Triton transported himself to the rooftop of the tallest building and took in the view below. People were running like rivers through the streets. “Great gods of Olympus,” he whispered. Lava poured down the sides of Mount Olympus and ran through the streets of the town.
The sea wasn’t far from the mountain; he could bring in a tidal wave to cool the lava. But that would wash everyone out to sea. And rain wouldn’t be enough to cool the hot, flowing lava. It would evaporate on contact. He needed help. But who could he call?
Lea, Nicole’s friend, mentioned Pele.
Lea, he called in his mind.
It’s not safe for you to communicate with me, sea-god. Zeus was just here. He’s looking for Nicole.
Triton tensed at her words. Tracing Nicole’s location was one step away from locating Sara. Perhaps distancing themselves from their daughter was a mistake. He should try to contact Xanthus. His daughter’s husband might need to take extra precautions to protect her.
Now was not the time to think about this. The town would be in ruins if he did nothing to stop it.
Mt. Olympus is erupting. The town below is being destroyed. I need Pele’s help.
There was silence for the space of several minutes. Did Lea cut off communications? He was just about desperate enough to try bringing a downpour of rain when he heard a voice.
“Interesting predicament you Greeks have going on here.” The sultry tones came from behind him.
Triton turned to see a stunning woman in skintight jeans and a low-cut, ruffled blouse. She was smiling at him. Her skin was dark, her lips full, and—given her clothes—he would have thought her human, except for the glowing, orange hair and swirling pools of lava that circled the pupils in her eyes.
“Pele, I presume,” he said.
Pele smiled. “Sea-god,” she said in recognition.
“I’m Triton—”
“Son of Poseidon,” Pele interrupted. “I know. You could take care of this yourself.” She shrugged toward the burning town.
“Not without killing a lot of humans.”
“I thought you Greeks didn’t like humans.”
“They’re bothersome, but I’m not completely heartless. Many of them are worth saving.”
Pele nodded, and then she looked toward the eruption. “The earth is troubling these days. So many elements in turmoil. Something has happened to tip the balance.”
Screams from down below pierced Triton’s heart. These people were running for their lives. “Yes, and while we talk, the humans are dying.”
Pele glanced over at Triton and cracked a smile. “I like you, sea-god. Perhaps we’ll meet again, under better circumstances,” she said, just before she leapt into the air. The wake of her power breezed Triton’s hair. It took Pele less than a minute to reach Mount Olympus. She didn’t pause a moment as she dove straight into the center of the volcano. Immediately, the orange, glowing flow turned grey, cooling as it spread, crackling down the mountainside.
Within minutes, the eruption had stopped all together, but not the fires. They raged, moving quickly throughout the town. That was something he could handle. Triton manifested his trident and pointed it toward the shore. Power surged through him as moisture evaporated from the sea. Clouds billowed and swelled, blackening out the sun. The first few drops pattered down and were soon followed by a downpour of thundering rain. He searched through the sheet of rain, seeing things no human would be able to see. The fires extinguished, lives were saved. In minutes, the flames were all out. With danger averted, Triton flashed himself to the seashore—the place he’d sent Nicole and Baccus.
Baccus turned toward him, drenched from the pounding rain. His stark, white face framed by wet, black hair. “I tried to protect her,” he began.
Triton’s anger boiled. “What happened?” His voice rumbled.
“Ares came for her.”
He stepped toward Baccus and growled. “Tell me everything that happened.”
***
Nicole sucked in a breath of air as the view around her flew by. In an instant, she found herself alone in a wooded forest. Trees towered over her and pine-scented wind blew over her skin. Sunlight speared through the foliage and cast light all around. She took a step, her footstep cushioned by the mossy ground.
“Nicole!” a voice shouted from behind. She turned her head and there was Ares, dressed in the tattered uniform of a soldier.
She scowled at his pathetic show. She had no idea what he was trying to do, appearing here dressed like that. But she didn’t trust the god of war one bit.
“Aaron!” a voice squealed, and a flash of a figure came from behind Nicole’s right. A woman ran past her, with flowing hair fluttering behind. She jumped into Ares’ arms. Her laughter bubbled as he swung her around and kissed her. He stopped spinning and deepened the kiss. When he finally pulled away, Nicole gasped. This woman had her face!
“I was so worried for you!” the woman said. “But you’re safe, and you’ve come back.”
“I told you it’d take more than an army of Vietcong to kill me.”
“And that’s why I was worried. You don’t seem to have any fear at all. All it would take is one bullet, and I’d never see you again.”
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’d take much more than a bullet to tear me from your side.”
She shook her head. “That kind of arrogance could get you killed. But you’re done. You have no battles ahead?”
“Not in this war, at least.” He smiled, and she punched him in the arm.
“Come on, my parents will want to see that their favorite son-in-law is home safe.” Son-in law?
“This is a lie!” Nicole shouted, but they didn’t turn around. They gave no indication they heard her at all.
It’s not a lie, Nicole, Ares’ voice spoke in her head. We were married for ten years after this, until it was time for me to erase your memories and place you in a new location. And this wasn’t the only time I played a big part in your life.
The vision around Nicole dissipated, and she found another version of herself in an ankle-length dress, lounging in a chair beside a flower garden. A large stone house stood nearby, crowned with high-pitched gables. Ivy grew up the sides. A little, redheaded girl who looked to be about four years old giggled as she chased a puppy through a patch of tulips.
The other Nicole shouted, “Chloe! Get out of the flowers. You’re trampling them.” This woman’s voice sounded different. She spoke in an English accent.
“I’m just trying to get Tickles.”
“I don’t know why you insisted on naming your dog Tickles,” she said, her eyes lowered to a small book in her hands. “Such a strange name.”
“But I like the name,” the girl said before she dove for the dog and landed on him. He yelped and tried to wriggle away, but the girl held him tight around his hind legs.
The back door opened, and Ares stepped outside. “Chloe Mitchell, what are you doing to your dog? And look at your dress—it’s a mess.”
“I’m just trying to keep Tickles from trampling Mother’s flowers.”
He shook his head and sat in the seat next to the other Nicole. “I told you we should have gotten the dark-haired girl.”
The other Nicole’s eyes shot up. “Shhh! You shouldn’t talk like that. She’ll hear you. Besides, I think we got the perfect child.”
“She doesn’t look anything like either of us. People are talking.”
She shot to her feet, her eyes fuming. “Who is? I swear, I’ll kill them. If they say one word and Chloe finds out, I’ll murder them.”
The girl let go of the puppy, crept up behind her mother, and tugged on her dress. “Who are you going to murder, Mother? You know murder is against the law.” Her eyes were big and filled with concern.
The other Nicole turned and looked down on her child. “Oh, I’m not really going to murder anyone. It’s simply a figure of speech.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Now why don’t you move along? Tickles is headed for the fountain.”
“Oh!” she shouted and scrambled across the yard.
The woman turned to Ares. “Aaron, you need to stop people from talking. I don’t pretend to know how you can do the things you do, but I know you can make them stop.”
He stood and took her hands. “Don’t worry about it. No one will say another word about her not being our child.”
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his chest.
Nicole took in the scene around her with a painful lump in her throat. “How many children have I raised over the years?”
Not many.
“What kind of answer is not many?”
You need to see one more.
Once again, the scene flashed from her view and she found another version of herself sitting in a doctor’s office, with Ares’ arm cradling her and a doctor standing before them both. This Nicole sat before her, wearing a simple, rose-colored dress that looked to be from the fifties.
“I’m really sorry, Mrs. Johnston,” a man in a white lab coat said, with pity written on his face. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do about your physical condition. But you still have hope. There’s always adoption.”
“You don’t think I know that?” She shot to her feet and glared at the doctor. “I—”
“Coleta,” Ares interrupted. “The doctor didn’t mean anything by it, dear. Come on.” He tugged her to her feet. “We’ll get a second opinion.”
This scene was all too familiar. She’d gone through this when she was eighteen. Another doctor at another time told her she’d never be able to conceive a child. “But I did get pregnant.”
With another man’s baby! Ares’ voice boomed in her ear—sharp with sudden anger. A week. I left you for just one week… and you jumped into another man’s bed! When I came back, you were pregnant! Hundreds of lifetimes we’ve spent together. Hundreds of times, we’ve gotten married—a million times, you told me you loved me. And yet, it only took one week for you to betray me! I was called away by my father. I thought that surely you would be there for me when I got back. Surely, two thousand years of love would mean something to you. I would have taken care of you, Nikoleta. You would have been happy. Instead, I left you to suffer the consequences of your actions. The day I left, I turned my back on you and never looked back.
His furious voice made her want to cower, but Nicole Reanne cowered to no one. “What are you talking about? I didn’t even know you. You erased all memories I had of you and then you expected me to be faithful to someone I didn’t remember? You even erased the memories I had of the children I raised. You’re insane! What did you think this would do, showing me all this? Did you think I’d jump back in your arms? My whole existence has been one lie after another. If anything, you convinced me to despise you. I hate you for what you’ve done. How could you have taken every memory away from me, over and over again? What kind of love is that? That’s not love. And why did you let me think I couldn’t have children?”
“Any offspring of yours would have been destroyed. Zeus would never let you give birth to a child—someone who could threaten him. The power your blood holds is a danger to him.”
“But you know I did have a child.”
“Yes, but my father doesn’t know. Consider that a gift from me. A gift you don’t deserve. Let’s just hope the human blood in your daughter weakens the blood she got from you enough for her to avoid detection. If Zeus finds her, he will kill her immediately.”
Those words hit Nicole like a blow to the chest. Ares thought Sara’s father was human. He didn’t know she was a daughter of Triton. Could the fact that Sara was his daughter be a danger to her?
“And if Sara’s blood is not weak enough?” she asked.
Ares frowned. “Zeus will find her and destroy her.”
“No,” she gasped. “Please, you can’t let him find her.”
“You don’t need to worry about it, Nicole.”
“I don’t? You’ll protect her?”
“No. I won’t. You just won’t remember her to care either way.”
“No, please don’t,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut, determined to keep her memories—the first time she held Sara, the first kiss she and Ty shared…
Ares laughed. “You can’t stop me, Nikoleta. It’s a pity that as much raw power as you have running through your immortal veins, that you have no power to wield it yourself. You have power unmatched by any god or goddess—yet here you are, as helpless as a human.”
Nicole screamed as Ares took her head in his hands and erased the memories she so desperately tried to hold on to.