Page 1 of Devastation
Prologue
Gaia
Before the battle with Erebus
As soon as Lana's mind was tugged from the safety of my own, I knew I needed to speak with Nyx and Hypnos to implement my plan.
The final plan.
I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, that there would be something else I could do to change the outcome of this war. However, now that the time was here, I was strangely at peace with what I needed to do.
Lana. My daughter.
I would make sure she survived this. Her and all of her mates.
Opening a portal into the realm of the gods, I stepped through to my nephew’s home and quickly scanned the sitting area I knew so well, which was draped with the finest of pale blue silks to match Hypnos' skin color.
Pure luxury.
At first glance, he could seem like a vain god if you didn't know him, but he had the purest of intentions, and a heart of gold. I was lucky to have spent so much of my lifetime with him in my family.
A pang echoed through my chest at the reminder that this decision would also mean saying goodbye to two of the most important people in my life. They too, had known this moment might come, but had been bull-headed about finding a way to prevent it, and perhaps they could have—if we'd had more time.
The thousands of years of my existence had blurred together with the sole focus of my duty as Mother Nature. But Hypnos, my nephew, and Nyx, my sister, had been shining lights for me amidst the monotony of my duties prior to Lana's birth.
We shared thousands of incredible memories and a bond that could not be severed, even by death itself. Of that, I was certain.
"Gaia?" A soft voice inquired from my left.
Flicking my head in his direction, I took a brief moment to soak in these final few minutes with Hypnos. Gliding across the room to him, I saw the realization of the finality of this encounter reflected in his milky-white eyes.
Reaching up, I ran a hand down the side of his face, and he sank into the touch, bringing his own hand up to cover my own.
"There must be another way," he pleaded softly, with little confidence in his own statement.
"We both knew this was coming. I have given too much of my power away in my deal to bring Lana and her mates back. I have been spread too thin, for too long, trying to hold the balance in the realms."
My words rang clear with truth and not an ounce of resentment or remorse for what was going to happen.
At that moment, Nyx flashed into the room in a swirl of shadows and black silk material, her long mass of curly raven locks flying around her wildly. Her deep purple eyes flashed at me, betraying her anger before she spoke a word.
I lifted my hands placatingly, attempting to soothe her wrath. "Sister, be still. I have made peace with this."
“Well, I’m delighted thatyou’vemade peace with dying and leaving us behind, butIwill not accept it!” she snipped back at me as a tear rolled down her porcelain cheek.
Her agony shone clearly in her broken gaze as she tried to appear firm in her resolve to not accept this fate for me, but her grieving process for me had already begun. She knew I would give up everything for my daughter.
Her resignation was apparent in the subtle slump of her shoulders—a glaring departure from her usually perfect posture. Her jaw clenched, the tick betraying her struggle to keep tears at bay. And her shadows cocooned her like the comforting embrace of a dear friend .
Hypnos and I crossed the short distance to her, each taking one of her elbows and guiding her toward the plush couches across the room. As we all settled in, the fire burning in her eyes dimmed.
“I need to be sure my daughter will be looked after when I am gone.”
Nyx’s mouth fell open, but I interrupted before she could speak, knowing we didn’t have much time. “I need her looked after, without resentment towards her for me choosing her life over my own.”
It was my turn to let my eyes fill with fire to convey my fervor and the significance of this conversation. In that moment, I was a mother who would forfeit her own life to keep her child safe, and I imbued every fiber of my being with the weight of that truth.
Nyx's mouth snapped shut, her teeth grinding, as Hypnos laid a hand upon her shoulder and soothed, “Mother. I have no doubt you would do no less for myself and my siblings. Think of the darkness you would rain down if someone condemned us for a decision that was yours alone to make in order to keep us safe.”
