursed as she faded away from him. Damn the bitch, Demeter, for cursing them to live apart half the year. But right now he had bigger problems than his wife's mother.
And at about six foot eight, that god-killer was definitely one
