Page 91 of Discovered Magic
Black storm clouds rolled in from all directions, bringing rain, sleet, winds, and snow. The clash produced a funnel cloud, which danced around the three of them for a heart-stopping moment. It cleared as quickly as it arrived, leaving a quartet of Gods surrounding him.
No one spoke as he picked himself off the ground and spun in a slow circle.
“One of ours is down there, buried alive, and I need your grace to save her,” he said, well aware that the tears gathering in his eyes might make him weak in theirs.
“You dare a lot, even for one so bold,” the most imposing of the four said.
“My request doesn’t come without payment, I know. State what you require of me.”
A sly-eyed fellow resembling Quentin moved forward, slowly circling him as he took his measure. “A sacrifice, perhaps? Say your son and family?”
“You can shove the sacrifice demand up your ass,” he growled. “You want a life? Take mine, but you leave my kid out of it.”
Fire flared, encircling the five of them, as anger sparked to life in the God’s eyes. “You don’t make demands, Anton O’Connor.”
“It’s Alexander Castor,” he snapped. “Anton was a fool of a boy, not worthy of the powers your lot granted him.”
“You’ll get no argument from us,” another said, as if bored by the entire conversation. “Someone tell that poor fool to stop with his earthly endeavors. The woman is not there.”
As one, Alex, Draven, and Wilder pivoted to face him. The latter got to his feet and ran for their fire circle.
“Where the fuck is she?” Wilder demanded, oblivious to the danger of commanding an answer from the Gods.
But Alex knew.
“Wilder, wait!”
The younger man froze in his tracks, and his indecision battled his determination.
“Wait,” he urged again. To the one who had yet to speak, the one Alex instinctively knew was the King of these Gods, he said, “Zeus, Exhalted One, I’m begging your mercy and indulgence.”
“Why should I grant it?”
“Because you wouldn’t have answered his call if you believed the Fates were right to send his daughter through time for their own personal gain,” Wilder replied.
Zeus’s eyes, a paler blue than Alex’s own, narrowed as he considered them.
“The woman you seek is no longer on this plane. She has created another portal with her reckless magic.”
“The fault was mine, father of our line,” Alex said. “I urged an untried witch to perform a service beyond her knowledge.”
“Yes.”
“She’s been innocent in all of this. A victim of others’ machinations in both timelines,” Wilder added.
He was smart to appeal to Zeus’s sense of fair play.
It worked.
“For this reason, you shall not be punished for stepping outside of your roles,” Zeus declared. “But you shall not be granted that which you seek.”
“You’re going to leave us here while she may be lost in some alternate time again?” Wilder shouted in clear disbelief. “Are you fucking insane?”
Zeus crossed through the raging fire ring unscathed, stopping only when he reached him. “Your passion is worthy of heroes, Wilder Thorne, but mistake me not. You will show respect for those who grant such gifts to mortals.”
Castor’s stomach dropped, and he feared for the punishment the Gods would mete out.
Showing wisdom, Wilder dropped to his knee and bowed his head. There was no mistaking that he’d done it for Abbie. If she wasn’t a factor, the guy would’ve told them all to fuck the hell off.
