and looked at me.
“Does that bother you?” he asked seriously. “Are you okay?”
I picked up his hand and watched the way his fingers fit over mine so easily.
“No, it doesn’t bother me,” I answered him quietly. “It feels perfect. Since this was all so last-minute, I don’t have a ring for you and Hades is right- it is a mortal custom. Would you like one?”
Brennan shrugged. “If you think of it at some point. There’s no need to rush out to a jeweler’s.”
I smiled. “Okay. I’ll surprise you someday.”
“Speaking of surprises…” Brennan trailed off, his gaze fixed behind me. I turned in my seat and almost cried out.
Harmonia, Cadmus, their daughter Raquel, Ares, Aphrodite and the entire army of Amazons led by Ortrera stood directly inside the room. Little Raquel’s eyes lit up when she saw me and she took off running across the room like a jackrabbit, leaping into my arms when she got close enough.
“Em!” she squealed. “Mama said you’re here to live forever! I can’t wait. There is so much we can do. We can go watch the hydras, we can ride Ortrera’s Pegasus, we can go dragon hunting with daddy…”
I caught Harmonia’s gaze above Raquel’s head. Harmonia’s eyes were loving and soft as she stared at her daughter. The rest of her looked tired and anxious, much like everyone else that she was with. I hugged Raquel and told her that we could catch up in a little while and then I joined the other adults. Brennan followed.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you,” I began uncertainly, “But why are you here? Zeus is not going to be happy. There is no reason for you to become involved.”
“No reason to be become involved?” Cadmus raised a dark eyebrow questioningly. “I seem to recall that you were there when we needed you. Now we are here when you need us. That’s how those things usually work, little one.”
A knot formed once again in my throat at their kindness. Brennan could sense my emotion and he rubbed a circle on the small of my back.
“Your kindness is appreciated,” Brennan answered, shaking Cadmus’ hand. “We sincerely hope that it won’t be necessary.”
Harmonia looked at him, puzzled. “Of course it will be necessary, Brennan. Zeus will retaliate. You have outmaneuvered him in front of every Olympian. That, in combination with the fact that Empusa possesses some very formidable magic is enough to ensure that he will wage war. But we will be ready. My husband is a skilled warrior and my father is the god of war. We stand with you, Empusa.”
Everyone around us nodded in affirmation. They were here to defend me. It was amazing. I had never witnessed such camaraderie, much less in a show of support for me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“More will follow,” Hades said as he drew up on my right. “I have allies in many places throughout the world and many people who owe me favors. We will not stand alone and for the first time, my brother’s reign will truly be threatened. His injustices will be over.”
I felt extreme trepidation at the thought of waging war against the god of all gods. But as I looked around and remembered that for once, I wasn’t alone, I felt stronger and more confident than ever. It was a feeling that I would have to get used to….not being alone. But as Brennan’s fingers found mine and we mingled with our unexpected guests, I knew it was something that I could definitely grow accustomed to.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The night was chilly on our balcony. Earthy smells surrounded me on the breeze as I stood at the railing looking down on Hades’ many gardens.
Brennan’s things had been moved into my bedchambers during the wedding feast and so now we were truly a married couple in the eyes of Hades’ court.
“Are you coming to bed soon, Emmie?”
Brennan’s husky voice came from behind me and I turned to look at him.
He was wearing black trousers and was shirtless, his muscled chest and abs rippling in the candlelight. His blonde hair caught the light and once again, the term “golden boy” came to mind. He was truly magnificent on so many levels. And he was mine forever.
I reached up and touched his face, nodding.
“Yes. But only if you promise that you’ll be there.”
He grinned.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“I have something for you,” I told him. He paused, waiting. I held out my hand and opened my fingers.
A cut black titanium wedding band rested on my palm, glittering mutely in the light. It had beveled edges and its dark metal would look amazing against Brennan’s golden glow.
“It’s inscribed,” I told him. He picked it up and peered at its inside.
Time is nothing…Love is everything.
Brennan smiled. “Agreed.”
He slipped it onto his ring finger and of course, it fit perfectly. I had imagined that it would, so of course it did.
“It must be nice to be you,” he observed. “You can conjure anything that your little heart desires.”
“Not everything,” I corrected. “I was never able to conjure someone like you.”
“That’s because there is no one else like me,” he boasted jokingly. “Thank the gods for that or the world would be in trouble.”
“You’ve got that right,” I smiled. “Now, what were you saying about bed?”
He smiled and grabbed my hand, leading me back to the bed.
I sank into the softness of the silken bedclothes and the fluffy pillows. Brennan hovered over me, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “I’m a very lucky man.”
I leaned up and kissed him softly.
“Does it still bother you to be so close to me?” he asked in concern.
“Yes, a little,” I told him honestly. “But hopefully we can resolve that little issue someday and we’ll never have to worry about it again. Until then, I’ll deal with it. All that matters is that I’m with you. Everything else is just a detail.”
“Cadmus and Harmonia must think a lot of you,” Brennan mused. “They’re risking everything to help.”
I considered that for a moment as I traced the outline of Brennan’s hand with my fingers.
“I think that Zeus’ arrogance is coming to a head. I think many Olympians have grown weary of his tyranny, but there was never a catalyst…something that was forcing them to act. I guess that’s what we are. And this has been an eye-opening incident for everyone involved.”
“So, I’m married to the Princess of the Underworld,” Brennan said, smiling as he leaned in to kiss my neck. “I think that might take some getting used to, your highness.”
I laughed. “Trust me, I know. It’s new to me, too. I still don’t know how it’s truly going to affect us.”
“It won’t,” he told me firmly. “I’m still me, you’re still you. They’re not going to change that.”
“I hope not,” I told him honestly. “But it is unrealistic to expect that nothing will change. Things always change. I just hope the changes are for the better.”
“Well, so far… I like them.” Brennan grinned. Then he leaned over and silenced me with his lips. There were no more words for the rest of the night.
* * *
When we woke the next morning, I was curled into the crook of Brennan’s arm. He was sleeping peacefully, his face boyish in slumber. I reached over and brushed his golden hair away from his face and studied him as he slept. His chiseled cheekbones drew me in and I kissed them one by one. He opened an eye.
“Do you see something you like?”
“Perhaps,” I answered lightly, propping myself up on one elbow.
“I certainly hope so,” he said. “Because you’re stuck with me.”
“Ha,” I sniffed as I threw the covers off and got out of bed. “Don’t push me. I know how to suck your soul out.”
He laughed and threw a pillow at me, striking me squarely in the back. I whirled and pounced on him, pummeling him with the pillow that I
had left behind. He finally threw his hands up.
“Truce! Truce!” he called. “I mean no harm. I come in peace!”
“Whatever,” I laughed. “Let’s try this again. I’m going to get ready for the day. I suggest you do the same. We’ve got a war to wage.”
I said it lightly, but we both knew there was truth to my words. There truly was a war to wage and I was certain that the others were already meeting to discuss it.
I hurriedly got dressed and washed up, then together with Brennan walked downstairs to the banquet hall. The magnificent tables were set for breakfast with food of every kind steaming from the tabletop.
“Are we late?” I asked as we stepped into the room. It seemed that everyone else was already here. My mother rose from her chair and crossed the room to kiss my cheek.
“No, sweet child,” she told me. “We’ve just begun discussions. You’re right on time.”
Everyone continued chattering while Brennan and I prepared our breakfast plates and found seats at the table.
“Well, the Olympians are down by three,” Hades announced. “Ares, Aphrodite and myself decrease their headcount.”
“That will be useful,” Ortrera reasoned. “And we’ve got my entire Amazon army, plus all of the beasts of the Underworld. I’m sure we could round up the heroes of the Isles, too, could we not?”
Hades nodded. “I’m sure we can. I’m certain that Hercules and Achilles will welcome the excitement.”
Their strategic planning droned on in the backdrop as Brennan and I ate our breakfast. Talk of war didn’t interest me at all. I had never been interested in military strategy. It was interesting, though, to watch some of our group talk about it. Ares, in particular, grew extremely animated during the discussions. I supposed that it had to do with him being the god of war. He thrived on it.
At one point, even though I wasn’t listened to their words, I caught Ares’ dark eye. He was studying me intently and I lowered my fork.
“What do you think about that, Empusa?” Ares asked. I was embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t heard the question. I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I asked them to repeat it.
“We’re certain that Zeus is still pondering the idea of a mortal apocalypse. None of us are sure how that would affect us, including Zeus himself. But we’re fairly certain of how it would affect you.”
Ares’ voice was strong and carried throughout the room easily. But it took a moment for his words to sink in.
“What do you mean… how it would affect me?” I asked uncertainly.
Ares looked at me curiously, and ignored my mother’s requests to stay silent. He glanced at her and continued speaking.
“We aren’t sure how a mortal apocalypse would affect you, moon princess. We’re fairly certain that if Zeus destroyed the moon and the sun in order to destroy the mortal world, it would mean a slow death for you and Brennan… but it would also certainly kill Apollo and it would affect many others, as well. We’re not certain if Zeus would do it, if he would risk it. He doesn’t know how the absence of the mortal world would affect us a whole. We have long since known that our emotions and actions affect the mortal world. How much does it truly affect us, though? No one knows.”
Ares’ words started running together as soon as he had made his point about Brennan and I. Why had I never considered that option? It was the most simple of plans… but Ares was still correct. No one knew how it would affect the Olympians and because of that, we might be safe.
“Without the sun or the moon, there would be no light,” I said haltingly, my heart beating a little faster now at the mere thought. “There would be utter darkness everywhere. Surely Zeus can think of a better way to wage war than that.”
“Oh, most likely,” Ares said, biting into a huge leg of turkey. “He will most likely not try it. There are a hundred other things he could do.” And Ares turned his attention back to the others, discussing these many ways that Zeus could try to kill us all. Ares was excited by the notion, I could tell.
I was not. I suddenly felt sick that Zeus could dim the light of the entire universe with a whim. No wonder Hades had been saying that his tyranny needed to end. I pushed away from the table.
“I need some air,” I told Brennan, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Do you want me to come?” Brennan asked in concern, starting to get up.
“No, I’m fine. Finish your breakfast. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded reluctantly, but let the matter drop. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked out onto the terrace. I inhaled the fresh air deeply, enjoying the scents of the many different flowers. But none of the delectable scents or the beauty surrounding me could take my mind off of what I had just learned.
Brennan and I could quite literally be obliterated at Zeus’ mere whim. He had never needed us to kill each other at all… he simply thought that would be more entertaining. He could wipe us out so very easily. It was sickening and disheartening.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Hades stepped onto the terrace, a glass of nectar in his slender fingers.
“You wouldn’t want my thoughts,” I told him. “They aren’t pretty or entertaining.”
“I can imagine,” he told me sympathetically. “It will be alright, Empusa. Together, we will stand against him and finally, we will prevail.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked him doubtfully.
He looked at me thoughtfully as he crossed the terrace. “Have you ever heard of the Fountain of Truth?” he asked.
“No.”
“It is a fountain that I happen to have in my possession…on this very terrace in fact. It has the ability to show truth to those who drink from its refreshing waters. It might show things that have happened, or are happening or will happen in the future. But whatever it shows you is relevant in some significant way to you.”
I remembered seeing him drinking from a fountain just yesterday, from a plain tin cup.
“You drank from it yesterday, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “Yes, I did. And that is how I can be so sure that we will prevail.”
“What did you see?” I asked hesitantly. “Do you know if any of us die fighting Zeus?”
“I didn’t see that,” he answered solemnly. “Although the odds would suggest that some of us will die. But this fight is worth the risk, Em.”
I knew that was true. But it didn’t keep me from wanting to know if any of my loved ones would perish.
“What did you see?” I asked again.
Hades was silent for a moment as he stared pensively into space. He swirled his nectar around the bottom of his glass before he finally spoke.
“I didn’t see the actual war,” he admitted. “I saw what life appears to be like afterward. It is peaceful and pleasant… perfect, really.”
“Perfect?”
“Yes. It seems to be so. At least for me. I couldn’t see anyone else. Would you like to drink and see what it will show you?”
I nodded. I both wanted and didn’t want to see what it would show me.
I approached the old fountain hesitantly with Hades and stood as he dipped the plain cup into the icy cold waters. He brought it to me, the water dripping down the sides of the cup. I took it from him and without hesitation, I sipped the water.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, my thoughts were consumed with visions so clear that they seemed to be happening right in front of me.
I saw Ares swinging a sword, fighting in a bloody battle.
I saw Aphrodite crying on an ornate chair, her eyes red and bloodshot.
I saw Harmonia and Cadmus fighting side-by-side behind Ares.
I saw the Amazons yelling as they rode into battle.
The scene was most certainly one of war. There was screaming and blood and the loud clang of weapons being hurled and struck. In the sky, a blood red sun hung low. It was as crimson as it could be and as I watched, blood dr
ipped into the sky and leaked onto the earth below. This vision was strange. Clearly the bloody sun was a metaphor for something. The sun couldn’t actually bleed.
And then I saw Brennan.
He was fighting as hard as anyone else, his muscular body glistening with sweat as he heaved a heavy silver sword. Blood streaked down his arms from wounds that he had sustained, superficial, non-threatening wounds. I covered my mouth with my hand as I watched the fierce expression on his face. War had changed him into a man, that was for certain. His eyes were jaded as he fought, something I’d hoped I would never see. I had wanted him to always keep his youthful outlook.
And then I gasped. More startling than Brennan’s skills in war was the person whom he was fighting beside.
Armed with an identical sword, Apollo fought by Brennan’s side.