Page 4 of Chaos Unleashed

“Of course, he does,” Khaos confirms before Hades can, “most of them aren’t worth knowing though.”

I’m not the only one who just stands and stares because, really, what the fuck are we supposed to do with that information. It’s not only confirmation that the gods actually exist, which is something that everyone has begun to question over the last century or so, but it's also confirmation that there’s one in front of us, one that we consider a friend.

“Holy shit, you’re a God,” Loki mutters, awe and shock in his tone.

Hades rolls his eyes, “Yes, but still me, and right now, the woman that we all love is quite probably being tortured and in grave danger. She can die down there, and since she hasn’t turned up here, I’m assuming that they’ve blocked off her access to the Void somehow, and we all know that isn’t good for her.”

Fuck he’s right.

Reaper says, “So, we’re just coming straight out with it now that we love her?”

I catch Zev’s smirk as he shrugs and says, “There really is no point in denying it, is there?”

Surprisingly, no one does, and although it’s been a kind of known thing, no one has just come outright and said it. I’m surprised that I’m okay with it. I don’t feel jealous or angry that they have feelings for her too. I know that relationships like ours are relatively common, but for some reason, I’ve always thought that it’s a recipe for disaster and there has to be resentment and jealousy. In retrospect, it's probably because of the way my father treated his wives, including our mother.

As I look around at my family, which now includes Hades and Zev, I realise that none of those feelings are showing on any of their faces.

“I think maybe we should keep what we’ve just realised to ourselves for a while. Farren is skittish,” Zev says, and we all realise at the same time that it’s more than just a suggestion. “So, when we get her back, let's not tell her we all love her immediately.”

No one has any problem agreeing with him, and I see the surprise flash in his eyes when we don’t ask for details. I don’t think he’s going to get used to us not begging to know every little thing he sees any time soon.

“I don’t love her,” Khaos says with a slight smirk, his feet bouncing and his wings moving agitatedly behind him.

I feel like he always needs to be doing something, and this conversation is something that he is finding hard to reconcile with the Hades that he knew. He seems shocked as he looks at Hades, expecting him to deny it. Hades just smiles at him, which seems to confuse Khaos even more.

Zev’s chuckle gains everyone’s attention, and he smirks at Khaos, “Give it time, mate. Everyone gets enchanted by Farren.”

This time, I have no idea whether he’s saying that because he knows something or because it's simply the truth.

“Guys, we can figure it out later. I’m assuming that now Hades did whatever the fuck he did when he touched Khaos’s forehead that he is caught up?” I ask. We’ve wasted so much time talking, and we need to find Farren.

“Yes,” Hades replies. “So, what you need to know is that the princes have taken over the Underworld. They used to be my best advisors millennia ago, but they have been getting more and more power-hungry until they managed to find a spell strong enough to disguise and capture me. They drained my power regularly enough that it kept me weak, especially since they had already weakened me. They wanted access to my vault. I never gave it to them.”

“Well, they sound like a bunch of giant dicks.” Loki says very matter of fact.

“They’re extremely powerful and power hungry, and Farren is in their hands. I can only assume that they’ve taken her to try and find me,” Hades replies, fear and anger warring in his eyes.

“It's not your fault,” Mayhem tells him. He then quickly switches gears, his voice dark and filled with promise; he adds, “I am going rip those princes limb from fucking limb.”

“I like them,” Khaos grins.

“I thought you might,” Hades chuckles.

Zev’s eyes flash white and then fill with surprise, “It’s a good job that you like us.” He then quickly changes the subject, “But back to Farren, how do we get her out?”

Chapter Two

Storm

“Well, as we are, we aren’t strong enough to take down the princes and their armies. That will take time, and we don’t have that,” Khaos replies.

"How do you know that they have armies at their disposal?" I ask.

"Because without Hades there, they will have control of his armies, and because of the number of Helliers that were in the memories that Hades showed me."

I nod, "That makes sense."

“So, what you're saying is we need to sneak in?” Loki asks and then adds, “Please tell me that you guys know a way that we can sneak into the Underworld without dying because I’m fairly certain that if any of us die, Farren will find a way to bring us back and kill us again.”

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