Zeus (The God Chronicles) (19 page)

A scream ripped from my throat as I sat up at light speed. I was shaking uncontrollably, my body drenched in sweat. My hands explored my chest, searching for knife wounds. They found no trace of injury or blood anywhere. I jumped out of the bed and ripped the sheets off, scared I would find stains. When nothing was revealed, I dropped to the floor and looked for the mess there.

Nothing.

I stumbled to the bathroom, tears of relief now joining the perspiration I was already experiencing. Placing my hands on the counter for balance, I examined myself in the mirror. Everything was normal. I looked like I’d showered with my clothes on, but other than that, I was fine.

“It was
only a dream.” I laughed at myself. It had seemed so real.

I filled the sink with cold water and splashed some on my face. The trembling had mostly stopped, as had the pounding of my heart. I took a deep breath and let the water out of the sink. Taking a step back, I grabbed a towel and leaned against the door, drying my face.

The front door creaked, and I froze, my face still in the cloth. I didn’t lower the rag until I’d heard it close again. Bracing myself, I looked into the glass, searching the sliver of room it reflected.

My breath caught—it was the man from my nightmare. Paralyzed, I tried to rip my eyes from his reflection and think of what to do. He was examining the bed I’d ripped apart. Finally, I managed to slide down the door and out of the mirror’s line of sight. I spotted my bathroom bag, under the counter. A memory flashed before me— my father had given me pepper spray when I moved and I’d tossed it into one of my bags, never planning on actually taking it anywhere. I hadn’t wanted anyone to think I was a freak for carrying it around. A cry of relief almost escaped me when I realized I’d thrown it into the bag now in front of me.

As quietly as I could, I went through the large clutch until I found it.

“Hiding in the bathroom, how cliché.”

I spun around, the spray in my hands, and pointed it at him.

“I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you need to leave now,” I said, my voice shaking.

“Now, now Karly,” he said, leaning against the door frame and looking down at me. “You know who I am.”

“My boyfriend went to get ice and will be back any second,” I lied. Panic was starting to take over.

“You and I both know that Zeus has no idea where you are, Karly.”

I looked at him in disbelief. How did he know so much about me? Suddenly, it dawned on me.

“You’re . . . his dad! You’re Kronos!” The resemblance was undeniable. There was no kindness in his eyes, though.

“Bravo,” he said in a sickly sweet tone. “I am indeed Kronos. I’ve come to take you to Mount Olympus, my dear.” He examined the fingernails of his right hand as he spoke, not seeming to have a care in the world.

“What?” I spat out. Fury started to replace the panic. Zeus had done this. He had sent his “Daddy” to bring me back to him.

“You don’t need to play along,” I said quietly, the rage boiling in my voice. “He told me everything, and I know he’s lying. You don’t need to act like he’s some God. And I’m not going with you. I don’t date liars.” I stood, the spray still pointed at him. “You should leave now.”

Kronos gave me that sickly smile again and stood up straight.

“It wasn’t a lie, sweetheart.”

My nightmare became real as he opened his mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. I screamed as he lunged at me, spraying him in the eyes and trying to run out into the room. He bellowed in anger, rubbing the pepper spray off of his face. I almost made it past him, but he grabbed me around the waist before I could escape, ripping the spray out of my hands. Desperate, I scoured the room for anything I could use against him. I beat him with my fists, pushing his face away from me. He snapped his terrifying jaw, and I jerked my hands away, one of them hitting the hair dryer on the wall. I tore it from the holder and swung it towards his face, connecting with his temple. He released me for a second, his bearings lost, and I tried to run again.

I wasn’t fast enough.

Kronos grabbed me by the neck and hoisted me into the air. I kicked my feet, trying to wiggle out of his grip, but only succeeded in choking myself more. His jaw opened wide, dislocating like a snake as I clawed at the hand around my throat. Finally, I managed to get in one good kick to the stomach. He grunted, his mouth closing most of the way, but his grip didn’t loosen.

I was going to die. I could feel the edges of my vision turning black from lack of air as stars danced around me, but I couldn’t stop squirming. I kicked everywhere I could, clawed at his hand until there was blood, kept trying to get a scream to leave my mouth.

Kronos wore a look of amusement, slightly clouded by frustration. Suddenly, he pushed me back harshly, snapping his teeth together repeatedly. My head connected with the mirror, and I slipped into peaceful darkness.

Chapter Twenty One

My head was pounding.

I didn’t want to open my eyes. Lying still would work just fine for me. Whatever I was laying on, while uncomfortable, was cool and helped ease the aches I was feeling. Every now and then I would hear voices, but I couldn’t understand anything they were saying.

What day was it? I couldn’t even remember. Had I gone back to Vegas? It was a little unclear. I knew as soon as I opened my eyes and got up I would remember things better. However, I wasn’t ready to face the fact that my boyfriend and roommates had been lying to me, basically, the entire time I knew them. Who did that?

Hours, maybe days, passed and I didn’t move or open my eyes. I didn’t have to worry about anything in my bubble.

“Karly?” The voice was far away and fuzzy, but I could understand it. “Karly, are you okay? Are you awake?”

It was time to go back to the real world. Back to school—back to work—back to figuring out what I was supposed to do now.

“Yeah,” I mumbled softly. “What time is it? I know I’ve been lying here for a while.”

“Karly,” the voice said hesitantly. “You’ve been bleeding. Are you okay?”

My eyes snapped open.

“What?” I choked out. My throat felt like sandpaper had been ripped through it. My entire body felt like it had been beaten and then tossed onto the floor I lay on now. I noticed my cut and bloodied arms, several pieces of broken mirror lodged in them. Chains held me loosely in place, and I slowly eased my sore muscles into a sitting position, my head screaming in protest.

“Is your head alright?” the voice asked again.

I surveyed the room. It was oval shaped and made entirely of marble. Greek-style pillars stood every couple of feet, holding up the ceiling painted like a cloudless sky. I imagined it looked magnificent when it wasn’t torn apart.

The marble was cracked in several places, and what looked like blood stains covered the floor. One of the pillars was broken and la
ying in pieces on the ground. To my right I found a huge throne, the likes of which I’d never seen. It seemed to flow effortlessly from the floor of the same marble. The bottom was in the form of clouds and the back rose upward shaped like several lightning bolts. There was hardly any space between it and the end of the oval.

“Karly?”

I looked to my left and saw a woman who had clearly been beaten, chained to one of the pillars. Her brown hair was ratted and had gore in it. She was wearing a simple white robe, stained and torn in several places. Her expression was one of concern.

I suddenly remembered she’d been asking about my head and tentatively reached a hand up, chains rattling, to feel it. When I reached the back I winced, feeling the cut and filth that had dried into my hair.

“It hurts,” I croaked. “My throat does too. What happened? I can’t remember anything.”

“It’s okay. G
ive it a couple of minutes.” She smiled at me and nodded reassuringly.

“Who are you?”

“Nike,” she said. “But you probably know me better as Niki, if I remember correctly. I think that’s the name Zeus and I decided to use while I was in Vegas.”

“Niki! Oh my gosh, are you okay?” I was shocked at her appearance. I thought Zeus had made her up as part of the joke, but it was painfully obvious that she had been in a lot of trouble. “What happened to you—“I sucked a breath in as memories started to come back.

“I went to San Francisco,” I started slowly. “I got a hotel room for the night and then . . .” I started to cry. “It was all real? Everything he said? It was the truth?”

Nike nodded sadly. “I’m so sorry you had to find out like that Karly. I know Zeus very well. I’m sure he’d wanted to tell you at the right time.”

“What’s going to happen now?” I asked fearfully. “Is Kronos here? I thought he was going to kill me. Why didn’t he?”

“He will in good time,” a voice sneered from behind me. I knew that voice.

“Hera.”

“Why, yes! I guess I’m not just a liar trying to scare you off, huh?” She looked down her nose at me, a manic smile on her face. She wore armor like I’d never seen before; something fit for a queen. Its brassy color caught the light well, showing off her curves. While she was obviously well protected, there were several scuff marks and dents in the intricate design. It was apparent she had been part of whatever battle had happened in this room.

“What do you want, Hera?” Nike growled. “You have no business here.”

“Actually, I do.” She laughed and walked over to Nike. She grabbed the chains, which held the Goddess captive, and gave them a sharp tug, causing Nike to cry out in pain.

“Stop it!” I cried, pulling against my own chains in an attempt to get out and help my new friend.

“I will do whatever I want, and you can’t stop me!” Hera’s voice cracked through the room like metal meeting metal. “You are going to die, you little tramp. Do you understand that? Kronos is going to come in here and cut your heart out in front of the conquered Gods. There’s nothing you or anyone else can do about it.”

“Don’t listen to her, Karly. She’s just trying to scare you,” Nike gasped.

“Am I?” Hera
feigned surprise. “We shall see, I guess. I’m off to tell our new King that his guest of honor is awake now.” She sneered at us again and left, her boots clicking on the floor as she went.

“Was she telling the truth?” I whispered once she was gone.

Nike didn’t answer.

I fell silent, thinking over the things that had happened to me. Zeus would be furious when he found out; that was certain. If I hadn’t left without telling anyone, maybe I wouldn’t have been in this situation. He was sure to yell at me, if I was still alive.

I wanted to hate him when he’d told me who he really was. I’d even managed to convince myself I didn’t love him. It was a lie, though. A million lifetimes could pass me by, and I would still love him.

“Nike?” I asked after a few moments. “Why does Kronos want to kill me?”

She remained silent, looking at the floor.

“Please,” I said softly. “I think I deserve to know.”

“Karly.” She returned her gaze to me, her eyes tired and a frown on her lips. “Zeus can’t come back until he truly falls in love with someone who loves him back. It’s clear he loves you. Most of us, if not all the Gods, have been watching him. We needed him to come back and fight for us—we wanted him to fall in love fast. That’s why I was coming to him. I’m the Goddess of victory. With me at his side, there was no chance he would fail. But I was captured before I made it, and Kronos used me to conquer Olympus.

“Luckily, Zeus managed to fall in love without my help. I’m very happy about that actually. If there hadn’t been the threat of war, I would have left him alone to figure it out himself. He needed to learn what love really was.

“You, on the other hand, were very cautious. We could tell he was frustrated at first and ready to give up. But then he decided you were worth it—that he wanted you. We saw how you fell in love with him—don’t deny it—but you didn’t even know it yourself yet.

“Kronos wants you dead because you love Zeus. He thinks that if your heart is no longer beating, you can no longer love him, and Zeus will never be able to come home. He is trying to permanently exile him and strip him of his powers.” She shifted from one foot to another, wincing as the chains dug into her.

“I do love him,” I confirmed. “I thought he was lying before, and I told him I didn’t, but I do. I love him more than I can even understand. I don’t know if saying it now will help or if it’s too late, but I do.”

Nike nodded her head sadly and gave me a weak smile.

“Only time will tell.”

I pulled at my shackles again, trying to free at least one hand to fight back with. I knew I couldn’t do much for anyone, much less myself—in fact, I was positive I wasn’t going to make it out alive—but I was in love, and
that
was going to enable Zeus to save everyone. If I could survive long enough for him to realize he was no longer banished, then maybe he could defeat his father and regain his kingdom.

A small whimper escaped my lips as I pulled on my bindings again. Blood seeped from my wrists onto the marble beneath me. The more effort I used, the more my previous wounds split open again. Finally, armed with as much courage as I could muster, I pulled a shard of glass out of my right forearm that had been keeping me from really working against my shackles. The pain was so excruciating, I left the rest to spare myself the agony of removing them. Blood cascaded onto the floor while I cried. Applying as much pressure as possible, I coached myself through the pain, keeping my greater mission in mind. At least my head had stopped bleeding—dizziness was around every corner and blood loss was not helping the matter.