They had been distractions for each other—twisted, cruel, toxic distractions. But somewhere along the way, in the years since he’d let her go, he’d lost his thirst for vengeance.
He wasn’t sure if it was because of the time he’d spent in Ehrendia, living among the nymphs and silens. Didn’t know if it had anything to do with the years he’d been trapped with the Fates. He only knew that he wasn’t the same god he’d been twenty-eight years ago. And the more he thought about it, the more he was starting to believe he was here in this moment now with Talisa because Cynna’s transformation back then had opened his eyes to something more.
To something greater than revenge.
To something a thousand times more meaningful than power and supremacy.
His steps came to a halt when he thought of Cynna again. He could only imagine what the female and her mate—his uncle and former prisoner—would say if he admitted he had them to thank for setting him on this path. Not just the one that had led him to Talisa, but the path that made him think he might actually be worthy of another chance.
The image of Talisa asleep in his bed filled his mind. Her silky hair falling around her face. Her smooth skin catching the moonlight through the windows. The way she’d curled into him last night, her warm breath heating his flesh where her cheek rested against his chest as she drifted to sleep. And her soft fingers, hovering over his heart…
A heart that was now beating hard and fast with the need to see her and touch her and prove to her just how much he wanted that chance.
Urgency brought his head up. Pushed his feet forward. The stone arch was only a handful of miles awa—
“Going somewhere, son?” Hades stepped out from behind a tree, directly in Zagreus’s path.
Zagreus skidded to a stop, but there was no time to react. The god-king of the Underworld threw his arm out and squeezed his fingers together as if grasping an invisible object.
Zagreus’s arms instantly slapped against the sides of his body, and the air rushed out of his lungs. He tried to wiggle free, but Hades jerked his hand up, the strength of his power thrusting Zagreus twenty feet in the air.
Zagreus kicked and flailed, but before he could find a way to make his arms work, Hades yanked down, the force slamming Zagreus face-first into the hard earth.
Twigs and rocks stabbed into his flesh. Pain radiated through his body as he gasped in a breath. He pushed himself to his hands, but Hades was ready.
The god wrapped that invisible grip around Zagreus all over again, wrenched him off the ground, then heaved him to the left.
He crashed into the thick base of an old-growth tree with a grunt, bounced back, then free-fell to the forest floor. His head smacked against a rock with a crack that echoed through the forest. His back took the brunt of the force, knocking the air completely out of his lungs this time.
“You thought you could double-cross me again and I wouldn’t find out?”
Zagreus tried to push up, but before he could get his bearings, Hades lifted him once more and slammed him into a tree to the right, as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.
His face and torso smashed into bark and limbs. Something sharp stabbed into his side, making him groan. His body smacked the forest floor once more, leaving him reeling in pain and confusion.
“I know everything, you pathetic immortal,” Hades growled. “You’re nothing without me. Do you hear me? Absolutely nothing.”
Two things occurred to Zagreus as he pushed himself to his hands and knees and tried to suck back air. Hades must have tracked those daemons when they went missing. And since then, he’d been monitoring this forest, just waiting for Zagreus to show up.
Zagreus knew better than to give anything away. He wasn’t entirely sure why his father was after him—though he had an idea. At the moment, he was just thankful he’d opened the portal here instead of closer to Ehrendia.
He managed to lift his head. Sweat and blood dripped into his eyesight, leaving everything blurry, and the concussion surely wasn’t helping. But he could already feel his god-strength working to heal his injuries, and he knew showing weakness was a thousand times worse than being weak in front of his father.
He’d learned long ago never to be weak.
“You wasted both our time to come to Earth and tell me that? The toxic air in the Underworld is clearly messing with your head, old man.”
Hades growled and threw his arm out once more.
Zagreus wheezed as that invisible force contracted around his torso, squeezing out every bit of air, then his body was flying, not into a tree this time, but straight up, through the canopy and above the trees. So high all he saw were stars.
What goes up must come down.
Fuck me…
The thoughts whirled through Zagreus’s mind just before Hades’s powers wrenched him back to Earth. He crashed through limbs and leaves then smashed into the packed forest floor, this time so hard he knew bones cracked and shattered.
He lay immobile on his back, unable to move or even make a sound as he stared up at the broken tree limbs above void of greenery now, the stars beyond twinkling against a vast black sky.
It was beautiful. Quiet. Dark. The edge of a cosmic void he’d once craved. But he didn’t want nothingness anymore. He wanted chaos. And light. And the female who made him feel alive.
Footsteps sounded close. Zagreus blinked, unable to move more than his eyeballs, watching as his father moved around his right side and came into view.
Hades glared down at him with every ounce of hatred Zagreus remembered, his coal black eyes showing not a single ounce of mercy. “The Orb is missing from Olympus. There are only a handful of gods brazen enough to sneak in and out of Zeus’s realm and take it, and my money’s on you, seeing as how you tried to steal it once before.”
Zagreus didn’t answer. Couldn’t. But he wasn’t surprised his father was here about the Orb of Krónos. He’d been expecting a visit like this for some time now. His mistake had been being distracted tonight and not anticipating an attack.
Hades knelt at Zagreus’s side so they were face-to-face and perched his forearm on his knee. Then with a malevolent growl, he said, “I should send you back to the Fates for another twenty-five years of torment. But I’ve decided to give you the chance to prove your loyalty, instead. You have twenty-four hours to get me the Orb. If you fail, I will destroy this forest and all who dwell within it, including your precious little nymph kingdom.”
Zagreus’s eyes widened, a reaction he couldn’t stop.
An evil smile twisted Hades’s mouth. “Oh yes, my wicked son, I know all about your little perverted palace and everything that goes on there. My spies are like the stars, and your scheming has grown boring and predictable. You may be strong as far as minor gods go, but you will never be as powerful as me. And you will never control the Orb and my birthright.”
Hades pushed to his full height and scowled down at Zagreus as if he were a spider he wanted to squash beneath his boot. “I’ve shown you mercy in the past, because your mother begged me to and because I could not prove you were not of my line. But this time, if you betray me, any punishment you endured before will pale in comparison to what I will do to you. And I promise you, son, if you cross me again, my wrath will be limitless, and your torture at my hand will last for all eternity.”