Theta (49 page)

Maybe it was time for that to change. Maybe,
by defeating the gods, I’d save those who came before me, as well
as those who succeeded me, from the living death that awaited the
heirs and heiresses of the Bloodline.

But how did anyone challenge a god?

As the helicopter took us closer and closer
to DC, Theodocia and I could only stare at the television monitors.
We watched, entranced, as the widespread destruction of cities
spread from the US to other countries around the world. She was on
the phone for almost the entirety of our trip. Each time she hung
up, her phone rang seconds later, and she was once again speaking
to someone else about what was happening. I half-listened to her
terse voice as she coordinated our arrival with my security team
and responded to the inquiries and reports from the offices of
other government officials. My own staff in New York had yet to
check in, though the skeleton crew we kept at the DC palace
reported they were safe.

Finally, Theodocia turned the ringer off and
threw the phone onto the bench beside me. My most trusted friend
and advisor doubled over and covered her face with her hands in a
rare sign of being overwhelmed.

“
Mama?” Tommy asked, going
to her. “Are you okay?”

“
Yes, baby,” she
whispered.

But she wasn’t, and even Tommy knew it. He
sat down beside her and rested his head against her shoulder. I
waited for her to share what else she’d learned from the latest
round of calls.

“
It’s worldwide,” she said
at last and sat back. Her eyes were bloodshot from stress. “Every
world leader in attendance at your coronation was wiped out,
including the Supreme Magistrate, Supreme Priest and the highest
ranking military officials. There’s no one to declare martial law.
Everything is … breaking. Social order, first response efforts, the
country’s infrastructure. Everything.”

I listened in rapt horror, once again
drawing a blank about how I was supposed to carry out my duty and
obligations to the world.

“
Zeus is protecting a
corridor along the eastern seaboard encompassing Maryland, DC, NOVA
and the rest of the metro area,” Theodocia continued. “But the city
itself is barely staying on this side of chaos.”

Would there be anyone left to challenge the
gods by the time this attack on humanity was over? Was I already
too late to protect those I could? Familiar, deep-seated fury kept
my mind focused on what was happening.

“
We’re about thirty minutes
from landing. DC airspace has been declared a dead zone. The
military commander I spoke to gave us permission to fly to your
palace and the SISA commander charged with internal security in DC
flat out refused. But, technically, he has no say, since the
military is monitoring the airspace around DC,” Theodocia added
with a sigh. “I’m afraid if we fly in, someone will shoot us down,
because the two entities aren’t on the same page. I don’t know what
to do, Phoibe.”

What does Artemis
advise?
I asked.

“
She’s not responding at
the moment. Her last words were to go to DC, and she’d protect you.
Her silence leads me to believe we might be on our own.”

How can she offer to
protect us when her brothers and sisters are destroying
everything?
I asked in
frustration.

“
This isn’t a question we
have time to try to answer,” Theodocia responded. “Our biggest
concern is how we’re going to get you to safety. Do we attempt
crossing into DC airspace and hope the military and SISA are
talking, or do we land outside the protected area and pray we
aren’t burned alive by lightning and fire?”

We go as far as we can in
the helicopter,
I replied.
This makes the most sense to me.

“
Me, too. It’s also
potentially the most dangerous course of action.” She picked up the
phone connecting the cabin to the pilots. “Take us straight in as
originally planned. Do what you can to avoid detection,” she said
to the pilot.

She hung up and leaned down to grab the bag
she’d brought with her and set it beside me.

“
In case things get messy,
you can’t run in that,” she said and lifted her eyebrows towards my
dress. “Come here, Tommy. Let the queen change clothes in
privacy.”

Both of them turned away, and I stood. Three
servants had helped me into the extravagant ceremonial garb. I
wriggled, maneuvered, tugged and ended up accidentally ripping the
silk bodice and at least one layer of skirts. When I was free, I
breathed deeply for the first time in several hours and then
changed into the more practical clothing Theodocia had brought with
her. I pulled on the slacks and long-sleeved sweater before sliding
my feet into shoes. I didn’t want to think about what might happen
if we had to make a run for it.

I carefully removed my crown and wrapped it
in the layers of my dress and then tucked it into the bag, next to
the scepter.

Finished.
I said.

“
The fire’s stopped,”
Theodocia said in a hushed tone.

I leaned forward to see out the window. The
lights of DC were brilliant in the clear skies ahead of us. Behind
us, fire and lightning continued to rain down upon the rest of the
country. The helicopter began to descend until it was skimming the
tops of the tallest trees of the forests of northern Maryland.

The phone linking the cockpit and the cabin
rang. Theodocia grabbed it and listened for a few seconds.

“
Seatbelts,” she said.
“Pilot says it might get a little rough.” She hung up and quickly
strapped in Tommy then herself.

I tugged on my seatbelt, too. Heart
hammering, I then stared out the window, watching DC grow closer
and closer and praying we made it to the palace in safety.

The pilot began to alter our course and
elevation with speed that made my stomach turn. Tommy laughed at
the jolts and sudden turns while Theodocia and I exchanged looks of
worry.

Just as we reached the northern most part of
the city, the helicopter ascended suddenly and fast enough for the
air to feel like it was starting to crush me before we stabilized.
Theodocia gripped her seatbelt, and I was braced against the cabin
door.

Flashes of fire appeared again. This time,
they weren’t falling from the sky but originating from the ground
into the air and heading straight for us.

The helicopter pitched to the right,
careening until my window faced directly down at the ground and I
was kept from face planting against the door by my seatbelt.

Theodocia!
I said, alarmed.
This
isn’t working!

“
Damn SISA!” She stretched
for the phone to the cockpit. “We’re going back to - ”

Before she could finish or order the pilot
out of DC airspace, an explosion ripped through the tail end of the
helicopter. Fire licked the outside of my window, and the scent of
jet fuel filled the cabin. The window beside Theodocia cracked and
then shattered, spraying us with glass that cut our exposed
skin.

The helicopter started to free fall into a
downward spiral and plummeted towards the city below. The sickening
sensation of tumbling out of the sky was made worse by my inability
to tell which direction I faced or how close we were to smashing
into the ground. Pain radiated through me as the seatbelt snapped
me back against the seat. I couldn’t move, and the scenery outside
the cabin became a dizzying blur of night-city-night-city, over and
over.

With each rotation of the cabin, my head was
flung from side to side, and I smashed it into the window at least
twice before I started to lose consciousness. The bag containing my
crown and scepter smashed into me on one round, into Tommy on
another, then into the walls, windows and floor.

Tommy was sobbing, Theodocia shouting, and
the city below quickly growing closer. Someone – was it me? – was
screaming.

My body went limp of its own accord as I
struggled to remain awake and aware. Our crash was inevitable, and
it wasn’t possible for any of us to survive impact. I fought the
darkness fighting to pull me under, despair and fury filling
me.

In that moment, the meaning of Thanatos’
appearance in my life struck me with more force than my head
smacking into the window again. The God of Death had the ability to
kill without mercy – or to stop death from occurring at all.
Perhaps the Oracle hadn’t requested his guardianship in order to
help me fight an enemy, but to prevent me from dying this night.
She sent Lantos to warn me of the impending attack by the gods. I
was saved, so I could in turn, save my world from the gods.

She wasn’t going to risk letting me die
here. Was this the grim future she had foreseen? The reason she
chose him?

Thanatos!
I screamed mentally.
Do
not let us die!

I tried to wait for his answer, but the dark
edges of my mind began to close in on my thoughts. Pain radiated
through me from too many places for me to count. My surroundings
became fuzzy then blurry. In a brief flash of clarity, I saw the
double yellow lines of a highway, close enough for me to touch,
half a second before my world went completely black.

Theta Beginnings Miniseries

Silent Queen

Mercenary

Shadow Titan

People’s Champion

History Interrupted
–
time travel romance

West

East

North (2016)

South (2017)

Omega Beginnings Series

Alessandra

Mismatch

Phoibe

Lantos

Theodocia

Niko

Cleon

Herakles

Omega Series

Omega

Theta (2016)

Alpha (2017)

Theta Beginnings Miniseries (novelettes)

Silent Queen

Mercenary

Shadow Titan

People’s Champion (2016)

Non-Series – 2014 & 2015

Black Moon Draw (about a reader sucked into
her book)

Highlander Enchanted (2015)

The Door

Water Spell (2016)

Dragon Tear (TBD)

Lost Vegas Novellas
– young adult post apocalyptic

Aveline (2016)

Tiana (2016)

Arthur (2016)

Black Wolf (2016)

Sons of War –
contemporary military romance

Semper Mine

Soldier Mine

SEAL Mine (2017)

Super Villainess

It’s Not Easy Being Evil

It’s Not Easy Being Good (2016)

Starwalkers Serials (with
Julia Crane) –
new adult science fiction
serial

Severed

Trapped

Exiled

Revealed

Escaped

Heart of Fire –
sexy dragon shifter

Charred Heart

Charred Tears

Charred Hope

Incubatti –
Buffy meets 50 Shades

Zoey Rogue

Zoey Avenger

Rhyn Trilogy –
new adult paranormal with demons

Katie’s Hellion

Katie’s Hope

Rhyn’s Redemption

Rhyn Eternal –
Death finds love

Gabriel’s Hope

Deidre’s Death

Darkyn’s Mate

The Underworld

Twisted Fate

Twisted Karma (2016)

War of Gods –
paranormal with gods, guardians and exceptional
humans

Damian’s Oracle

Damian’s Assassin

Damian’s Immortal

The Grey God

Damian Eternal

Xander’s Chance

The Black God

Hidden Evil –
paranormal with angels and four
horsemen

Hear No

See No (TBD)

Speak No (TBD)

Unnamed Series

Unnatural (TBD)

Unmade (TBD)

Omega

Omega

Theta (2016)

Alpha (2017)

Anshan Saga –
new adult science fiction romance

Kiera’s Moon

Kiera’s Home (novelette)

Kiera’s Sun

Santa’s Ninja Elves (short stories)

Natasha & Hunter

Non-series titles – 2011 - 2013

Star Kissed

A Demon’s Desire

The Warlord’s Secret

Maddy’s Oasis

Rebel Heart

Witchlings –
young adult paranormal

Dark Summer

Autumn Storm

Winter Fire

Spring Rain

Broken Beauty Novellas
–
new adult dramatic fiction

Broken Beauty

Broken World

Voodoo Nights -
young adult paranormal

Cursed

Chosen (TBD)

As SE Reign, erotica writer

101 Nights Box Set (Serials 1-7)