Page 6 of Darkening Truth
My eyebrows rise in shock.
Verena shakes her head, “No. She changed fate when she helped Azreal break the gemstone that was holding Hades' power and draining him.”
I gulp. Whoops.
Hades frowns, “You’ve got it wrong. She was in the cells opposite me, so there is absolutely no way that she could have helped Az break the gemstone.”
Verena’s gaze lands on me, and she studies me closely, like I’ve surprised her. I’m not sure that it’s a good thing if you manage to surprise a goddess.
“She didn’t do it in that timeline, Hades,” Verena says bluntly.
Hades and Khaos turn to look at me with pure shock, and soon the implications of what the Goddess is saying sink in for the others too, who all look at me incredulously.
Rival, of course, puts things together quicker than anyone else, “The vision you had of the past. The one where you said that you saw Azreal break the gemstone. You didn’t just see it, did you?”
I shake my head, “No. He couldn't break the stone. He was trying really hard, and he only had a small window to do it in before the rest of the princes found out and stopped him. I knew that if he could break his stone, then it would give Hades back enough magic that we would be able to escape in the timeline that the vision was in, and that it would loosen the hold the other stones had. So I put my hand on his shoulder to lend him some of my magic and told him to try again.”
“He heard you?” Verena asks sharply.
“You didn’t know that?” Khaos asks, narrowing his eyes at the Goddess.
Verena sighs and shakes her head, “When it comes to Farren, none of us know what to expect.” She glances at me and asks again, “He heard you?”
I check with my instincts, but they aren’t telling me that I can’t say anything to her, so I nod and continue my explanation, “Yes, he heard me, and so did his butler. He really cared about him, but the princes destroyed him when they found out what Azreal had done. Anyway, I funnelled my power through Azreal, and we broke the gemstone, turning it to dust, and then the other princes came in and brutally beat him. I don’t know what happened to him because I was pulled out of the vision, but I would be very surprised if he survived.”
Verena watches me closely for a moment, “Do you remember me telling you that some paths were a lot more complicated than others?”
I pull a face, “Let me guess? Changing fate has put me on a really difficult path that is a lot more complicated.”
She smiles, and then grimaces, “Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.”
“Awesome,” I reply sarcastically.
“I don’t suppose you can tell us what these complications are and how to deal with them?” Storm asks, not looking very hopeful.
Loki nods, “Some information about just one of the complications would be helpful.”
While she definitely looks amused, she unfortunately shakes her head, “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything else.”
“That sounds about right,” Reaper mutters.
Verena’s eyebrows rise, but she apparently decides to let Reaper’s sassiness slide because she adds, “I can tell you that you all need to go to the Dragon Realm next. I know that it’s going to be difficult for some of you,” her gaze lands on Reaper, who is only taking the mention of the Dragon Realm well because Monty has already told us about our need to go there.
My previous thought that Monty told us on purpose so that Reaper could have some time to get used to the idea crosses my mind again, and I find myself incredibly grateful to him. I know that Reaper would hate to nearly lose control in front of the Goddess, and more than that, Hades already told us that if someone tried to attack in this waiting area, then the person would be detained, and when Reaper loses control, it could definitely be perceived as an attack, even if it isn’t. That initial flood of power would definitely be enough to trigger a warning system up here, which would complicate things to say the least.
I really am going to have to find a proper way to thank Monty for that.
Verena continues to speak, and pulls me out of my thoughts, “The God who wanted Hades entrapped and drained, and who convinced the princes to be involved . . .”
Khaos interrupts, “I highly doubt that it took very much convincing to get those dicks to help. Except for maybe Azreal, he’s always been better than the rest of the fuckers.”
Verena raises her eyebrow at Khaos for interrupting, but he just smirks, and she rolls her eyes and continues.
“As I was saying, the God still wants control of the Underworld. While killing five of the princes has made it a lot harder, it hasn’t made it impossible.”
“What do you mean, five of the princes? There are only five?” I question.
Verena shakes her head, “No, there aren’t. There was an extremely powerful spell cast, which took many sacrificed lives to do, and it erased the memories of the remaining two princes and their existence.”
