Chapter 21

I was tired of being controlled.

I'd already pinpointed Hades's desire to control the outcome of events, but I hadn't counted on his desire to control me.

Not like this.

I'd already planned to release Calamity—but as a unit. With every supernatural on the same side, we could have all worked together to contain it.

Instead, I was going to have to give it something on which to feast.

Quietly making my way to the cylinder of power, I gently touched the surface.

And I let my creation magic pour through.

The room exploded in response, everyone having a stake in how this played out.

My Virtues all moved toward me while each species chose their sides.

The Incubus King clashed against the Queen of Hell.

And as my goddess senses heightened, I felt withdrawn, my body retreating to see that the entire world had erupted into a fight.

The forces of Hell spilled onto the streets, leaving burning trails of fire as Lucifer's fallen army fought back.

Orion had sent them to Derek's mansion to help us—but that had played into Balthazar's plans, too. Because they were already in position to stop Hell from storming the gates.

Witches fought demons.

Fallen angels fought shifters.

What few humans were left, well, they ran for their lives.

Lucifer violently twisted inside of his prison as the world fought the forces of Calamity sweeping out onto the surface. His body bent at the wrong angles as a dark entity worked inside of him to get out.

Calamity had already learned how to draw in divine magic. It was a matter of time before it mastered the technique.

Hades was on me in a flash, wrapping his fingers around my neck as he lifted me onto my toes. "Don't toy with it," he instructed as his red eyes flared with warning. "Release it. Now."

Fluttering my eyes closed, I pushed the entirety of my goddess magic.

Into Hades.

He roared in shock as the blast of brilliant light burned through him, leaving a trail of glittering golden dust across his features. He healed in an instant, but a crack radiated across his skin.

I pushed him into Lucifer's encasement, making it shatter as the demon bellowed to life.

Hades evaporated as Calamity unleashed, swirling out of Lucifer and seeking the new host I knew it wouldn't be able to resist.

I'd already given him the fragment.

And enough of my goddess magic to make him a fucking beacon.

And most importantly, Hades's singular desire for control was there, giving the god of chaos and death something to latch onto.

Have a fucking blast, Hades.

His eyes widened, cracking with light before he broke apart and Calamity was all that remained.

Lucifer staggered then fell, his massive batlike wings drooping over him as he groaned. He glanced up, his wicked gaze peering through the tangle of his hair as he struggled for breath.

I spotted hatred there.

But also, admiration.

The death of a male muse rocked the foundation of the world. Calamity—Noctis—capitalized on that, filling in the power void left behind as the dark form unfurled and wheezed.

It had no eyes. No face. Just a form that struggled to take shape and the incredible sense of wrongness and dread that spread out around it like a plague.

My stomach dropped as I struggled not to fall victim to it. Perhaps I would have had my Virtues not surrounded me, one by one.

Dante, my Hunter.

Cole, my rage demon.

Hendrik, my soulless Dark Mage.

Kaito, my mentor and the caretaker of Hell's Heart.

Orion, my demigod of sunlight and sex.

Logan, my alpha wolf.

Samael and Azrael, Purgatory's angels.

And Asher, my first and my last Virtue who tied them all together. My incubus, the son of Ares, and the one who knew my goddess soul best.

They all reached out until they touched me. They offered me the one thing that someone like Balthazar or Seth would never have.

Endless love.

That's why my creation power was considered limitless. It was based on the power of love, and between my Virtues, there really was no limit to that.

But I knew there would be a price to turn the tides now. I faced Calamity as it grew stronger, drawing power from the crystal that Seth had used to feed it.

He wanted it to target someone else, as long as it wasn't his world.

Balthazar lingered in the background, wafting his stolen wings as he watched the show.

Was this playing out how he had hoped? What did he really want?

I didn't have a chance to consider Balthazar's angle because Calamity turned on me, its corporeal form taking on a mouth and fangs as it dug its bite into my neck.

I screamed.

My Virtues tried to stop it, but I sent a resounding order into their minds.

No.

Hades's words made sense now. "What have you sacrificed, little goddess?" This was my test.

This was what I would sacrifice.

I let Calamity take what it was after.

I let it have a part of me.

Balthazar couldn't take my goddess spirit because it wasn't something I could trade, not unless he tried to bargain for the entirety of my soul. Even then, I doubted even a demon's contract could hold a goddesses power alone.

But Calamity? It was learning.

It hissed and sputtered as it feasted on my golden blood. I choked on it, but screamed, letting the light flow out.

I let it go.

My star, stop, please, Orion begged.

Pup, don't do this, Logan added.

Each of my Virtures begged me to stop, but this was why it was a sacrifice.

I had to do this for them.

I had to do this for everyone… for me.

When it had taken too much, just like I knew it would, Calamity screeched. It burst into a ball of darkness and light and I grew dizzy as my power began to fade.

I had just enough essence for one last trick.

"I want it back," I whispered. "I want to be me," I said, believing it with all my heart.

Believing it with all my might.

I was a monster.

I was a Queen.

I was a creature of balance between darkness and light, and it had taken everything for me to finally see that.

My back grew heavy as I reformed my wings.

One with batlike talons, and the other with soft, downy feathers.

I smiled as the pain stretched along my spine and a slight weight pressed on my brow. Hell's Crown had adorned my head once again, and that's because I'd come back to the person I'd grown to be.

Not necessarily a goddess of creation, but Hell's Princess.

And Fate's Queen.

When I opened my eyes, Calamity stared right back at me, for a moment, corporeal.

Just like he had desperately wanted.

"Noctis," I said, reaching for him.

He blinked at me with strange, wild eyes, then he reached out and grazed Logan's bite mark on my chest just peeking under the fabric. "Thank you for your guidance, Lilith. You have won this battle." His eyes fluttered closed as he tilted his head back, a moon appearing in the sky as the ceiling momentarily faded away. "But I will win the war."