Chapter 21
Damon
Roman pulled me into the hallway away from Freya's earshot. But, I still kept a watchful eye over my family.
"You left with a team what happened?" Roman immediately demanded to know.
"I'm going back for them. We got separated in a maze when we were hunted by minotaurs".
"And what do you think you can do if she can't handle that?"
"Freya's human".
"I'm sorry?" Roman said.
"She's not connected to her elements. Completely human".
"That's a pity---"
"Don't. Don't say another fucking word", It didn't matter Freya was a god or human. The only thing I cared about was she was alive.
"I would be careful then. She's made a lot of enemies. Freya may have taken out most of the gods, but there are still many within the brotherhood that would love to see her head roll".
Roman wasn't wrong. Even though the brotherhood and the order work together now that didn't mean each side just gave up on their traditions. Or their beliefs. "No one knows Roman. And I want to keep it that way".
"So what exactly is your plan? You find the others you come back here and live out the rest of her days in hinding?"
"Our days will be lived out in peace. I'm not going to repeat the mistakes that almost cost me my wife".
"So you would leave the brotherhood for her? For this".
"Yes", for the first time in my life I didn't even have to think about who my loyalty needed to stay with. It was simple, it was Freya and the boys. "I have to find the others. So I'm asking you to watch over my family while I'm gone".
"Or let their sacrifice, guild you to protect your own family. Damon, you can't possibly be thinking of going back to the underworld. It was hard enough getting down there. And I can't imagine the trials you had to get through to get to Freya".
"I'm not leaving them behind. Without Christian, Achaeus or Ariadne I wouldn't be here. It's the right thing to do".
"The right thing may cost you your family. Do what you must. You're secrets are always safe with me", Roman nodded. And I knew he was telling the truth. I may have spent the majority of my life hating Roman but he never stopped seeing me as his brother. I may have cursed the very ground he walked on. But we were blood, and I should have never let anything get in the way of that. Eventually one day I would make it up to him the same way I had to make it up to Freya.
I walked back into the living room to the warm moment Freya and the boys were having. "I have to go".
"I know", she said softly. She tried to stand up but between Ezra and Henry that wasn't going to happen. Ezra had an iron grip on Freya and Henry just had all the words as he cooed at Freya. I bent down and kissed her slowly. The only thing that can make it more perfect was if it lasted longer. But the moment was shortly lived as Ezra pushed me away from Freya.
"No", he frowned holding his his hand back with his palm facing towards me as he continued to lay on his mother.
"Erza, that's not nice", Freya tried to explain on deaf ears. He didn't need to say anything It just took a look from my 5-year-old that said don't fuck with my mom.
"It's fine. I'll be back, love".
"Be safe", she pleaded.
"I will".
"I love you".
"Love you more", I gave Ezra's back a small pat that he clearly didn't want. And kissed Henry's forehead which he clearly didn't mind as he tried to blow me back a kiss.
It took me losing everything to realize nothing but my family deserves the level of commitment I've given the brotherhood my entire existence. So that made this next part easier. I teleported directly into the brotherhood's lab where Bash and Callan spent most of their time. I had to steal a tracker, which was this just an enchanted prism. Once I shined my fire element under the small glass pyramid I just needed to speak the name of the person I was trying to find. And there was only one person out of the three that I knew was going to survive.
"Find me, Ariadne of Sparta", I said a guiding red laser light pointed to a pile of old maps reused before the days of computers. Unraveled one of the brown long pieces of paper sitting in over one of the long black desks. I set the prism down in the center of the global map and immediately a red line drew itself to stop right between India and Pakistan.
Fuck...
You look like I was going mountain climbing. A part of me was relieved they had managed to get back to earth. But another part of me dreaded the climb up K2 to find them. The mountains foul weather and height from the base would make the ascent on the peak deadly. But if that's where they were that's where I would go.
