“I take it that means that Nyx has taken a side. Surely, she is distraught with how much peril it brings to the mortal realm. I know she cares deeply for them.”
“You’re acting very removed for someone who spends a lot of time in the mortal world himself.” Erebus raised an eyebrow in challenge. Zeus only rolled his eyes and let out a huff of laughter.
“What can I say? I do, but I can’t say that it means a lot to me.”
Erebus shook his head. “How unfortunate, knowing what discord that causes your wife and by extension… everyone else.”
There was a beat of silence as the men moved a little closer to one another. Erebus could see small currents running from Zeus’s fingers, across the folds of his tunic and down into the ground beneath him. He had been practicing; Erebus had to give him that. His own shadows were smoothing themselves out over every crack in the ground; Erebus felt them drinking up Zeus’s power as it ran into the earth. The tension between them was growing palpable like two dogs on the end of their leashes.
“That’s part of being married to a powerful woman. You would understand that, wouldn’t you?” Erebus ignored the obvious attempt to rile him up and forced himself to stay calm. Distaste rose in him when he heard the way Zeus chewed on the wordspowerful womanlike it was an unsatisfactory quality.
“You said it yourself. You heard it last night. It sounds like you know very well what I do with a powerful woman. Whether you can do the same remains to be seen.” Zeus flashed an agitated glare at him, which only encouraged Erebus to go on. “Maybe that’s why you prefer mortal women, Zeus,” he hissed. “Do you feel like the king of the gods when they succumb to you because they’re afraid?”
Zeus growled, turning and snapping at Erebus. “Don’t concern yourself with me, Darkness.”
“But you seemed very concerned about me and my bed. Are you hoping to join? We haven’t done that before, but maybe after a few millennia, it’s time to try.” His light tone succeeded in pushing the last of Zeus’s buttons. Zeus stalked forward, crossing the gap between them as lightning fell from his fingers like a forge. Erebus didn’t blink as he released the grip on his shadows, letting them surge forward and start to drown out Zeus’s lightning.
Zeus screamed as the shadows traveled up the bolts of power and gripped onto his arms and legs. He flailed about like he was stuck in tar, pulling his arms and legs in any direction he could to release himself.
“It’s no use, Zeus,” Erebus growled, stalking forward and leaning down until he was in Zeus’s face. Zeus stood immobilized, the shadows snaking around him and holding him in place. “Yes. Nyx and I have reunited. She has not chosen your side. That’s all you need to know. Do we have any other problems here?”
Zeus struggled again, and Erebus’s gaze flickered down to the shadows and lightning that were curling and uncurling around the god’s limbs. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight, the darkness swallowing up each flicker and spark that came out of Zeus.
“No,” Zeus gritted out through clenched teeth, his hair falling into his face as he struggled. “We don’t have any problems.” Yet, he struggled again, and Erebus kept an eye on the bonds that were holding him.
“Then what was the point of this?” Erebus hissed, staring Zeus down as he stepped closer in intimidation. “You know you can’t beat me.” Erebus felt something going off in his head. This wasn’t right. Zeusdidknow that he couldn’t beat Erebus. Why had he attempted to corner him in the dark? On Erebus’s own terms? Zeus’s face lit up in a dark smile, the gold across his brow glittering with sparks of lightning like a twisted conduit.
“To distract you.”
“You what—” Erebus was cut off with a guttural scream, falling to his knees in front of Zeus. In an instant, it was the God of lightning who was towering over Erebus. There was something cold and heavy that was sitting around Erebus’s wrists, sending freezing shockwaves over his body. A horrid emptiness spread in him, and Erebus realized that he couldn’t feel his shadows. It sent him to near madness in the blink of an eye. His face contorted in rage and pain as he twisted around, eyeing the heavy metal around his wrists. He could barely hear Zeus laughing behind him as he looked up, staring at the god who had thrown the chains on him while his back was turned.
“Hermes,” Erebus growled, his voice sounding murderous. He was still struggling wildly against the bondage, sweat breaking out on his brow. His very, verymortalbrow, he realized, as he was now in the form that he took when he went to hide amongst mortal men. Hermes was standing a few feet away, with an impassive look on his face.
“It’s not his fault.” Zeus boomed with laughter, and Erebus turned around. “Like I said. There was a vote. It sounds like Hephaestus told you of the littleprojectthat he was working on for me.”
“What in the hell are you planning?” Erebus hissed, lunging for Zeus even while he was on his knees. Zeus took one step to the side, and Erebus hit the ground, sending the God of lightning into another round of laughter.
“I was glad to hear that you and your lovely consort had made up.” Zeus wiggled his fingers and watched the lightning dance across them. “I wonder if she’ll come for you.”
Erebus’s face twisted as he began to laugh. “You’d try to use me asbait?For Nyx?” Zeus’s expression only faltered for a minute, but Erebus continued. “You are going to die for this.”
Zeus waved his hand in the air in nonchalance. “That’s something I’m always prepared for. We’ll see what happens when things start getting worse for the mortal world. We know that she’ll do anything to stop that.” A sick realization settled in Erebus’s gut.
“You don’t care at all about defeating Kronos, do you? This has been about primordials all along.” He spat at Zeus’s feet, who only smiled in response.
“There we go. I was wondering when you’d catch on, but then again, you were soeagerto pick up arms to defend Nyx’s honor. It was admirable, really, which meant that we had to keep up the charade a little longer. Kronos is a problem, but he’ll be easily dealt with. The real prize is tossing you two away with him.”
“This won’t end well for you, Zeus,” Erebus hissed, his head growing dizzy the longer he went cut off from his shadows.
“Maybe.” Zeus shrugged. “But death is inevitable.” He leaned down, getting close to Erebus’s face as he slapped his cheek a few times. “Even for a primordial.”
34
Erebus had felt a lot of things in his long life. He had felt pain before, and he knew what death felt like; he’d sired it. He had never, in all his existence, known what it was like to be without his shadows. It was excruciating. It was a feeling that made him want to claw at his own skin as if he could rip it open and reveal them. Erebus had passed out on the sidewalk with Zeus in his face, all his strength seeping from him. When he finally came to, he was sitting in a small room, with no bearing as to where he was.
“Fuck…” he hissed slowly, sitting up from a low bench where he had been placed. The room was utterly bare with stone walls, a tiled floor, and one high window he couldn’t reach. The door was undoubtedly locked from the outside, but Erebus wasn’t even sure that he could stand to go try it. The chains around his wrists were thick and made an abhorrent noise every time that he shifted. He looked down, trying to study them for any weak spots.
Damn you, Hephaestus. How the hell could you agree to make something for Zeus and then actually deliver?Hephaestus had delivered. They had the same impeccable craftsmanship which everyone had come to expect from the god. All the metal was so finely fused together that it looked like it was one solid piece. However, they worked. He had to commend the god for his creativity. Instead of making a chain so strong that it would hold a primordial, he made a chain that made a primordial so weak that a chain would hold them. It would be an ingenious idea if Erebus wasn’t currently on the receiving end of it.
