NuNew has been kidnapped, and the life bonds do not work. Zee frantically searched for his lifemate. A kitten, July heartbroken and sad. NuNew is frantically trying to repair the bond that has been damaged. Zeus was terrified that he had not told his son-in-law a secret he needed to know and feared what would happen to his future family.
Chapter Text
Lóngshén the Dragon King
Lóngshén felt Nu lose consciousness and tightened his body around the orb.
"What the hell is happening, Master? Who dares to touch us? Master? Wake up? Speak! To those who attack us, I will find and destroy you, do you hear me? Master, please hold on. I will protect what is ours and call for help," the dragon exclaimed as he felt his master's body being dragged away.
His master was gentle and kind. Who would want to hurt such a caring soul? First, they hit his master, and there was something else he couldn't put his finger on.
"Could it be one of my old enemies come back to kill me to take the throne? My son may be getting bold," the old dragon muttered.
Still trying to figure out who could be behind this. No, this is not possible. His enemies or children could never enter the god realm, and he would have felt another dragon's presence.
"My children are not cowardly and would never attack from behind. They want you to see them coming," Lóngshén growled.
Dragon children were vicious and would kill their parents for their horde and glory, but his children did not have enough power to take him down, at least not yet. Suddenly the dragon stopped and roared.
"Who dares to drug us? I will find you and rip your entrails out," Lóngshén knew he had time before it would knock him out.
Who would have the nerve? It had to be someone who was out to destroy the orb. He had failed to hide it in time. He was such a fool to think this was not possible. Gods could be very petty and jealous of those in the condition his master has found himself in.
If that were the case, they would have searched his master's body to find the orb. If they had searched and found him, they would not see the orb unless they pried his body from it.
He knew no one had discovered their resting place. The dragon was becoming irritated. Of all the suspects, he could not think of one brave enough to do this.
No matter what it was, he wouldn't fail his master or Zeus in his quest to preserve the orb. He knew he needed to act fast before he joined his master in the nether.
He wasted precious seconds with these random thoughts. Lóngshén had to show himself to call for help. He needed a perfect hiding place. After careful consideration, he moved from the depths of his master's belly button. He needed a place that people usually wouldn't look. Then he realized the ideal place!
He has chosen a spot on his master's body that would be less likely to receive damage if they were hurt or tortured. He shrunk the orb and himself down to the size needed before resting them on the underside of his master's little toe.
All little toes on humans seem to have a curve like a dragon's claw. It was the perfect hiding place, and whoever had taken them had malevolent intentions. He could feel it radiating off them.
He would have to turn himself to stone for added protection just in case they decided to torture the bottom of his feet. Here Lóngshén and the orb could rest safely until they could come and save Nu. Nothing would damage that which he was tasked to protect.
He called to Zeus and his master's lifemate before he made the orb and himself invisible. He noticed that his master's life bonds were silent, another issue he would have to deal with later.
Lóngshén was unsure if any of the messages got out before he fell into the abyss. He had held on as long as he could. The next conscious thought Lóngshén had, he knew he had to assess the situation.
He took the time to ensure the orb was silent and sleeping, and after careful thought, he acted. Lóngshén opened a pinhole in his stone shell to see how his master was and if he could determine where they were.
Instantly the orb screamed in terror, and Lóngshén, afraid he had damaged his charges, closed the pinhole quickly and soothed the orb. Someone was whipping his master, and he could not allow the pain to reach the orb.
The orb only felt a fraction of what his master had, and it could not tolerate even one second of the pain. He must not allow that to happen again. He resealed the stone and attempted to lull his charges back to oblivion.
The dragon thought that if he did not promise Zeus to protect the orb, his master would already be home safe with his lifemate. But his priority was the orb, and three were counting on him.
Zeus was right to have him protect what was weak. It was already unstable even after his ministration, and he would have to take extra care to ensure he did not damage them further. Lóngshén would need to plan a strategy once he can stabilize the orb.
Even with all his precautions, the orb seemed to know something was wrong. He was a little proud, and the orb had already used its powers but could not allow it to suffer. His charges had felt pain for the first time.
He will make it up to them and give them a gift, it would strengthen them, and his knowledge would help them become more. The dragon closed his eyes and merged minds with the inhabitants of the orb, and joined his essence as he did with Nu.
When they were all safe at home, he would merge with Master Zee. All will become him, his family, and ours. He didn't want to think he would become family to his old rival Zeus, but it could not be helped.
If Zeus could not take care of them, he would. He already had come to love them as his own. The dragon softened when he heard a sound like a dragon hum. His charges finally fell back to sleep. Smiling in happiness, a few seconds later, Lóngshén joined them.
NuNew
Hours later, long after Lóngshén fell back to sleep, NuNew began regaining consciousness. His head ached, his back burned, and he wanted to scream in pain, and his legs cramped. He must have been out for a considerable time to be this sore. He tried to open his eyes and felt like he would pass out from the pain again.
They had beat him! They shoved a piece of paper in his face and asked him to denounce his lifemate. Nothing else they said made sense, only that they wanted him to leave his lifemate forever. He knew that he had been drugged, and everything was surreal.
Even now, the whole event was fuzzy in his mind. He wished he could have understood half of what was happening then, and he still didn't remember half of what they were saying. He was glad that he was so doped up that even being whipped didn't matter much to him.
He remembered his screams of pain, but he was never afraid. His father and lifemate would find him, and whoever had taken him would pay. He grinned at them with blood seeping from his mouth, making him look almost feral as he screamed that he would never leave Zee. His screams filled the hallways until he finally passed out.
Right now, he only wanted a hot bath to soothe his body and fall back asleep. He needed to stop dreaming and wasting time. He had to get back to his lifemate and ensure he was okay. First, he had to check the rest of his body. He tried to move his legs and instantly got cramps and curled up in a ball.
He remembered this feeling and knew this was not good. He had dehydration cramps! In Arizona, the weather was so hot that the siblings decided they should take a desert survival class a few years back. His team had got lost and took longer to get to the water station.
It was not a fun night. The whole team was in acute pain as they rehydrated. Soon after, the pain abated, but they were exhausted and slept intermittently for a few days. He sat up, ignoring the cramping, and slowly opened his eyes, hoping it would help his head's throbbing. He didn't have time to baby himself as he did back then.
He cursed when his stomach flipped. He was so dizzy and felt that sick feeling in his stomach again. Then his stomach growled. He would have laughed at the contradiction if he weren't hurting so badly.
He did not know if the nausea was from the hit to the head, the drugs they used, or something else. He blinked, trying to adjust his eyes. He concluded he had a slight concussion, nothing he couldn't fix.
His limbs seemed fine, so whoever kidnapped him wanted him alive. He had tried to cure his nausea this morning but failed and didn't bother trying. That was the least of his problems.
He reached back to where his head hurt and rubbed it. When he pulled his hand back, he saw blood. Whoever had hit him did it hard enough to crack the skin open. He was optimistic that there was nothing he couldn't fix.
The open wounds on his back would take a bit more effort. He was lucky that none of his ailments, bruises, or cuts were life-threatening, and his limbs seemed fine.
Funny, he would say that time was a luxury in the god realm. He needed to act fast before they returned to do whatever they would do to him again.
Calling his light to heal his wounds from the whip, bruises, and concussion was his most pressing issue, and he would heal the rest after he figured out where he was. He felt much better after a few minutes and stood up.
The room was old and incredibly dark, reminding him of the cells in Clash of the Titans. It was made of stone and iron and had a musty smell. Candles on the walls were his only light source that he lit with a wave.
Whoever took him was not worried about him escaping, so guards must be patrolling the area, not the cell. He would need more time to think, consult his lifemate, and ask him what to do.
Calling on his lifemate, he reached and pulled as usual, but something disturbing happened. He heard nothing, not even white noise. It was like the bonds were gone! He felt empty. He tried again, and this caused a burning in his chest when he pushed harder. Nothing, and he got no answer.
Something was wrong! He again turned his light inside himself, shocked at what he saw. His mind shut down for a few seconds. He had no words, was horrified, and his intense grief was beyond anything he had ever felt.
It was incomprehensible that someone would do this to another person. His bonds had been damaged, almost severed, and he had never seen this much damage.
No wonder his whole body hurt. Even Hia's bond wasn't this damaged when he had to repair it so long ago. No way anyone would hear him on the bonds if the damage remained.
He already felt immense loneliness. Usually, he could touch his bond and feel the others, and now he was truly alone for the first time since his bond was activated. He took something so special for granted. Never again, he swore.
He could not stop himself from using precious time to assess all he needed to do. He circled the bond slowly. He took his time inspecting every strand.
Whoever did this know what they were doing, and they had done it before. This person took away his ability to reach out to his father and lifemate.
There was only one reason they would do that, and it had to be because they wanted to separate him from his family. Was it one of the gods? But why? So many questions and no answers.
They were no threat to anyone in Olympus. If it were someone from the mortal realm, he would understand being kidnapped or facing some resistance or obstacle.
He did not have time to figure this all out. He was sure whoever had done this would show themselves soon enough. He needs a plan. First, he needed to fix his lifemate bond, and that could take more light than he had.
The family and God bond were harder to fix. There were too many networks and connections, but the lifemate bond was for his lifemate and himself. He would take this course of action and hoped he had made the right decision.
It would take time to repair all the damage, and he had no other choice and did not know how long it would take to fix it. He would have to find someone or something that could restore his energy, or he will never have enough light to repair it completely.
He started his work, slowly knitting his skin back together, his bruises faded, and his back was clear of wounds. Then he began his work on his lifemate bond. It was hard work. Sweat was pouring off his skin as he concentrated on completing as much as possible in a short amount of time.
Hours later, no one had shown up, but he continued his tedious and tiring work on his bond. He refused to stop and could already feel the effects of being away from his lifemate. He knew this would happen, but he wasn't prepared for it. He would have to see how bad it would get.
His light was fading. His face had a grey tinge. Finally, his body slumped as the last of his energy had been used up. He needed to rest and wait for his captures to get what he sorely needed, more light. He was becoming afraid as he felt the pain in his body amp up.
The increase in pain from being away from his lifemate was drastic, not incremental. He had felt this pain on a small scale when he and Zee were separated for the week they had their misunderstanding, but now that they were lifemate bonded. This might get bad.
Keaakalan lifemates are not meant to be apart, and their souls are bound together when they are lifemate bonded. His mother used to tell him stories of his grandparents when he was young.
He was five years old when she started telling him stories. She feared that he would be just like his grandparents and that things would begin to change soon. Faster than she wanted them to.
She was not ready to let go of her special boy. But she swore to him that he would have all the information his grandmother demanded he had. She somehow knew that Nu was like them, and he needed to be told. The first story she ever told him is the one that applied to him right now.
"Nu, you have always been unique. It worries me sometimes because I fear you are in for a memorable and complex life. My mother told me that I would birth the one that was hidden but would be found. That is you, Nu. She recognized you the day you were born. Like knows like she used to say. Like my parents, you can do things most cannot. My mother made me promise to tell you these stories. You would need them. She made me memorize them, and I will start telling you one each night until we are done and then retell until you can learn all you need to know. Your grandparents had a special bond. It was almost like they could speak and knew what the other thought and felt. I remember my mother telling me stories of their separation for long periods. She would become sick and would stay in bed until he returned. It was like she was magically healed just by being near him. They tried never to be apart after it happened the first time. Your grandmother was a full-blooded Native American Indian from America. She used to live in the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. One day we will visit there, their blood runs through your veins, and you will need to know the other part of yourself and find your family and elders there to pay your respects. I assume you will be like your grandparents when you find someone with whom you will spend your life. Once you find the person you are supposed to be with, make sure you test to see if you can be a part son, I do not want you to suffer that which your grandparents did but never understood," his mom sobbed quietly, her heart hurting.
Not realizing what he was doing, Nu sent her light to soothe her. Now that he thought about it after he was older and knew who he was, she understood how he always calmed his mother and alleviated her fears.
His grandmother was from the reservation in Arizona and was born to be a Keaakalan lifemate, and married his grandfather, who had a small blood quantum of the Keaakalan bloodline which explained why they were unable to use their lifemate bond or didn't know how to access it.
They could access it sporadically, and they would seem to feel each other's emotions and feelings when they were panicked. Maybe in time, they would have learned how to use it if they continued to have time apart.
After the first time, his grandfather feared leaving his wife alone and stayed by her side until they passed into their next life. He was born into this family line because of these two ancestors—a royal hidden by Zeus to be born of another.
As things unfolded in his life, things made more sense. Lifemates will experience extreme pain and, if apart from their lifemate for long periods, can go insane.
When a lifemate dies, the other will follow soon after or go insane from losing the lifemate. His mother worried they would lose him if he were to lose his lifemate early. Thankfully his mom's mother and father lived well into their nineties, and she did not have the scar of suffering that loss.
By his estimation, based on the pain, he had been in captivity for five days, and Zee would be out of his mind with worry. He needed them to find him fast.
As NuNew slipped into unconsciousness, the old dragon king opened his eyes, and it was his turn to keep watch. He again carefully opened a hole while shielding the orb, and it was safe, and the orb felt no pain, and his Master was only tired.
The dragon shook off his stone skin. He reached his senses to make sure there was no one nearby. He knew where they were and the smell and stench of this place. He needs to tell Zeus and fast.
"Zeus, if you are coming, you need to go soon. My master is getting weak and needs his lifemate, and his pains have started becoming too strong for him to handle. We are in Tartarus. Find us before it's too late," the dragon tightened his hold on the orb and turned back to stone, hiding them from view again.
This time, he heard Zeus broken message. Begin... Tartarus...
The dragon was relieved and waited for what would happen next.
Zee
Zee was exhausted. He had been searching for Nu for the last five days and had no idea what had happened and why he was not answering him.
He had called him day and night on the bonds and had yet to hear back. Did he do something wrong that he would disappear? They were happy, and their home was full of love. There was no reason for him to leave.
He didn't remember doing anything that would warrant this. It is not easy to hide in the god realm, and there is always someone who knows where you are. This whole thing seemed strange.
He was fine when he left him to sit on the lawn. Other than having an upset stomach and needing to rest, nothing was wrong between them, and after two days, he knew that this had nothing to do with him and that something else was happening.
Zeus had yet to return and let them know if he had found anything else. The dragon king had sent him a message he didn't understand and would investigate. But so far, Zeus had no answers.
July was pacing the floor, the fur on his back standing on edge. He has been yowling non-stop since he realized that Nu was missing.
"You need to find him! You know he is in pain now. He has been away from us for too long. What did you do? Why would he run away? Did he run away? Did my dream come true? HELP HIM! He DOESN'T KNOW! FIND HIM BEFORE WE LOSE WHAT WE VALUE MOST," July jumped onto Zee's lap and batted him with his paw.
Zee saw that the cat was losing his mind with worry. All he could do was let him get it out of his system—poor kitten. Zee murmured and soothed until the cat snuggled in his arms and fell asleep.
When Zee was about to get up, Zeus appeared before him. He almost dropped July from being startled. Zeus did not believe in knocking or care if she frightened anyone. The man needed some manners.
"We need to talk, Zee. Put the kitten to bed, and let's go for a walk," Zeus stood with his arm crossed, knowing he had to go for that walk, which was important.
Zee carried July into his room. He had taken to sleeping in their home for years. His servant Maah comes daily to take care of his everyday needs. In the beginning, she tried to get him to go home, but he refused to be away from Nu after he had those terrible dreams of Nu being tortured. They all agreed it was best to stay close so he would not lose his fur again. Maah stayed with them until they found Nu.
Carefully handing July to Maah, Zee looked sadly at the kitten sniffling in his sleep from crying so much.
"He finally went to sleep, Maah. Can you keep holding him? Nu would be upset if he saw him like this. Give him anything he wants," Zee sighed and handed the sleeping kitten over.
"Yes, sir. I promise I will take good care of him. He won't be happy until his parent returns and holds him again. I will try to keep him calm until you can bring him home. It is tearing his little heart out," Maah sobbed quietly.
Maah took the kitten, sat in the chair, and stroked his soft fur. Maah wondered why bad things happened to the good ones.
Zee softly closed the door to July's room and returned to the living room to talk to his father-in-law. It has been five days! He could tell his lifemate was still alive but couldn't reach him. He was frustrated.
He wondered if somehow Nu's bonds were damaged. So many possibilities, and he was unsure what exactly was happening. He also wanted to ask July when he woke up about what Nu didn't know. As far as he knew, Nu knew everything about him, their life, the kitten, their family, and their commitment.
"What could he be talking about? His lifemate kept no secrets from him, so what could it be," Zee pondered.
As he returned to the living room, Zeus was playing with the remote to the tv. It always made Nu laugh that his father was clueless about electronics. This is their forty-fourth TV. Zeus keeps zapping them and then declaring them broke.
"I am back. July is settled with Maah. What exactly is going on," Zee gave his father-in-law a steady gaze.
Zeus always seemed to talk in riddles, and starting the conversation with no-nonsense was best.
"Son, I finally have some news on what is ours. It seems your father has your lifemate. He intends to either kill him or have him denounce you as his lifemate," Zeus decided just to throw it out there and wait for Zee to process the information.
At first, he was stunned. Then Zee was so angry that he wanted to race to his father and beat some sense into him. He had warned him to stay away from his lifemate and any he felt that was his family.
Right now, he needed to keep his wits about him. He needed a clear head if his father was playing with his lifemates life. He would not lose his temper.
"Continue," Zee growled.
Zeus knew that he needed to tread lightly, or Ares would go to ground, and it would be hard to find him, especially if his son-in-law did something.
"He took your lifemate from the gardens, and from my informants, he is keeping him in Tartarus. That is why we have been unable to find him. The only place he could have taken him was where we would not feel him through the bonds. I sent an army of rodents who found your lifemate in a cell. We know his location. However, he is extremely ill. He used up almost all his light and is in a deep sleep. His body has shut down to preserve himself. The dragon king is protecting... Ares damaged Nu's bonds, and Nu has been trying to heal them. He was hoping that someone would come to the cell so that he could recharge, but Ares keeps people away from him, afraid of all the powers he has manifested. The one that Ares has failed to think of is Nu's ability to speak to animals. Since he has this power, the dragon could tell the mice their story and bring it back to me. Now there is one thing I am not telling you, and I only learned of it the day I saw you in the garden. I have had the scholars checking since this is unprecedented, but it seems this is common for my son. Your lifemate is pregnant and not just with one baby but two. The dragon king has tasked himself as the protector of the orb. No matter what happens, son, the dragon king will keep your children safe. Nu thinks that either Ares gave him something to make him sick or that something didn't agree with him. Nu has no idea he is pregnant. I assume that is why he felt unwell the day of the tournament. I did have the dragon god hide the orb, so no one else knew about the pregnancy. No one knows how this is possible. Everyone is completely stumped. Unless Nyx gives up her secrets, we may never know," Zeus wondered why his son always breaks all the precedence.
Zee was glad he was sitting, or he would have fallen. This was news he never thought he would hear until after their death and rebirth as gods. He had promised Nu many children when they returned to the god realm. His shock turned to happiness.
"You are sure? Is my Nu pregnant with our children? Do you know how much Nu has despaired about children? Nothing is more important to him than this. How did this happen? Is Nu in danger of being pregnant and not a god? My father has no reason to take Nu. If he has an issue, he should have taken it up with me. Whatever his foolish game is, he will pay for taking my family," Zee declared the dazed look of the news on his face.
Zeus was glad he took this news well; he was afraid he would lose his temper. His son-in-law used to rage for days when he was a god for anything that raised his ire. No one wanted to be around him when he lost his temper because all hell broke loose. His reincarnations after the event have made him even better at gamesmanship and strategy. He could already see his mind racing.
"Ares knows I am watching him. We cannot wait any longer, so I am here to get you. He was able to slip away, and now that we know where my son is, we need to get him. It's time to deal with Ares. We need to catch him in the act to justify to the other gods his punishment," Zeus looked at Zee with determination and anger.
Zee felt nothing but fear in his heart that his lifemate, a pregnant one at that, is in danger and in his father's hands. Maybe July's story he had told long ago was coming true. Perhaps he should have listened to the kitten more when telling him about the dream.
It was too late for ifs. Zee had been fighting the pain from his lifemate bond, which was worsening. This one almost knocked him off his feet. He couldn't imagine what his lifemate was feeling. He needed to get to him, ease his pain, and fill him with the light that made him shine like a star.
"How did this happen? Nu and I are not gods and should not be able to bear children until our next life. What has changed? Not that I am not incredibly happy inside by the news, and I am also terrified that my father has my lifemate, and the things he can do scares me to the core. Let's get my lifemate," Zee's voice was low and venomous.
As Zeus and Zee went running out the door. Ares had finally arrived at his destination. It was so easy to slip away. His father thought he was stupid, but the old man was becoming slow and weak. It was time to reap some vengeance on the one that took his son from him. His son-in-law NuNew will never leave Tartarus alive.
Ares pushed into the cell to gloat at his son-in-law, shocked at his condition. He would not have to put much effort into ending his life, and he already looked like he was days from dying.
"I see you have not signed the paper or verbally denounced my son, and you have not learned your lesson. I guess it's up to us to teach you that you have no right to be mated with your better," Ares screamed at NuNew.
Ares approached the wall, selected a whip, and walked over to NuNew.
"I will be the one to teach you the lesson this time," Ares leered at NuNew, and his arm came down, making a terrible sound as it tore into his human flesh.
After three lashes of the whip, NuNew fell unconscious. Ares, so incensed, continued to beat NuNew even after he passed out.
"It matters not to me if you denounced my son or I kill you. Today the choice will be made,' Ares screamed.
His eyes were of a god who had lost his sanity and even enjoyed the pain he was inflicting.
"Say that again, old man. This is the day I will kill you if my lifemate does not survive. I will let the Titans have you for breakfast, "Zee reached up and gripped Ares's arm before it came down to hit his lifemate and cause him more harm.
"If he dies, you die, then I die," Zee screams in his face.
Notes:
This was a hard chapter for me to write. Especially since we all have been filled with so much happiness, it makes writing things like this harder for me.