Adrastia (The God Chronicles Book 4) (22 page)

In that same instant, her wings sprouted from her back, snake fingers grabbing the burning bolt and ripping it from her flaming body, a roar bursting from her lips as she screamed out in rage.

The lava having never reached her, the Titan grew in size, dwarfing over the gods as she fit into her wingspan.

With a shout, the gods amassed around her, moving to attack and bring her down. In turn, they were each knocked aside, the small, clumsy axe in her hand lit on fire and dealing great damage. With one final movement, she shot forward, her hand busting through the metal of Zeus’s armor and into his chest.

He cried out, grasping her wrist as she rose into the air, wings beating furiously, his body trembling as she carried him up and then threw him back down, his heart in her hand.

“No!” Karly screamed in horror, running towards her husband.

It was all the distraction the Titan needed—with a noise of disgust and a look of contempt, she flew in the direction I’d told Avalon to run.   

“Cristos, son of Zeus, you stand to receive your punishment here in the throne room of Olympus.”

My mother’s voice shook as she read the paper she held, tears in her eyes. She wouldn’t even look at me. She hadn’t, not since Avalon ripped Zeus’s heart from his chest and left it barely beating in the hallway outside the portal door, the guard who’d tried to stop her mortally wounded as well. At this moment, he, and my father, were in their beds, recovering from the brutal attacks.

“You have attacked the king and therefore pitted yourself against all Olympians,” she continued.

I knelt in chains before her, already knowing what my sentence would be, as did everyone in the room. I’d joined with a Titan and fought my father. Tartarus awaited me, the hearing now was only out of ceremony. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Arsenio standing in one of the great archways leading into the room, sadness written into every part of his body.

If only they all knew I didn’t care. Avalon, my mortal, my
zoi mou
, whom I’d loved more than anyone else, was dead. The Titan had lived on, untouched by the element that would kill it, but Avalon had been destroyed.

Folding the paper up, Karly finally looked down at me, her lips trembling.

“Your father and I want you to know that we understand why you did it,” she said softly. “But we can’t let actions such as yours go unpunished. You stepped on the order of things, destroyed them even, acting no better than a child. Perhaps it is my fault for giving you too much freedom. Either way, what’s done is done, and action must be taken.”

Taking a deep breath, looking up to address the rest of the gods, she clasped her shaking hands together. Guilt over her sadness did fill me. She was a good mother, one who deserved a son who would be eternally faithful to her crown.

“I have spoken with Zeus and we have come to the same conclusion. Prince of Olympus or not, Cristos . . .”

Her voice broke as she looked down at me again, a tear sliding down her cheek. Her golden dress, the same she’d worn during her much happier birthday party, added to the frailness of her look. It seemed she was using all her strength to continue.

“My son,” she said quietly, for only me to hear the heartbreak in her voice.

“You are sentenced to Tartarus. May no Olympian look upon you as a brother.”

The words cut through me as they echoed through the room and I was hauled to my feet by the guards, granted not even one more moment in the place I’d called home.

Chapter Twenty Four

Hades

I hated this castle. In fact, I hated this entire Underworld. What was even the point of it now? Spirits were free to come and go as they wanted, Tartarus was barely holding together, and I, the Lord of said Underworld, didn’t ever even go out to check on it anymore. They could all be eating each other out there and I wouldn’t care.

“Your highness?” a timid voice behind me asked.

“What is it?” I sighed, rubbing my temples with my fingers as I sunk further down into the high backed chair in front of the fire.

“She’s crying again and you wanted me to come get you if—”

“Thank you,” I said briskly, rising quickly and pulling my black hoodie around me as I headed for the door in front of me.

Leaving the overbearing warmth of my personal reading den and entering just the normal sweltering heat of the Underworld, I traveled through the dismal looking palace, long unkempt since I’d told all of the servants but two to get lost or suffer the consequences.

When most people think of death, they often imagine something being preserved in one state, but nope. This place gathered dust like nobody’s business.

As I came up the stairs, I could hear the crying the serving girl had told me of and slowed, knowing if I entered the room too quickly all of my trying to help would be for naught.

Silently, I pulled a key from my jacket and unlocked the door in front of me, slowly opening it and sliding in.

“Katrina,” I whispered soothingly, the crying having stopped as soon as I entered.

Looking around the room for the ghost, I closed the door quickly, hoping she would at least rush me or something this time, displaying the strength she’d exhibited so well in life. Instead, I saw nothing. She was hiding from me again, scared and trembling probably. It hurt my heart.

“Katrina, love,” I cooed. “It’s okay. It’s only me. You don’t need to be afraid.”

The room was empty of anything but a chair and a reading table, several of the books I’d poured over since losing her stacked chaotically across it.

A gurgling sound came from the closet and I hurried that way, recognizing it from the many times I’d heard it over the years. It was a sound that made the room seem cold and loneliness bite at me. As I entered the small room, a much hated sight met my eyes.

She was lying on the floor, blood leaking from her just as it had the day she’d died. Her spirit was trapped in another cycle of reliving the event, even though I’d tried in vain to break the hold the old magic had on her.

“Katrina,” I murmured, reliving the moment with my own memories as well.

She’d died trying to save me, murdered, and forced to become a Lost One, only remembering the details of her death and nothing else. There was nothing of her life before or with me. Only death. I’d tried the best I could to free her, but had been unsuccessful at every turn.

Gathering the spirit body into my arms, I carried her out of the closet and to my chair, holding her close as I waited for the memory to pass. That would be when the crying started again, the spirit’s fear at having to experience the moment again taking over.

“I swear,” I said as I held her. “I’m trying to find another way. I’ll do whatever it takes, I just have to find the way first.”

I thought back bitterly to the last time I’d left the castle, to petition my brothers. I’d discovered a way to break all of the old magic and bring her back, but I needed their help. But, they weren’t willing to deal with the consequences, and without the aid of their powers I would never be able to perform the ritual.   

Looking back down at the beauty in my grasp, I brushed a strand of hair from her face. As much as I hated these moments, holding the only thing that remained of her in my arms, I almost lived for them. She was too afraid to come near me when she was awake, always cowering and screaming if I tried to touch her. I would have given anything for her to just remember who she really was.

“I love you,” I whispered, running my fingers through her hair.

One of her fingers twitched, a sign she would soon be waking. Loud knocking on the door did it for her first, though, a screech tearing from her as her eyes opened and she realized I was holding her.

Cursing, I let her go, feeling wounded she was taken from me again, and stormed towards the entrance.

“I told you never to bother me here,” I hissed as I came out, locking the room behind me once more, Katrina’s cries echoing in the dark space.

“Sorry highness,” the guard said.

He was the one guard I kept around, to tell me what was happening with the rest of the world, in case an opportunity ever came up.

“Well out with it,” I ordered, seeing his obvious excitement.

“Zeus’s son has been condemned to Tartarus.”

“For what?” I asked in surprise.

“Zeus tried to kill the woman he loved.”

Eyes widening, I shoved him to the side, hurrying down the hall.

“Is she still alive?”

“She was half Titan, but I haven’t seen her spirit down here anywhere. There’s been no sign of it topside, either.”

“Check and make sure, now,” I ordered. “Use as many men as you need. I may not be giving orders lately, but I’m still the Lord of this world and anyone here has to listen to me.”

“Yes, sir,” he answered, saluting as he hurried off down another hall.

Excitement rushed through me as I entered into a part of the castle I hadn’t been in for a number of years—the stables. By the time I’d roped in all of my black stallions and attached them to my chariot, the guard returned, breathless.

“She’s not here, sir.”

“Good.”

Climbing onto my ride, I snapped the reigns over the horses’ backs and shot out of the gate, into the Underworld beyond. Dust choked the air, the spirits who were on the old road jumping out of the way as I barreled across the open ground. Moving quickly, I made my way to Tartarus, my blood pumping so fast I would have been dead if I’d been mortal.

After a good half hour’s ride, I arrived at the gates, greeted by some very surprised Olympian guards.

“Hades,” One of them said in alarm. “You’re here.”

“Surprise,” I said coldly. “Open the gate, I have family to visit.”

“I can’t open the gate,” the guard laughed as if he thought I were joking.

“You’re in my realm now,” I said smoothly. “It’d be in your best interest to do as I say.”

Swallowing hard, the god nodded, motioning for the gate to be opened enough for my chariot and I to get through. Immediately, I set out on the narrow, winding path through the Lakes of the Damned, mortal spirits crying out in their despair.

Finally, the giant, now cracked, stone gates of Tartarus stood before me. At my motion, they opened, the few Olympian guards just as surprised to see me as the first.

Leaving the carriage outside, I strode through the gates, passing several molten cells before I found the one I wanted.

He was on his knees, arms stretched out, chained at the wrists, metal casings over his hands. His head hung down, hair hanging over his bare chest, no movement or sound coming from him.

“So you’re Cristos,” I said conversationally, entering the cell and closing the door behind me. “The nephew I never met.”

“Perhaps you haven’t heard, but I’m not family to any Olympian,” he replied snarkily, looking up at me.

“That’s good, neither am I,” I said shortly. “I’m well aware I’ve more than fallen down on the job in the eyes of my siblings.”

“This is the first time you’ve been to Tartarus since The Undoing. I think it’s safe to say you’ve more than fallen down,” Cristos grinned, apparently enjoying my “who cares” attitude. “What are you doing here?” he finally asked, letting his head hang back down.

“Why, I’ve come to set you free,” I said, acting surprised he didn’t know. “So you can go rescue your love from the Titans.”

He flinched as I spoke, eyes full of hatred raising to my face.

“Avalon is dead,” he replied bitterly.

“Actually, she is quite the contrary,” I said, examining my fingernails. “I had the guards search the whole place. She’s not here. No one’s seen her wandering around haunting people, either.”

His head snapped up and I caught the glimpse of hope in his eyes.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” I smiled.

The Story Continues….

Watch for
Exoria (The God Chronicles #5)
coming soon!

About The Author

Kamery is not the person who grew up dreaming of the day that she would clutch her very own novel to her chest, tears brimming over the rims of her eyes as she thought about how she'd written it herself, finally! In fact, anything remotely like that didn't even happen until she was actually holding her first book in her hand, amazed that she'd written it and wondering how on Earth she'd managed to do it when it hadn't ever occurred to her to write one until months before. Surprisingly, though, it was just what she never realized she loved doing.

When starting out in life, Kamery had (and still has) big dreams to perform on Broadway. She loves music and acting very much, while she and dance have a love/hate relationship; she would love to do it and every form of dance decides it hates that about her, haha! The one constant she always had between the performing world and the book world were the stories, tales that transported her to other worlds and made her feel like she really could do anything. Finally, she decided she wanted to do that for someone else and sat down to write. 

It's been a few years since she held that first book, realizing that she really liked writing and wanted to do more, but the love that blossomed in that moment has only grown. Currently, Kamery works from home in the White Mountains of Arizona, while taking care of her two adorable kids, a girl and a boy, and talking her sweet husband Jake's ear off about the insane amount of characters in her head who are ready to fight to the death for a chance at their own novels. She also gets together with other authors in the family and they all gab together, making up The Royal Court of the Queens of Romance. It truly is a wonderful life!