Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) (26 page)

“You’re blowing this out of proportion. I just want a simple kiss,” he said as he wrestled her around to face him.

“I’m a married woman! Besides, no one is allowed to touch me, or have you forgotten your king’s decree?” she said as she continued to struggle in his grasp.

He smiled. “No, I haven’t forgotten.” He pressed his palms against her face, holding her still. Leaning forward, he smashed his lips against hers.

“What is going on?” A deep voice boomed so loudly that the entire building shook. Petros stood in a doorway a fair distance down the hall. He took one look at Nicole struggling in Ares’ arms and ran toward them. “Get your filthy hands off my daughter. I’ll rip you apart and scatter your pieces to the four corners of the earth. I swear, I will.”

Ares laughed as he held tight to Nicole’s wrist. Horror washed over Nicole’s face as Ares spoke. “I wish…”

She sank to the floor, shaking her head in denial.

“…that King Petros was buried deep in the bowels of Mount Olympus and trapped there, powerless to escape.”

Nicole screamed, the anguish wrenching from her as if her own soul were being torn asunder. “Please no, not my father!”

Triton watched the anguish of the woman he loved, and his heart broke for her. There was no doubt that she loved her father. And here she was, the tool to destroy him. How could a girl live with that?

Triton’s anger boiled higher when Zeus stepped up next to his son. He smiled broadly at Petros as he continued to run toward them.

“Goodbye, my brother,” Zeus said.

A loud crack rent the air as the floor underneath the king cracked and opened a deep crevice. He tried to grab hold of the floor to stop his descent, but wasn’t able to get a handhold. He fell, his voice crying out in fury, growing fainter and fainter until Triton could no longer hear the king. Then the floor rumbled closed, the crack sealing as if it had never been broken. Then the only sound that remained was Nicole’s sobs as she clawed at the floor.

Zeus’ laughter hit like a slap across the face. “Good work, son.” He stepped up to Nicole as she wept, her tears flowing into a puddle on the floor. “Now it’s my turn.”

He leaned down, sank his hands into Nicole’s hair, and yanked her head back. “You waste your tears, Princess. Your father
was
a powerful god. The most powerful of us all, but now, he’s nothing. And in moments, no one will remember him.”

Nicole shook her head and whispered, “Why? He was always kind to you.”

“Power is a mighty motivator. And now that your father is gone, I can step in as king. And with your power, no one will dare oppose me.”

“
My
power?”

“I intend to take your power as my own. And now it’s time I got my wish. I wish that everyone, save myself and my son Ares, would forget you and your father ever existed.”

Nicole sniffled, blinking her eyes. “I… what am I doing here? What do you want from me? I’m nobody.”

Zeus’ laughter bellowed, echoing off the walls. “Yes, you, my dear, are nobody.” He manifested a flask and pulled out the stopper. A white mist poured from the nozzle and took shape. Triton recognized Sypher immediately.

Triton listened closely as Zeus mumbled strange words in a language not from this world. Sypher swirled. Her mist gathered around Nicole’s head and sank, disappearing into her. She gasped and lifted a shaking hand. “What did you do to me?”

Zeus didn’t acknowledge the question but turned to his son. “Take her to the human world and erase all the memories she has of Olympus from her mind. I don’t care what else you do with her. Keep her as a pet if you wish. Just don’t let her make trouble for me.”

Ares looked down on Nicole and smiled. “Yes, Father.”

A breezed passed over Triton’s skin, and he found himself back in the cabin surrounded by horrified faces.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Pallas gasped. “I mean, I knew it was, but seeing it for myself… Gods, I can’t believe the treachery of Zeus.”

“When did this happen?” Thane asked.

“Two thousand years ago,” Sara answered.

“So… for nine thousand years, I knew Petros as king?” Thane said. “I can’t remember him. But still, didn’t his face—”

“Look familiar?” Triton supplied.

“Yes.”

“Sara,” Triton said, his eyes wide. “Can’t we just wish the king free?”

She shook her head. “No. One wish cannot undo another.”

“I have a question,” Pallas said. “Nicole mentioned she was married. Who’s her husband?”

“I am,” Triton answered.

“If that’s true—” Thane said.

“It’s true,” Triton snapped.

Thane nodded. “Then, you are the true king of the gods.”

Triton shook his head. “Petros is our king.”

“In his absence, you are next in line.”

“How are we going to convince any of the gods of this?” Straton asked. “None of them remember.”

“Their memories haven’t actually been erased,” Sara said. “The wish was to forget. Things forgotten can be remembered. Which is the hope in all of this. All the gods and goddesses know who their true king is—they’ve simply forgotten it. Which makes the task ahead daunting, but not impossible. Our path is clear. You need to free my mom, and then we’ll need to free the king. To free him, you need to gather—”

“The daughters who join the four corners!” Gretchen said excitedly. “Who are they?”

“You, for one.”

“Me?” Gretchen squeaked in surprise.

“Yes, you are one of them. You join the house of the Underworld to the house of the sea.”

Gretchen’s brows pressed together. “Wait a minute. If I join the sea and the Underworld, then… Petros. Petros means earth. Sara, you join the house of the sea to the house of the earth.”

Sara smiled. “Right.”

“Then who joins the other houses?” Gretchen asked.

“We haven’t found them yet,” Sara said. “But we will. We’ll need someone who joins the house of the Underworld to the house of the skies,” Sara said. “And someone to join the house of the skies to the house of the earth.”

“But even after we free the king, nobody will remember him,” Kyros said.

“I’ll be working with the Moirai on that,” Sara said. “It’s something only we can do.”

“Okay,” Thane said, “but first we need to free Princess Nikoleta. What is standing in our way?”

“There’s Ares,” Xanthus said, “and an army of vrykolakas.”

Thane shook his head. “Ooh, nasty creatures. I can send them back to their graves.”

“I knew he was the man for the job,” Pallas piped up. “That poor innocent couple. I still can’t get that smell out of my nose, and the sound of ripping flesh—”

“Pallas,” Kyros interrupted. “None of us need a reminder.”

“I wasn’t finished
,
” Thane said. “
But
, I have to be touching them.”

“Gah! I knew there was a catch,” Pallas said.

“There are over a thousand of them,” Kyros said.

“I think I can still help,” Thane said.

“Oh really?” Drakōn said. “It’ll be like spearing giant squid in spawning season. No matter how many you get, there’ll be more.”

“That’s not a good comparison, Drakōn,” Pallas said. “Spearing squid is fun. This will be suicide.”

“If you rub garlic oil over your body,” Thane said. “It will keep them from wanting to devour you. They can still kill you, but at least they won’t strip you of your flesh.”

“Is this where the legend of vampires comes from?” Gretchen asked.

Thane nodded. “Most legends evolve from truth.”

“Okay, so we slick ourselves down with garlic oil and we’re ready to fight,” Pallas said.

“Yes,” Thane answered. “And I’ve got a few other ideas I think will work.”

“Okay,” Kyros said. “When do we strike?”

“You’ll be fighting the vrykolakas at nightfall,” Sara said.

“That gives us all day to prepare,” Xanthus said. “We need to get the layout of the terrain. Sara, can you give us more details about the farm where your mother is being held?”

“I could, but that’s not where you’ll be fighting them.”

“What?” Kyros asked. “If not there, then where?”

“Right here.”

“You want us to lure them here?” Drakōn asked.

“No,” Sara said. “They’ll come on their own.”

“Why would they come here?” Xanthus’ voice growled low as he clenched his fists. He obviously suspected what her answer would be and wasn’t happy about it.

“Ares will be sending them to kill me,” Sara answered simply.

Ares pulled up the long, dirt drive to the farmhouse. As soon as the house came into view, his temper ignited. The vrykolakas flocked around the house. He didn’t bother to pull the truck over or put on the brake when he transported to the driveway of the house.

“Where is Nikoleta?” he shouted.

A hum of voices answered, the sound jumbled.

“I can’t understand you when you speak all at once. Where’s Amos?”

Josiah, Amos’s next in command, swooped in and landed, kneeling at Ares’ his feet. “He’s gone.”

“What do you mean—he’s gone? He would never abandon his post.”

“He was speaking to your woman, and then he just disappeared.”

Ares narrowed his eyes. “He did, did he? And why would he reveal himself to her in the first place?”

“She found the grave.”

The glow from Ares’ fiery eyes reflected in the creature’s black eyes. “Where is she now?”

“She’s in the house.”

“Good. I need to talk to her.”

He flung the door open and stomped inside. “Nikoleta!” His voice boomed, shaking the home. He had no reason to keep up pretenses. It looked like her memories had resurfaced. He was glad for it; now he could vent his anger without restraint. Considering how furious he was right now, he would like nothing better than to beat her within an inch of her immortal life.

“Aaron,” she screamed as she bolted down the hall toward him. Her body slammed into his, and she wrapped her arms around his body. He could feel her trembling. She pulled away, her eyes frantic as her hands brushed over him, inspecting him. “You’re okay. You’re not hurt?” she asked. “They… those things…” Her voice cracked, and then she broke down into sobs.

Ares relaxed. Perhaps he was wrong. She looked like she was completely freaked out.

“There… there are demons… outside.” She glanced toward the window, her face pale, her eyes wide. She looked at him. “You didn’t see them?”

He shook his head. “No, I didn’t see anything. Honey, I think you were having a nightmare.”
Josiah, take the others back to the trees. Do not show yourself again, unless there is danger.

“I… no,” she said. “I wasn’t asleep. At least…” Her voice dropped away as she seemed to consider his words. “A dream?”

“Yes, a dream,” he said as he gently led her into the living area.

“I’ve never had such a vivid nightmare before,” she said as she sank into the sofa, her eyes glued to the window.

“You’ve been sick,” he said. “It happens. It might help if you talk about it. What happened?”

Fear flashed in her eyes as she shook her head. “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It never helps to ignore unpleasant things. You said there were demons. Did they say anything to you?”

She shook her head. “No. Not a word.”

Ares frowned. Why was she lying? Was she deceiving him? Or was this her way of avoiding talking about the incident?

Without proof, he dared not act. He needed to know what was going on. Why did Amos disappear? He’d obviously made a wish. After all, vrykolakas couldn’t transport. That was a god-born power. So what wish did he make?

“Here.” He leaned back against the couch cushion and pulled her down to lie against him. “Why don’t you rest?”

Nicole nodded her head and curled up in his arms. Ares wasted no time as he carefully reached out to touch her mind and came up against a wall. His anger once again flared. How did she learn to block him? Or perhaps it wasn’t she who blocked him out.

“So,” he said casually. “Have you talked to Sara lately?”

Nicole sucked in a breath of air as she stiffened. She appeared to catch her mistake as she relaxed once again. He could feel a slight tremor surface from her body. “I don’t think I know a Sara.”

Like so many times and previous lifetimes before, she had been playing him. Why didn’t he ever learn?

“Oh really?” he said. “She’s the mortal mongrel you gave birth to twenty-one years ago.”

Nicole shook her head. “No—”

Ares thrust his hand at her throat and squeezed. He could feel her larynx collapse and crunch.
Let’s see if she can lie when she can no longer breathe
.

Her eyes popped open wide in horror as she tried to squeeze air into her lungs.

“I don’t believe you got your memories back on your own. I have a pretty good guess as to who gave them to you.”

Nicole’s eyes dimmed as her head dropped forward. Ares fisted her shirt in his hands as he jerked her toward him, making her head snap back. He grabbed her windpipe and applied pressure at the sides, popping it back open. She took a wailing breath and heaved air into her lungs.

“We can do things the easy way, or the hard way, Nikoleta. If you answer honestly, everything I ask you, I won’t hurt you. I’ll just erase your memories once again, and we’ll go somewhere new, perhaps somewhere you can live a life of ease and luxury. But, if you choose not to answer me, or you lie to me, I’ll beat you bloody. And then, I’ll let you suffer and heal on your own, with no assistance from me. And then we can start over again—with new memories and a new reality. Perhaps we’ll make our home in the Middle East. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the human terrorists. They’ve made modern warfare much more interesting. And the way they treat their women just might teach you to be respectful to your husband.”

“I thought Zeus wanted me brought to him.”

“Where did you learn that?” Ares hissed as he narrowed his eyes. “It’s that daughter of yours, isn’t it? I should have driven a stake through your pregnant belly and killed her when I had the chance. This is what I get for exercising a little compassion.”

Nicole glared at him. “Compassion?” She coughed, her throat still tender. “Is that what you call what you’ve done to me?”

“Yes! I saved your daughter’s life. She’s lived twenty-one years longer than she should have. When my father finds her, he will kill her. And you know how sadistic he can be. If you tell me where she is, I promise to make her death quick.”

“I’ll see you disemboweled and hung by your own entrails before I’ll let you near my baby.” Nicole spat at him, the wetness landing on his cheek. His reaction was instantaneous. His fist flew at her face. She turned at that moment. He’d only meant to break her nose. Instead, his strike landed at her temple—crushing her skull. She fell limp to the floor.

“Gods, Nikoleta!” he shouted. “You just had to do it. You couldn’t make things easy for yourself.”

He looked down on her. Her black hair draped stark against her pale face. Blood pooled under her head. It’d be hours before her immortal body repaired the damage he inflicted, and he needed to find her half-blood daughter
now
. He cursed himself for his rash reaction. By the gods, it was her fault. Why could she never learn? She never could resist baiting him.

Kneeling down beside Nicole, he attempted to look into her mind. There wasn’t much to work with, not with all the damage. He did find something. It wasn’t much, but perhaps… yes. He had a location!

Ares gathered Nicole in his arms and carried her up the stairs. He laid her on the bed, covering her with a warm comforter. She’d need to conserve her body heat to aid in healing. He cursed his rash reaction. He needed to find and eliminate Nicole’s demigod daughter. But he couldn’t possibly leave Nicole in the condition she was in. She’d be waking up, vomiting and in a lot of pain. She’d need him to care for her.

The vrykolakas could take care of Sara. This was an assignment normally lead by Amos, but Josiah would have to do. If all went according to plan, they’d find Sara and devour her completely. He would instruct them to leave no evidence, no bones. They should have no problem following through on that order. In fact, they’d had so little food lately, they’d be eager to accomplish the deed. Tonight, the Vrykolakas would feast on a demigod and anyone else who happened to be in the area.

Ares stood and transported himself outside. “Troops!” he shouted. “For your faithfulness in serving me, I have a gift for you—a feast.”

The vrykolakas fluttered from the trees and gathered around him, excited.

“I want you to hunt down and kill a demigod. She may have powers that will make things difficult. She seems to be able to influence the mind, so you must steel yourself against her and destroy her at sundown. There are to be no witnesses, no evidence, no bones, and no graves. Are you up to the challenge?”

The vrykolakas hissed in unison, “Yes!”

“Josiah, ride the wind. Take them to the place I will show you.”

“Yesss, Captain!”

The entire flock took to the skies, floating like a black cloud toward the horizon.

***

“You have to go, Dad,” Sara said, pleading. “Xanthus and the others will protect me here.” Her father frowned. She hadn’t foreseen this issue. Actually, she couldn’t foresee anything that had her playing a direct role—which was disappointing. Her past showed crystal clear, her future… nothing. Thank the gods, the other Fates could see images of her future. They said she played a key role in saving the world. But their visions were so cryptic and spotty.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving my daughter while a thousand undead creatures are coming to kill her. Call it a father’s instinct to protect his child. Can you promise me you’ll survive? Have you seen it?”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I haven’t seen it,” Sara said. “But the other Fates have. I can’t die, at least not yet.”

“You don’t know that, Sara.”

“Listen, I know you’re worried and you don’t want me to get hurt. But believe me when I tell you, Mom needs you more than I do. This is the perfect opportunity. Ares doesn’t know my father is a powerful god, and he doesn’t know I’m being guarded by Dagonians and a demigod from the Underworld. If you stay here and fight, Ares will leave with Mom and we’ll never find her. But if you go now, while the vrykolakas aren’t there to guard them, you’ll have the element of surprise along with an even playing field.”

“Yeah… the guardian of the sea battles against the god of war. I don’t know if that’s an even playing field, but I’ll give my eternal life to keep your mother safe.”

Sara shook her head. “You’d better
keep
your life. Mom is going to need you to deal with her new reality.” Tears burned in Sara’s eyes.

“What reality are you talking about?” Triton said, taking hold of Sara’s arm.

“Dad, Mom has been in the hands of Ares for thousands of years. He’s one messed-up god. I…” The images of what she’d witnessed rose to the surface of her mind, choking off her words—pain, anguish, abuse, manipulation, and even torture.

“How bad was it for her?”

She swallowed regret and sniffed. “Real bad. I’m so sorry I wasn’t more understanding of her rants. Mom may not have remembered the horrors she had endured, but they were still there, and they would surface as rage and fear from time to time. I just… I didn’t understand. Dad, she needs you. You’re the only one who can save her. You’re the only one that can heal her heart.”

Triton sighed and nodded. “You need to promise me you’ll listen to Xanthus, and do everything he says.”

Sara stood. “I will. Really, Dad, I’m going to be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll go.”

“I knew you would.” Sara smiled, and then her smile faded as worry crept in. “Oh and Dad, before I forget. You know how Petros was so protective of my mom?”