Page 44 of Guided by the Stars
As kids, my brothers and I would come here to hide. Day or night, this Hall became our sanctuary, an escape from Hera and any other god out for our blood. We even believed the passages would reveal a secret for us to eventually defeat her once and for all. The bitch is still alive and the promise we made to each other is broken. At least it wasn’t a waste of time, I’ve learned a shit-ton about all the gods surrounding us.
I look down and let myself relax, seeing that the door is still shut, and make my way back towards the wooden table in the corner. The sun is already rising, and I’ve got nothing. I sigh, pushing the heavy passages away and reach for one of my brother’s scrolls. Scrolls are shorter, telling quicker storiesthat are told during battle or at sea. I enjoy coming here and reading the words from my brother. It’s the only connection I have left to Apollo. He was the one brother who loved throwing himself into some sort of project for the Mortal World to escape from here.
Today is the thirty-seventh day of our pursuit.
My dreams are growing more vivid with the images of the land I wish to conquer.
I remember this trip of his. He often had some sort of daydream about helping the mortals. This was one of the few times I was excited to join him, fate just had a different plan. The day they expected us to leave, Zeus demanded my presence for another assignment. He sent me to the Mortal World with Aphrodite to play matchmaker while Apollo set sail, leaving me behind as the last brother on Olympus. The only updates I got were from these scrolls.
We must be close. I can feel it. If only I could get my crew to trust me. However, my loyal sailors are becoming restless. They talk of fearing the wrath of the gods as the rain and winds increase. Daily, I counteract my father by bringing in light and allowing my men to navigate the ship. Whatever enraged Zeus, I hope it settles soon. Each day the storm has worsened.
Zeus was angry alright. He was livid. A month after my brother left, a nymph stole from him and hid away on an island. In a matter of minutes, Zeus had commanded Daemyn and I to join him as guards. He forced the goddess of the land to allow him in and without mercy Zeus destroyed the nymph, sending him to the pits of the Underworld.
More than once today a crewman has approached me. Each time, they request to dock at the nearby shore until the storm subsides. We may use them as our messenger, but my men easily forget the powers we have guiding us. My dolphins will not allow a godto hurt any mortal. With their keen sight and the strength of their speed, they will help steer our ship through the unruly waters. They will stand strong by our side and will feed my men courage.
Damn it! Dolphins! I should have started here. I run towards his shelf, grabbing all his voyage scrolls. He kept his life a secret, staying hidden in the Mortal World, but there were rumors that he worked with Delphinus from time to time. The fucking thought didn’t even hit me till now.Fucking idiot!
I grin, reading passage after passage as he talks about the messengers. He included little details here and there about their power to control the movement of the water, their speed helping to steer his ship, and about their loyalty to his men, their eagerness to keep them safe. It’s not much, but at least it’s something. I relax and reach forward, grabbing one of his oldest scrolls, hoping it gives me a clue to how to help hide her.
Delphinus came to collect some of his dolphins today, including my loyal companion Alina. It pains me to see her go. Delphinus knew I would take care of her. When she was first delivered, I found her hurt and tortured for disobedience, but she has flourished in the few months by our side. Unfortunately, the gods are pushing Delphinus into a tight position, demanding only the best for the assignment at hand. Her keen intuition and the strength of her emotional control leaves me with no doubt that Poseidon will gain his wish. Alina is too powerful not to succeed. She’s the most practiced of all, owned by Poseidon himself. She will make sure his true feelings will be felt by the one he craves the most. When she does, I hope she can return to me if Poseidon allows it.
“Shit!” His words echo in my head.Emotional control.Not many have this ability to project what they are feeling. It’s rare, and Nora’s been using her emotions this whole time, sharing her pain, her lust, her anger, everything with me. Her power makes her vulnerable, by opening herself completely up. If Alinawas captured and forced into servitude, they wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to Nora if they discover what she is capable of. The power itself serves no purpose. The rarity of her ability does. Once claimed, she’s the treasure to be dangled as a prize.
Without wasting time, I push myself out of the chair and clean up, hiding any evidence that I was here before rushing out of the Literature Hall. I’m forced to slow my pace when I reach Hera’s chambers and Poseidon’s voice catches my attention, “We’ve been through this Hera. We mustn’t make a move too soon.” I peek my head around the corner towards her garden. He’s standing with his back to me, watching her pet one of her damn peacocks. “You’ll have your fun torturing him all you want. In time.”
Hera’s words from the other day crawl up my spine. She warned me it wasn’t over, and with Poseidon by her side, I can only guess this will involve Daemyn. It wouldn’t be the first time they conspired together to flaunt their status above us. He thinks he still owns Daemyn and enjoys anytime he has access to him. Another shit-storm to add to our list of problems.
Once they disappear back into her chambers, I run out of the Hall. We need to plan and I’m at loss on how to handle this. If I tell her, the chances of her gaining strength increase by just the sheer knowledge of what she is capable of. It’s like telling someone not to look left and then they always fucking look left. It’s an impulse, an instinct even. One, I’m betting I’ll have to withhold from her. Daemyn won’t like it, but I’ll order him regardless.
As I walk through the door, Daemyn places his finger on his lips, silencing me. She’s laying in his lap, sleeping comfortably in his arms. Dread mixed with a powerful rage flashes through me as I watch the fucker I’m worried about pet Nora’s head.
Kai
When Past Meets Present
She stayed.
I just couldn’t fucking process why. Jax told me what happened, that she wasn’t in the room when he came back with food and he found her wandering the hallway. The moment she heard my groan, she ran for the door and fought him to get in, but it made no sense. I’m her captor, and I’ve made it my mission to be an asshole, so what’s her angle here? If she thinks this has saved her, well, she’s not as smart as I thought. Even if I wanted to help her escape, I couldn’t. Whatever the reason, these descendants are valuable and getting caught up in the middle of that shit-show was something I’d rather avoid.
Humans are fools, or so Hades says, but I’ve seen first hand how quick her brain works. There’s no way she comforted me out of the goodness of her heart and yet…I saw her face when she spoke of her past. The truth in her eyes gleamed like a thousand sapphires. Her face was empty of the pity I expected to see, all that was left was understanding.
I shouldn’t have fucked her though. I should have accepted Jax’s offer to get Rose or Kelsey, but at that moment I was a goner. There was no turning back, and I don’t think she could have either.
I took some much needed space after that, a cowardly move, but it gave me the clarity I craved. It didn’t matter why she helped me, all that mattered was that she was here. I still had a token to trade for my freedom and that’s where my focus had to be.
The reaction from Hades and Persephone when they found out Alexius had the other girl was another puzzle to solve. Sure, I figured they’d be angry, and they definitely fucking were, but I didn’t expect them to sound afraid. I had to figure out what they were planning, why they wanted the descendants, and how could I use this to further my own cause.
Hades hasn’t come to get her from my room yet, though I’d guess he’s trying to get her friend out of Olympus. Until then, I’m stuck playing fucking maid and entertainer to our guest. Trying to keep her fed, clothed, and busy was more draining than I expected, and part of me missed being alone.
She’s as desperate for information as I am, constantly asking questions I can’t answer. I’ve told her enough times that I’m not withholding anything, I just don’t have what she’s looking for. Hades doesn’t share things with me; we don’t bond over ice cream or have heartfelt discussions about the future. I’m his lackey, someone he uses and discards when the dust settles.
There’s a creature who might give us information, though he only deals in trade. Aegaeon is a monstrous beast, one of the Hecatonchires, and with fifty heads and a hundred arms, he does well as a warden of Tartarus. Long ago, he helped warn Zeus when the other gods conspired to trap him and take his power. He helped to save him, and this was his reward.
Despite my better judgment, Adriane insisted on coming with me to speak with him. Now, here we are outside the gates of Tartarus. The shrieks of pain and agony are barely audible through the thick doors, but we’re close enough that the acrid stench of burnt flesh fills our lungs and clings to our clothes. The air down here is hot and sticky, a vast difference from the rest of the Underworld.
We round a corner and Adriane’s mouth falls open at the sight of Aegaeon. His hulking form looms over us, the muscles of his many arms flexed and prepared for trouble. She stops walking, rooted to the spot as she stares up at him.
I walk back to her, pressing my fingers to her chin so she’s looking at me. “It’s not polite to stare, Red. Perhaps it’s best if I do all the talking, since your filter seems a little broken,” I say, grinning at her.
