Chapter Sixteen
Tristan
“Where the fuck is she?” The rage in my voice shook the house. I searched everywhere for her in this palace and she was nowhere to be found. One minute things were going great in her dream, and then I watched as she was ripped out of my life by some powerful force. Her body, that was lying next to mine, was gone.
I was barely keeping myself under control, trying to figure out what happened. I sensed power, but it was being masked by something else. Someone was here, and left with her. My roar of rage brought everyone out from their rooms and asking me what happened. I told them through clenched teeth, and was ten seconds away from leveling the home of the gods and looking for her myself.
Then a mist started to descend from all the openings in my home.
“What the fuck?” I looked at everyone and saw the look of confusion in their eyes. Something was happening right now. Something not good.
“Grab something to cover your nose and mouth!” Orion spoke up and they all ran to grab whatever they could. Which was mostly dish towels.
“What is it?” Lacey’s voice went up an octave. I moved my hand through the mist and felt a little sting but nothing that could harm me permanently. I wish I knew what was happening right now, with long strides I moved to the window and opened it. But then more mist just came in.
It filled my lungs, and I tasted a hint of Raspberry Leaf and Arsenic.
Motherfucker!
Someone is trying to poison Thalia, and make her go into labor early. Arsenic wouldn’t kill her, being a demigod, but combine that with Raspberry leaf, a common herb to help induce labor, and her insides would be spasming violently.
“It’s got Arsenic and Raspberry Leaf in it. They’re trying to induce Thalia into labor.” I warned them as I tried to use my power to round up all the mist and push it out the door. But it wouldn’t budge.
“We’re going to have to wait it out.” Leander said as he tried to use his coin to escape, but couldn’t. That was strange. I attempted to shift out of the house but couldn’t. I was grounded until the mist vanished.
“Fuck!” I cursed. We were stuck in this house, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the arsenic would start to get to the demigods. They were in for a long day of feeling like shit. And I still didn’t know where Thalia was. I was torn between relief and anger that she wasn’t here with me now—while she wasn’t here being poisoned, she could be anywhere.
The only true solace in this moment was that I could tell she was still living; I could still feel her soul. Healthy, but stressed, and alive.
It was maybe another thirty minutes of exposure to the mist before one of the demigods started having stomach cramps, then puking. Then another joined them. I sat on the couch, trying to find Thalia’s soul in the world, while all three of our crew were curled up around buckets, puking their brains out.
She wasn’t anywhere in the underworld. Continuing to focus, I scoured the souls of earth, and hadn’t found her there either. So that only left two places: on Olympus with the Greeks, or she with one of my kind in their own particular palace. Neither was good, considering what both sides wanted with her. We only had a week left. That’s it. Once the babes were born, things would settle out. They would see they were harmless beings, and wouldn’t be frightened anymore.
Or at least I hoped.
It was hard to sit there, unable to do anything but wait. Thank fuck, after about five hours the mist started to recede from the house. The demigods were still sick as hell, but were starting to get some color in their faces. Feeling my power starting to become mine once again, I cracked my neck, and was about to go search for my woman.
Until someone knocked down my door, and a mob of people rushed inside to attack us.
“Wrong god to fuck with,” I said with an evil smile. I was angry, and they were the perfect objects to excise my vengeance.
I changed myself into my full godliness, and went to town on these assholes. Biting heads off in one chomp, turning others to ash with the flick of my wrist, and those lucky ones who yelled out, “find the woman and baby?” Well let’s just say they were ripped apart, but still alive while I ate their hearts.
Orion had gained enough strength to start stabbing some of the mob, not taking it lightly in making sure they suffered. Leander managed to twist one neck before falling back to the ground. He was done for now. Another surge of satisfaction hit me when I realized they were just as angry as I was. Good. We could use that anger, and channel it towards winning this battle.
It was time that showed these gods, and anyone else who wanted to fuck up my life, just how powerful a god I could be.
I was done holding back. I wouldn’t stop until this was over, and I had my family safe in my arms. It was time to take care of business and become the fearsome god I once was. Thalia changed that in me, but he has always been there. The Beast was ready to protect her, no matter the cost.
The fight had come to my door too many times. I was going to find my woman, and end this once and for all.
