Chapter 9
Nadia held her breath as General Nebiru sat on the edge of Andromeda’s bed. Andromeda was stretched out atop her sheets, pale and eerily still. After saving Persephone she’d collapsed – then, her body had been pulsing with energy. Now, it barely flickered at all. It was as though a light within her was spluttering out, dying.
Nadia didn’t want to be here. She was just a hound, not even a general or a Goddess. Yet Nebiru had insisted, offering no explanation. It seemed Nadia was to stay by Andromeda’s side, even as she faded away before their eyes. To what end, she didn’t know; only that as Nebiru gently touched Andromeda’s cheek, it was a strangely tender moment. One that Nadia felt she shouldn’t be seeing. His hand moved from her cheek, then to her forehead and his own eyes closed. After a tense moment, he pulled his back and stood.
“She hasn’t got much time left,” he declared uneasily. “Her connection to the Underworld should be healing her.”
“Why isn’t it?”
“She’s never channelled that much raw power before – it’s shredded her connection.” He hesitated for a moment, then looked to Nadia carefully. “I don’t know why my sister trusts you but she does – and that is a rare thing she does.”
Nadia stilled. She thought she’d misheard him but one look at his face told her that it wasn’t a slip. He’d meant to casually drop the word sister, watching how she reacted.
“How? She’s-“
He stepped towards her – midstride, his face melted away, revealing another face beneath. A sharper jaw line, hair long and curly, black as night, with skin the same rich coppery tones as Andromeda. They shared the same eyes, too. The familial resemblance was startling.
“My real name is Victus, God of War and Order,” he said.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because if we cannot find a way to save Andromeda, I will take her place on the throne – and you will take position as a General. You are the witness to who I am.” He glanced back at his sister. “We save her first. The Underworld is hers and I have no wish to rule it.”
If it had been anyone else, she might’ve doubted it. Yet for all the ambition she’d known him to have to be a General, it never seemed more than that. His loyalty to Andromeda was as resolute as Andromeda’s determination with her mission. Hell hath no fury like that of Victus…and anyone whom hurt his sister.
She didn’t know what to say and shifted awkwardly on her feet. Mercifully, there was a soft knock at the door. Victus let his face return to normal and Persephone swept into the room. It was still jarring to see Persephone act like wasn’t queen, as if she needed permission. Then Persephone’s dark eyes flickered to Andromeda and the goddess looked ashamed.
“How bad is it?” Persephone asked softly without looking at Victus.
He turned back to Andromeda. “If we don’t find a way to repair her connection to the Underworld, she can’t heal herself. If it were possible, I’d say we return her to chaos but that’s not impossible. The void is closed to us.”
Persephone fell silent. “She should’ve just let me die.” Her gaze flickered to Victus, searching. To Nadia’s shock, there was raw grief in her eyes. “Why didn’t she? She has a war to end!”
“I rather suspect it’s because she’s tired of losing those close to her,” said Victus, resigned. “She’s reckless like that. Always leaping in, seemingly invulnerable. Even as a human or a hound.”
That’s it!
Seeing the flash on Nadia’s face Persephone turned to her, keen eyes narrowing.
“What is it?”
Victus was looking at her, too, with an intensity that made her restless. Nadia swallowed hard and steeled her spine. She was a hellhound. She didn’t cower to fear!
“Well, what if we put her in the River Styx? It’s gifted heroes’ invulnerability before, god-like powers,” she said quickly. “It wouldn’t be like we’d have to worry about it hurting her – she’s not human.”
“But she is very weakened,” argued Victus. “It’s dangerous-“
“She’s dying – what do we have to lose?” Persephone snapped. “I say do it.”
Victus looked between Persephone and Nadia, torn. He really didn’t want to throw his sister into the River Styx on the thin hope it might actually revive her. A god war must prefer more assurances, rather than just hunches. Before she knew it, she’d crossed the room and stood before him. She extended one of her claws and slashed it across her other palm, blood dripping on the floor.
“I’m not Andromeda. I swear on the River Styx that if Andromeda isn’t healed by the river then I offer my soul as penance for the failure,” she said and grabbed his hand. “To you, I swear that I offer this suggestion with only the hope that it might save Andromeda and that I bear no other intention.”
Victus stared her down with an intensity that made her squirm. She’d never really stared a god down before. Something inside of her tightened and she wasn’t going to look away, let alone lower her gaze.
Persephone cleared her throat.
Nadia stepped back, finally letting herself breathe.
“Well, as fun as this is, we better take Andromeda and get everything ready. Our esteemed leader has slept long enough,” proclaimed Persephone.
Nadia stood with Victus and Persephone by the bank of the River Styx. The amber sky glowed above and made the air warmer than usual. In fact, the more she thought about it, everything about the Underworld felt off. Like it was fading. It had never felt like that when Hades exhausted himself; yet, with Andromeda’s connection, it was different. She’d drawn on so much power to defy fate…Seeing the real physical effect Andromeda had on the Underworld, she started to see that Andromeda had always belonged in hell.
She watched as Victus strode to the water’s edge, his sister limp in his arms. With care, he knelt down and carefully rolled Andromeda into the water without touching it himself. Andromeda sunk beneath the water’s surface. He stood and stepped back.
Then they waited.
And waited.
“It’s not working,” he snarled softly.
Nadia waited for her death to come. It didn’t.
“Yet I’m alive.”
“So, where is she?” Victus thundered and the ground trembled beneath.
If Persephone was suspicious of Victus – Nebiru, in her mind – displaying powers not known in hellhounds, she gave no sign.
The goddess frowned at the river, then turned to them to speak. She opened her mouth when a thunderous bang ripped through the air. All three of them spun to the source. In the distance, the camp – it was burning.
“Thanatos,” hissed Victus. “He must’ve sensed Andromeda fading and is attacking.”
“With what?” Nadia shouted.
A burst of golden light flashed above the camp. Dread sunk in her gut like a rock. Immortals, she realised. Gods, it’s been so long. The last time she’d seen them she’d been human.
“Nadia, with me. I’ll call the others to meet us at the camp,” he barked and turned to Persephone. “Go to the palace. Secure it.”
Protect the eyes, he was saying.
Nadia wondered how much of a fight the goddess of the spring time had. Then the goddess’s eyes darkened, as if sensing Nadia’s scepticism. Power glowed in her eyes and she flashed a wink to Nadia before vanishing into shadows.
She turned to Victus and together they bled into shadows, jumping to the middle of the camp. Swarms of immortal soldiers, clad in their resplendent gold, were sweeping through the camp. They clashed as hounds shifted and came at them, squads in formation and the unlucky hounds caught out. Nadia jumped out of the way as a hound barrelled past her, leaping straight into a small group of immortals. The hound tore off the head of one, then leapt rapidly onto the others but these weren’t untrained. They knew how to take a hound down – and fast. Before Nadia could even take a step forward, Victus grabbed her hand.
“With me.”
He shifted and lifted his head to the sky, letting out an almighty roar. A sound that thundered inside Nadia’s chest as she recognised the call. He shot off forward, Nadia in his wake, as they barrelled towards the river front of the camp. Hounds answered the call, tearing off from their attacks, leaving immortals confused and chasing.
Nadia ignored the number of hounds that lay still on the ground, not spinning back up. Something was horribly wrong. She focused on the task at hand, at driving back the invaders that dared to invade their home. The Underworld for crying out loud – who willingly invaded hell?
As they neared the edge of the camp, they stopped dead. In front of them, a whole legion of immortals, standing like a golden wall before them. It wasn’t even the whole lot of Immortals…and Nadia realised with a sickening revelation how badly they were outnumbered. How outmatched they were. She suddenly hated how truly idle the hounds had been, whilst these soldiers trained for a war Zeus knew was coming. She glanced at Victus; whose dark eyes studied the legion before them. Glad they had a god of war on their side, Nadia shifted back. As strong as she was in hound form her shadow magic was better.
Victus did the same and raised his hand. Behind them, the hounds did the same.
Nadia held her breath for a moment, wondering who would attack first. What would happen if she was killed? The moment was short lived as the legion parted…and a familiar figure strode through. She released her breath, hissing softly. Her anger twisted inside of her with a flaring rage.
“Thanatos,” she snarled.
“I’m going to kill him,” declared Victus under his breath. “I’m going to strip the flesh from his bones and enjoy as he screams.”
“I’ll help,” said Nadia savagely.
Thanatos had once been so loyal to the Underworld but rather than fight for it, he betrayed them at the first chance. He was a god of death. There was no place on Olympus for him, yet he choice Zeus anyway.
The two of them fell silent as Thanatos approached. To Nadia’s relief, he didn’t have the Epirus Bow with him. Yet he swaggered forward with a smile Nadia wanted to rip from his face.
“Nebiru, how good to see you,” declared Thanatos, clasping his hands together.
“Go back to your master, Thanatos. You’re not welcome here,” hissed Victus.
“You have no leader, Victus. What is a hound without a master?” Thanatos replied with a smile. “You need me.”
“You just cut down our hounds – we don’t need you,” snapped Victus.
Thanatos laughed, as if he was dealing with an errant child. He looked dismissively from Victus and glanced over the crowd; after a long moment, he returned his gaze to Victus.
“Andromeda’s gone. You don’t even have another god to take her place – I guess I must do it,” said Thanatos, as if he was doing them a favour. “I really do regret attacking but truly, your people are at war with Zeus. Had you shown any loyalty to Hades and sworn vengeance against the one whom killed him, you might’ve been shown more mercy.”
Nadia watched the muscles in Victus’s jaw twitch. He wanted to reveal himself, though with each second that passed, she knew he was waiting. Nadia hadn’t died yet, which meant there was hope – right? The problem was Andromeda had changed the rules to everything they knew, to how oaths worked in the Underworld. Whose to say she hadn’t changed the effectiveness of oaths with the River Styx?
Doubt whispered into Nadia’s mind, cold tendrils down her spine.
“Nebiru, what do we do?” Nadia whispered to him. “We can’t give into him.”
His gaze flickered to her, unreadable. With a shuddering breath, he dragged his gaze back to Thanatos and he opened his mouth to speak.
A cold air suddenly howled through the camp. The hairs on the back of Nadia’s neck stood up as she stiffened. Something stirred in her chest. Power. Her power was starting to hum inside of her; slowly growing, becoming louder. Victus glanced at her quickly, then over the hounds. They all wore similar expressions; shock, confusion. Suddenly, Victus began to smile and looked to Thanatos.
“You’re in trouble now,” he said with a wicked grin.
“Excuse me?” Thanatos said with an arch look.
Shadows exploded behind Thanatos; as he turned, he went stiff – a sword pierced through him. He twisted to look but couldn’t move. The shadows cleared.
Behind him, Andromeda stood, wreathed by swirling black ribbons and two night-black wings from her back. She burned with power as she looked at him, her eyes inhumanly black, as she leant in and spoke in his ear.
“He means me,” she said with a smile. “I win, Thanatos.”
Thanatos tried to move his lips to work a reply but he was already starting to dissolve before their eyes. He was gone before he could take in another shuddering breath.
Andromeda turned to the soldiers, who shifted back, suddenly leaderless. She waved her hand.
“Goodbye!”
The soldiers dissolved from the battlefield. Andromeda spun back to the hounds and in one step, blurring through shadow, she stood in front of Victus. She smiled appreciatively at him.
“Thanks for the swim.”
Victus nodded, then gestured to Nadia. “It was her idea.”
Andromeda’s dark eyes snapped to Nadia, flashing with surprise. She nodded, appreciation in her eyes, before she looked to the hounds behind him. Her gaze darkened. The muscles in her jaw twitched.
“Gather the generals and all squad leaders at the palace,” she ordered to Victus. “I have work to do.”
She breezed past Victus, the hounds parting for her like the red sea. They watched her with a mixture of reverence and caution, lowering their gaze as she directly passed them. No one said anything until she passed beyond the last standing hound and into the camp where the first hounds lay still. She stretched out her hands and her power started to flow out of her hand, spilling out in inky ribbons, washing over the still hounds. As she walked on, the hounds started to rise in her wake.
Nadia could only stare.
Nadia told Victus she’d go get her father personally, that she wanted to talk him. He nodded but reminded her to come to the palace after.
Mercifully, it didn’t take her long to sense out her squad. They were sitting around the fire pit by their old tent. As Nadia neared, heads lifted. She swallowed hard. It had been days since she’d been whisked away and she hadn’t really had a chance to go back to the camp, let alone explain herself.
Diana was the first to speak. “Well, look who finally came back.”
Nadia ignored her tone and looked to Remus, whom watched her. “You’re summoned to the palace. All the squad leaders are.”
“Then care to explain why you’re there?” Arcus said heatedly. “You just stayed after Andromeda murdered Hades.”
“That had to be done,” she blurted out. “Look, this is bigger than our hurt feelings.”
“Yes, this war that she’s dragged us into,” he snapped.
It bothered her that Remus was letting the talk continue but she supposed he had his reasoning.
“Zeus is going to destroy the world – now, you may not care for the realm of the living but we uphold the balance of the world. That has always been our mission as soldiers of the Underworld, to maintain the balance of life and death. If Zeus ends everything and claims even more power, it’ll be chaos.”
Blood drained from the faces of her team mates. Even Diana, usually so sharp with her comments, seemed at a loss for words. Remus stepped forward, studying Nadia closely.
“You’re sure?”
Nadia looked up at him. “I saw it. He’s going to kill everyone.”
He held her gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Then I guess we’re going to war with Olympus.”
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