Page 94 of Hades

“Father!”

He managed to skid to a halt and look back at his eldest son across the blood-soaked field of bodies and battling warriors. Their eyes locked and Keras shook his head, despite the rage and desperation that shone in his emerald gaze, an echo of the feelings that ran through Hades. Keras wanted to go after her too, but his son knew what had to be done.

They were both needed here.

Hades looked back at the gate as it settled, a rainbow rippling across its illuminated surface, and blew out his breath as he steeled himself, clawing back control. Keras was right. He had to focus on getting the gate closed rather than throwing himself through it in some wild need to find Persephone.

Marek and Caterina were on the other side with one of the legions. He had to trust that they would keep Persephone and Cerberus safe for him.

The ground beneath his boots bucked and cracked as power hummed in the air, a pulse that was steadily growing quicker. He stared at the gate, watching the surface flicker whenever he felt one of those pulses, aware they emanated from it and would only continue to grow faster and stronger the longer it remained open.

He needed to close it.

Mnemosyne turned her back to him and thrust her sword towards the gate as she bellowed an order to the remaining witch. The female obeyed her, hurling spheres of magic at the gate. The ground shook as they struck their target and Hades leaped to his right as the rock beneath him opened up, a wide fault splitting the land in two and darting towards the gate. The witch hit the gate again, causing a section of the chiselled rock wall to crumble, and the mountains around them quaked, great boulders loosening to tumble down their faces. One struck another, larger rock and went flying into the air.

It landed with a ground-shaking boom in the middle of the battle, the cries of the men it struck filling the air together with thick dust. Where it had struck, the earth opened up and lava burst outwards from all sides, boiling molten rock spewing in a circle around the boulder to finish off those who had been injured.

Another piece of the wall behind the gate split open and fell away, tumbling through the shimmering disc of light. It blackened where the rock sliced through it, violent streaks of red lightning snapping outwards along its path, and then slowly settled again.

He had to stop the witch and Mnemosyne, before it was too late and the gate was too damaged to close.

He wasn’t sure he could close it once he got them away from it, but he needed to try.

Hades motioned for Keras and Enyo to follow him and ran towards the gate. He swerved right when Calindria landed beside him, dropping out of the air, and looked up at the same time she did. Thanatos beat his broad black feathered wings and bared his teeth as he shot upwards, heading for the Keres.

If Thanatos was here…

Hades looked over his shoulder, searching for Nyx and Hypnos. The demure onyx-haired goddess charged the warriors to his left, her long black dress flowing behind her, revealing her legs as she sprinted towards them. The swirls and arcs of silver-blue metal that formed her breastplate caught the light of the gate and sparkled like stars as she raised her sword and sliced through the first warrior.

Hypnos and Morpheus followed close on her heels, and behind them over two hundred warriors raised their swords as one and roared a battle cry.

Relief swept through Hades, lightening his heart. He wasn’t sure the arrival of Nyx’s much-needed men would be enough to turn the tide in their favour, but he was glad to see them anyway. Mnemosyne’s forces instantly split into two groups, one taking on Nyx and her warriors, while the others focused on Hades and his remaining men.

Thanatos swept down, cleaving the head off the warrior Hades had set his sights on and then touched down, smoothly going from flying to running towards Calindria. “I destroyed five of the Keres. Wretched things.”

Nyx hollered, “I heard that!”

Thanatos didn’t look at all repentant about calling her creations wretched. “They are working against us. Can you not control them?”

“Yes, I can… but not these ones. Something is wrong with them.” Nyx casually stepped out of the path of a strong blow from a male twice her size, leaving Hypnos to deal with him as she looked skyward.

“They are being controlled by another. The demigoddess most likely.” Calindria raised her hand and a thick wall of rock swept in a curve over them. A second later, light exploded around them and the rock cracked under the direct hit from the witch.

“Harleena,” Thanatos growled, his features darkening as he glared in the direction of the gate and his silver eyes gaining an ethereal blue glow.

Hades knew of his history with the demigoddess, and knew how deeply Thanatos desired revenge, and that only her death would satisfy him. If Hades saw the silver-haired female, he would be sure to call for Thanatos, allowing the male to find the peace he needed.

“I must reach the gate. I am not sure I can close it, but I must try.” Hades unleashed his shadows and they swept around the wall Calindria had made to protect them from the blast of magic.

Men bellowed on the other side of it and he smiled coldly as his shadows ripped into them, devouring their strength to funnel it into him and coaxing the darker side of his blood back to the surface. He fought it, unwilling to let it steal control. If it did, he would be seduced by the hunger to spill blood and feast on the screams of his foes and would forget about closing the gate.

“I will take the left side with Enyo and Ares.” Keras made a decisive cut with his sword in the direction of the warriors and then looked past Hades. “Thanatos, Calindria and Valen can take the right. We will cut you a path to the gate.”

Hades nodded.

They moved as one, rushing around the crumbling wall, a dozen of his men following them.

Hades focused on the gate as the witch continued her assault. The ground ahead of him fractured and tilted upwards on one side, and he leaped and ran over it, shifting his right foot to the edge as the slab rotated almost ninety degrees. He kicked off and sailed through the air, landing amidst several of Mnemosyne’s men. His shadows tore into half of them and his bident made fast work of the rest.

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