Guardian (Daughters Of The Gods, Book 2) (10 page)

Cat hoped she
had the ability to release him from the cells that held the divine captive. The prison walls were protected with ancient spells that ripped all powers from those they housed. Once Tartarus, Hades or the prison here on Mount Olympus was your home, it was your home forever. And she couldn’t allow that. She had vows, unspoken thoughts and needs she wanted to share with Lelantos. He needed to hear how much she sought, respected and loved him.

“Open the gates,” Chloe
, in the form of their brother Hermes, yelled from some distance away.

Cat watched the guard fumble with the lock before swinging the gate wide. A long passage ran before them, lit by scon
ces along the stone wall. Chloe went ahead, but Cat stopped and turned back toward the guard. Fear crossed his face and she raised her brow in the way she was used to seeing her father do. “Where is the Titan being held?”

“Turn left at the end of the passage. He’s locked in the first cell on the right.” The guard bowed his head and Cat took the opportunity to move on. At the corner of the passage she waved her hand and removed his memory of seeing them.

Other prisoners, at seeing Zeus in the bowels of Mount Olympus, huddled back against the wall as if trying to become a part of the mortar. Shame pricked her once more that her father left these immortals here. Some for hundreds of years before he called them up to answer to their crime. He was cruel. An unforgiving god and no longer would Cat live by his rules.

From today she would no longer be a part of the
immortals. Her future wasn’t on Mount Olympus anymore.

Chloe stopped before a cell and Cat followed. Relief swamped her
at seeing Lelantos lying on a thin mattress on the floor. She looked about the cell and noted he’d been looked after better than others with a water bowl and cup.

He opened his eyes and Cat watched as wariness flickered in his
gaze. He stood and came to stand before the cell bars. Cat’s stomach somersaulted at seeing him again. Still dressed in his battle attire, he looked just as hot as he did in Thessaly, his strong muscular arms bulging when he crossed them.

“What do you want?” He asked.

Cat bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. Considering he was standing before the most powerful of the gods - one who could kill him stone dead - not an ounce of fear could be heard in his voice. Only hatred and contempt.

Never had Cat loved him more.

“You,” she said, shimmering back into a goddess.

Lelantos stepped forward and reached for her th
rough the bars. “What are you doing here? Zeus will not forgive you for such treachery, Cat.”

“I do not care.” Cat
flicked her hand toward the lock and it fell to the ground in pieces. She slid the cell door across and pulled Lelantos against her. His warmth soothed her and she reveled in the fact she was holding him again.

“Cat, we must go,” Chloe said, looking down the passage.

“Your brother can’t be trusted.” Lelantos pulled Cat behind him and she smiled.

Chloe shimmered back into her normal self and laughed. “I said I would pay you back one day, Lelantos. I never forget a promise.”

Lelantos smiled and nodded. “Thank you; you are truly a goddess. But you’re right, we must leave.”

Chloe
walked into the cell. “You’re welcome, Lelantos. You’re a good and kind person. I couldn’t let you rot here in this jail, especially when you have so much to live for now.” Chloe met Cat’s gaze and smiled. “Please do come and see us now and again. I’ve missed you, Cat.”

Cat let go of Lelantos and pulled Chloe into an embrace. “I’ve missed you too. And thank you
truly for helping me. I know you’ve put yourself in danger by coming here. I don’t think Cian will ever forgive me for asking.”

“You leave Cian to me. He knows I’m more than capable of looking after myself.” Chloe winked. “I’ll see you around.”

“Not so fast, daughters.”

Cat gasped and turned to find Zeus and Hermes watching them from the cell door. Chloe came to stand beside her and raised her sword. “Father, how lovely to see you again.”

“Stupid of you to come back here. You do realize daughters the moment you stepped into that cell, you lost your powers. Not to mention, the fact that your invisibility, given to you by the bastard Titan standing behind you, vanished, Chloe.”

Cat met Chloe’s gaze and read the fear in her
eyes. “We’ll not go down without a fight, Zeus,” Cat said, wondering if her father would actually worry about such a threat.

“There is no need to fight.” Zeus flicked his wrist and the cell door slid shut. “I’ve already won. I’m simply going to leave you all in there until I’ve decided how best to punish you for your inability to act like the
gods you were born. The Titan is excluded from that decree of course. He shall be left in here to rot.”

Zeus laughed and disappeared. Hermes stared at them and then turned to leave. Cat grabbed his arm and pulled him against the bars. “If you were any brother to us at all you wouldn’t leave us here. I’ve save
d you countless times, Hermes. I even taught you how to hold your sword correctly when you were young. Do not turn your back on me.”

Her brother’s gaze flicked over them all before he yanked his arm free. “You do not know what you ask, Cat. The price is too high.”

She nodded. Hermes was right. The price was high. But, for her, a life with love was worth fighting for. Hermes had never been in love and hadn’t yet known what it was to love another with all his heart and soul. To know that you would, literally die for another. “Please, brother.”

“I cannot. I’m sorry.”

Cat watched him walk down the passage until he disappeared from view. She looked back at Lelantos and Chloe, who was wringing her hands and pacing the floor. “Shit.”

“You still have your sword?”

Cat felt for her weapon. “It’s gone.” She reached into her boot and realized with some shock that her dagger was missing also. They were stuck here.

Cat sat on the thin mattress and wondered how they could get out of this mess. That she had involved Chloe and she too was imprisoned made it doubly worse. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.”

Chloe shrugged and sat beside her. “It wasn’t your fault. I knew the risks before I left. I’d outsmarted Zeus before and thought I may be able to do so again.” A frown crossed her forehead. “Cian will be frantic.”

Cat met her gaze and clasped her hand. “I
know.”

“Zeus said that inside the cells
, your powers no longer exist. But check anyway. You are his daughters. If anyone is going to keep some semblance of their power it should be you.”

Lelantos pulled Cat to stand. “Try something.”

Cat visualized the fountain that stood in the centre of Mount Olympus’s prized garden and usually she’d be there within a moment’s thought. Not today. “It’s not working.”

Chloe stood and shut her eyes. Nothing. “We’re stuck,” Chloe said.

“Barter with Zeus. Tell him you’ll agree to anything. Tell him you’ll marry and live in any way he wishes. Make him believe you’ve accepted his decree and wish to be a true and faithful servant to him. Wait until he’s content and then make your move. Release me and we’ll leave and go where he’ll never find us.”

“Time moves so fast here, Lelantos
. By tomorrow weeks would have already passed on Earth. Cian will be beside himself if I delay my escape any longer. I can’t do it to him.”

“If you don’t, you won’t see him anyway,” Lelantos said, running a hand through his dark hair.

Cat wrapped her arms about his waist and hugged him. “We’ll work something out. Just don’t panic. Anyone. It doesn’t help the situation.”

Chloe swore and sat back on the bed. Cat looked up at Lelantos and rubbed away the frown line between his eyes. “Chloe’s right. We don’t have the luxury to work Zeus into believing we’re
obedient daughters once more. He could take years to trust us again, if he ever does. No,” she said, patting his chest and walking to the cell doors once more to look up the passage, “we must do something now.”

Three days later they were still there. Chloe sat silent against the wall, the worry of knowing Cian would be
wondering what had gone wrong, seemed to be gnawing at her sister’s soul. Cat had to do something. But what she wasn’t sure. For days she’d worked on the guards. Used her history with them as a means to create a friendship, but they were wary and not brave enough to cross Zeus.

Clever guards.

“Come and sit, Cat. There is nothing to be done.”

She frowned but did as Lelantos bid. “How long is Zeus going to leave us here? I’m starting to feel like the walls are closing in on us.”

Footsteps sounded down the passage and Cat stood up again. Her body thrummed with hope when she noted who was striding toward them.

“
Hebe! I’m so glad you’re here. Please help us.”

Her younger sister smiled and unlocked the cell door. “Well, it wouldn’t be very loyal of me if I left my family to rot down here.”

Cat walked free of the cell and felt the sizzle of energy coarse through her veins, her power once more a part of her. “What will you do if Zeus finds out about your treachery?”

Hebe
shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl, I can look after myself.”

Chloe stepped free and pulled
Hebe into a fierce hug. “Thank you. If I had to stay in there a moment longer I think I’d have gone crazy.” Chloe turned to Cat and took her hand. “I’m going to go before Zeus catches us again. Cian–”

“Go,” Cat said, smiling. “Thank you, Chloe and please
give my apologies to your Highlander when you see him. I really never meant to put you into harm’s way.”

“I know. It wasn’t your fault.”

Cat watched her disappear and welcomed the warmth of Lelantos at her back. “We must go. Are you ready?”

“Are you kidding
?” Lelantos asked, his laughter rumbling against her back.

“Promise me I will see you again,
Hebe,” Cat said.

“One day
. But now, I must return to the throne room. I sort of created a diversion I wish to watch unfold.”

“What diversion?” Lelantos asked.

Hebe studied her nails and smiled. “Hermes and Hera are trying to explain to Zeus why I found them fucking today in Hermes room. If it wasn’t so serious it would be actually quite diverting.”

Cat
chuckled. “We had better go then before they drag Hermes down here to be our cell mate.”

“My thoughts exactly,”
Hebe said.

“Please tell me Hermes and Hera are not related by blood,” Lelantos asked.

Cat watched as her sister returned the way she came. “Hera is neither mine nor Hermes birth mother.” Fear of being caught standing outside the cell walls made her nervous. She clasped Lelantos tight and thought of the one place Zeus would never look for them. Her apartment at Mount Olympus.

“What are we doing here?” Lelantos
gazed about the room and then strode toward the door and locked it.

“I want to grab some things. There are
certain items a woman just can’t live without, Lelantos. Even with everything she’s ever wanted right before her.”

“You mean me, don’t you?”

“What do you think?” Cat met his gaze and heat spiked toward her groin. He was so hot. The events of the past few days together with the danger of dallying in Mount Olympus had every nerve on end and her body quivered with the adrenaline. Lelantos’ chest rose and fell as his breath labored and her own caught in her throat. They’d not made love for two weeks. It was a very long time.

“Stop looking at me like that, Cat
, or I’ll act on my lust right now and take you where we are.”

Cat grinned and untied the silk knot holding one side of her gown u
p on her shoulder. “Promise?”

In three strides, he was upon her. His mouth devoured her, his tongue seeking, demanding a response. Cat surrendered to his onslaught of desire which spiked her own.
Her breath caught as his hand slid against the silk of her gown and wrapped about her breast. He pulled back and ripped the gown down the front, exposing her aching flesh. He licked her pebbled nipple before paying homage to her body.

Cat held him against her, not wanting an inch to separate them. He lifted her and sat he
r upon a golden desk and she wrapped her legs about his hips, smiling as he slid her dress up to bunch about her waist. Heat and need radiated from his every pore and her body hummed to be with him. How could she not? He was everything she ever wanted in a god, or in Lelantos’ case, a Titan.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again, Cat.” His words
, whispered against her ear, sent shivers of delight down her spine.

“You should’ve know
n I wouldn’t leave you there to rot.” He feathered kisses down her jaw before lightly kissing her lips. Cat met his serious gaze and wondered what he was thinking. “What is it?” she asked.