Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) (13 page)

Nicole shook her head.

“She doesn’t remember who the father is,” Hanna said, “but perhaps Tyche knows the father but simply doesn’t remember having relations with him. Hmmm. This is quite a mystery. Tyche is one of the few gods that spends most of her time on land. She might have relations with humans. Gods are notorious for that. But then, you’re not a demigod. Are you?”

Nicole shook her head.

“Tyche is unusual in her interest in humans. The other gods have mostly given up on them. You know…” Her voice dropped off.

“What?” Nicole wondered at her hesitation.

“I’ve always wondered. Why? Why do they no longer bother themselves with humans?”

Triton spoke up. “I know what you mean. In the sea, the gods are a prominent part of the sea life. The creatures mortal and immortal, know, fear, and see the gods. Although we don’t show ourselves at every turn, most of the inhabitants of the sea have seen a god. And although I don’t know a lot about Olympus, I do know it’s the same there. The creatures of the sky are well associated with the gods—Zeus being a prominent figure. And then in Hades realm… well, everyone in the Underworld knows and fears Hades. But earth… It’s said that Prometheus formed man out of soil. He’s not even a god, but a titan. In fact, it seems the humans are largely godless.”

“Right,” Hanna said. “It’s always been a puzzle to me. So back to Nicole’s father… I truly have no idea who he could be. Tell me more about yourself.”

Nicole relayed everything she could remember about her life, the couple of times her power showed, and what she remembered about the man at the hospital. Eventually, they seemed to run out of ideas, shooting down every theory. Silence descended as everyone looked from one to another. Nicole waited for Hanna to have an epiphany and explain who she was. Surely, the woman who knew everything about the gods on Olympus could puzzle it out. Hanna looked at her. Her eyes sad, filled with regret.

She didn’t know. How could this woman not know?

“Seriously?” Nicole said. “That’s it?”

“I’m sorry.” Hanna said. “I just don’t have enough to go on. If you could speak to your mother—”

“That’s not possible,” Nicole said. “You know what? I know exactly who to talk to.” She got up and walked out the front door. Purposefully, she stepped onto the street and began to walk with Mt. Olympus in her sights.

“Nicole,” Triton said, walking up beside her. “Just where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to Olympus. I need answers, and I know exactly who has those answers.”

“He’s not going to tell you. Actually, he might. Just before he drains you of all your powers and kills you.”

She stopped and whipped around to face Ty. “So what am I to believe? That I was miraculously formed out of nothing. Maybe I don’t even exist! You know what? If he wants my power so badly, he can just try and take them, and we’ll see what happens. From what Sypher said, he’s afraid of me, and he wants my powers. Well, I’d like to know what he did to me. What kind of sick man just erases a person’s memories? If I’m so powerful, I should be able to get some answers. I have a few blanks I need filled in. I need to know what happened before…” She tried to recall her past—the past she couldn’t believe was not real. But as she tried to recall it, she drew a blank.

“I can’t…” She could feel tears burning in her eyes.
Why can’t I remember?
She tried to remember playmates, a childhood home, schoolteachers… She knew they would have been false memories, but now even her false memories were gone. All that was left was a gaping void in her mind. It was more painful then she could have believed. Having nothing… No recollection of anything before her young adulthood. No sense of who she was. It was like she didn’t exist. Tears fell in streams down her cheeks.

Triton came up and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, love.”

“I can’t remember anything anymore.”

He tensed at her words. “What don’t you remember?”

“I don’t remember my childhood. It’s gone. Everything up until I…” She reached back, trying to recall her farthest memories. “The oldest memory I have is stepping off a bus and going in for a job interview. It was at the café where we met.”

“How long before the day we met?”

“A week.”

“You were eighteen.”

She nodded, wiping her tears. She looked up to see Ty guiding her back into Hanna’s house.

“At least, I thought I was.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you’d never seen me before?” Nicole asked, her eyes pleading.

“I’m sorry, love. I would have remembered you. If you were a goddess on Olympus, everyone would know you. I don’t know of any god who’s powerful enough to erase the memories of all the gods on Olympus. I’m sure Zeus could change a few, but not all of them. The more likely explanation is that he has erased yours more than once. Perhaps he took you from your mother when you were still a babe.”

“What? So you’re saying he erases my memories every few years and put me in a new place each time?”

Ty shrugged. “It’s possible. Cruel, but possible.”

“But, wait a minute. I still remember the man who came to me when I was in the hospital? He claimed to be my father. He’s the one that wanted me to get an abortion when I found out I was pregnant with Sara. If he was my father, why don’t I have any other memories of him?”

Ty’s eyes narrowed. “What did he look like?”

“He was tall, strongly built… wait. Get me some paper, and I’ll draw him.”

“I’ll get some,” Hanna said and hurried off.

“You think you can make it look like him?” Ty asked.

“Of course. I didn’t get to where I am as a wedding planner without having some artistic ability.”

Hanna returned a moment later, carrying a pad of paper and a pencil.

Nicole scribbled, a face taking shape. “I remember his eyes were dark, his hair black, his neck thick… He had no scars, no blemishes. His skin was flawless, like granite.”

She could hear Ty’s quick intake of breath, and then she could feel fury simmering off him. “You know who this is, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, practically growling. “That’s Ares.”

“Son of Zeus, and god of war,” Hanna said gravely.

“Do you think he’s really my father?”

Triton shook his head. “I don’t know.”

"I’m sure he’ll be here shortly.” Ares did his best to calm the ten irate gods and goddesses who paced the marble floor beneath the throne. The role of a diplomat was not one he was comfortable playing.

“That’s what you said an hour ago,” Poseidon snarled, slamming his trident against the floor. “Does my brother think his position as king of the gods allows him to treat us with disrespect? He drags my pregnant wife and me from our oceanic home for some important business, but then what do I find when I get here? An empty hall!”

“I’m sure something has unavoidably detained him,” Ares said for the umpteenth time. “He holds you in the highest regard, mighty Poseidon.”

“He holds no one in high regard but himself. I don’t have time to waste here. Something is not right in the sea. I can feel its turmoil.”

Nekros stepped forward—confusion burning in his eyes. “What do you mean, something’s not right? When did you first experience it?”

“Just yesterday and I feel it still.” He looked at Nekros and narrowed his eyes. “What is it, Underworlder? Why the deep interest?”

“My father, Hades, just said those exact words. There is something not right in the Underworld.”

Helena stepped forward. “I would think perhaps it’s a coincidence. The three kingdoms of Olympus have always had their cycles of trouble.”

“Cycle, my tailfin!” Poseidon shouted. “Something is—”

“I wasn’t finished.” Helena spread her wings as her soft voice descended like a hammer. “I was about to say, I too have noticed a difference on Olympus. The skies have darkened and thunder shakes through clear skies. I’m afraid it’s a bad omen.”

“If there were a problem,” Ares shouted. All eyes turned to him, and he softened his voice. “My father would handle it.”

“Ha! How would he handle the seas?” Poseidon asked.

“And the Underworld,” Nekros said. “He oversees the three realms, yet he shows interest in none but his own.”

“Yet when he calls,” Poseidon said, “he expects us to drop everything and answer. Well, you tell him this. If he wants to speak to me, he can come find me in my own realm.” That being said, Poseidon and his wife disappeared in a twisting whirl of seawater. Ares wasn’t surprised to hear such a disrespecting tone from the god of the seas. Still, he suppressed the urge to strike him. It would  be unwise. Poseidon was not weak, and he tended to overreact in his defense. One strike could lead to an all-out war of the gods.

“The same goes for me,” Nekros said. Fire lit from beneath his feet and seemed to consume both he and his wife. In seconds, they were gone. Ares frowned, surprised at Nekros’ boldness. He was but a minor god. If he didn’t learn to show more respect, he might find his powers stripped and memories altered.

One by one, the other gods and goddesses left. The last few were more respectful—offering their apologies. Now that the hall was clear, Ares needed to find out what in Hades his father was doing.

As Ares approached Zeus’ chamber, he could hear his father shouting in anger, sounding fiercer than he’d ever heard before.
What is going on?
He listened closely.

“You let her get away? I don’t care that some pathetic human was defending her. I don’t care that she up and vanished in front of your face. You were supposed to bring Nikoleta to me!”

Nikoleta? What did his father want with her?
Ares listened closer.

“You know the punishment for disappointing me.”

“Please, sire,” a chirping voice said. “Have mercy on us.”

Tortured shrieks rent the air for several long minutes, letting Ares know exactly how much mercy his father extended. They’d wasted their breaths asking. Zeus didn’t know the meaning of the word mercy.

“Curse you, Sypher!” Zeus shouted. “You were supposed to give me all of her power. She shouldn’t be a threat to me. If I find you, I’ll teach you the price for defying me. I’ll make you wish you never existed!”

Ares suddenly found himself in front of Zeus. “Son, I need your help. I need you to find Nikoleta and bring her to me.” Ares had never seen his father so frantic.

“Why don’t you bring her here yourself?” he asked.

Zeus turned, his eyes blazing as his hand flew. Ares couldn’t have been more stunned if his father would have hit him with his bolt. The force of the strike sent him into the stone wall. Ares swallowed blood and stood. “I’m sorry, Father. I shouldn’t have questioned you.”

Zeus dragged his fingers through his hair as his chest heaved. He was seriously losing it. Ares wondered if his father even remembered that he summoned the five pregnant goddesses and their partners to him.

“You need to find her, son.”

“Father, what’s wrong?”

“I… I’m no longer receiving power from Nikoleta.”

“What?” Ares shouted.

Zeus was too distraught to notice Ares’ disrespectful tone. “You have to bring her to me,” Zeus said. “The last she was seen was in the Mediterranean Sea. There’s a human defending her.”

The human would be no problem for the god of war, but finding Nikoleta might be a problem. Without Sypher, he wouldn’t be able to track her down as easily, and the Mediterranean Sea was a big place. Still, he answered confidently, “I won’t disappoint you, Father.”

He stepped out the door, considering where to start his search. He was halfway down when he decided on his course. It was the least likely one, but it carried the most danger. And without Sypher draining Nikoleta, it was a possible risk.

***

Ares stepped through the doors of the Olympus Casino in Las Vegas. He’d been told it was the most likely place to find Tyche. The place stank of cigarettes and alcohol. It was truly pathetic. Humans had such miserably short lives to begin with, and then they practically begged for an early death by mistreating their bodies. Lights flashed all around as droves of humans wasted their lives chasing dreams. This scene was the epitome of why Ares had a love/hate relationship with humans. They could be brilliant strategists, brave, and heroic, but most of them were lazy, cowardly, and overindulgent.

“Hello.” A woman smiled warmly at him, her eyes wandering over his body.

She was beautiful, for a human—blonde hair, nicely curved body, and striking blue eyes. Humans weren’t all bad. They were occasionally good for a little late-night entertainment. “Hello.” He smiled and stepped toward her. “What’s your name?”

“Ginger. And you are?”

“Ares.”

“Air Ease? Like the air conditioning company?” She giggled.

The smile left his face. “No,” he growled. “Like the Greek god of war.”

She stepped back, all humor gone from her face. “Oh, I’m sorry. Um. Ares is a good name.”

“Do you know how many people I’ve killed? I could snap your neck in less time than it takes you to blink. And, do you know what?” He leaned forward, inches from her face.

Her bottom lip trembled as she shook her head.

“I could do it right here in the middle of this crowd, and no one would even see it.”

She screamed and raced into the throng, stumbling into people as she went.

He shook his head. Cloaking himself from the humans, he continued his search. Finally, he found the goddess at the craps table, smiling at a timid young woman. Ares doubted that human would leave the table empty handed.

Tyche leaned over and whispered to the woman. The girl’s brows furrowed as she nodded and left the table.

Tyche raised an eyebrow as he approached and slipped into the now-empty chair beside the goddess.

“Come to try your luck at the tables?” she asked.

He barked out a laugh. “As if I need human money.”

“Well then, I’m assuming you’re here to talk to me.” Tyche crossed her long legs one over the other as she sat her elbow on the edge of the table and propped her chin on her hand. She was beautiful, similar in likeness to Nikoleta—dark brown hair that hung in curls down her back, high cheekbones, and full lips tinted naturally pink.

“I’m simply curious as to what you’ve been up to,” he said.

The surprise in her eyes seemed genuine. “Why would you concern yourself with my activities? Are you coming on to me? You do realize that my mother, as uninvolved as she is in my life, would not like her lover seducing her daughter.”

Ares took her chin in his hand, smiling as he applied pressure to her jaw. His eyes narrowed as he squeezed. He could feel when he reached the point when her bone would break. “I’m not here to seduce you. And I couldn’t care less about Aphrodite’s feelings. I’m here to find out where you’ve been, and who you’ve been helping.”

Ares shoved her head back and released her. She rubbed her chin, staring him down. “Well, breaking my jaw will get no answers for you. You could try simply asking me. Or would you rather move on to the Chinese water torture?”

He nearly smiled at her boldness, but he didn’t have time for games. He hardened his glare.

There was a quick flickering of fear in Tyche’s eyes. It came and went in an instant. She was good at her façade, but it was not perfect.

“You could answer me truthfully.”

“Well, the truth is, I’ve been here the whole time, trying to dissuade people from making bad decisions.”

“Oh really? So you didn’t interfere with my father’s capture of a troublesome human?”

“Of course not! I wouldn’t dream of interfering with the activities of our king. I am a hundred percent loyal and support everything he does.”

“Do you swear on the River Styx?”

“I swear,” she said with conviction.

He could hear the truth ringing in her voice. Hades, he wished she were the one. But given the evidence of her loyalty, it looked like he’d jumped to the wrong conclusions. He could have offered an apology. She deserved one. But Ares never apologized to anyone—especially when he was angry or discouraged. And now he was both.