Alaric laughed wickedly.
“Well, thank you for bringing them here to help us,” I said breezily. “I look forward to fighting beside you both.”
Demeter sighed and grimaced. “I should have thanked you first, Vervain. My apologies for my behavior. You're here to help get justice for my baby's murder, and I do appreciate that; as well as the powerful gods you've brought to add to our numbers.”
“You're welcome,” I said.
“Everyone!” Hades shouted.
The army went quiet and turned toward Hades.
“I am deeply honored that you've come to fight for Persephone today,” Hades said. “I wish she could have seen the type of force that has assembled to avenge her.” He paused and looked down for a moment to collect himself. “But a part of her will always live in my heart, and so she is with us. Now, let's make her proud, shall we?”
The army roared, and Hades strode to the front of it. He started leading us down a wide, packed-earth road.
“It looks as if it's time to march,” I said.
“Let's go, La-la,” Re took my hand. “We need to find my grandson and his friends.”
Re, Trevor, Blue, and I hurried along the ranks and then settled in with the God Squad; marching into Hell to avenge a goddess and hopefully get back to the right timeline.
Chapter Forty-Seven
The path through Tartarus was rough, and I don't mean that in the physical sense. It was difficult to witness souls being tortured. You'd think that a soul couldn't be hurt, but in the God Realm, the Gods were in charge. They could change the scenery, transform items from one thing into another, and give souls solid forms. They weren't exactly physical bodies, but they were substantial enough for the soul to translate physical sensation into something it could truly feel. In other words; souls could suffer just as much as a living person. Possibly more.
We eventually made it past the torture zones and into the more habitable parts of the region. Nyx lived with her husband, Erebus, in one of the more remote locations in Tartarus. Their home was actually a castle with an imposing curtain wall guarding it. I suppose when you lived in Tartarus, that was necessary. But it was especially coming in handy for them today.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” A woman with an impressive pair of black wings stood atop the castle wall; screeching at her companion.
The man who was with her was young and handsome, but as I drew closer, he cast a venomous glance at me that made him look like a weasel.
Guess who that is,Alaric said.
“Aion, I presume,” I muttered.
“It appears so,” Re said before Alaric could confirm it. “Let's not waste any time.”
Re shot a searing ray of sunshine from his palm and directed it at Aion; knocking him on his ass.
“Re!” Hades shouted. “You were supposed to wait for my command.”
Re just ignored Hades as the rest of the gods launched their own magic at the couple on the walls. That was what you got when you assembled an army of gods; none of them were used to taking orders.
“This is for Persephone, Nyx!” Hades shouted at the woman on the wall.
“Yeah, yeah; I know,” Nyx huffed as she waved a hand at Hades. “And, frankly, I'm done with you, Hades. I've had enough of watching you suffer. Now, it's time to finish this.”
Nyx waved a hand and a black mist enveloped Hades. Sparks of red flared in the mist as Hades fought whatever Nyx was doing to him. The gods around him tried to help, but whoever touched the darkness wound up flying backward through the air. Thor and his friends started attacking Nyx instead; shooting waves of energy at the goddess. She blocked them all with waves of her hand; her gaze remaining on Hades.
Meanwhile, gods and monsters poured out of the gate below Nyx; shouting, screeching, and roaring. Nyx appeared to have her own army, and it included creatures who I'd only seen in my nightmares. There were women with wings and the lower halves of birds, goddesses dripping goo, and gods with skin the color of old bruises. Our army met them head-on; shouting Persephone's name as their battle cry.
I saw the lions run forward and my gaze strayed to Niyarvirezi. She was striding alone in their wake. Now, would be the perfect time to—
Aion's down! Kill him now, Vervain!Alaric shouted; reminding me of the more important battle.
And Alaric was right; Re had knocked Aion unconscious and was continuing to blast him with sunlight that Blue was helping to fuel. Trevor had shifted into his werewolf form; half man and half wolf. He stood at the ready; guarding me and the sun gods as we moved closer to the wall until we stood directly in line with Aion. Any enemy who got within six feet of Trevor was torn apart.
I sent out my senses; searching for Aion and his magic. I found him nearly instantly; a mass of churning crimson and sparkling blue. Aion's magic was tainted by his fury, and it didn't seem happy about it. In fact, it came to me eagerly when I took hold of it.
