Zeus (The God Chronicles) (21 page)

“Never.” She slunk back, crouching like a tiger, her eyes calculating and deathly. Her instant calm was more terrifying than the crazy directed at me a moment ago, and suddenly, I realized she was smart—really smart.

Without any warning, she jumped the short distance between them, jabbing the dagger towards Poseidon’s heart. I screamed, thinking he was about to be run through, but he dodged to the right just in time, and the knife only clipped his shoulder armor. A jet of water knocked Hera back a step and out of jabbing reach for a moment.

They began exchanging blows, the perfect match as opponents. Despite Hera’s elegant appearance, she was a skilled fighter. Poseidon held nothing back, meeting each of her attacks and striking with brute force. Try as she might, she couldn’t get past him to destroy me. Frustration slowly pushed past her calm expression, and Poseidon noticed. Her suddenly worthless aim and lack of attack strategy caused his shoulders to relax and each blow became softer, more forgiving. Desperation washed over Hera.

“Hera, let it go!” he pleaded, taking a step to the side and extending a raised palm as if he could stop her by sheer will.

Hera’s stone cold expression snapped back into place and she smiled triumphantly, leaping forward. Poseidon, realizing his mistake, attempted to obstruct her path, but was shoved aside as she rushed toward me. As he slipped on the bloody, wet floor, water shot towards her in one last failed attempt to save me.

“You don’t get to live today,” she snarled, grabbing the front of my shirt and heaving me up onto my knees. In one swift motion, I was shoved against the side of the throne, the cold blade pressed against my neck. Eyes wide, warm blood beginning to run down onto my shirt, I tore at her hands, trying to push her away before irreparable damage was done. Hope trickled from me, and I
stared into the eyes of my murderer. Poseidon’s trident shot between us, barely missing me, but knocking the blade from my skin and out of Hera’s hands.

“No!” she screamed. Hands wrapped around me, cutting off my airway, only to be torn away by a relentless wave of cold water that soaked me clean through. Sputtering, wiping my eyes clear, I caught a glimpse of Poseidon riding the same wave out, a very angry Hera in front of him, shrieking in manic anger. Their battle would continue elsewhere.

I placed a shaky hand to the cut on my neck, just under my ear. Thankfully, the cut was small and missed a major artery. If she’d had one more second, Hera would have sliced clean through. Standing, a shaky, deep breath aiding what was left of my nerves, I turned my attention back to the fight.

The other Gods were still going strong, and it was clear our side was winning. Hope blossomed inside me again as I edged around the front of the throne to get a better view of everyone.

Bright light, accompanied by an earth shattering crash, washed out the entire room, knocking me to the floor and bringing the first pause since the battle started. When my eyes finally adjusted, and the silence in the room remained, I sat up, turning my gaze to the two kings. Kronos lay on his back, his weapon out of reach, while Zeus held a lightning bolt to his neck.

Everyone froze as they looked on, waiting for Zeus to deal the final blow.

“You should die for what you have done here,” he growled as Hades came forward with the blade dipped in the River Styx.

Suddenly, Kronos dissolved into a black mist, catching Zeus by surprise. For a second, no one could see where he had disappeared to. I stood, my eyes scanning the room like the others.

“Go ahead and throw that bolt now, son!” A hand grabbed me from behind and spun me around. Kronos had materialized right behind me—I was now his shield. He lifted me into the air by my throat, exactly as he had when he kidnapped me. Fear and panic seized my heart once more as my airway was cut off.

I clawed at his hands, beginning the all too familiar battle for air. Little red dots burst in my eyes as darkness threatened to take over. My neck wound burned, and I imagined it widening as my skin stretched from the pull of gravity. In spite of the roaring sound in my ears, I could hear every word being said. 

“You’re weak, Zeus!” Kronos spat out. “You can’t even protect that which you hold most important! You’re not fit to run this kingdom! You stole it from me before, and I take it back now. You may have made it home, but you will not have the satisfaction of winning today. Olympus is mine, as is the girl’s life!”

His jaw opened wide, teeth gleaming in the light as he prepared to swallow me. I couldn’t breathe, let alone think straight, but something in me jumped into action. I did the only thing I could think of and kicked him as hard as possible in the groin.

With a roar of fury, he jerked me back, lessening his grip and giving me some much needed air. Feet flailing, trying to use the moment to escape, I clawed at his hands once more. Fury rolled off Kronos as the grip around my windpipe crushed down once more and he held me at a greater arm’s length. Lights popped in my eyes and, again, I knew the end was near. Suddenly, lightning shot between the two of us, striking Kronos square in the chest and knocking him from his feet. I wriggled away from his grasp just in time—Zeus leapt forward, burying his sword in Kronos’s shoulder.

I crawled over to Nike, still chained to the wall, and crumpled in a heap, barely holding on to consciousness. My wounds had reopened, blood running from so many places it was impossible to distinguish which spots were bleeding the worst. The skin on my throat burned and felt like it had been stretched too far. Dizziness threatened to pull me under, but I was determined to witness what happened next.

“You sicken me,” Zeus said. “Using Karly—a mortal—as a shield! I can’t even comprehend what kind of God would do that.”

“Zeus,” Kronos rasped out.

“No! You do not get to speak!” Zeus roared, holding the poisoned blade to his neck. “You will be taken back to Tartarus to await trial. My brothers and I will decide your sentence. Until then, you and your followers can rot there. It may be a while,” he sneered.

“You can’t do that!” Hera screeched as she fought against her captor, Poseidon.

“Watch me,” Zeus growled.

The offending party evaporated into a mist, much like Kronos had done before, but I knew they were going to Tartarus—the Gods Prison.

“Cutting it close there, eh Zeus? That wasn’t the punishment I’d hoped for,” Hades drawled as he walked towards the throne, his fire whip slowly fading away.

Zeus ignored him, instead turning to Nike and myself.

“Someone please release Nike and tend to her wounds,” he said as he moved forward. When he reached me, he gathered me into his arms and carried me out of the room, into one the many connecting halls. Zeus remained silent, looking ahead as he walked down the endless, door-filled corridor. My skin prickled against his cold armor, but his warm, bare shoulder offered my pounding head the comfort it was seeking. Now that the battle was over, I felt so incredibly tired. Every part of me ached, half of me was bleeding, and I just wanted to lie down and sleep.

We reached the entryway Zeus wanted—though I had no idea how he told them apart—and entered the room behind it. Once inside, he closed the door softly behind us and stood me on the floor, steadying me by holding onto my hips.

My dizziness increased when his lips met mine with a crushing force. If it hadn’t been for his tight hold on me, I would have collapsed at his feet. His frame shook as he kissed me over and over again, trailing his lips across my cheeks and eyelids with desperation I’d never felt from him before.

His armor evaporated as he pulled me against him with one arm, running his fingers through my hair with the other. The cut on my head stung when he touched it and the smallest of whimpers escaped my mouth, causing him to pause. I could feel the anger, hurt, and fear coming from him as he moved on but remained silent about my condition. Relaxation settled into my bones as kisses were feathered over my face and down my neck, lips lightly brushing the cut there.

His mouth returned to mine frantically. He held on to me like he was afraid I would disappear, his caresses too much for me to handle.

I quickly became breathless and he pulled away, his eyes locked with mine.

“Karly.” His voice broke as he spoke, the emotions inside him battling to be manifested in more than just his body language. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I can’t believe I let this happen to you.”

“You didn’t do any—“

“I did, Karly. I didn’t warn you, and I wasn’t there when you needed me. This is my fault.”

“If I hadn’t run away I wouldn’t—"

“If I’d explained better, or shared my secrets sooner, you wouldn’t have felt like you needed to run.” His eyes were full of sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Karly.”

“I’m sorry, too,” I whispered.

“You have no idea what it was like, realizing you were gone. First I was angry, but then . . . a dream. Morpheus came to me in a type of day dream, showed me that you were on Olympus and hurt. The Fates confirmed it and I . . . I was scared. I didn’t know if I could go back, if there was any way for me to bend the rules and save you. I knew I had to try, though.” He pulled me closer, resting his chin on my head.

“You looked so horrible in the vision. I was scared you’d die before I could get to you. Kronos was going to kill you, and if that happened, it would destroy me. I was afraid of living without you, so whatever I needed to do, I would do it.

“Everything was open to me like I’d never been banished, though. Nine years of being shut out of my home and suddenly, I could do whatever I wanted again. It was like . . . getting dressed in the morning—completely familiar. As soon as I realized, I came right here.

I knew it was bad—that Kronos had already conquered the gods still here. In another time, I probably would have waited, biding my time until he became weak. Now, there was you, and I couldn’t let him take you from me.

“When I walked in and saw you there, seconds from death, something broke free in me. I’ve never fought with that much strength of purpose before. And now, I feel it’s a miracle to have you here in front of me, alive.”

He stepped away from me then, looking at the ground.

“I won’t make you stay with me,” he said softly. “I know I lied and really hurt you but, I told the truth when it mattered. And that should count for something.” He turned away from me, folding his arms across his blood-spotted chest. Everything was still for a moment as I stared at his back, a dorky smile on my face.

“You don’t have to stay there, you can go!” He didn’t turn, pain laced through his forceful exclamation.

“I love you,” I said simply.

He spun around, shock and disbelief etched into his face. Clearly, he had not been expecting that.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” I mused. “I’m sure you suspected as much when you had no trouble getting here. That’s proof you love me too. You’re not going to get rid of me that easy, not after everything we’ve been through today.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his shocked face closer to mine.

“I love you more than I thought possible. When I saw you playing in the backyard on Thanksgiving, I knew. I knew you were my guy and that I would never want another my entire life. When I
finally
realized you really were a God, I loved you that much more for telling the truth. And, heaven help me, your awful singing makes me happy. You make me happy. And I love that. I just love you. I love you more than the air I breathe or the earth I live on. I even love you more than thunder loves lightning!”

A wide grin broke across face as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“You mean it?” he asked.

“One thousand percent,” I laughed.

“Marry me then.”

The biggest smile I’d ever worn appeared on my face, and before I could answer, his soft lips met mine. A dull heat began to form in the pit of my stomach as he pushed me up against the door, his fingers twisting into my hair.

He nipped my bottom lip with his teeth and slipped his tongue inside, exploring first my tongue and then every inch of my mouth. Slowly his hands slid down my sides, careful to avoid the cuts on my arms, and gripped my waist, pulling me closer and crushing me into the door at the same time.

His lips caressed every inch of my face and brushed down my neck, pausing for a second to nibble on my ear. I sighed contently, enjoying being with him again.

Deciding to test my strength, I put my pain out of mind and kissed him back, hard. The heat turned into a roaring fire. Surprisingly, I felt like I was the one in control. Through the dizziness, I pushed him backward, towards the bed in the middle of the room. Stumbling and gasping, we kissed each other like never before, our bodies tangled together as one. The back of his legs hit the magnificent four poster and we tumbled over.

It was apparent we were going to end up with our clothes off if I didn’t act quickly. Hating that I was killing the mood, I whispered softly, “Zeus, I’m hurt. I can’t now. Later, yes, but not now. Besides, I don’t want you covered in my blood.”

He responded by softening his kisses, rolling until I was under him, and then sliding back down to the floor.

“Let me make you better then,” he said, placing a sweet kiss on my ankle. I giggled, but my breath was soon taken away as he continued up both of my legs, kissing every inch. When he reached the hem of my shorts, he skipped over them and slid my bloody, torn shirt up a little, kissing my stomach and fueling the flight of butterflies.