Summary:
Zeus and Zee race to Tartarus to rescue Nu. The dragon has a plan, the twins are conscious, and life is turning inside out for Zee as he worries for the health and welfare of his lifemate. How could all these things happen to them all at once? Zee was overwhelmed, Zeus was determined to save his son, and Nu was unconscious. The only thing that they knew was that they had to save the one they loved the most. None could live without him. Literally.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for .)
Chapter Text
Zee
Zee felt Zeus join him in attempting to subdue his father. The added strength of the two men pressed Ares hard against the cell wall, and it wasn't enough. He could still give them a hard time, and Zee was concerned that they would fail to contain him.
Why did they think they could subdue him with brute strength and not bring something to tie him up? Neither father nor lifemate figured they would need a proper rescue party, and their focus was what mattered most to them. Nu.
His father was strong, and he would soon gain purchase. If they did not do something soon, Ares would break free. He hoped his father-in-law had a plan. His thoughts were squarely on the man lying on the cold stone ground.
"Don't move," Zee screamed at his father as he turned back towards him and redoubled his efforts to hold him in place.
He needed help with focusing when it came to Nu. His love was all-consuming, and he must win against his father. There was no other choice. Between his love-hate relationship with his father and his all-encompassing love of Nu, his lifemate won hands down.
Zee pushed harder against his father as he felt his grip slip. At that moment, he felt the room become warm and snap like an electric current had invaded the space, and the hair on his arm stood on end.
Nothing prepared him for the sensation of the air being sucked out of the room like a vacuum. It was so disturbing and made him flinch. Something he never wanted to experience again in any lifetime and made him want to grab his lifemate and forget his father.
Zee had never felt anything like this foreign power that had entered the cell. Zee had never imagined so much energy could be released at once, and it had a taste he was unfamiliar with. Whoever was coming or doing it scared him. He wondered if one of the Titans had escaped and they were in immediate danger.
That is until Zee turned to ask Zeus and was dumbfounded. He had heard what he was seeing but never witnessed it in all his time on Olympus. Zee blinked, not believing what his eyes were seeing. No one could have told him, nor would he have felt it if they did, but it was there!
A gold thread flew from Zeus's hand. He was so shaken, amused, and scared that he almost laughed out loud. He wanted so badly to yell, "Hey, Spiderman!" But even he knew that his father-in-law had his limits, even for a son.
He managed to keep his cool, but it was hard not to laugh. He watched, astonished, as the thin thread wrapped around his father. It moved so fast that before he realized it, it had snaked around Ares's hands and feet, wrapping tighter with each loop.
He heard his father gasp, and he began to struggle in earnest. Was he determined to free himself before Zeus's magic web? No, he couldn't think that without almost bursting out laughing. He chose a better word. Thread. His father screamed and was red-faced with fury.
The cave walls began to shake, and debris began to fall. The centuries-old cells could not take the onslaught of Ares's rage and Zee's yell of triumph when he rebounded his efforts to keep Ares pinned to the wall.
Zee and Zeus would give no purchase until the tread had secured Ares, and they could feel when he finally gave up. When Ares stopped struggling, Zee released his arm, and the whip fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Zee did not waste any time and ran to Nu lying on the cold floor. Stroking his face, he pulled him into his lap and held him. Even the humor of Zeus and his golden thread did nothing for the despair that hit him when he saw his lifemate unconscious.
Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes, and suddenly he felt helpless. All the rage drained from him as his heart began to break. Calling his lifemate's name, and when Nu did not answer, he started crying in earnest.
He had to be alive. He just had to. He looked up at his father-in-law in fear, and his eyes pleading for help he knew Zeus was sure to give. He was losing control, and there was nothing he could do to change it. His whole life was lying in his lap, not moving.
"Son, pull it together! Nu and the children need our strength. You can't fall apart now. Check on the nibblings. If your children are not taken care of, your lifemate will never forgive you," Zeus said sternly.
Sobering, Zee, staring into his father-in-law's eyes, realized he was right. He watched Zeus kneel in front of his son, put his hands on his chest, and push his light into his body.
Nu's body, any other time Zee had pushed light into him, had glowed brightly even when everyone considered him low on energy. Not this time which scared him even more. But suddenly, he saw a small burst of light as if he was seeing it from a distance come up from Nu's chest.
They had decided the best choice was for Zeus to push God's light into Nu to replenish his light faster. Zeus was honestly unsure if it would change his son even more by pressing his light into him, but there was no choice, and his life was too important not to risk whatever may happen.
Nu sustained extensive damage, and he needed to do it quickly, or his son and grandchildren would be lost forever. If they lost Nu and the children, they would lose Zee too, which would drive Ares insane.
Zeus's head hurt from all the possible connecting dots. Zee was so distraught that he almost forgot what Zeus had told him and what he was supposed to do, and his fear overtook him.
His job was to check the children, HIS CHILDREN! His mind was sluggish, and he quickly forgot the miracle his lifemate was carrying.
"Dragon, APPEAR! Where are my children? Show me now! I need to know they are all right. They must be all right," Zee screamed before a sob tore through his chest and out his mouth.
As they raced to get here, neither knew what to expect. Now that Zee's mind was focused on his children, he hoped the orb would not be damaged.
A stone ball appeared before him, growing bigger before his eyes. Why are his children in a stone orb? Was this his father's doing or the dragon? When it stopped growing, it bounced in front of him. The dragon's eyes appeared red in appearance against the gray stone.
"My master's lifemate, you have come. It is about time. Your children were scared, your lifemate was on the brink of death, and you failed to appear before your evil father beat him again for the second time. Even my children are not this vicious," sniffed Lóngshén.
As the dragon unwrapped his body from around the orb, he could see his twin children inside. Reaching for it, Zee took his children carefully in his hand. He stared with his mouth open in awe. His daughter was snuggled in his son's tiny arms. Zee heard the sweet voice of his daughter in his mind.
"Daddy, you finally came to save NuZe. We waited for you, and we knew you would come. Dragon Daddy Lóngshén told us all about the great hero you are and told us stories," his daughter said softly but excitedly.
Zee's first thought was that his daughter and son had already named themselves. He wondered how they came up with those names or if they were reincarnations of other gods, he had never heard of.
This was beyond his wildest dreams. He did not care who and what they were. He was blessed with two children made of Nu and his love. How special was that? They did not have to wait another lifetime.
Zee heard a hum through the family bond and knew the old dragon was still on duty watching over his children. He wondered if he was the reason why they already had names.
"ZeNu was brave and protected his sister," his son said proudly.
Tears poured down Zee's face as he hugged the orb gently against him. The dragon looked on and decided that now was the time, and this was his new family, and it was his right to protect what was his.
He could never allow something like this to happen again. He needed to protect them. They were just Keaakalan, after all, still not God, but not human. He would make them even more, he decided.
The dragon closed his eyes, gathered his strength, and circled the family. Zeus opened his eyes to see what was happening when he felt the burst of power.
His eyes widened when he realized what the dragon would do. No other mortal or immortal has ever been gifted what his son and his family were given.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do, dragon? Once it is done, it cannot be undone," Zeus focused on Lóngshén but realized that the dragon was already in the family bond.
Lóngshén never stopped or slowed when he gave Zeus his final answer.
"While watching the children, I finally realized this is why this is all happening, why I was given to your son. What role was I to play in your son's life? We have always been close, closer than a God and dragon should be. You probably knew it when it happened all those years ago. They need our protection and our love. It is time for us to merge, not just co-exist. It should have happened long ago, but I was not ready. I am ready now. Your family will be part of me, and I will be part of them. Our lives and destinies are now one," Lóngshén declared.
Zeus realized that if things like this continued, he would need to have the scholars constantly monitor his son, and he never wanted him to lose his privacy, and this was one thing he would keep to himself.
He returned to pushing light as the dragon merged with the family and their bonds. The family will become Dragon Born. Zeus never thought he would experience this, and it would be thrilling, all because of his son and his family. He had much to be thankful for.
We are born through fire and purpose.
To protect and to serve.
From family to family
We are one of the mighty
From heart to fire
We keep humanity safe
Their love their solid base
To soar through the sky
To sear our souls to fly together.
We are dragons.
Until death, we are Dragon Born.
Zee threw his head back, and fire came from his mouth, his eyes red and blazing. The gift of fire was bestowed upon Zee at his conversion ceremony, and now the advantage of dragon fire was at his command.
Smoke billowed from Nu's mouth, and Zeus's eyes blazed. No one heard Ares whimper; he would be affected since he was part of their family. The dragon had decided to give him one last chance, and they all heard through the bond the Lóngshén yell.
"It is done!"
The whole family, Zeus, the children, Zee, Nu, and Ares' eyes flew open. The entire family felt Longshan's power pour into them, and when it was finished, they slumped and closed their eyes, unconscious. All that is except for Ares. He watched his family begin to burn.
"Dragon Fire," gasped Ares as terror filled his heart.
"This is your punishment and your fate. Show me you can be redeemed, God of War. Save your family and share their burden. Give back what you have stolen. Give what you should have given freely. Open your heart. Show me you are ready, "Lóngshén roared.
Ares
Ares was going to lose his mind. He had taken Nu and attempted to destroy him for his son's sake. He thought this lifemate made him weak. His shock that Nu was pregnant had shaken him to his core.
He would have destroyed his grandchildren. How could he have lived with himself if they had died? Ares struggled against the god light that Zeus had cast.
With the pain of being on fire, his bonds had loosened. He had his searing pain but, for the first time, was not thinking of himself. He had to save his family.
He realized his mistake and needed to protect them even if it meant he would have to destroy himself by trying. Ares dove toward his two sons and wanted to pull them away from the fire, but they would not budge.
He realized at once that this was dragon fire. The fire that only a dragon can extinguish. He needed to kill the dragon. But now, the dragon seemed to be a part of them, more of an extension of them.
If he hurt the dragon, would he hurt his children? He wished that Zeus was conscious he would know what to do. His hands were still pressed against Nu's chest. Zeus's light was like looking into a crystal.
It had many colors and facets. Nu began to sparkle and shine like his father's god light. He, too, wondered if there would be side effects from such an action. How beautiful they were.
He could see the anguish and determination on Zee's face. Holding his children in his hand. His face shone with love and the promise of a good life with his family. Nu was perfection in this light. His son-in-law's beauty was known across Olympus. Everyone said that Zee and Nu were a perfect match.
He didn't see it. How did he miss it? Why did he feel he had to destroy the one good thing in his son's life? He knew he was a terrible father and needed to fix what he broke.
He threw himself on his sons, ran his finger against the orb, cupped his son's hand holding his grandchildren, and cried. He did not care if he burned, and he deserved it.
He would die with his family. He could not believe his ignorance and would lose all he had always wanted but was too dumb to realize he already had it. After this, he would kill the dragon for harming his family before he perished with them.
Ares continued to cry as all six family members burned, and the dragon had yet to consume their bodies with his fire. Then he looked again; their bodies remained intact and had no burns. Ares couldn't contain his tears, but now they were tears of happiness.
He rocked and murmured loving words to his family he held tightly in his arms. He thought he would spend eternity making up for what he did to his son-in-law, which was incorrect.
He would spend eternity apologizing for his mistake to his sons and grandchildren, hoping they would find it in their hearts to forgive him someday. Nu opened his eyes and saw Ares in his distraught state.
At first, he wanted to recoil but realized the god was crying. Ares had a tight hold on his hand, and it was beginning to hurt. He squeezed Ares's hand, and the god looked up, shocked.
"Oh, my son, you are all right! I regret. Please believe me that I regret! I am so sorry for what I did to you. I hope you forgive an old god set in his ways before we die. I would die in your place if I could, my son. The dragon fire has us ablaze, and nothing can stop it. I do not even know if the old dragon can change our fate," Ares pleaded with Nu. The change in him was like night and day, and he could see the shock on Nu's face.
NuNew
NuNew looked at Ares and wondered what had changed the god's view of him. Of all the years that he had been in the god realm, he had seen Ares, but he had never approached or even, in some cases, avoided him. There was always something off about him.
He looked at his skin and saw all of them were on fire, but there was no burn. The dragon had never hurt Zee or him in all the years since he had merged, and there was a reason behind it, and he would not jump to conclusions.
Nu suddenly arched his back, the pain rocked his body, and he screamed in terror and fear, making him reach for Ares.
"Pa, help me," Nu withered in agony.
Not knowing what was wrong with Nu, Ares grabbed him and held on to soothe him. His screams filled the chamber and tore his heart out when only a half hour ago, his screams filled him with joy.
Nu was in his heart now. How that could suddenly happen, he did not know. He was now his family, his son, and he needed to find the source of his pain. It could not be the fire because he was still burning but felt no pain.
Zeus and his son Zee were still immobile, and their eyes closed. There was no pain on their faces, and he knew whatever was happening to them would not destroy them.
What was the dragon fire doing to them all? The dragon kept circling, his dragon body rolling with flame after ring of flame. Nothing was different except that Zeus's light was going into Nu.
Ares believed the light would restore Nu initially, but no one was prepared for what the dragon was doing. Zeus could not stop his light, and now the light was hurting Nu, not helping him. It was too much light, and his body began to reject it. Nu was never made to hold so much god light in the cells of his body.
"That's it," Ares exclaimed.
Ares tried to pull Zeus away from Nu but could not move him. Something was happening with them all, but he did not know why Nu and himself were awake and the other two were not. He needed them to wake up, or the fire might consume them all, but no matter what he did, they would not.
Ares returned to his sons and pulled Nu into his arms as much as possible. Zee held on to Nu, and even the great Ares could not pry him away. He soothed and comforted his son's lifemate, who was feeling helpless. If Nu dies, his son will never forgive him, and he will never forgive himself.
Suddenly Nu arched his back, and a golden ray exploded from his chest. The force was so strong that it threw him across the room, but Zeus, his grandchildren, and his son held firm. The gold pouring from Nu's body seemed alive and determined to cover everyone and everything in the room.
Ares ran to his children and tried with all his might to move them away but fell to the ground when he realized there was no escape. When it finally reached his skin, he was sure it would burn, but instead, it was warm and soothing. Ares looked at his son's lifemate in awe.
He now understood why Zee was so protective, why he was so special. Why didn't he cherish him when he had the chance instead of treating him like the enemy?
Ares sobbed; he could feel the light penetrating his body. All his turmoil was gone, nothing but love and healing inside and outside, including his heart.
The dark held no purchase in his body. It all melted away as if he had just come into existence. He had never felt so free and without a worry. A scar on his arm from childhood when he tried to touch Zeus's thunderbolt melted away before his eyes. It wasn't possible, and no one had ever been able to remove it.
His eyes swung to Nu, and he knew he would care and love the boy held in his son's arms for eternity. Trying to hold both his sons, his emotions had overcome him.
He cried for all his hurt and anger toward Zee and the years he lost. The time he could have had with his new son was all wasted. Ares felt warm hands rubbing his arm and one rubbing his back.
He opened his eyes, still pooling with tears, and saw Zee and Nu comforting him. They comforted him! The god of war never cried, and he could feel their concern through their family bond.
When he looked at Zeus, the shock made him shake, and Zeus nodded his head in satisfaction, and there was a smirk on his lips. He knew he was savoring his victory. He was right all along, and his family bond had been healed. Lóngshén had stopped and reentered Nu's body. It was finally over. They had survived.
"Let's go home. Our family is healed," Nu whispered and then passed out.
All three men cried out in fear," NO!"
The three men checked Nu and were grateful that he was unconscious and still with them. They now had to figure out a way out.
"Zee and Ares, we must create a wormhole to move Nu from the cell to the portal out of Tartarus. You know this place suppresses our powers, but it does not suppress our means of escape unless I remove the ability from you. We need to get my son out of here." Knowing that this was the quickest way to get Nu out.
Even though all the men were exhausted, the wormhole formed faster than any of them thought it would. Whatever the dragon had done to their family had made a difference. Each man knew that, at some point, they would need to ask the old dragon precisely what he had done to them.
Not today, there was only one person they worried about most right now, and he was lying unconscious in their arms. They passed through the portal to Olympus, and Zee took his lifemate and blinked away, leaving Zeus and Ares standing alone in the fields.
The two gods did not blame him and blinked to meet him at the front door. They both needed to ensure that Nu was well; if he were not, they would use all their combined powers to heal him. Through the family bond, all three men and the dragon agreed.
July
The three men busted through the front door and rushed Nu to the bed where July waited impatiently, yowling so loud they all glared at him.
The kitten's issue was the least of their problems. Nu again lost consciousness, and no one knew why. The old dragon had disappeared with the orb, and no one could get them to answer him.
They needed answers, and they were not getting them from him. The three men never noticed that July was getting angrier the longer Nu did not answer him.
The kitten expected everyone to bend to his will, even in this case Nu was no exception. July jumped on his chest, licked his face, and bit Nu's bottom lip. When Nu didn't wake up, the kitten's eyes began to glow red.
"What did you do to mine, you big doodie head," the kitten yelled at Ares.
July jumped off Nu's chest back onto the bed and grew. His body distorted and stretched. His jaws widened, his teeth lengthened, and he screamed in outrage.
"God of war, I am coming for you, you hurt what is mine, and now you will pay. You should have never taken him! I warned them, but they did not believe me, and today since my Nu is not here to stop me, you will pay my price," the kitten's transformation was already progressing faster than anyone in the room had ever seen.
July's transformation was almost complete when Nu moaned and covered his eyes with his arm.
"I have the worst hangover. What the hell happened to me? July, this stops now! You are being overly dramatic again. Come, let me calm you. I am fine, my dear one," Nu groaned as he tried to move and gave up after the pain was too much.
Ares was glad he didn't have to deal with the kitten, not that he would hurt it. His sons loved that kitten too much. But someone would have gotten hurt, and he didn't need to cause any more trouble for his family.
July's head whipped around, and he soon was the tiny furry kitten they all loved. He darted through Zee's arms to reach his beloved one.
"My rent, you are awake. July missed you so, so, so, so much. I want kitty snuggles, NOW," July demanded, laying on Nu's chest and pushing against his chin.
Looking at them, they looked like the perfect family. Ares tried to sneak out of the room while everyone was catering to Nu, and it was best that he left them alone.
He had done too many terrible things to be forgiven. He didn't deserve it. He saw Nu's heart and knew he would, but he could not trust himself with such a pure soul.
NuNew
Nu adjusted July so he could see everyone in the room and saw when Ares was trying to leave the room.
"Stop, Pa. Don't go. "We are your family," Nu reaching his hand towards Ares.
Ares stilled and Zee bristled at the statement. Nu gripped his father and Ares hand in one hand and reached for Zee with the other. He needed to calm his lifemates inner turmoil so that he would listen to reason.
"Your father needs us, Hia. While you guys were under the dragon thrall, Ares cared for me for hours. He protected, soothed, and comforted me when you could not. The gold god light that was converted by my body healed him and made him whole again. It was not his fault! The Dark was in him, corrupting, destroying him. If The Dark can contaminate a god, this changes things. I need to see every god as soon as possible and touch them. I need to look and see if The Dark resides in them. They must be held in confinement until each one is inspected." Nu looked up, pleading to his lifemate with his eyes.
Everyone in the room, including July, held their breath. The look in Zee's eyes was the scariest anyone had ever seen when he looked at his father, but his expression changed when he turned to Nu.
Zee stroked the top of Nu's head, leaned in, and kissed him tenderly. He could see the love that his Hia had for him and knew that he was going to get through to him.
Nu knew he first had to deal with Hia and Ares before they dealt with the god realm's most significant issue. Sometimes the big things must take a step back for the personal, and to Zee, this is pushing his boundaries.
"Hia, I know you were holding a grudge, but can you at least try for me? One day we will have children; I want them to know your father and have a complete family. I know we are not lacking in the family department, but your father loves you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have cried out your name and pleaded for forgiveness when we thought we all would die. You always feared your father didn't love you, but he really does, with all his heart," Nu reached up and touched his lifemates cheek, and Hia's eyes searched his as if pleading he was speaking the truth to him.
Zee closed his eyes and knew that his lifemate was asking for a lot, but Nu didn't realize that his dream was a reality. They were going to be parents, and their children were already here, and he had to think if he wanted his babies raised around someone like Ares.
"For you, lifemate, I will forgive what he has done, but trust is something I cannot give so freely. Nu love, you are the good in all the worlds, and your nature forgives. My job is to protect you and our family. He must prove that he is worth my trust and love again. He is family, and I understand why you want this, but before you make this decision, there is something you should know. You are pregnant. We are going to be parents to a wonderful pair of twins who can't wait to meet you, my love," Zee smiled down at his lifemate with tears in his eyes.
The look on Nu's face was one that he would remember for the rest of his existence.
Notes:
Thank you so much for understanding and knowing that sometimes life gets busy. I have been working hard to finish everything, and at least Chapter 17 is here. How hard is it to write something so emotional and the desperate raw emotions when you have such things going on with Zee and Nu, and we are again riding that Love high? Now that The Dark has infiltrated the God realm, what will our heroes do? We shall find out next time.
I will be working on chapter three of Sincerely Yours next. I have some great surprises for you!