Chapter 10
Cronus took about an hour before he was calm enough to talk properly. My heart ached a little at the way he was avoiding my gaze now, instead choosing to talk directly to Thanatos.
“We have only one shot at stopping them,” he said, staring out across the stunning fields of the underworld. “It will take time for the sins to fully manifest, and each of them have an order that they operate in. The final two sins, fire and death, they’re the ones the world will not be able to come back from. If we can lock them all away before they reach eight and nine, then we can save the world.”
I was barely following. I really wished there was Google in the underworld, because I didn’t even know exactly what the other seven sins were.
“How do you lock them away again?” I asked.
Cronus’ jaw twitched and I didn’t think he was going to answer. “I need to return my brothers and sisters to life. The Titans are the only ones who can return the sins.”
Thanatos sat straighter. “They were destroyed. There are no bodies left to resurrect them to.”
Resurrect? Were they talking about...?
Cronus eyed his powerful new ally. “Yes, but their souls are here, correct?”
Thanatos nodded. “Correct, but no vessel will contain their power, and if they are not in their corporeal forms, with their powers intact, they will be of no help to you.”
Cronus didn’t look as worried as I felt he should be looking.#NoTimeToBeCalm
“If their souls are here, why don’t we just chat with them and figure something out?” I peered behind me at a beautiful waterfall, wondering why I had yet to see one soul in the underworld.
Thanatos looked offended. “Obviously that’s not allowed. What kind of underworld do you think I’m running?”
I winced. “Sorry.”
“We planned for this,” Cronus said softly, “that one day Zeus and his assholes would take it too far and the world would fall to chaos. We all left behind a sliver of DNA somewhere, enough that I can resurrect their bodies using the oldest magic alive.”
Again, I was in the dark, but Thanatos appeared to understand, if his smile and nod was anything to go by.
“But I need Zeus and his minions off my back,” Cronus growled. “I have no time to be looking over my shoulder or killing those fuckers.”
I grinned at his use of the wordfuckers. He totally got that from me.#Proud#TaughtHimEverythingHeKnows
Thanatos considered this. “As you know, I wasn’t part of the original attacks on you and your brethren,” he said. “As the keeper of the dead, I do not interfere in such matters.ButI will step in now. I will speak to the gods and explain what the situation is, asking them to back off.”
“They have no fucking choice anyway,” Cronus growled. “If this world ends, then so do they. Their power is so tied to the humans, to the energy of this world. Unlike mine. They would waste away in a decade without the humans worshiping them.”
What?
“Why did they try and kill you, then?” I asked. “If you’re protecting humanity and they need humans?”
Cronus laughed, a dark sound. “They thought we’d locked the sins away permanently with the last box. They didn’t fear them any longer, and because we were weak…”
“It was the perfect time to attack,” I whispered.
Cronus gave a single nod.
“What is your power tied to?” I asked, leaning closer.
He finally looked at me again, properly. “Something beyond your understanding, human.”
And we were back to the oldhumanthing.
Thanatos nodded, respect shining in his eyes. “I’ll contact you when I’ve spoken to Zeus and the Greeks.”
Cronos reached in his pocket and produced a small glittering vial of liquid. “For your human lover.”
