Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) (25 page)

Triton closed his eyes and summoned his granddaughter.
Gretchen, Sara needs to talk to you. We’re in the main living room. Bring Kyros; he’ll want to be here too.

Um, I’m guessing this is Triton.

You guessed right, but you can call me Grandfather.

Not grandpa?

Please, no. Grandpa sounds like an old man. Grandfather sounds more like a title.

Whatever makes you feel younger.
Triton could feel the chuckle in her voice.
So can I call you like this all the time?

Yes, you can summon me whenever you need me, granddaughter.

Oh, okay. Cool.

Triton smiled. He sure liked this granddaughter of his.

Minutes later, Gretchen and Kyros stepped into the room, “Well, this isn’t intimidating at all,” Kyros said.

Triton realized he and Xanthus were standing on either side of Sara, with their arms crossed over their chests.

“Sorry,” Xanthus said as they relaxed their stances.

Gretchen sat next to Sara and smiled. Kyros continued to stand near his wife. He obviously felt the tension in the room and was unwilling to leave her side.

“You look so much better,” Gretchen said. “You had me worried. I swear you looked more exhausted than I do.”

“I’m feeling a whole lot better. But… I do have to tell you something important.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “You know those reinforcements we need?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s your father.”

Gretchen paled. “My father? I’m guessing you don’t mean my adoptive dad.” Kyros put his hand on her shoulder.

Sara shook her head. “We need Thane. As the son of Thanatos, he has power to send the dead back to the Underworld.”

Gretchen’s shoulders dropped. “You want him to help us fight those vrykolakas creatures?”

“Yes.”

“Kyros told me about them.” Gretchen shot a glare over her shoulder at her husband. “Though he skimped on a
lot
of the detail.” She turned back to Sara. “By the way, I don’t like the fact that
you
left me out of your trip.”

“Believe me, Gretchen, you really didn’t want to see it. Besides, you needed to stay with Donavan.”

“Excuses, excuses. So when am I going to meet Thane?”

“I would like you to summon him now. As soon as you’re ready. I think you two should have some time to talk before we discuss battles.”

Gretchen nodded, clearly stunned. “You know, I had a million questions I was going to ask my birth father when I met him. But now I can’t think of a single one.”

“It’s okay. You’ll have plenty of time in the future to ask him every question on your mind. Right now, it’s time to simply meet and begin to get to know each other.”

“Okay, how do I do it?”

Triton stepped forward. “You know how we communicated just now?”

“Yes.”

“It’s the same. Picture him in your mind as you call his name.”

“But I’ve never met him.”

“Here,” Sara said. “I’ll show you.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened, looking off in the distance. “Is that him?”

“Yes,” Sara answered.

“Wow, he’s handsome—in a dark, eerie kind of way.”

“Now speak to him in your mind,” Triton continued, “as if you are talking to him. Because you’re his daughter, he should hear you clearly. Although, he’s only half god, so it may not work. If it doesn’t, I can do it.”

Gretchen nodded. “I’ll give it a try.”

She closed her eyes. Triton discreetly listened in. He knew that Xanthus trusted the son of Thanatos, but Triton wasn’t so sure. Many of the gods of the Underworld didn’t put much stock in family relationships. He wouldn’t allow his granddaughter to put herself in danger. And summoning a strange demigod could have dire repercussions.

Thane?

Triton could feel confusion laced with irritation that bordered on anger.

Who dares to summon me? State your name before I strike you dead.

Um, it’s me, Gretchen. Your… daughter.

The demigod’s anger vanished, replaced by… unease and a strong affection. He cared deeply for his daughter, despite the fact that he’d never met her. Triton, confident that Gretchen was safe, withdrew to give the father and daughter some privacy.

Triton watched his granddaughter’s face. Her eyes were pressed closed, but she looked happy. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek. She nodded, apparently answering a question posed by her father.

Triton could feel power gathering like mist above moist earth. Darkness swirled around them. The power he felt was surprisingly strong. Thane may be a demigod, but he was far from human. In fact, he was nearly as powerful as a full god. That was a rare thing.

A dark figure materialized from the mist. A tall, imposing figure stood before them, with a look of apprehension in his glowing, silver eyes. This demigod could never pass for a human—not without changing his form.

“Wow,” Gretchen said. “You look even more eerie in real life. Oh, um. I mean that in the best way. I love eerie. I’m sorry, I’m completely messing this up, aren’t I?”

Thane smiled. “You remind me of my mother—always speaking her mind before she censors herself.”

“Your mother’s human, right?”

“Actually, no. My mother’s also a demigod—a daughter of Hades. But
her
mother is human.”

Gretchen shook her head. “The family tree keeps getting weirder and weirder. It’s more like a family banyan tree.”

“I knew you were too powerful to be half human,” Triton spoke up.

Thane looked at Triton. Triton could feel an undercurrent of emotion. Fear was too strong a word for it, more like apprehension.

“I’m sorry about Aella,” Thane said. “I had really hoped I could help her change. And I didn’t have the heart to destroy her. Would you like to know who ordered me to kill her?”

Triton shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Her death was long overdue. There was no helping her. I blamed myself for years before I had to let the guilt go. She was her own person and responsible for her own decisions. Besides, it’s a good thing you didn’t kill her. If you had, we wouldn’t have Gretchen and Donavan.”

“Donavan,” Thane said, looking at Gretchen. “He’s the brother you and Kyros adopted as your own, right?”

Gretchen smiled, her eyes bright. “Yes.”

“So does that make me his grandfather?”

“Um, I guess if you want to be.”

“Want to be…? If you’ve adopted him, he’s your son, and any son of my daughter is a grandson of mine.”

Gretchen’s smile widened. “Okay, Grandpa.”

“Oh,” Thane frowned, “not grandpa. Grandfather sounds much better.”

“You too?” Gretchen giggled.

Triton laughed. “I told Gretchen those exact words. I think we should come up with an entirely new title. One that doesn’t make us sound old.”

“But you are old,” Gretchen said. “How old are you both anyway? Grandfather, I know you are thousands of years old,” she said and turned to Thane, “but how old are
you
?”

“Old enough.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He scowled and sighed. “I happen to be older than everyone else in this room.”

The entire room gaped at those words—including Triton.

“But you’re a demigod,” Triton said.

“…whose father is death. Do you know of many fathers who would strike down their own son?”

Triton raised an eyebrow. “I can think of a few.”

“Huh, yeah. I guess you’re right, but not my father. Besides, my mother would erupt in fury—get her father, Hades, involved. Suffice to say, I’m pretty safe from death.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Gretchen said.

He shook his head. “I’m about eleven thousand years old.”

“You’re kidding me,” Gretchen said.

“That’s not much older than me,” Triton said. His attention was diverted when Sara’s head turned, glancing at the clock. Worry creases formed between her brows.

“I hate to be the one to spoil this reunion,” Triton said, “but I’m afraid Gretchen didn’t summon you for a social call.”

Thane literally darkened. “What did you call me here for?”

“I asked her to bring you here,” Sara said.

“And you are…?” Thane asked.

“Sara Taylor.”

“My daughter,” Triton said.

“And my best friend,” Gretchen said. “Oh yeah, and she’s my aunt too.”

“So you’re a mermaid,” Thane said.

“She’s a goddess. Her mother is Nikoleta, daughter of Tyche.”

“If she’s a full goddess, who’s Nikoleta’s father?”

“His name is Petros, the true king of the gods.”

“Whoa,” Thane said. “Do you realize saying that another god should be king is treason? I mean, I think Zeus is a pompous jerk too, but he won’t stand anyone trying to take his place as king. And I will not put myself in the path of his bolt. I’ve seen what happens. And believe me, it’s not pretty.”

“Are you saying you’re a coward?” Drakōn asked.

In a flash, the demigod was standing before Drakōn, staring him down with his glowing eyes. Spectral mist swirled around him. “No one calls me a coward.” He growled—the sound not unlike the growl of a hellhound.

Drakōn stumbled back as Sara jumped up, probably attempting to step in between the two, but Xanthus held her back.

“You two stop it right now!” Sara said. “We can’t afford to fight amongst ourselves.”

They both stepped away from each other, but they kept glaring.

“I think it’s time I show everyone the truth,” Sara said.

“Don’t leave me behind this time,” Gretchen said.

“No, I won’t. Everyone have a seat.” Soon, everyone found a place to sit. Some sat on the couches and others took the chairs near the kitchen area.

“Okay, now close your eyes.”

Triton no sooner closed his eyes than an image appeared before him. He was in a corridor on Olympus. White marbled floors and high, vaulted ceilings stretched down a narrow hallway. A door flung open and Nicole burst through, her bare feet slapping against the stone slabs as her white robe fluttered behind her.

Ares followed closely behind, his eyes bright as a smile lit up his face. “Princess, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Get away from me. Guards!”

He caught up to her and slammed her to the wall, pinning her against it. He laughed as she screamed.