Page 126 of Lucifer's Redemption

“This better be good,” Ares growled, opening the door.

Loukas stood stunned, looking the God of War up and down with a smirk plastered across his face. “Never a dull moment with you two, I swear. Nora is getting upset with you not joining her for dinner the past few nights.”

Mariah awed in the corner. “Tell her we will be there tonight,” she yelled out the door.

Ares grumbled, rolling his eyes at his mate’s tender heart. He wanted to fuck her more, and make sure his seed was fully implanted into her womb. Now that he felt worthy to be a father, it was all he wanted.

“I’m afraid you won’t have time for that.” Loukas’ expensive shoes shuffled on the floor. “This letter came for you. We are having trouble with communication between realms right now, and this has been marked as urgent from Poseidon’s Kingdom.”

Ares gripped the letter from Loukas, his cock bobbing as he turned around to hastily open the letter. Loukas stood in the corner, his tail flicking side to side as he waited for Ares to read.

Ares read silently; he never did like reading aloud. It took him time to read, the letters often jumbling together, and his excitement to know what was happening between words, made concentrating difficult.

Mariah, understanding the dilemma her mate was having, wrapped herself in one of the blackened furs. Taking care that her body was covered, she padded over to her mate. Looking up at him, he smiled softly at her as he shared the letter with her. Mariah’s eyes widened at the words on the parchment.

“What is it?” Loukas crossed his arms. He felt his impatience in his horns, making them ache.

"It’s from Lucifer,” Mariah spoke slowly. “Hades and Ember are stuck in the Celestial Heavens and it looks like the Twelve are being summoned for a pre-trial for Hera and Michael. They can’t send out communication unless through dreams.” Mariah bit her lip as she read on.

“The old-fashioned way,” Loukas mused. “That can make it hard to send word when the two of you haven’t slept.” Loukas snickered. Ares shot him a glare to silence him while Mariah blushed with a giggle.

“Hades believes it’s Kronos.” Ares tightened his fists around the letter. It burst into flames, leaving nothing but ash on his hands. “Mariah, I must visit Tartarus to make sure Kronos is still locked away.”

“I’m coming with you,” Mariah went to the bathroom to dress.

Ares instantly threw on his battle regalia—the leather skirt, the sword at his side, and the shield on his back. Combing his hands through his hair to get rid of the tangles as his mate emerged from the bathroom. The leather bindings on her forearms and calves made Ares’ cock twitch with excitement. He loved the outfit she chose for herself, making sure to match her mate with her own leather skirt, sword at her side, and a shield of her wolf sat on her back. She braided her hair quickly before she threw it over her shoulder.

As much as Ares wanted Mariah to be with him, he shook his head and put both hands on her shoulders. “I need you to remain here,” he muttered in her ear. Mariah’s eyes knitted into confusion as her mate looked on to her with adoration. “Just in case you are with child.” A small slip of a smile broke through his tough demeanor.

“I’m coming too, Ares. You will not face that monster alone.” Mariah didn’t even stomp her foot in protest. Her mind was made up, and her fingers curled around Ares’ arm. “We do this together, or not at all.” Her voice never wavered as Ares nodded.

He would not fight with his mate; she was a warrior—the Warrior Wolf-Goddess who he loved so much.

With the snap of Ares’ fingers, they all stepped into Tartarus. The screams and howls of pain from those damned to torment for the rest of eternity begged for mercy. Mariah kept her head tall, her jaw tight, and her eyes straight forward. She had yet to grace the bloody soil of Tartarus. Ares always made sure she trained with the warriors that surrounded the palace rather than enter a disgusting place like this. His mate may be strong, but he liked to think he was saving her from the emotional torment that anyone could endure after seeing such a place.

Mariah never faltered in her steps. Loukas stood alongside the two, his tail waving back and forth as they passed the torture demons. Their appearance was hideous enough to make anyone’s stomach churn—melting skin, protruding bones, and forever-rotting muscle.

The stench of Tartarus was far worse than the rotten-egg smell of sulfur, burning bodies, and rotten infections. It kept their pace quick as they descended to the depths of the pit. The pit that held the worst of the worst: the pedophiles, sexual traffickers, murderers, and worse all lined the cave-like walls. Each condemned soul had a personal demon to ensure that not one of them had a moment of rest.

“This way,” Ares grunted, traveling further into the pit. Down deeper than the layers that contained the Titans that once roamed the Earth, there in an opaque box, sat one lonely Titan. His disheveled gray beard hung to the floor, hair tangled and matted with dirt and debris. Blood, feces, and urine caked the bottom of the box. His head hung low, and his chained wrists hung above his head.

Ares pounded the box, waiting for the diseased Titan’s eyes to rise to meet his. It took some time, but with a slow ascent, his gaze met Ares. “What ails you?” Ares taunted. “Is the box not to your liking, Titan?”

A few minutes passed which felt like forever to Mariah as she waited for this infamous Titan to open his mouth.

A cracked, bloody smile appeared on Kronos’ lips as he looked from Ares to Mariah. “Can’t even plant a seed into your mate, I see.” His was voice low and calculating, each word was deliberate as he spoke, careful not to give away any emotion.

Ares’ fists gripped tight, but Mariah soothed him with her other hand, tickling his forearm covered in tattoos. “Don’t mind him,” Mariah whispered. “Is this Kronos?”

Ares put his hand to the box, feeling the aura inside. It was overpowering and stifling. The box—constructed by Hecate and Hades, and later, reinforced by Vulcan with his magical wielding—confirmed that Kronos had not left his prison.

“It is Kronos,” Ares muttered. The few times he had visited with Hades only solidified his conclusion that this was the same Titan. “I don’t know what evil has gripped hold of Zeus, but Kronos is definitely here.” Ares continued to walk around the box, inspecting it thoroughly as Loukas followed close behind, serving as the second set of eyes.

“Maybe we should call upon Hecate?” Ares directed his question to Loukas who only shook his head.

“She’s been summoned to the Celestial Kingdom already. I tried to reach her, but only got static. My fire-letters cannot even reach her.”

Ares released a breath. “She must not have known the danger when she received it. As is most likely the case with every other member of the Original Twelve.”

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