I glance down at the photos, trying to figure out where she’s going with this story. Understanding Need’s origin doesn’t seem like a priority. I alreadyknew she was powerful and clever. That’s half the reason I’m stuck here.
Nymara continues, faster now, likely seeing my impatience. “When she got out, she worked for years to enact her master plan. She single-handedly orchestrated the obliteration of the gods. She sealed the doors to the God Realm, and then had her acolytes cover up their existence.”
“She wanted revenge?” I ask, in a stilted voice, not quite processing what she’s just revealed.
She snorts, leaning back against a lab bench. “Not even close. Mother has no allegiance to her own people. As a minor titan, she wasn’t treated well in Tartarus. She was after so much more than revenge. Sealing the doors to the God Realm took nearly every drop of her power. But those weren’t the ones she was after. She just needed them out of the way. The gods that weren’t in the God Realm were her real targets. Mother had her followers trap them, and she spent millennia leaching them of their power.”
My mind reels as I start to fit the puzzle pieces together. Hades is under the impression that the Council trapped him in order to control the Fates. But if what Nymara says is true, then the Fates were never the target. Need was after him all along.
It takes a second before I’m hit by another, more disturbing thought. The woman I need to take down literally obliterated the freaking gods.
Screwed.
I am beyond screwed.
Slowly, I shake my head, not wanting to believe how badly the cards are stacked against me.
My disbelief must be showing, since Nymara steps forward, holding out her hands in an imploring gesture. “Haven’t you wondered where all this power came from? The power to make Destroyers and Creators? It was never hers. She stole it.”
The tangled webs in my mind finally feel like they’re starting to fit in the right places, until I catch sight of the man in the hospital bed again. I nod my chin in his direction. “Okay… so is he a god? Is that why he’s locked in here?”
“I fucking wish,” she answers with a harsh laugh.
I frown, not appreciating the fact that she’s still being evasive.
Nymara’s gaze drops to the floor, her hands wringing together. She takes a deep breath, as if stealing herself. “Not even a god’s power is infinite. One by one, the power of the gods went dry. First, it was the weaker ones, until even the strongest gods only had a trickle remaining. So, mother came up with a new plan. First, she needed to lure titans out of Tartarus, but not to leach their power.”
I nod, coaxing her to continue.
She shifts from one foot to the other, like she’s dreading this part. “When my mother realized that stealing power was only a short-term solution, she decided to make more of it.”
She pauses again, and I swallow, knowing I’m going to hate her answer.
I ask anyway. “How did she make more power?”
Nymara finally looks up and fixes her intense stare on me. “She decided to breed them.”
Chapter 23
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule twenty-three:Choose wisely.
I’ve discovered my new least favorite word: breeding.
What, the actual, fuck?
My fists clench at my sides, and rage washes over me as I stare at the photos of the children. The images are starting to make sense, and suddenly, death is looking like too pleasant a future for Need.
Finally managing to tear my eyes away, I give Nymara an expression that promises violence. “Explain. Faster.” The words are laced with menace.
Nymara looks dejected as she continues, “Mother was already trying to breed the remaining gods with other powerful creatures from the realms. But most of the children they bore barely held any power. Thosechildren, they’re demigods. Mother thought it was because the gods were already too depleted of power.”
My nails dig into my hands. “Whereare the children?”
She wraps her arms around herself, and her eyes water. “I have no idea. She refuses to tell me, and I haven’t been able to access their holding information – only their medical charts.”
I narrow my eyes. She sounds too guilty to be innocent. “What is all of this?” I wave, indicating the room.
