Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) (19 page)

“Wishes? Like she can grant wishes?” She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. I’m sure I wished for lots of things growing up, and not one of them came true. Well, actually one of them did. I wished I could meet my father.” Color flooded Sara’s cheeks.

“She couldn’t use her powers,” Triton said. “They were being drained away by a creature called a siphon.”

“Who would do that to her?” Xanthus asked.

“Zeus.”

“Wait a minute,” Sara blurted. “How much power does Mom have? Could she destroy the world with a single wish?”

“Your mother asked nearly that same question, and to tell you the truth, I have no idea. I sure hope not. That kind of wish would take a tremendous amount of power. It’s likely she’d not have enough power to grant it. Still, your mother could die in the attempt to fulfill that wish.”

“Die?” Xanthus asked as his gaze flickered over to his wife and then back to Triton. “I thought gods couldn’t die.”

“We don’t die easily,” Triton said. “But draining us completely of power is one way to do it.”

“I thought that siphon thing already drained Mom’s powers.”

“Not completely. The siphon’s effect, in a sense, leaves a god as powerless as a human. According to Sypher—that’s what the siphon calls herself, she
can
drain a god completely, but it’s difficult to do. And it can end up killing the siphon along with the god if the siphon can’t find another host. A siphon cannot survive without a host.”

“So is Mom’s siphon gone?”

“Yes, she’s been released.”

“So now her powers are back? Wait… if I’m a goddess, what am
I
a goddess of?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart.”

“I don’t think I’m very powerful.”

“Actually, you probably are.”

“What? I can’t do much. Just make people do things when I sing.”

“That’s a natural part of being my daughter. Your other powers won’t fully manifest until your twenty-first birthday.”

“But she’s already manifested some of her powers,” Xanthus said.

“So it seems. I know she can transport and sees visions of faraway places. Is there anything else you’ve seen?” Triton asked.

“She saw a family that was adrift at sea and led us to them. They would have died if she hadn’t led us there. And she can sense when something bad is about to happen.”

“It’s rare for a god or goddess to have impressions of the future,” Triton said and turned to Xanthus. “We’ll have to watch her closely.”

“Wait a minute,” Sara said. “Gretchen can do way cooler thing than I can. Like change from mermaid to human, and her voice is much more compelling than mine.”

Triton’s heart stopped. “Who’s Gretchen?”

“Oh wow, Dad,” she said and took a shallow breath. “Brace yourself. Gretchen is my best friend, and she’s also your granddaughter.”

Triton sat up straight. “Whose daughter is she?”

“Aella’s.”

Triton’s shoulders sagged, and he frowned at the memories that name brought back. Aella was a troublesome daughter. He’d loved her with all his heart, but it was never enough. She didn’t seem capable of exercising restraint or showing compassion.

“Is Gretchen anything like her mother?”

Sara shook her head. “No. She’s nothing like her. In fact, she ran away when she was a small child and hid among the humans to escape her. Gretchen’s the most loving and amazing person I know. And… you might want to know that Aella is dead.”

“Let me guess.” He frowned. “She wasn’t killed by the Dagonians two thousand years ago?”

Sara shook her head. “She died only a couple of weeks ago.”

“And,” Xanthus spoke up, “I’m the one who killed her.”

Triton looked at the warrior. He sensed fear over his reaction. Triton simply nodded in acceptance. He’d heard stories about disappearances and deaths in the area around where Aella was banished. He suspected she might be still alive, but he avoided finding out.

“You’re not angry?” Xanthus asked.

Triton shook his head. “I understand. I’m just relieved that I was not the one who had to do it.”

Xanthus relaxed.

“There’s more to the story, Dad.”

“Is it something I need to hear?” he asked, dreading the possibility that his daughter might think he needed to hear a play by play.

She nodded and said, “You have another grandchild. Gretchen has a baby brother she adopted and named Donavan.”

Triton’s heart warmed as he thought how much his family had expanded in the last couple of months. First Sara and Xanthus, then Iris and Marcos, and of course, there was Nicole. She wasn’t family yet, but he intended to make her his wife. Now there was Gretchen and young Donavan. Tears burned in his eyes. He pushed back the fear that threatened to rise. The more loved ones that surrounded him, the greater he’d suffer if he lost them. But then, maybe Gretchen wanted nothing to do with him. After all, Aella, as cruel as she was, was still his daughter. “Do you think they’d want to meet me?”

“I
know
they would,” Sara said. “Gretchen has wanted to meet you for a long time. Do you think we can we bring them here?”

Triton pursed his lips, wondering if he should risk it. He didn’t want to put any of his family in danger. Would Zeus be watching them? It seemed unlikely. Gretchen and Donavan were
his
family, not Nicole’s.

“Yes. That would be fine. Do you think you can do it? I’ve never met them, so I’m afraid I wouldn’t know where to start looking for them.”

“It didn’t seem hard to bring us here. I wasn’t even trying to do it.”

“Just concentrate on them, and when you can see them, draw them to you.”

Sara squeezed her eyes closed, taking a deep breath. “I found them. Gretchen’s sitting in the sand holding Donavan. Kyros and the others are with her. Should I bring them all here?”

“Are there any humans around?” Xanthus asked.

Sara shook her head. “Nope. It’s just them.”

Triton looked over at Xanthus. “Are these the guards you have looking after Sara?”

“Yes.”

“Bring them all,” Triton said. “We’ll need their help.”

Triton stood, expecting to see the group appear in the living area.

Nothing happened.

A swell of shouts came from outside.

“Are they—” Triton began.

“Outside,” Sara completed his sentence as she raced to the door. She flung it open and shouted, “Gretchen, Kyros—”

“How in Hades did we get here?” a deep, angry voice asked.

Triton stepped outside and put his arm around his daughter. He was shocked at the sight in front of him. Within the midst of a lush, green forest, there was a wide expanse of sand, and two palm trees towering overhead. Four Dagonians stood stunned, and a fifth towered over a woman and her baby. With a sword in his hand, he seemed ready to battle.

Triton suppressed a smile, making a mental note to remember to spend a little more time training Sara on the finer details of translocation.

“I asked Sara to bring you,” Triton said. He was impressed by the warriors. Each one looked formidable—towering, muscular figures, with eyes brimming with intelligence. As if choreographed, they each dropped to their knees, bowing the moment recognition hit them—all except the woman with a babe in her arms. She stood up from the ground, seeming as if she wanted to approach, but fearing to at the same time.

Triton gave her a warm smile. “Gretchen.”

The Dagonian who had taken a protective stance near her showed his good sense by sheathing his sword. Gretchen swallowed and made her way to him with the Dagonian following closely behind. She stopped before reaching the porch steps.

Sara turned to Triton and whispered, “I forgot to tell you that Gretchen is married to a Dagonian named Kyros.”

Triton had heard much of that Dagonian. He was pleased with Gretchen’s choice.

“It’s okay, granddaughter. You have nothing to fear from me.”

She ascended the steps and relaxed. A smile lit her face as she spoke. “You look a lot younger than I expected.”

Triton smiled as he lengthened and whitened his hair and beard, and then added crow’s feet around his eyes. “Is that better?”

Gretchen’s eyes widened in surprise, but she soon relaxed into a grin. “That’s more like I pictured you.”

“I thought so. Well, granddaughter, enjoy this look while you can. This is the last time you’ll see me like this. I prefer not to look like an old man.”

She continued to smile as his face returned to normal. The baby squeaked and squirmed in her grip. His body and face were covered in a light blanket.

“May I?” He gestured to the infant.

“Um… sure,” she said, handing him the baby.

Triton took the child in his arms. His heart recognized his grandchild immediately. He pulled back the cloth; a perfect little babe lay beneath the folds. His little tailfin curled in the cool breeze. “You have a magnificent tail, my child. But it’s a bit out of place on land.”

He waved his hand over the infant, and his grey tailfin transformed in pale human legs. Donavan broke out in a wail, kicking his new legs vigorously. Gretchen stepped forward, alarmed.

“Don’t worry,” he said to her. “He’s not hurt, just confused. The sensation of having legs is new to him.” Triton passed him back to his mother. “He’ll get used to it. And don’t hesitate to bring him into the sea. He also has perfectly functioning gills.”

Gretchen smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Dad?”

Triton looked over to Sara, who was blinking back tears of her own. “Why don’t we go inside? We have a lot to talk about.”

“Sure, baby.”

Pele swore she’d never again set foot on Italian soil, but some things were worth more than one’s own ego. The Roman Pantheon was once powerful enough to rival Olympus, and her counterpart, Vulcan, had been a pompous god. The world once feared him, and even named the mountainous flows after him—calling them volcanoes. Even now, Vulcan had it in his head that he was the most powerful of all the volcano gods. He was not more powerful, just crueler. On a whim, he destroyed Pompeii, with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, laughing and bragging about it. As if it was something to be proud of. Then there were countless more eruptions and deaths. All that suffering…

Vulcan had laughed at Pele, scorned her for the gentle flows on Mount
Kilauea—saying what was the use of a gentle eruption that caused no damage, made no impact. She tried to tell him the point was that she used her power to build and create, not to destroy. He didn’t, nor would he ever, understand. But right now, all the volcanoes on the entire earth were either erupting, or threatening to erupt. And she was exhausted trying to stop
them. She needed help. She was desperate for help. Perhaps if they worked together… yeah, it was a long shot.

Pele closed her eyes, ready to make the journey, but a pull brought her to another place. Her anger erupted within her. Who dared to transport a goddess without her consent?

She opened her eyes, and her fury was snuffed out by fear. “Your Majesty,” she said as she dropped to her knee. She’d only ever seen Zeus from a distance and only a few times in her long life, but the power she felt when she looked him in the eye was unmatched by any god or goddess she’d ever met. His power dwarfed the power of Kane, her own king of the Hawaiian Pantheon.

“Pele,” he said gently. “I’ve noticed that there is trouble brewing around the world.”

She wasn’t sure if he expected her to speak. To be safe, she kept silent.

“I’ve waited for you, Vulcan, Hephaestus, and the others to handle the troublesome eruptions plaguing the world. But alas, your puny efforts don’t seem to be making a difference. So, do you know what I’ve decided is in the best interest of the human world?”

Pele’s eyes snapped up to his face. What could
he
possibly do? Despite the fact he was king of the most powerful Pantheon in the world, he was still a god of the skies. He had no power over volcanoes.

“I’ve decided to handle it myself.”

Her brows pinched together as her mind worked. “I don’t understand. You’re not a god of volcanoes.”

He chuckled at her response. There was a hint of madness behind that laugh. It drove fear into her heart. “That is
exactly
what Vulcan said to me.” He gestured over to the corner of the room. A statue lay broken in a pile of rubble and dust. There was a large enough chunk to make out a terrified face—Vulcan’s. Fear seized her as she attempted to transport away from Zeus.

“Oh, no you don’t. You don’t want to leave now. I haven’t had a chance to take your power for myself.” He circled her, caressing her face with his hand—madness burning in his eyes. “You see, that’s what I’ve been doing for many years. I’ve been taking power from gods and goddesses. Up until recently, it’s only been infants. It’s simple. I unlock their power and keep it for myself. I take a baby god or goddess here and there. Alter a few memories. And nobody knows the difference. They only know I’m the most powerful of all the gods and that, somehow, my power is growing by the century. Well, now I’m strong enough to get what I truly crave.”

He leaned down, his grin widening. “Ultimate power. Soon enough, all the gods will be either gone or powerless. And I will be the only god, wielding the combined power of them all!”

Pele tried to run, but her feet were rooted to the ground. She couldn’t move.
Kane! Please, help me!

Her king didn’t answer her summons. He likely didn’t hear her. Zeus would have seen to it.

“You, my dear, I’ve decided to destroy. With all the trouble in the world, I’ll need every drop of your power to control the chaos. Besides, knowing you, you’d do all in your power to stop my rise. It’s obvious you have a soft spot for humans, and I have special plans for the vermin.”

Zeus stepped over to a curtain draped across a stone wall and pulled it back. Behind the fabric was a cavity that looked to be some sort of a vortex. As he reached a hand out, another reached from the flowing current. The hand looked to be made of a spectral mist—as insubstantial as a cloud. Despite how it looked, Zeus took hold of the hand and pulled a ghostly figure into the room. It looked to be a woman—thin, frail, and crying.

She sobbed, her face beaming, smiling with joyful tears, as she spoke a language Pele had never heard. Zeus answered her back in her same strange language. A look of horror passed over the woman as she shook her head, pleading. Zeus snapped at her, pointing to Pele.

Pele shrank back.

The spectral woman flew toward Pele, regret in her eyes even as she entered into her. Pele could feel the woman inside her head. Sinking to the floor as her powers drained, she became weaker and weaker. She lifted her hand, the hand that commanded rivers of lava to flow. Her pink, fleshy skin paled, turning grey as ash. She could feel her inner heat cool and harden. She was still alive when her fingers crumbled to dust.
Kane, please help me! I’m going to die!
She opened her mouth, her last breath coming out in a gravely wail.

“Sara, wake up!” Xanthus shouted. Sara continued to hear the scream of the goddess as she opened her eyes.

She realized that the scream she was hearing was her own. She closed her eyes as her cry turned to a moaning, and she buried her head in Xanthus’ chest. His arms surrounded her, cradling her as she cried. “Sara, what’s wrong?” She couldn’t stop crying to answer him. It all seemed so real. It was real. She knew it now. All the dreams and visions were real. And she had just witnessed the death of a goddess—a good, kind goddess. Zeus had killed her. He coveted her power, so he murdered her to take it.

She could feel the back of the couch pressed against her. This vision descended on her while they were sitting together talking. She was powerless to stop it from coming, nor could she banish the images from her mind. All she could do now was weep, clinging to Xanthus.

“Sara, what is it?” Triton asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Sara, talk to us,” Xanthus said.

“Has this happened before?” Kyros asked.

“Yes,” Xanthus answered.

“Sara, I’m here. Let me help you.” Gretchen’s voice was soft, but Sara was far from the reaches of help or comfort. She couldn’t answer her. The horror of what she’d just experienced was too fresh.

“Sara, baby,” her father’s worried voice whispered. “Is it your mother?”

She shook her head. He sighed, obviously reassured at her answer. “Did you see something that upset you?”

She nodded.

They didn’t speak for several minutes as she continued to cry.

“Let’s give her some time to calm down,” her father said. “When she’s ready, we’ll be waiting.” She sobbed while those around her spoke in hushed whispers. It seemed none of them knew what to do to help her.

“Xanthus you stay with her,” Triton said. “The rest of us will be outside.” Sara could hear the door gently close. Xanthus held her, caressing her hair and pressing kisses on her head as she wept softly. When her tears were spent, Xanthus continued to hold her.

She raised her head and wiped her tears. “I’m sorry I made such a scene. I just…” She swallowed, gathering her courage. “I’ll need to talk to everyone.”

“Are you up to it?”

She sniffed and nodded. “Just let me freshen up a bit. I probably look a mess.”

“You look beautiful.”

She cracked a weak smile. “You always say that, no matter what I look like.”

“It’s always true.”

She kissed him gently. As she pulled away, Xanthus whispered, “I love you, moro mou.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back, feeling comfort in his words.

A moment later, she was splashing water on her face. After towel drying, she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was otherwise composed. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she was fine now. The heart-wrenching experience was too fresh in her mind. But at least she could talk.

The living area was filled with bodies when she returned. It looked like Xanthus had invited them all back. Her father stood as she approached. She considered what to say, but thought it best to just come out and say it.

“Pele is dead.”

Triton paled, shock clearly written on his face as he sank back into his chair.

The confusion on the faces of the Dagonians let her know they had no idea who Pele was.

“Are you talking about the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes?” Gretchen asked. Of course, she would know. She had lived in Hawaii for several years.

Sara simply nodded.

“How do you know?” Kyros asked.

“I saw it happen.” Sara sighed. “I experienced it.”

Triton spoke up. “You experienced it?”

She nodded and recanted what happened from start to finish. Sometime in the telling, Gretchen put her arm around her. Sara looked at her best friend. Tears were streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Gretchen said. “And I’m really sorry for Pele.”

“I just saw her earlier today,” Triton said. “When Mount Olympus erupted, I summoned her. Pele saved thousands of lives.”

“It’s not just Mount Olympus,” Gretchen said. “Volcanoes all over the globe are erupting or threatening to erupt. Not to mention the earthquakes. People are at a panic. They’re saying it’s the end of the world.”             

“It just might be—for the humans at least,” Triton said. “And now it seems it may also be the end of the gods.”

“The oracle’s words are coming true,” Gretchen said.

“What oracle?” Triton asked.

“We met him in Bermuda,” Gretchen said. “The goddess speaking through him gave me a prophesy… and a nightmarish vision.”

“What did she say exactly?” Triton asked.

“She said, ‘Sara is a key, one of four needed to unlock the cage of the forgotten king, but we must hurry. Her mother is in great danger, and without her mother, she will never be able to open the lock.

“Then she said, ‘Gather the daughters that join the four corners, and go to the place where the mountain touches the heavens. There you must free the king by the fourth new moon. If you fail, the wind will drive fire across the land and the earth will crumble into the seas. All mankind will perish.’”

“When did she say this? How much time do we have?”

“She said it over two weeks ago. We have three and a half months.”

“I’ve a feeling this prophesy has everything to do with Zeus’ actions,” Triton said. “If he were truly thinking to take so much power for himself, he might find consequences he hadn’t planned on.”

“He might also find ruling with ultimate power isn’t that great,” Drakōn said. “Not when there’s no one left to rule over.”

“But I don’t understand the part about the forgotten king,” Pallas said. “Who is the king he’s talking about?”

“I know who he is,” Sara said. All eyes turned to her. She took a deep breath, knowing her words would stun them. “I thought it was just a dream. But it wasn’t. I know that now.”