Page 82 of Crimson Skies

The God of Creation hesitated. “Alright, so I may have told you a small lie. Ididbanish a few deities and otherworldly in here over the years.”He paused as unease darkened their eyes.“Trust me, they deserved it.”

“If you hang around long enough, you’ll hear them rattling their chains at the bottom of the void,” Hypnos added helpfully.

“What of your children?” Cassius clenched his jaw. “What happened to them?”

“They are having some much-needed time-out in another dimension for now,”Chaos said dismissively.“Although my actions had the pleasant side-effect of stopping their eternal squabbles, I realized they would continue to cause strife even after I was gone, so I transmigrated them to a new plane of existence after I came here.”

Cassius’s consternation slowly gave way to anger. His nails dug into his palms as he recalled the misery Elios had visited upon all the realms during the War in the Nether and how the dark God had entrapped and tortured his own sisters in the Seventh Purgatory.

It seemed Atropos was thinking the same thing.

“Why did you let Elios do all of that?!” She jumped to her feet and glared at Chaos. “Why did you let him create such havoc and kill so many? Why didn’t you stop him?!”

Chaos studied the Moira with a frown. “All my creations have free will, Atropos.The choice to be good or evil exists inside every deity and creature I breathed life into.I could have designed all of you to be faithful puppets I could control with a flick of my finger, but that idea is anathema to me. The realms would never have flourished the way they have if you were exact copies of one another.”

The fight drained out of Atropos. The God of Creation’s words brought a bitter aftertaste to Cassius’s mouth. He knew Chaos was right. But it didn’t stop him from loathing the truth of his statement.

“I also promised my children I would not interfere in the affairs of their offspring or any of the realms in their absence.”Chaos’s stare landed squarely on Cassius.“Though your fates are preordained to an extent, those of you who have the resolve can change your predestined paths. You can be whatever you choose to be, Icarus. Husband. Father. Awakener.”He lowered his brows.“But you cannot be all of them.”

Cassius flinched. The suspicion that had been brewing at the back of his mind for the past few days solidified into yet another disagreeable truth at Chaos’s indirect warning.

Atropos glanced at him and Chaos with narrowed eyes, like she’d sensed the silent exchange that had just passed between them. One she would not be privy to even if she begged.

“So, what happens to Elios is up to us?” Cassius said in a hard voice.

Chaos dipped his head. “Yes.”His mouth flattened into a thin line.“That Godis insane.Erebus had his bad points, but his son has fallen so far from the tree I’m starting to have doubts about his lineage. I mean, look what he did to poor Hypnos.”

He reached over and stroked Hypnos’s head. Hypnos made a happy sound and leaned into his grandfather’s touch.

“You are telling us you don’t intend to doanythingabout Elios?” Atropos ground out. “Even though he’s your grandson and may very well destroy all the realms?”

Chaos sighed. “Correct me if I’m wrong, butit seems to me the Awakener should be able to handle that lunatic just fine, especially since he has in his possession the power of all my children and the weapons they created to defeat me.”

Cassius recoiled. “You knew?!”

Chaos shrugged. “I see everything, even from here.” A wistful look danced in his star-filled eyes. “I especially enjoy the adventures of the young Menippe.That Goddess sure knows how to have fun.”

Confusion clouded Loki’s face. He stared at Cassius. “What does he mean? About the power of all his children?”

Cassius hesitated before revealing the secret Hyperion had told him three nights ago. Loki’s mouth rounded on a stunned gasp.

Chaos rubbed his chin. “I have to admit, that was a rather clever move.” Admiration brightened his gaze. “Did you know it was Nyx’s idea?She’s definitely the brightest of the bunch. The artifacts my children had designed and made by the deities they commanded were mighty interesting too.I quite like the Book of Rain and the Eternity Key.”

“Does that mean those weapons would not have had an effect on you if Icarus had used them today?” Atropos asked numbly.

Chaos grimaced. “They would have tickled me, at best.”

Cassius sagged.Shit.

He voiced the question that had pre-occupied him for the last few months, ever since Kalliste had revealed the name of the God who had sired him.

“Is Aether—”He stopped and swallowed. “Is my father in the same dimension as your children?”

Chaos shook his head. “No, child.”

His next words had Cassius’s stomach lurching.

“The Primordial God of Light is everywhere in your worlds,”the God of Creation said quietly.“My brother’s child sustains life in all the realms.”

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