“I heard that, you fucker,” Cronus groaned from the ground.
“Brother! You must have been hallucinating.” Hyperion opened his arms wide and Cronus stood to embrace him.
Hyperion looked at me. “Did he tell you I was his favorite? I am.”
Cronus rolled his eyes. “Most of the time you are. What took you so long? The sins are out.”
“Well...” Hyperion rolled out his shoulders. “My psychotic little nephew Zeus tried to keep me in the underworld. Said you needed to clean up your own mistakes.”
“That little punk!” Cronus growled. “I’m going to kill him, once and for all.”
“Yes. Good idea. After we save the world. Where should we start?” Hyperion kept giving me side glances but clearly the matter at hand was more important than chatting with me. I was okay with that. Cronus blinked out of existence mid-conversation for a second and then he was back with clothes for Grandpa.
#ThankGod #INeedTherapyAfterThis
“Rhea. She needs help first,” Cronus told him as he dressed.
Hyperion nodded and then turned to me. “You look just like your mother, by the way.” He stared at my white hair and my gut rolled. The mother who raised me had brown hair, and even though we looked nothing alike, I’d always thought she was so beautiful and perfect. “She wanted me to tell you that she believes in you and she’s proud of you, and don’t sleep with Cronus, he’s a giant douchebag.” He held up two hands in a defensive gesture. “Her words.”
My eyes widened. “So … Selene is my actual mother? My biological mother?” My eyes were burning, and I couldn’t say anything more over the lump in my throat.
Hyperion nodded. “Yes. In a manner of speaking. I’ll explain more later.”
#Cryptic #OkayIllPlayThisGame
“How does she know about Cronus?” I segued into something he’d hopefully answer, now that I’d gotten my emotions under control. “Is she watching me?”
I swallowed hard, totally freaked out that my dead god mom was watching me fantasize about Cronus.
Hyperion chuckled. “No, but Thanatos has told the entire underworld that you two are an item.”
Cronus growled, “Great. Let’s go.”
Somehow I wasn’t upset by that. In fact, I was sending Thanatos a gift when I got a chance. I wondered who delivered to the underworld.
“I’m ready,” I said, just as an explosion rang out along the side of the cave, shaking us almost off our feet. It was followed by another and another.
“They’ve found us again,” Cronus rumbled, before he snatched up my hand. “Follow me.” That was clearly meant for Hound and Hyperion, because I was taken along by his energy, and when we landed in that decaying fucking forest again, I tripped and would have fallen if Cronus hadn’t kept me upright.
“Thank you,” I murmured, lifting my head to see him. I blinked at how pallid he was, face almost gray. “Are you feeling okay?”
He nodded, lips thinning as his expression turned fierce. “I’m fine. Just took a lot of energy to fight against Zeus and resurrect—”
“Me,” Hyperion said, bursting into existence, Hound right beside him. “I’m heavier than I look.”
I took in his heavily-muscled, six-and-a-half feet worth of god. “You look like you weigh a ton,” I said with a snort.
He leaned in closer and whispered. “I do.”
Jesus.This was about as far from how I expected my grandfather would be.
“Can you focus and be serious for a fucking second,” Cronus snapped, standing straight despite his clear exhaustion. “We have one shot right now to save Rhea and trap Sickness away, but we have to work together.”
He strode off, walking like someone very pissed off, and with a shrug I followed. Mostly because I didn’t have a choice. For better or for worse, Cronus and I were tied together, bonded, and unlike marriage, there was no divorce allowed.
He soon disappeared into the dense trees, our bond pulling me after him along the path. “Always was a moody bastard,” Hyperion said, close behind me.
That might be true. Okay, it was definitely true, but he had good reason to be. “He’s got a lot on his mind. And unlike the rest of you enjoying the underworld and all of its orgy pleasures, Cronus was locked in a fucking prison for a thousand years. Wouldn’t you be a little pissed?”
