Cronus launched at him, grabbing him by the neck. Zeus had forgotten one very important fact about Cronus. The Titan had spent many years dealing with these sins, knowing them on a level that most would never. He knew them and their power, and in doing so, understood the best ways to counter them.
Picking Zeus up, Cronus flew to the top of the cage and then fell, slamming all of his weight on Zeus’ body. A resounding crack shot through the forest and every god and Titan winced.
Zeus should have been out cold after that hit, but he wasn’t. Using his feet, he planted them on Cronus' chest and kicked upward, tossing my Titan off of him. All of this was going down while Hyperion and Ares fought as well. It was dizzying to watch them both.
Hyperion shot off a light bomb in Ares’ face and the bitch of a god screamed bloody murder. When this was followed by more light so bright I couldn’t stare directly at the cage, I heard a shout of, “I yield!”
Narida snapped her fingers, hauling Hyperion and Ares out of the cage, leaving Cronus and Zeus alone. The scoreboard now read.Titans- 1 Gods- 0.
With a battle cry, Zeus lunged at Cronus, and before I could blink, Zeus was on his stomach with Cronus on his back, holding his arms behind him. He had definitely used time travel, because not even Cronus could move fast enough to be in two places in the same second without a little help.
“Yield,” Cronus growled, holding both of Zeus’ arms at an angle that made me cringe. Lightning struck the cage over and over, but Cronus deflected them like the strikes were flies landing on him. His power seemed to seep from his hands, covering the god beneath him, and whatever it was, it held Zeus in place and no sins emerged.
Cronus pulled even harder, and I was too far away to hear any cracks, but I had no idea how both arms weren’t broken at this stage.
“Yield,” he said again. “Or I’ll kill you now and deal with the consequences later.”
He yanked him up, slamming his face into the bars of the cage. This time the sins managed to burst out, or at least darkness did, but Cronus was the one with the lightning now, zapping it every time it tried to come closer.
Cronus’ face never changed expression, hard and determined, focused completely on his opponent. “Last chance,” he murmured. I couldn’t really hear it but I read his lips.
Power built at the cage, spreading out, and I shivered at the rush of energy across my skin. Fuck. He was not messing around—he was going to kill Zeus.
“I yield!” the god shouted, much to Cronus’ disappointment.
Narida snapped; the cage door flew open, and Cronus walked out, still rocking his badass facial expression.
#SerialKillerSexy #KidnapMeNow
Yeah, I’d watched too much television, but honestly, Cronus could be the star of any of those dark romances. Amen.
The rest of the fights went on, god versus Titan. Children versus parents. Friends and foes alike. Rhea froze the shit out of Apollo’s leg and nearly shattered it until he yielded. Okeanos found an ocean somewhere to almost drown his opponent, while simultaneously icing the water in their blood.
It was hectic, and fascinating, and a huge,hugereminder of how far out of my league I was with my new family.
Chapter 11
The fights continued for another hour or so. Some of the gods and Titans did not want to give up, and with how evenly matched they were, it made for some epic battles. In the end though, it was clear that had the gods not teamed up to backstab and ambush their parents all those years ago, they would never have overthrown them. They just didn't have the same strength, loyalty, and power, lacking the fundamental heart that the first generation of powerful beings had.
The only reason the final score even came close, at 14-10 in favor of the Titans, was the gods cheated every single second they could get, secretly feeding each other power, shouting out advice and tips from the outside, and trying to use their own magic to help their fellow gods. None of the Titans did that. Not even once.
Narida had her work cut out for her trying to keep those fucking gods in line. When the first round was over, Zeus spent a decent amount of time ripping the other members of his god squad a new asshole. He was pissed, darkness leaking out of him, and I wasn't even sure he realized he was hurting them with the sins. He needed the gods, but in his rage and power-hungry state didn’t care. And therein lay the issue with the king of the gods. Narcissistic to the core, he could only care when it benefited him.
“Round two,” Narida shouted, and everyone gathered closer, some of the gods looking a little worse for wear thanks to their dickhead of a leader.
“Demon culling,” Narida added with a smile. “Every kill gets points, and every injury loses you some.”
She materialized two dozen small cages and I almost took a step back at the rabid demons screeching and clawing inside of them. Some I recognized from the underworld, but most I had never seen before and hoped to never see again.
The crone waved her hands, and it appeared like she was putting a barrier between the demons and the others. At the same time, the cages fell open and the monsters burst out, their screeching hitting new heights of volume.
“Go!” Narida shouted, her barrier spreading out so that now there was a cordoned-off area for all the murder and mayhem.
The gods and Titans went nuts, sprinting in, looking positively thrilled. Narida stood near me, enjoying the show as well, but honestly, I could have done without all the black splattered blood.
“Six!” I heard Hyperion shout.
“Better step up your game. I’ve got eight, old man,” Koios replied.
