Page 48 of The Call of Monsters
Chapter 26
Demos
I
hadn’t said a single thing about Hestia when everyone was naming Olympians to kill. I was a petty little bitch most of the time, but I didn’t think I needed to kill her at first. When Hephaestus mentioned her name as Solron and Finn were bleeding out, I was so conflicted. There was this rage flowing through me at the idea of seeing her again. A part of me wanted to burn her alive and drive one of those daggers in her eye. Another aspect of me knew Solron and Finn might die if I did.
It relieved me I didn’t have to see her again and risk my team when Artemis stepped in and said she learned from her. I was less relieved when we stepped on Zeus’s front steps, and there she was. There weren’t many Olympians, and Zeus had forbidden them from having children, but there was still a good-sized crowd flipping their shit.
I was only paying attention to Hestia, my creator. She created phoenixes then attempted to make us her pets. I still remembered her appearing to me in the woods outside my house and pretending to be my friend so she could use me. When she found out I was only playing her, my entire family was rounded up in cages and sent to the Underworld.
I saw red, but unless I wanted all these people flinging magic at us as Ares had done, I couldn’t kill her, no matter how much I wanted to. Fuck. Maybe I should have made claimsies with everyone else.
Dionysus was trying to calm the crowd by telling them that yes, people were dead, but a new age was about to begin. That wasn’t working because these fuckers couldn’t die before, and now that it was possible, they didn’t want to hear about how things were going to get better. They wanted to make sure they weren’t next. Dionysus was doing a shitty job at calming the crowd, and I didn’t particularly want to get hit with any more of their magic. I was pretty sure I had several cracked ribs, and both my eyes were black. Dying and being reborn would have healed them instantly, but I’m glad I didn’t die in front of River. That would have been mortifying, even if it hurt like fuck now.
Hera finally took over, and I was glad someone did. At the rate Dionysus was going, there was going to be more than one revolution in Olympus, and it was going to be against us this time.
“All of you felt Demeter’s life force go out. I should explain that first,” Hera said. “Despite what she tells everyone, Persephone is quite happy in the Underworld. It’s coming here that she doesn’t like. Demeter convinced Artemis that Persephone was being harmed and borrowed her handmaidens. She went to Hephaestus and asked for something to take care of the monsters there. But she wasn’t doing an unneeded rescue. She was forcing the monsters to fight to the death for money, and she hurt Persephone. She drugged her and held her captive until she agreed to leave Hades for good. The two are quite in love from what I’ve been told, even now.
“When it was discovered what she was doing, it was also entirely possible that she intended to take over the Underworld. A weapon was forged that could kill an Olympian. I think we can all agree Hades had every right to defend his realm, his people, and his wife.
“That weapon would never have seen Olympus, but Zeus went to the Underworld to kidnap its maker. It wasn’t to punish him. Zeus attempted to torture him to get one. Zeus would have used it to secure his throne, and several of you would have died because you disagreed with him. Several of us would have wanted to get their hands on it to seize the throne.
“They are now out of the equation, and Dionysus is correct. A new society can begin. We should have a government instead of all our decisions being in the hands of one person. We should be allowed to have children. We should be allowed to leave if we want, and we should let new people in. We need to treat humans here better and allow them to go home if they want.”
“Are you going to kill us if we don’t agree?” someone yelled.
“Not at all. The Underworld will have one of these weapons under lock and key, and so will we. That way, both realms are safe from each other. We don’t want to kill anyone, and we will mourn the lives that were lost today. But you have to know that if Zeus, Ares, Athena, or Poseidon got their hands on one of these weapons, even more people would have died,” Dionysus said.
“He’s right,” Hestia said. “If that weapon has to exist, I wouldn’t want it in their hands.”
Okay, she was acting rational, but I still wanted to kill her.
This shrieking woman came flying forwards and starting attacking Hephaestus with her fists. Finally! An Olympian that knew how to throw a punch.
“You killed Ares! It was his weapon! He made it. You’re such a shit. Ihateyou, Hephaestus. I was miserable being married to you.”
So, this was Aphrodite. Sure, she was pretty, but that shrieking had to stop. If she did that while they were married, then he had to be pretty miserable married to her too. Hephaestus pinned her arms to her side and held her still.
“Enough! You can go back to Earth now, Aphrodite. Nothing is keeping you here. I think everyone knows I made the weapon. I’m the only one capable. Ares never loved you. You were a plaything, and he would have killed you if he had his hands on it.”
Aphrodite stomped her foot.
“I loathe you!”
River stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder. This should be good. River made it a point to want to hurt anyone that hurt Hephaestus. I saw her open one of her Hell portals to Earth. Was that San Francisco? Oh! And she punched Aphrodite straight through it! This was better than any Underworld television show. I would have paid money to see this on the screen.
River changed into her demonic form and hissed at the crowd. They cowered back because she was clearly not an Olympian or a monster. She switched back and glared at everyone with her hands on her hips.
“Anyone else have anything negative to say about my boyfriend?”
“I have something to say about you,” Hestia said.
Yeah, she better watch it because I’d kill her if someone insulted my mate too.
River whirled around and glared at her.
“What?”
