After two days in the protected realm of the heroes, Erebus could see why Zeus was so hot to get his ass here.
It wasn’t Utopia, at least not the kind written about in fantasy novels. The country had its fair share of problems, which included political strife and class delineations, along with a little bigotry and misogyny thrown in—mostly spurred on by the aging male Council members who technically advised the monarchy but who Erebus had learned were secretly scheming to overthrow their queen.
But if a person could look past all that? Yeah. Erebus could see exactly what was so special about this place. Soaring mountains, a vast ocean, an ancient city with massive marble buildings and spires that reached to the sky. Not to mention the people. Everyone he’d come in contact with since arriving in this realm had been real. Not the fake, ass-kissing opportunists who lurked around every corner on Olympus. Sure, some of them weren’t thrilled he was here—like the Council members and a few of the city’s inhabitants who’d seen his size and stature and immediately assumed he was evil. But the others—like the queen and the leader of the Argonauts and Cerek’s mate Elysia, and hell, everyone in the damn castle—had welcomed him with open arms once they realized just what he and Sera had brought them.
His gaze drifted to Sera walking twenty yards ahead of him in the trees as they headed toward the Kyrenia settlement far outside the walls of the capital city of Tiyrns. He watched as Sera glanced toward Elysia at her side, smiled at something the female said, then linked her arm with Elysia’s and lifted her face toward the sunshine.
Next to Erebus, Cerek droned on about the Misos ruins where Erebus had caught up with Sera, but Erebus barely listened. He’d barely been listening for the last hour as Cerek and Elysia had shown them around Tiyrns and the major points of interest in the realm. His focus was locked solidly on Sera and the twinkle in her eye as she laughed at something Elysia said. At the way she smiled. At how relaxed she seemed now in this realm where Zeus couldn’t follow them.
Gods, she was stunning, her blonde hair picking up the light filtering through the trees in a way that made it almost sparkle. The way her pale skin glowed in the sunlight. The way her lips were so plump and perfect and soft he ached to kiss them and lick them and devour them as he’d devoured her last night.
Tingles rushed from his chest to his belly, and memories lit off in his mind—meeting with the Argonauts and the queen to discuss the key he and Sera had brought them. Being shocked not only at the way they’d all accepted him, but also offered him a place to stay. Elysia taking them to a suite in the castle that night, and the way Sera had launched herself into his arms as soon as the outer door closed and they were finally alone.
Oh yeah, last night she’d smiled. Except then her smile had been laced with heat and need and a passion only he could sate. He was definitely planning a repeat performance as soon as they were alone again, but tonight he wanted more. Tonight he wanted to make sure she knew that she was his and that no matter what the queen decided to do with the key, she would still be his.
“After Hades joined forces with Zagreus and they attacked the Misos colony,” Cerek said as they emerged from the trees and crossed into a field with knee-high, undulating wheat, “the colonists were transferred here.” He pointed across the vast field toward a city wall made of stone and wood. “That’s Kyrenia. It used to be a witch settlement, but now it’s home to witches, Misos, and any others looking for life outside Tiyrns.”
There were no marble spires. No towering white columns. No castle gleaming in the sunlight, but Erebus figured that was the point. Not everyone wanted to live in a giant city. Hell, not even him. Fancy wasn’t his style. That was part of the reason he’d enjoyed the times Zeus loaned him to the Sirens and he could get out of the stuffy temples on Olympus. As nice as the Argolean queen’s castle was in Tiyrns, someplace like Kyrenia was a lot more his style.
“Are there other villages in the realm?” he asked, wondering where Sera would prefer to live. She’d pretty much been a refugee her whole life. He had a hard time envisioning her settled in Tiyrns for long.
“Yes.” Cerek swiped at a stalk of wheat and plucked it from the ground. “Smaller ones in the mountains. Kyrenia is the closest to the capital, and the most aligned with the monarchy. The queen is committed to protecting it from Council interference.”
Ah yes, the infamous Council of Elders. Those old, bigoted men who wanted this realm to revert back to its patriarchal ways as it had been before their exalted King Leonidas had passed and his headstrong daughter Isadora assumed the crown and started making changes that promoted equality. How dare she?
“How many live here?”
“Thousands,” Cerek said. “The population grows every day.”
That was a lot of people fleeing from the confines of the Council. “And what kind of protection does the monarchy provide them so the Council doesn’t exert authority?”
“Not a lot,” Elysia answered from ahead. She and Sera had both stopped and stood looking back at them as they approached. “The monarchy doesn’t need to provide protection because they have Nick.”
Erebus’s belly warmed all over again as his gaze locked with Sera’s and he saw the spark of hunger in her eyes. A hunger he couldn’t wait to feed.
“And who is Nick?” he asked, unable to look away from her brilliant blue eyes.
“A god.” At Sera’s side, Elysia smirked. “One stronger than you.”
Erebus’s feet stilled as they reached the females, and he finally tore his gaze from Sera and looked toward Cerek for confirmation. “Another god? In this realm?”
Cerek nodded and slung an arm over Elysia’s shoulder. “Krónos’s bastard son. He’s the half-breed leader, and he and his mate Cynna manage the settlement. He’s also as strong as Zeus and Poseidon and Hades, and we’ve got him on our side.”
“With you,” Elysia said, “we now have three gods on our side.”
The “we” in the princess’s statement hit him hard. Right in the center of his chest. He’d never been part of any “we.” Even though he served the ruling gods, he’d never aligned himself with them. Serving wasn’t his choice; it was his duty.
The thought spun in his head as he glanced from Elysia back to Cerek. “Sorry, did she say three?”
“We also have Prometheus,” Cerek supplied, “though he’s kind of a recluse and doesn’t show his face all that often. He and Circe have a place up in the mountains. He tends to keep to himself, but he’s been known to help out now and then when we need him.”
Holy shit. A Titan and one of the most powerful witches in the cosmos were also both hiding in this realm. Erebus remembered vividly how pissed Zeus had been when Prometheus had broken free of his chains and the temper tantrum that had followed when Prometheus had then broken Circe out of her prison high on Mt. Olympus. He just hadn’t realized they’d both come here, to Argolea.
“See,” Sera said softly at his side, sliding her arm around his and leaning all her sultry heat against him. “You’re not the only immortal being who finally saw the light and decided to side with the good guys.”
Erebus’s heart pounded hard as his gaze dropped to the nymph at his side. Was that what he’d done? Betrayed the ruling gods and declared himself a rebel like the Argonauts? Sided with the enemy?
It was, he realized as his pulse beat faster. By coming here and not delivering Sera back to Zeus, he was basically saying “fuck you” to the gods and making himself a target to be hunted for all eternity.
Sera, Elysia, and Cerek continued to chat around him but he couldn’t focus on their words. All he could focus on was the fact that staying in this realm wasn’t an option. Yes, he was immortal, but even immortal beings could be punished for disobeying orders. He’d served Hades in the Underworld for thousands of years. He knew what kind of penance awaited him if Zeus decided to turn him over to the god-king of the Underworld as a prisoner. But that wasn’t his biggest fear. His biggest fear was suffering the same fate as the other primordial deities who’d been banished from this world when the Titans had come into power. To be stripped of his human form and cast into nothingness. To remain conscious of all that happened around him but forever be unable to react, to breathe, to live.
That wasn’t something he was willing to risk. He liked living too damn much.
His hands grew damp. He needed to get the hell out of this realm. To return to Olympus before anyone realized what he’d done. He still had time to fix this. He could tell Zeus he hadn’t found Sera. He could say he’d heard she’d crossed into Argolea before he’d been able to locate her. Now that the key was safe with the queen, Zeus couldn’t follow Sera here. He couldn’t take the key. Sera was safe. The key was safe. There was no reason not to return to his duty.
And yet...
His gaze strayed to Sera at his side. She smiled at something Elysia said, then glanced up at him. And as their eyes met and held and his pulse slowly regulated, his chest filled with a warmth that burned everything else to ashes in his mind, and he realized... He didn’t want to go back to Olympus.
He didn’t want to leave her. For the first time in his long-ass life, he had something of his very own. Something not linked to duty and service and what the gods wanted, but something pure and special and his. He didn’t want to let that go. He didn’t want to walk away from her and forget the way he felt right now. He wanted this. He wanted her. He wanted a chance to finally—and maybe for the first time ever—truly live.
Sera’s brow slowly wrinkled, and a worried look crept into her eyes. “Are you all right?”
His heart beat strong, steady, thumping pulses against his ribs. But they didn’t hurt. They felt good. Spreading heat and life through his veins to give him strength. A strength that told him this decision—choosing her—was the right one.
“Yeah.” Unable to stop himself, he slid a hand under all that gorgeous hair of hers, grazed her nape with his fingertips, and tugged her mouth toward his. “Yeah, agápi. I’m perfect.”
Her lips were soft and sweet where they brushed his, but not nearly enough. And as she slid her arms around his waist and kissed him back, all he could think about was getting her back into that suite where they could be alone, where he could pin her to the mattress and make her his all over again.
“Skata,” Cerek said at his side. “Uh, guys? We’ve got a problem.”
Irritated by the interruption, Erebus lifted his head to tell the Argonaut to mind his own business but froze when he spotted the four females standing on the edge of the forest fifty yards away.
All four were decked out in fighting gear. All four looked like something straight off the pages of a Victoria’s Secret magazine. And all four were staring at him kissing Sera across the field with wide, shocked eyes.
Those weren’t trainees. Those were the real deal.
Sirens.
In Argolea.
Fuck.
Sera glanced over her shoulder and gasped. At Erebus’s side, the unmistakable shiiiing of Cerek’s blade being drawn echoed in the air.
“Get back to the castle,” Cerek said, pushing past Elysia. “Tell the queen they’re here.”
“How the hell did they get here?” Erebus asked, pushing Sera to his back. His adrenaline surged as he watched the Sirens bolt back into the trees.
“Probably through the moving portals.” Cerek pulled two more blades from his hips, these daggers not nearly as long as the parazonium he’d unsheathed moments before—the ancient Greek blade all Argonauts carried—but big enough to do some major damage. He handed the daggers to Erebus. “They’re manned by the witches. While this realm is blocked to the Olympians, it’s not to Zeus’s warriors. The Sirens monitor where the moving portals open and close in the human realm and have jumped through before.”
Grasping Elysia at the arm, Cerek pressed a hard kiss to his mate’s lips. “Go. Get back to the castle. Tell the queen. We can’t let them reach the portal. If they do, Zeus will know Erebus and Sera are here.”
A worried look passed over Elysia’s face, but she whispered, “I will.” Cerek glanced at Erebus and nodded toward the trees, then took off at a run.
Elysia reached for Sera’s hand. “Come on.”
Erebus was just about to follow Cerek when Sera said, “No. I can fight.” She struggled out of Elysia’s grip and looked up at him. “You need me. We can’t let even one of them make it through the portal.”
He did need her. He needed her to live. Now that he’d decided he was staying here with her, he didn’t want her in any situation where she could get hurt. But he was smart enough to know if he tried to convince her of that right now, they’d never catch up with those Sirens before it was too late.
His pulse raced with both fear and worry as he grasped her at the waist and pulled her tight against him. And when his lips met hers in a fierce kiss, he knew if he lost her now, just when he’d finally found her, it would ruin him for all eternity.
He drew back and met her gaze, hoping she saw with her eyes what he couldn’t say in his words. “Stay with us and don’t do anything stupid. I didn’t betray the gods so I could be stuck here in this realm alone.”
She took one of the daggers from his hand and grinned. “Not a chance, omorfos. And don’t worry. I’m a lot better with a blade than I was when you were my trainer.”
She slipped out of his arm and ran after Cerek.
Holy hell. He sure the hell hoped so because if Zeus found out they’d brought the key to Argolea, he’d unleash everything he could on this realm even if he couldn’t cross into it himself.
* * * *
“There were four,” Cerek said to the queen as he stood in the middle of her office in the castle of Tiyrns. “We took all four down before they reached the portal, but odds are good more will be coming when Zeus realizes these four aren’t returning.”
From her spot where she stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Sera glanced from face to face at the people in the room. After stopping the Sirens from crossing the portal, she, Erebus, and Cerek had returned to the castle to update the queen and the Argonauts. She was sweaty and dirty from the fight, but her blood was still up, and more than anything she was still vibrating from the reality she’d played a part in killing four of Zeus’s Sirens. Sirens who’d once been her trainers even if they’d never been her friends.
At her side, Erebus leaned toward her ear and whispered, “Are you okay?”
She shifted her feet and in a low voice answered, “Yeah,” but she didn’t look at him. Because she wasn’t okay. Not really.
It was true—those Sirens had invaded this realm and instigated that fight, and from the first it had been clear that they were not going to allow anyone to take them prisoner. But still, knowing there’d been no other choice and living with the fallout from that choice were two completely different things.
A heavy weight pressed down on her chest. There was absolutely no going back to Olympus for her now. No going back to the Sirens. But she’d already accepted that the second she’d stolen the key to Argolea. Now all she could do was hope that no one in this realm was hurt because of what she’d done.
The queen pursed her lips. “The Sirens slaughtered the inhabitants of the witch’s tent city when they kidnapped Elysia eighteen months ago. Brute force was warranted here to prevent another massacre. If Zeus cries foul, we make that clear. He doesn’t know we have the key; therefore we had just cause to protect our realm. You did the right thing, Cerek.” She looked toward the leader of the Argonauts. “What are our options at this point, Theron?”
Theron crossed his meaty arms across his broad chest. “Just cause or not, Zeus will retaliate. He already thinks Sera and the key are here.”
“Zeus will send more Sirens,” the tall Argonaut at the queen’s side said, the one Sera was pretty sure was Elysia’s father. “He’s convinced Prometheus hid the water element in Argolea, and he wants the key so he can get into our realm, find the last element, and complete the Orb of Krónos. He won’t stop until he has the key, which means no one here is safe until that key is destroyed.”
“It always comes back to those damn elements,” the queen said on a sigh.
Sera knew from Elysia that no one—not even Prometheus—was sure where the water element had landed after he’d scattered the four basic elements across the realms. Water was the most fluid of all the elements, and over the thousands of years since Prometheus’s imprisonment for not choosing Zeus’s side against the Olympians’ war with the Titans, the water element had moved and morphed and changed location. It could be here in Argolea, but it could just as easily be hiding in plain sight in the human realm.
Regardless, if Zeus suspected the key was in Argolea, he would send as many Sirens as it took to get it back. And once he had it, he would sweep into this realm and destroy everything until he either found that element or annihilated the realm, exactly as he’d done to Atlantis.
Warmth radiated against Sera’s lower back, interrupting her thoughts. Warmth and a soft, kneading pressure where Erebus rubbed his fingers gently along her spine.
For a moment, while the queen and the Argonauts discussed the situation, she zoned out and focused on that one spot. On how good his hand felt, how relaxing his touch was, and just how much she liked that he was here now—even on what had turned out to be a pretty shitty day.
His spicy scent surrounded her, and without even thinking, she leaned her head against his strong chest and just let his touch and scent and comforting presence calm her. Against the top of her head, she felt his lips press a kiss to her hair, and then he shifted her in front of him so she could lean back against his chest and those big, tempting hands were massaging the stress from her shoulders.
Oh, heavens... She could get so used to this. Her eyes slid closed, and she drew one deep breath, followed by another. And as the heat of his body seeped into her back and warmed the last cold spaces inside her, all kinds of visions about how he could relax her in their room filled her mind, making her anxious to get him alone.
When he pulled her back against him, she wiggled her ass against his lap, feeling his erection spring to life. She bit her lip to hold back a groan.
“Naughty little nymph,” Erebus whispered near her ear. “I think they’ve got this handled on their own. Why don’t we go back to our room and get cleaned up? Then I can handle you.”
A wide smile spread across her lips, and heat exploded in her veins. She glanced over her shoulder at him and lifted her brow. “I’m up for that.”
“No, agápi.” He flexed his hips, and she felt his impressive arousal against her backside. “I’m the one who’s going to be up.”
Yes, yes, yes... Frantic to feel just that and more, she reached for his hand and pulled him with her as she stepped away from the wall.
“I’m telling you,” the long-haired Argonaut who always wore the gloves said to the queen as Sera and Erebus drew closer to the group on their way toward the door and utter bliss. “That’s the only way. In Phlegethon.”
Erebus’s hand slipped free of Sera’s, and when she turned, she realized he’d stopped near the group. A perplexed expression crossed his face as he looked at the long-haired Argonaut. “What about Phlegethon?”
Sera frowned at the interruption and tried to pull him back to her, but he was like solid stone and wouldn’t move.
The queen glanced up at him, looking absolutely tiny surrounded by the Argonauts and a god. “The key was forged by Hephaestus and is charmed by the powers of Olympus. The only way to make sure no one can ever use it again is to destroy it. And the only way to do that is to cast it into the river of fire in the Underworld. Phlegethon is the only heat strong enough to melt Hephaestus’s weaponry.”
Erebus looked from the queen to each of the Argonauts. “How do you know this?”
She nodded toward the long-haired Argonaut. “Because of Titus.”
When Erebus’s confused gaze swung Titus’s way, Titus said, “I’m a descendant of Odysseus.”
The Argonaut Sera had heard the others call Orpheus crossed his arms over his chest with a frown and leaned back against the queen’s desk. “Don’t question it, Erebus. Titus’s forefather blessed him with enhanced knowledge about tons of ancient shit. He’s right on this. He’s always right. And it’s getting really fucking irritating.”
Titus cast Orpheus a smug grin but it faded when he glanced back at the group. “Someone has to take the key into the Underworld and toss it in Phlegethon.” He looked back at Orpheus and lifted his brows. “O? You’re the only one of us who’s been there—besides Gryphon, of course, and I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s not volunteering to go back there anytime soon.”
Orpheus huffed. “So because I was there once I get the job? Screw you, Rapunzel.”
Titus chuckled.
The queen brushed her blonde hair back from her face and rubbed her forehead, looking like she had a massive headache. “Before we start talking about who should take the key into the Underworld, let’s talk about how we even get there. Orpheus, you said the cave you and Skyla used to access the Underworld was destroyed when you left there with Gryphon. Who else knows how to get there?”
“Prometheus,” Theron answered.
“Yes, but there’s no guarantee we can even find Prometheus right now,” the queen said with a frown. “He and Circe have been exploring the Aegis Mountains, searching for any sign of the water element. He could be on the other side of Argolea right now.”
“Even Natasa isn’t sure where he is at the moment,” Titus said.
Sera was still trying to piece together who was related to whom in this realm, but she remembered Elysia telling her that Titus’s mate Natasa was Prometheus’s daughter. She wasn’t sure how that was possible, since Prometheus had only been freed from Zeus’s chains a handful of years ago and Natasa was older than that, but at the moment she was too focused on the key and this conversation to try to figure it out.
“There is someone right here who would know,” Orpheus said.
All eyes turned toward Erebus.
Of course. Erebus. Sera’s brow lifted as she looked up at him.
But instead of the gentle, helpful friend he’d been to Cerek and the others since they’d arrived in this realm, his stiff posture, hard jaw, and narrowed gaze skipping from face to face told her he wasn’t feeling the least bit friendly at the moment.
“I brought you the key,” Erebus said in a low voice.
“We brought you the key,” Sera corrected, confused about the reason he looked ready to pound someone into the floor.
Erebus glanced down at her and nodded, then glared back at the group. “We brought you the key. What you do with it from here is up to you. I’m not getting involved with that.”
Surprise shot through Sera. He wasn’t here to help them? She thought that was exactly why he was here. It sure as hell was the reason she was here.
“No one’s asking you to take it to the Underworld,” the queen said.
“Though actually...” the leader of the Argonauts started.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Orpheus finished for Theron, uncrossing his arms and focusing on Erebus. “It’s the perfect way to get around the prophecy.”
“What prophecy?” Sera asked, her gaze swinging to Orpheus.
“The one that says he who destroys the key will be trapped in the Underworld for all eternity.” Titus rested his gloved hands on his hips and looked at her. “That’s why your ancient queen in Atlantis didn’t just destroy the damn thing as soon as Zeus gave it to her. It’s why none of your queens did. Because in order to destroy it, someone has to offer up a sacrifice. In this case, that sacrifice is being stuck in the Underworld after you do the deed.”
Erebus’s whole body stiffened. And, okay, yeah, if that was the case, Sera could see why he wouldn’t be thrilled to help them with this.
“But Erebus isn’t mortal,” Orpheus pointed out. “He wouldn’t get stuck there.”
Oh....true. Sera’s brow lifted once more.
“According to who?” Titus tossed back. “The prophecy says nothing regarding mortality.”
“Maybe not,” Orpheus countered. “But he already served Hades in the Underworld. He wouldn’t be tortured there like any of us. And I’m betting he wouldn’t even be stuck there. I guarantee Zeus charmed that thing with some special back door loophole which prevents it from impacting an immortal. We all know how Zeus loves back doors.”
That was true as well. Sera was all too aware of how much the gods loved fucking with mortals but were reluctant to do anything to harm each other.
“Titus?” the queen asked.
Titus rubbed a hand across his jaw and considered for a moment. “It’s possible. It’s highly likely, actually. Zeus wouldn’t risk bringing harm to an immortal because doing so could cause the other gods to join forces and rise up against him. He definitely doesn’t want a repeat of the Titanomachy with him on the losing side. For once, O’s logic is sound.” When Orpheus frowned and flipped him the bird, Titus grinned, then looked back at the queen and added, “Though I can’t confirm for sure. That part isn’t in any of my enhanced knowledge. But if it’s true then, yeah. Erebus would be the logical choice. Especially since he can cloak himself in darkness to slip into the Underworld unnoticed. If Prometheus or even Nick were to try to destroy the key, Hades would spot them immediately.”
The queen looked toward Erebus with an expectant expression. And slowly, one by one, each of the Argonauts in the room did as well. ”I know it’s a lot to ask,” the queen said. “But you’re the only one who can do this without repercussions.”
Sera’s gaze followed, and hope gathered in her belly. But it shattered like a glass against the floor when she saw the slice of steel that was his jaw beneath his skin. The one that told her loud and clear he wasn’t thrilled to be the center of attention. And that he had no intention of doing anything to help those in this realm. Her included.
“I’m not going to the Underworld,” Erebus said in a low voice. “Not for you or anyone.”
He left the room without another word.
The Argonauts quietly whispered about what was up with him and why he wasn’t willing to help them when he’d so easily turned his back on Zeus, but Sera barely listened. All she could focus on was the reality swirling like a vortex in her head.
He hadn’t come here to help anyone but himself. As soon as he’d held the medallion in his hand, he’d known what it was. He’d known what it protected from the gods. And he’d seen his way out. A way to hide from Zeus and do whatever—and whomever—he wanted out from under the control of the gods.
She shouldn’t be surprised. He was, after all, the personification of darkness. And darkness, as everyone knew, was immoral and selfish and absent of any kind of light that illuminated the soul.