Page 62 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"Created what you and your kind have always feared," Lyra replied. There was a hint of madness now visible in her eyes. "A power that transcends your artificial hierarchies. These children will be the catalysts for a new age. One where the old gods are replaced by those truly worthy of worship."
"Megalomaniacal nonsense," Hades dismissed her with contemptuous certainty. "You're not the first to challenge the divine order, nor will you be the last. All who came before you failed. You will, too."
"Because they lacked what I now possess," Lyra countered, gesturing to the glowing threads connecting her to my unborn children. "A direct channel to the purest form of Pleiades magic. And it’s multiplied threefold. When these children are born, a portion of their untamed power will flow into me. With each day they grow stronger, so too will I. I’ve tapped into a never-ending font of magic that not even you, Lord of the Underworld, can sever."
Another contraction seized me. I couldn’t hold back the grunt of pain that time. Aidon looked to his father. His desperation was evident in his expression. "We need to get her out. Now."
"The dimensional transition could put her into a phase of labor Clio cannot stop," Hades warned while keeping his ancient eyes fixed on the parasitic bonds linking me to Lyra. "Especially with these connections in place."
"We have no choice," Aidon insisted. "This place is collapsing. If we don't act now, we'lllose them all."
An enormous chunk of the chamber broke away. There was nothing but a hungry void beyond. The Forgotten Ones and other creatures who were still swarming outside were being drawn into it. Their unearthly shrieks cut through the din of battle.
Hades made his decision. "Everyone to me!" he commanded in a voice that carried across the battlefield. "We're leaving!"
Lyra realized his intent a moment too late. "No!" she screamed, lunging toward me with unnatural speed. "They're mine!"
Aidon intercepted her. His shadows solidified into physical barriers that stopped her, at the same time, he pulled me into his side. "Father! Now!"
Hades didn't hesitate. Divine power pooled around him in waves of midnight blue energy. It expanded outward to encompass our entire group. I felt it wash over me like cool water. It temporarily dampened the pain of contractions and provided blessed relief from Lyra's ritual.
"This isn't over!" Lyra howled as she ran toward her own portal. Of course, she had prepared an escape route. "I've made contingencies you cannot imagine! The links remain intact, regardless of distance or dimensional barriers! I will still finish this ritual!"
The last image I had before Hades' transportation magic enveloped us completely was Lyra's distorted face. It was twisted with equal parts rage and triumph as she backed into her portal. "The next phase has already begun," she called, her voice fading as the dimensions separated us. "When those children are born, I will be waiting to claim my share of their power!"
The next thing I knew, I was falling/flying/dissolving through the space between realms. Hades' divine magic carried us home through pathways that bypassedconventional travel methods. The sensation was indescribable. Like simultaneously being everywhere and nowhere while being compressed to the size of an atom and expanded to infinity.
The triplets reacted with unexpected glee to this incomprehensible transition. Unlike my own disorientation, they seemed to recognize their grandfather's divine signature. They responded with pulses of joyful magic that danced within me. Their combined energy created a protective cocoon, drawing on the familial connection they already shared with Hades. I could sense their delight as they experienced the dimensional pathways that were somehow familiar to their developing consciousness.
Despite their joy, the strain of maintaining their protective magic through the dimensional shift was clearly taxing their developing reserves. I could feel them drawing on my dwindling strength. It was creating a dangerous feedback loop that threatened to drain us all completely. Even in their exuberance, they were still too young, too unformed to safely channel such powerful energies for long.
Just when I thought I couldn't endure another second of the transition, we materialized in our living room. Aidon caught me as my legs buckled. He lowered me gently to the couch. "Clio!" he called out as he searched for her among our group. "We need you now!"
She was there instantly. Her hands covered my belly as she assessed both my physical condition and the magical trauma caused by Lyra's interference. Her expression grew increasingly grave as she worked.
"The contractions are getting stronger and closer together," she reported. "The combination of magical assault and dimensional transition has accelerated the labor."
"Can you stop it?" Aidon asked, his shadows still whirling agitatedly around us. "They're too early."
Clio's hands glowed with healing magic asshe tried to counteract the progression of labor. I could feel her power working to calm my body. Unfortunately, Lyra’s corrupt bonds complicated everything.
"Something's interfering with my healing magic," Clio said. The frustration was evident in her voice. "The corrupted connections Lyra established are still active and drawing power from Phoebe and the babies."
I could feel those unwanted bonds stretching out from my core. Each contraction seemed to strengthen them. I was feeding a trickle of magic to her, and we couldn’t stop it. Horror washed over me. This could make her unbeatable.
"Can you sever them?" Aidon demanded as his shadows probed gently around the alien connections.
Clio shook her head. "Not without potentially harming Phoebe and the triplets. These bonds have become intertwined with their developing magical cores. Until they're born and we can stabilize their magic, any attempt to cut the connections could cause irreparable damage."
"Okay, then we need to focus on stopping the labor. Or putting it off as long as possible," I said through a wave of discomfort. "We need time to find a way to deal with Lyra's parasitic links before I have them."
"It might not be that simple," Jean-Marc warned, consulting one of the ancient grimoires he'd grabbed during our escape. "If these connections are what I think they are, they'll be strongest at the moment of birth when the children's magic is in flux between prenatal and independent existence."
"That’s exactly what Lyra is counting on," Mom added grimly. "She's positioned herself to siphon off a portion of their initial magical surge. The most potent and pure expression of their innate abilities. We have to find a way around that."
Another contraction hit, but Clio took the worst of it.Persephone gestured to the sofa as Clio healed the physical changes to my cervix. "Be better at helping her. It’s making me uncomfortable watching her sit there and try to grit through it.” With that rude remark to Clio, the goddess turned to my family. “We need to create a protective circle. Something to contain and redirect their energy away from Lyra's corrupted channels."
Mythia flew in from the kitchen, where I could hear the noise of construction. "I've got the pixies finishing up the repairs to the east wing. They're remarkably efficient with the structural work and should be done within the hour. Lilith and the rest of the coven are reinforcing the outer wards. They’re adding those new binding elements you suggested, Stella. They've already covered the north and west boundaries and are working their way around to—" She stopped mid-sentence, her tiny wings freezing for a moment before resuming their blur of motion. Her gaze darted from me to the protective circle, to Clio, and then to the visible magical connections pulsing around my abdomen. "Oh," she said softly, hovering closer with evident concern. "Are they coming?”
