Page 131 of Lucifer's Redemption

“How is Tamera?” I smiled at him.

“She is well; pregnant with triplets.” Vulcan puffed out his chest. “Two girls and a boy” Ares’ eyes softened in the corner, holding onto Mariah. “Due any day, but with this new threat, I believe I should be here to verify their safety.” Vulcan’s stance grew hard.

“So, these weapons will give Poseidon’s creatures a fighting chance?”

His smile widened. “It felt good to forge again.” Pulling a sword from behind his back, he held it with both hands, one on the blade and one on the handle. “This is for you,” Vulcan then whispered. “This will pull your powers into one single blow.”

Gripping the handle, the heat from my charred hands channeled into the handle until the entire blade smoked with its heat.

“It will withstand your power. It’s the only weapon of its kind. Even stronger than the Demon Sword I made all those years ago for your father. Use it wisely.” Vulcan narrowed his eyes. “I cannot make a weapon such as this again. It has taken many years to perfect it for your use.”

“How did you know I would need it?” I questioned. “How could you possibly know if you didn’t know about Uriel’s prophecy?”

“I didn’t.” He shook his head. “I just knew that if the Fates allowed you to be born with such power, you would do great things. And great things need a suitable weapon, they should not just rely upon the power in the hands.”

I released a breath as the gods circled around me closer.

“It’s time.” Poseidon’s trident glowed. “Everyone, gather close. It will be a rough ride between worlds,” Poseidon muttered.

Everyone’s hand touched the shoulder of the one beside them, forming a chain of warriors. Poseidon closed his eyes, tilting his head back. “May the Fates be with us,” he whispered before we were sucked into darkness.

Chapter 56

Lucifer

Travelingasagroup,we all held onto each other’s shoulders. The dark void between realms was strikingly chaotic compared to the normal stillness one could find here. The silence no longer greeted us, as we ascended to the highest realm. The wind blasted through the crowd as we all tried to escape from the darkness.

Growls and grunts emanated from monsters as their grips loosened, their eyes widening in the cold, harsh wind.

“They won’t make it,” Poseidon yelled out. His voice was barely audible over the wails of the wind. “There are too many of them, and there is a ward preventing passage from anyone who is not a god.”

Ares gripped Mariah tighter as a Minotaur held steadfast to his other arm.

“Send them back!” I yelled. “We do this alone.” Before Poseidon’s power breached the ceiling of the blackness with us, all of his creations let go, falling back into the dark abyss.

Poseidon wielded his trident automatically, the blast came forth mightily as it tried to capture the monsters slowly fading into oblivion. The grip on his trident wavered with the wind pulling it from his hands. Taking his other arm and latching onto it, lightning struck the base of the three prongs, causing it to burst into bright light. The force of the red lightning bolt made Poseidon fumble, dropping his trident which promptly fell into the black interstice.

Ares pulled Mariah tighter by the waist. I pulled my sword from my back. Vulcan gripped hold of me, shielding the sword from any prying eyes as the bright light of the Celestial Kingdom came into view.

“Put it behind your back,” Vulcan ordered as we landed.

It was just the five of us. Vulcan carried his axe before him as we ascended the steps leading to the pearly gates. The sky cracked with bright red and blue bolts of electricity. It looked as if the Apocalypse was already upon the Celestial Realm. The palace was in shambles, crumbling in on itself, and darkness obstructed the formerly bright clouds creating a dark gray sky.

Poseidon looked back over the steps, back down into the abyss that engulfed his creations, separating them from us. His throat bobbed, his fist tightening on itself in the absence of his trident.

“I will forge another,” Vulcan put his hand on his shoulder, pulling him away. An upheaval of wind pushed Poseidon back toward the void.

“I don’t care about the trident. What of them?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “They are my family.” Mariah pulled Poseidon away, helping Vulcan.

“They are still there; we will find them.” She patted his arm. “But we won’t be able to find them until we fix this.” Mariah’s glare shifted to the tops of the crumbling palace towers. Ares unsheathed his weapon as his mate did the same.

The sword given to me hung on my back, clear from view until it was absolutely necessary as we advanced, donned in our traditional armor. My body was covered in black leather bindings with a corset-like vest which sat low in the back to permit my wings to spread. They emerged automatically, my deep black wings dripped ash and red embers of flames as we scaled the granite steps.

“Looking badass, little nephew.” Ares looked me up and down. “Never thought I would see the day where you could control it.”

I grunted in agreement. “All thanks to my mate, she centers me,” I muttered, my eyes not leaving the unhinged doors of the once magnificent palace.

My mark burned hot as I entered the palace, we were becoming sacrifices ourselves. We had no other plan than to face Zeus head-on. Even without Poseidon’s trident, we expected to succeed. This many gods fighting against him at once should surely beat one of the Original Twelve, even if he was High God.

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