AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 24
Elyse
Aweek had passed since we’d rescued Catina. In some ways, it felt like it had only been yesterday. In others, it felt like a lifetime ago. The gods had taken on X for Hades to regain control over him, something I couldn’t do with them because I wasn’t a god. Whatever! But in the end, they failed, and X escaped their clutches. The monster had eaten so many souls, leaving him close to unstoppable.
So, the five of us would need to work as a solid team to find a way to overcome him. And while it sucked he got away, part of me couldn’t stop thinking about Hades’s decision to finally join our fight, to stop hiding and take responsibility. My heart beamed that he was on our side for a change. So even though we hadn’t won yet, we’d gained Hades in a way. And he was the key to ending X’s killing spree. That gave me hope to believe we could win, and a reminder not let myself drown in sorrow, and to keep fighting, to have faith in a bright future and not to forget to do the simplest things like smile. Otherwise, X had indeed won.
Since we’d all returned to Earth, I’d started training again. I learned how to control myself more than ever. After all, I needed to keep myself safe—I couldn’t die again. Knowing I could recover after death had been a kind of buffer I didn’t realize I’d relied on. I’d been fearless, charging headlong into battle, because I figured I wouldn’t die permanently.
But that was over. This time, if I died, it’d be the end. So I had to make sure that didn’t happen.
“Right, let’s begin.” Heracles entered into the training center. I’d already warmed up.
“Great of you to join us,” I joked.
Heracles was in town now and then. He kept his word, saying he was going to do hero work, and he helped the humans out where he could through his secret vigilante ways. I mean he was a god, and no human stood a chance against him. But if it brought him joy to carry out heroic work, all the power to him.
And Heracles was enjoying himself keeping the humans safe. It was what he’d done for a long time, ages ago. How he had made a living, and how he’d ended up meeting Megara, the love of his life. It brought me joy he’d found a path for himself. All this time, I’d assumed he’d been sneaking out to date, except he’d been dealing with his own demons his way. And I respected that a lot.
“What weapons have you ordered?” he asked.
“Nothing new. I figured I went through so many great weapons before, it would be a good idea to make sure I can wield all of them. It doesn’t help to be a jack of all trades, but master of none.”
Heracles chuckled. “You humans and your silly sayings.”
I picked lint from my top. “Ready to get started? Or are you scared?”
He laughed out loud, throwing his head back. I loved seeing him like this. In the beginning, he never smiled and laughed as much as he did now. He truly was happy, and I wanted that for him.
“Scared?” he repeated. “Me? Did you forget who I am?”
“Nope.” I dropped into a battle stance. “But you seem to have forgotten who I am. I’m Elyse Lowe, protector of the humans, appointed by Zeus. And this isn’t going to be an easy fight.”
My words had barely left my mouth when I attacked, spinning around and kicking Heracles in the chest when he’d expected a punch.
“Oh, look at you, veering from your normal routine. I like it.”
“Me, too,” I said. “Predictable will get me killed. And I’m trying to avoid that now.”
“It took a long time for you to get there,” he added between punches. “But I’m glad you’re starting to see it that way.”
“I have to,” I responded before spinning around and aiming for his knee. “I still have a job to do here on Earth. I can’t die yet.”
Heracles and I did some hand-to-hand combat, sparring and bantering back and forth before we got serious. I took my weapons from my duffel bag, and laid them out before us. I decided to begin on one end and work my way through. It would take a day, but I didn’t mind training for hours on end.
X was still out there.
The four gods hadn’t provided in-depth details of the battle, except to say it was a tug-a-war of their godly power, and X was stronger than any of them could have guessed. Ares did mention that if I was there, X would have drawn my energy and probably killed me. I preferred to imagine that they had beaten him to a pulp, showing him what it was like to go up against four gods who were serious about who they were protecting.
Unfortunately, Hades hadn’t been able to reel X in, despite how he’d managed to shatter the darkness. Whatever Hades still had to work through, X was free and using his freedom to dominate the world. He’d laid low for a while, but it was only a matter of time before he struck again. So I asked the gods to keep a vigilant eye over Catina as well as staying close to me.
Until X resurfaced, I’d train, mastering my power, getting used to the magic I could wield and practicing with every weapon I owned. When the day came that X showed his face again, I’d be ready. And I hoped to have four gods at my back.
“So,” Heracles said when we took a water break. “Have you spoken to Hades lately?”
Heracles knew how I felt about Hades—he’d been the first person I’d talked to about developing feelings for the god of the Underworld and Apollo, way back when they first arrived on Earth. Damn, that felt like a lifetime ago. Three, actually. I smirked at my own lame joke.
I swallowed the water. “No, he disappeared. I went to his place a couple of times, but he hasn’t been around. I’m starting to think maybe he stayed in the Underworld—perhaps finding a way to finally eradicate X. I want to give him space until he’s ready to come back.”
