Chapter Two
"Sept, my love, you are far too good to me."
Her voice always reminded me of a siren's. Beautiful, musical, and yet deadly. There was nothing soft and tender about it, no, but that was what drew me to her. Her deadly saunter, the way her long, thick black hair fell over one of her shoulders with braids intertwined, her bangs cut straight across over a pair of thin, regal brows and hooded chocolate eyes. She wore a beautiful blood red dress that fell in silky layers over her hourglass figure.
"I think you mistake me for you." I answered huskily, reaching my hand out to touch her smooth, bare shoulder, shivering at how warm her skin felt. Her dark eyes danced in the light of the sun that fell into one of the many deserted streets of the Egyptian city of Buto. She smirked and stepped so close to me that her lucious curves pressed up against my skin, making my mouth water. I could hear her heart pounding deep in her chest, the blood rushing through her veins.
"You're cute," She laughed softly, reaching up to brush the hair back from my face and back over my shoulder before she gripped both my shoulders, pulling her face closer to mine, "Absolutely precious, Sept. Tis a pity that your father cannot see how capable you are." I felt a pang in my chest at the mention of my father; a man who could care less for a god such as myself. I wasn't even called a god amongst my people or the Egyptians who worshipped us. Nay, they called me a spirit.
And that is what I did.
I followed the warriors into battle, thrashing through the hot sand of the desert as swords clanged together loudly, shields crashed together, war cries rang up to the heavens and stirred the war gods from their slumber.
I was the spirit of vengeance, of violence, of hatred. My presence merely stirred up the emotions that raged within each of the warriors. Fathers who'd lost sons, sons who'd lost brothers. Their heart burned for revenge and fed my powers so that they brimmed harshly inside me, burning my blood.
"Do not anger yourself," Her voice cut through my angry thoughts, cooling me instantly as she laid her hand against my cheek, "Be calm, my Sept. You must listen to me." I frowned at the seriousness of her tone, lowering my eyes to meet hers that had shown with concern.
"The Greeks," She whispered, making me frown, "They come to Egypt. Their gods will follow and they will wage war for the worship of the humans. You cannot let this war take place." I blinked, surprised at that. We'd known plenty of the Greek pantheon as their ridiculous civil war had caused great disrupt in our world. It had disrupted nature's balance and plunged humans into a dark age of misery and woe. They were nothing, but trouble, I knew.
"Why do you tell me this? Why do you not tell Ma'at or Horus? Surely they have more power than I." I protested, making her smile at me in a way that was chiding, yet it hardly irked me. It probably helped that she stood on her toes, kissing me gently on the lips.
"They cannot know of them, Sept. You need to be the representative of the Egyptians. You must meet with a god named Hermes on the island of Crete. Make peace with the Greeks, Sept. You know as well as I that war against them will destroy the humans, the humans that we feed from and cherish." She explained gently. I stiffened, stepping away from her and narrowing my eyes.
"You would have me risk my godhood for a peace treaty with the Greeks? Have you gone mad?"
"Sept, you know better than to take that tone with me," Her voice hardened and I knew instantly that my insult to her was a big mistake, "You must meet with Hermes. He will not harm you. He is not a god of war or treachery. He is a god of messengers. That is why they send you."
"Then send Sobkou to negotiate peace with them. He is our messenger, not I." I responded sternly, turning to leave, but she caught my wrist and tore me back to her. I wanted to protest, but it was damn near impossible with her breasts pushing against my chest, her lips dangerously close to mine, hips grinding against me.
"I cannot alert the others," She whispered, eyes searching my face, "Sobkou will tell the others and they will fuss. You must go to Crete, speak with Hermes. When the Greeks come to Egypt, bringing their pantheon with them, they will not attack us, thinking that all have agreed to peace."
"And what will my people think? Our people? The humans? The pantheon? They will become suspicious if the Greeks are not retaliating and if they question the Greeks, they'll speak my name and I will be killed." I told her sourly. She smiled sadly.
"You will not give your life to keep peace amongst the gods?"
"What have the gods given me," I demanded, wrenching her grip off my wrist and stepping back, "They have done nothing for me." Her beautiful lips worked into a frown as she lowered her arms to her sides.
"They have given you life, your godhood." She said. I curled my lip in repungence.
"Oh yes, surely I should give my life for having received it. You ask too much of me."
"Nay," She argued, something she was naturally good at given her powers and rank, "I ask that you be the god that you are. You are more than the spirit of hatred, Sept. You are a god. A god of forgiveness."
"Rather silly argument to make given the fact that I am a spirit of vengeance as well." I retorted, laughing out loud. This was one of the few reasons I found myself consorting with women. They believed that there was good in everything. They could never see the truth in things.
"Of proper vengeance," She answered coldly, making me frown and look at her, "You are behaving just like your father. He is nothing, but a cold-blooded beast that takes joy from watching the slaughter on the battle fields, of stirring up husband and wife for a sick thrill. You are not your father, Sept. You are who you are, and who you are is not evil like he." I said nothing to that, merely narrowed my eyes at her. She turned away, heading for the end of the deserted street toward one that was bustling more with activity. She paused, turning back to look at me.
"Should you gain even the slightest of intelligence, meet Hermes on the island of Crete a fortnight from today, when Ra is settling for sleep and Thoth is rising. If you do not negotiate this peace with the Greeks, they will come with the intent to destroy us. This isn't just about you nor I, Sept, nor our people. It is about the humans. Much carnage will follow if this treaty is not negotiated."
It wasn't the last time I had seen the woman.
The next time I laid eyes on her, she was watching from beside my mother as my father ripped my god powers from me and damned me to earth for eternity to live amongst the mortals. No food, no water, no shelter, not even clothes.
"Sept, this place is already hot enough," Theo's voice cut through my thoughts, making me blink and snap out of my day dreams, "I don't need your anger turning it into a furnace." I just nodded my head in apology, but remained silent as I followed Theo down the long, narrow steps that led into the deep pit of Tartarus. The steps were alongside the trench that cut around Lord Zelios' palace, giving a full view of all the torment and agony that took place.
Tartarus was the darkest of all places, the deepest pit of the Greek Underworld where the worst of the worst were thrown. A place that surely had my name carved into it somewhere, yet still remained empty were it not for the god that walked beside me. Or rather, demigod.
I glanced at Theo as we came to stand at the bottom of the trench, ignoring the armored guards that marched by in utter silence. Theo carried himself with the pride of a god, head held high, eyes narrowed, arms folded over his chest in a very prominent "fuck you" gesture. His blood red hair lightly touseled, framing a gorgeous face and equally red eyes that warned anyone to get near him.
"Why is the meeting in Tartarus?" I asked honestly, frowning as I glanced at the cells lined along the walls. Moans, whimpers, sobs, and screams rang from inside them, shackles rattling and the sound of blood squirting giving me goose bumps. I looked back at Theo, who curled his lip as he flicked a lock of hair out of his eyes.
"Malachi says it's important. Something about one of the Titans making a move." Thought he said this with a nonchalance that could be called irresponsible, he looked uneasy about it. I could tell by the way the muscles in his arms tightened. I frowned, then suddenly felt a crippling power fill the air, almost bringing me to my knees. I managed to stay upright as I turned to see Zelios appearing in the trench with his guard, Noe.
Zelios was stunning in every sense of the world. He could put any man or woman to shame. He was commonly talked about amongst incubi and succubi for being delectable. Long, nearly waist-length red hair that was a shade brighter than Theo's with the occasional braid mingled in and red eyes that were always hooded with a bored stare. He wore long white robes with elbow-length sleeves and a red scarves around his waist, the ends touching his black booted feet.
Noe was nearly dwarfed by Zelios' six foot seven. Noe was around five ten with dark unkept hair cut just under his chin, save for two locks that touched his shoulders just in front of his ears. His periwinkle eyes were the oddest part about him, the way they watched intently. He was decked out in a black, sleeveless jacket and red turtleneck that also lacked sleeves, and a pair of leather pants and fingerless gloves that reached his elbows.
"Where are the others?" Theo asked, though, he didn't seem to care too much. He just hated silences. Zelios came forward calmly with Noe right at his heels. Noe flashed me a dirty look that I took in stride. He was only angry that I had threatened Zelios, a very stupid move on my part as without my god powers, Zelios could easily rip my head off and play basketball with it.
"Right here." A voice stated loudly. I looked up to see Cain and Hannibal walking toward us. It was no surprise that Cain came toward us with a sexual stride to his walk. He didn't walk like a god, no, more like an incubus. He wore a pair of tight leather pants that were probably illegaly in several countries and hung so dangerously low that pantsing him would be easy. A black male corset with straps that came to wrap around his throat in a buckled collar and a pair of tall leather buckled boots finished off his attire. He flipped his dark brown hair out of his deep blue eyes, revealing a face that was more pretty than anything.
Hannibal walked with a little more dignity, wearing his usual long black, buckled coat that fell to his matching boots. His black hair was brushed across his face, hiding his left eye. His left ear was entirely covered in silver piercings, matching the stud on the end of his tongue.
"Nice job," Theo drawled, scanning Cain up and down, "I didn't think you could get any sluttier." Instead of taking offense, Cain happily walked right up to Theo, getting in his face to flash a pair of sleek fangs.
"Hey, baby, if you want a piece of this, go ahead. I'm open for business." Cain teased, flicking his tongue out over his teeth. Theo bared his fangs angrily and withdrew, making Cain laugh as he stepped back, throwing his hand back to hit Hannibal's shoulder for his attention.
"See, Hannibal. That's how you scare a virgin." He said. Hannibal smirked and actually had the nerve to lift his head up slightly, looking down his nose at Theo, who looked like he was already plotting their immediate demise. I narrowed my eyes threateningly and Hannibal instantly caught it, snapping his head to gaze at me with black eyes.
"Whoa, guys, watch it, your pups are about ready to rip throats." At the sound of Cerberus' voice, everyone looked up with a grimace, even Zelios who rarely displayed emotions as a rule. Cerberus came toward us with a deadly swagger, his layered black hair shorter near his neck before becoming abruptly longer to near his waist. He wore a black buckled pirate coat that fell to his knees, nothing underneath of course, save for a pair of black torn jeans that disappeared into a pair of bulky dark purple boots designed with skeletons.
Leon, his guard, followed close behind him. He was a man that didn't anger me as much as the others. His skin was the color of mocha with gold geometric designs running the length of his arms, neck, and along his cheeks, coming up under a pair of eerie green eyes lined in dark lashes. His black hair was pulled back in a tight braid that fell down the center of his shoulders, his bangs framing his face in light curls from having them braided back. He wore a sleeveless jacket, black pants, and matching boots.
"My pup is just fine." Cain replied carelessly, holding his hand up toward Cerberus in obvious dismisal that Cerberus replied with by very animalistic bark.
"If anyone's a pup, it's you." Theo returned sourly. Cerberus grinned at him and reached out, ruffling Theo's hair like an older brother might do to his baby brother. However, instead of being thrilled, Theo snarled and tried to punch him, but Cerberus caught Theo's wrist and then the other when Theo tried to hit him again.
"Get of me, pig!" Theo sneered. Cerberus grinned, flashing his fangs that were a bit larger than any of his brothers' as he tightened his grip on Theo. While no one else probably caught it, I caught the sight of Theo's eyelids fluttering at the feel of pain in his hands. For some reason, that set me off and without realizing, growled low in my throat.
Cerberus raised an eyebrow at that and turned his head to look at me, amused.
"What's the matter, Chihuahua? Pissed that I'm laying hands on your master? What're you gonna do, bite my ankle?" He asked with a smirk. I wanted to tell him to shove his ankle up his sphincter, but I didn't have my god powers to back me up, so I just glared at him hatefully until he let go of Theo, who threw his arms down at his sides for a split second before bringing them up to shove Cerberus hard in the chest, enough to make him stumble.
"Touch me again and Hades will have to find a new poodle." Theo spat, making Cerberus snort and start for him, but Zelios laid a hand on his shoulder and said something in a low voice so that we couldn't hear. Whatever it was made Cerberus grin before shrugging him off as he went to pay attention to Leon, who had stood beside me in absolute silence.
I sensed another fissure of power in the air and caught sight of Lord Charon arriving with his righthand, Kyros. Charon was one of the eldest, and also one of the most mistreated. It wasn't because he was ugly, no. Quite the contrary, Charon was beautiful in an elegant manner with his black hair cut at medium length, his bangs centered toward his face, somewhat hiding his lavender eyes that actually held a bit of sorrow at them. He, like others, wore entirely black, a hooded jacket with loose sleeves, matching pants and boots.
Kyros was like his exact opposite, dressed entirely in white with leather pants and a stiff-collared jacket. His hair was black as night, saved for the frosted tips, his bangs swept across a handsome, yet cruel face. He was also rather old, probably even older than Charon and Zelios, and certainly older than the rest of us righthands.
"Glad you could join us." Cerberus smirked, making Charon glance sideways at him before looking away. That seemed to irritate Cerberus, as I could see the tic in his jaw, but he didn't have time to make a scene about it because the last three members of the Titan Guardians showed up.
Malachi was one of the tallest with long black hair that fell over his shoulders, his eyes an eerie blue against black shade, probably something he inherited from his mother. The sleeveless black turtleneck and leather pants hugged his muscles tightly. Beside him was Abel, Cain's twin brother, but the only thing that looked alike between them now since Abel dyed his hair navy blue, were their faces. The pretty features that could probably put women to shame. His deep blue eyes were changed to look like Malachi's, blue against black. He wore the leather black catsuit of a servant under Malachi's command.
Thanks to Cain and his severe jealousy, he tricked Abel and had Abel demoted from his position as the Warden of Elysium. Abel was sent to work for Malachi and while the two got along better than any of the other brothers, Abel hated Cain with a burning passion for it and the fact that he could tolerate being in the same realm as him was unbelievable.
The final member was Malachi's so-called human, Adrian. He wasn't actually human, we had soon learned. Adrian was also a demigod, a son of Philotes, grandson to Nyx and Erebus, two of the most powerful primordial gods to have existed. He'd been severely corrupted due to his human father. Philotes had thought leaving him in his father's care would save him, but she was very wrong.
Gods that were of the sexual, beauty, or erotic groups were always dangerous to humans. Humans couldn't resist them, and because Adrian's god powers were locked away and he was merely a child, his father fell prey to the curse of a beautiful god and abused his son.
And despite that, Adrian still managed to walk with his head held high now. He was far different from the way he'd been during the court case. During the court case, he was timid, skittish, and paranoid. When Lord Theo had taunted him by bringing his father in, Adrian blew up in hysteria.
Now, he, and I blame the effect of the god powers, had become more confident. He had no problem telling you his honest opinions and standing up for them. Even though Malachi seemed to be calling the shots in the meetings, I had a feeling that Adrian was the one pulling his strings.
There was a lot more between them than being partners or housemates.
"Glad you could make it," Malachi said to everyone, "This was sort of a last minute meeting and we apologize, but we have some extremely important news that we need to discuss."
"Do you guys know Xenon?" Adrian asked first. Everyone, including myself, bleghed at once at the name of the demon, or whatever he was. Xenon didn't belong nor serve any one pantheon. He'd been known to help many upon many, but he had rules to his services of being an information broker. He always demanded payment and it was always expensive. It was as if he already knew what was closest to your heart and he would usually ask for it. He also, oddly enough, enjoyed the company of much lesser demons, especially imps. He hated the gods with a burning passion, but if they paid him what he wanted, he didn't care.
"What about him?" Cerberus asked in disgust, folding his arms over his chest. Adrian ignored our sounds of annoyance as he pulled a card out of his pocket, holding it up for us to see. I narrowed my eyes at the words written in Greek, but were instantly translated into my head.
"One, two, three, four, your soul is my door. Five, six, seven, eight, I will infect you with my hate." Cain read aloud, then paused to wrinkle his nose in distaste.
"And why the bad poetry?" Theo asked drolly, arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall. Adrian started to speak, but Malachi spoke up too quickly and obviously annoyed with Theo's statement.
"Xenon gave us this card. He says one of the Titans have written it on their hand, they're plotting something and we need to find out which one to add more security to him." Malachi explained sternly. Theo curled his lip at him, but surprisingly said nothing as Leon spoke up from beside me, putting a hand on his hip.
"And just what would they be plotting?" He asked. Adrian frowned and quickly spoke this time before anyone else could.
"We're thinking they're going to try and possess, uhm, well... Me, honestly, but that's just our theory. We won't go into it anymore than that. Right now, we just need to look for whatever Titan has this on their palm." He explained firmly. Everyone shared looks. It wasn't too much to go on, but nobody wanted to find out if it was right or wrong, so we agreed and allowed Zelios to lead us down the tunnel that led to the holding cells of the Titans.
The further down we went, the colder it became. While Tartarus was naturally blisteringly hot, the darkest, deepest parts were much colder, much eerier. We came to a large, circular room with stone platforms that went off in a horse shoe shape along the cells while the center of the room seemed to disappear into a pit of darkness. The moans and groans, snarling and whimpering were fewer here, but still there as Zelios led us to the first cell.
"Tethys." He stated, his deep voice very obviously giving Noe goose bumps as he stood beside me. He caught my stare and blushed hard, looking away and clearing his throat as he placed his hand on his sheathed sword. I narrowed my eyes, then looked away as a woman approached the bars. The darkness hid much of her, but not too much.
She was once a very beautiful Titaness with curly brown hair that fell down her back and glowing hazel eyes, perfect olive skin and a warmth to her touch that could have easily seduced any man.
She looked frail now, paler. Her curly brown hair was tied in a ponytail over one of her shoulders, a tattered looking white gown falling off her shoulders. She held a bitterness to her eyes as she came forward. Blood caked her feet and her fingernails were torn off, blood crusted around them and her missing nails. She seemed to practice wear blood wherever the gown wasn't hiding something.
"Let me see your hands." Zelios said gently. Tethys curled her lip for a moment, then closed her eyes and thrust her hands out, the shackles holding them together clicking together. Zelios took her palms, scanning them before he stood back and shook his head to Malachi, who frowned and looked at Adrian, who just nodded. The others went through the cells, checking each of their palms.
Though, not all of them were as cooperative as Tethys. Cronus spat at Zelios and Noe started to go for him, then seemed to think better of it. A daemon against a Titan, whether that Titan be fully powered or not, was a lost cause.
"This is a waste of time," Theo muttered under his breath as we walked along the platform, passing Titans, who snarled their disgust at us, "These cretins will probably just hide the message anyway."
I said nothing to that, just let him spout off. I was used to it. In fact, I rather enjoyed listening to him now. What once used to annoy me had become like the birds chattering in trees when you walk through a forest.
"I want to go back," Theo seethed at last, gritting his teeth, "And when we do, you be sure to prepare yourself. My back isn't aching anymore." I frowned, glancing at him.
"Your chambers, my lord?" I asked. He nodded stiffly and kept walking before he stopped all of a sudden, blinking quickly. I turned to face him.
"My lord?" I asked. He blinked again, then looked at me.
"Did you hear something?" He demanded, then glanced around before looking at the nearest cell, where a Titan sat with his back to the bars, snoring in his sleep. I looked back at him curiously.
"My lord, maybe we should simply return now."
"I heard something," Theo insisted and went to the nearest cell, none-too-kindly kicking the Titan in the back, making me wince for him, "You! Wake up! We're doing a search, you pig." The Titan groaned, reaching back to ruffle his dark hair, his bloodied hand sliding down his neck before he rose to his feet, revealing that he was a good few inches taller than Theo and by far more muscular, but Theo was hardly intimidated. He rarely was.
"I know," The Titan spoke drolly, turning slowly to reveal a pair of mismatched gold and green eyes hidden by his touseled brown hair, and a deep gash slicing from one corner of his forehead across his face to his lower jaw, "I can hear you all grumbling and whining." Theo curled his lip in repungence.
"Then show me your hands." He ordered, holding his hands out to take the Titan's. Studying the Titan more closely, I recognized him as Epimetheus, the Titan of afterthought and excuses. He was Prometheus' twin brother, or at leas, they used to look alike, but Prometheus was having his guts fed on by vultures and Epimetheus looked like he had a run in with a very sharp blade.
"Where's my please?" Epimetheus smirked, reaching out to grip the bars. Theo narrowed his eyes and that was all it took as the Titan choked, blood bubbling past his lips before pouring out onto the floor. It was Theo's turn to smirk now as Epimetheus leaned on the bars, coughing and choking up blood before peering up past his hair.
"Well, aren't you friendly?" He joked bitterly.
"I'll show you just how friendly I can be if you don't obey me. Now, let me see your hands, Titan, before I cut them off and check them that way." Theo ordered darkly, his voice laced with threat. I frowned, my guard heavily thrust up in order to protect Theo, should Epimetheus decide he wanted to retaliate. However, Epimetheus was known for being rather lazy. He was very careless. Instead of wanting to fight, he merely held his hands out between the bars, palms facing up to reveal that they were both slashed open very recently. I grimaced in disgust and so did Theo, who went to step back, but Epimetheus caught Theo's forearms, making him gasp in surprise.
"Where're you going, princess? Thought you wanted to see my hands." Epimetheus sneered, tightening his grip on Theo's arms. He didn't seem to realize that Theo wasn't intimidated by pain.
"Get your filthy hands off me before I break them!" Theo snarled, jerking at his grip. I started to reach out and shove the Titan back, but he abruptly let go and crumpled to the floor as Theo stumbled back. I peered into the cell, eyes narrowed as Epimetheus lay unmoving on the floor, probably unconscious. I turned back to Theo, who was blinking a few times, looking around quickly.
"Are you all right, my lord?" I asked, concerned. He looked bewildered, as if he had no idea what had just happened before he looked at me, then at the cell behind me, then back at me again. He smiled lightly.
"Just fine." He answered. I frowned, glancing down at Theo's arms to see that they were bruised, but of course it didn't bother him. He was probably horny now, which meant it was my job to sate it once we arrived back at the palace again.
"We checked them all," Cerberus said as we gathered back at the entrance to the Titans' chambers, "No one has a message scrawled on their palms. Are you sure Xenon wasn't just lying to you?" Adrian frowned, looking mildly offended at the accusation, but he didn't lose his temper like a lot of the other people. He shook his head slowly.
"Someone's hiding something then," He decided, scanning the cells before quickly looking away from the one that held Philotes, the pain in his eyes obvious, "We need to set up a higher guard and we need to come back here again. There has to be a way to drain them of power, so they can't conceal the message."
"Yeah, Zelios," Cain agreed with a snort, waving his hand flippantly, "Like torture the shit out of them more than you already do. They actually look like regular prisoners. If I were you, I'd have fun gutting them, only to watch them heal again before I gutted them some more."
"Then why don't you take his job?" Abel demanded past clenched teeth. Cain smirked at him, flashing his fangs.
"Oh, trust me, I would love to have his job. I like tormenting people." He returned. Abel fumed and went for him, but Malachi caught him around the waist and tore him back.
"Get off me! I'm sick and tired of being around this asshole," Abel snarled viciously, fangs flashing and his eyes becoming almost snake-like, "All of these assholes! They don't give a damn if the Titans escape! They're totally useless!"
"Abel, that's enough." Malachi ordered, tightening his grip on Abel, who squirmed like fish in Malachi's arms. Adrian winced, then looked at Zelios quickly. Zelios remained calm and placid as usual while Noe seemed tempted to go after Cain, but Hannibal was giving him a glare that dared him to come forward.
"I can add more grigora to their meals," Zelios said at last after Abel had calmed down enough for him to speak, "It will dampen their powers further, but I have strict orders not to kill the Titans. They are to remain alive, so I cannot torture them severely."
"How long will that take?" Adrian asked with a frown, running his hand through his blonde hair as he scanned the Titan cells again before looking back at Zelios, only to have Noe reply this time.
"Grigora is fast acting, unless you fight it and there's no doubt the Titans will do everything they can to stop it," Noe explained, shrugging, "But it shouldn't take more than a week. By the end of the week, we can meet back here and check their palms again."
"Let's just hope nothing bad happens within a week." Malachi muttered. Everyone nodded grimly before beginning to split up to head back home, some teleporting and some simply walking. Theo didn't wait and teleported. I followed close behind him, appearing beside him as we entered the throne room. Theo paused, scanning the room before frowning, rubbing at his temple.
"I'm going to rest. All of this is giving me a headache." He muttered. I cocked my head slightly.
"Do you wish me to follow?" I asked. Theo blinked, looking caught off guard for a moment, then shaking his head quickly, glancing at me pointedly.
"Do whatever you want. I'm going to sleep." He vanished before I could say anything else. I had no idea what he meant by wanting to rest. Surely he wouldn't really sleep. Theo very rarely got sleep and when he did, it was after a roughhousing session with myself. I also didn't get very much sleep as Theo was always calling on me every few seconds.
The fact that he was giving me time off meant I was going to spend it sleeping, I thought in relief, heading to my chambers.
I just wished it would be a peaceful sleep.
I was very wrong.