Chapter Fifty-Five
CHAOS
SONG: CAME FOR BLOOD BY BLAMESHIFT
Years of planning and sacrifice has led to this moment. I’ve done despicable things all for her and those loyal to us. I’d protected her involvement when our loyalists were caught before. And they never breathed a word either. Hades had sucked them back into their tomb of torture, but we’d free them soon. We’d all be free soon.
Looking in the mirror, I shave, readying myself for the impending battle. I’ve worn so many faces throughout the years, it feels good to finally be able to look upon my true likeness. I’ve been a headmaster, a schoolgirl, a husband, a merchant, a lover. So many manipulations. So many lifetimes. So much deception.
My blade nicks my gray skin sending a bead of blood to the surface dripping down my chin. Wincing at the pain I pat it dry with a towel.
“Are you alright, my love?” Persephone’s face comes into view behind me.
“Just a scratch.”
“Are you nervous?”
I turn and take in her long blonde hair cascading over her breasts, her jasmine scent wafts over me as she walks closer. Her rosebud lips are parted in worry as she steps in front of me, taking my face in her hands and wiping her thumb over my cut. It burns. Her palm flares with healing magic, stitching me right up.
“Good as new.” She says with a smile. “Are the soldiers ready?”
I grab her hand and plant a kiss on the back. “Yes. They’ve been preparing for this for a long time. We’ve trained them well.”
“Good. I can’t wait to knock that emotionless piece of shit husband off his throne. It’ll be you and me in charge after this.”
“You and me.” I agree letting myself feel the excitement I’ve been denied for so long.
We attack tomorrow. Hades is unprepared even as he scrambles to assemble an army, he’ll never be ready. The element of surprise is on our side. It’s time the Underworld had a new ruler. Tomorrow is a new day. A day that I’ve dreamt of since I laid eyes on her. My heart’s desire. Truly the most beautiful woman that’s ever existed. My Persephone.
Tomorrow, I will carve her freedom from Hades with the tip of my sword. The stolen power I’d siphoned from Salem surges in my veins. I will tear the crown from his head and make his wife my queen.
CHAPTER56
Chapter Fifty-Six
HADES
SONG: JUST PRETEND BY BAD OMENS
I’ve become an expert at pushing my true feelings down. Hiding them away so that no one could see me break. To break means weakness. Vulnerability. But perhaps I’d become too skilled at the charade. In pushing away my emotions, I pushed away my wife along with them.
How could I have not noticed her plotting for all these years? How could I have been so blind?
The army marches closer intent on enacting her revenge. My spies inform me that we’re out of time. I’d thought we would at least have the week, but they’re more organized than I anticipated.
I’ve sent messages to my brothers, but who knows if they’ll feel inclined to help in this war. It’s not the first battle we’ve seen, and likely wouldn’t be the last. To wield power meant to be in constant threat of losing it. Jealous eyes always coveting what we had. Not understanding the lengths we’ve gone through to get here. The sacrifices made. I don’t even know my own daughters, having devoted all my time to ruling this vast empire. Their resentment of me is clear in the distant and guarded way they interact with me. I’m no better though, not knowing what to say to them.
I wouldn’t go down without a fight, even knowing Chaos and Persephone have gleaned some of my best men to join their army. I have to trust my years of experience to get us all through this. I look out over the tents housing the army that has assembled in my name. Loyal subjects who want a chance to save our world from destruction. They look like pieces on a chessboard from up here.
My daughters are down amongst the soldiers, preparing to fight for this kingdom. For their mates. For their souls. I’d sent them down there after delivering the news that I’d just killed their boyfriends’ fathers. While they had been training, I went to Hell House where I discovered the traitors. I found them in the midst of conspiring with my wife after receiving a tip that Persephone would be there. I let my anger get the better of me.
It was only right that I tell them of what I’d done. After they’d all had a chance to clean up from training, I sat them down and told them of what I’d learned. They seemed to take the news better than I expected.
I found out while in the mortal world, that Persephone had set this in motion centuries ago, binding the seven deadly sins to men in exchange for generational wealth. One that those boys were born into. She’d used their families to carry out her instructions, always searching for a child born of a witch and a god. Thankfully, I’d done a good job at concealing Salem for as long as I had, or who knows what would have befallen her.
The men she’d called The Society weren’t keen on divulging their secrets. I was forced to tortured the information out of the one called Leighton, before I snapped my fingers and harvested their souls, sending them to suffer with the other traitors. She’d been using Chaos and the sins to spin her web of lies this whole time. Granting them special mind reading powers, and magical influence to avoid getting caught. The sins in particular wouldn’t have had much of a choice because they were indebted to Chaos for eternity. Their souls forced to do his bidding. But Chaos? He did this purposefully. I knew he’s spent his life pining for my wife, but I’d seen it as a harmless interest, never considering he would cross me again.
This coup is not Chaos’s first indiscretion, and I’d stupidly been persuaded by Persephone to give him another chance to prove himself. Now I knew why she’d lobbied so hard on his behalf.
