Chapter 21

My rage filled me.With Ariadne dead, I had no way to find Typhon unless I wanted to wait about ten years for the next eclipse. Would he last that long? How he must despair being trapped again in his prison.

And this was all the deusvenatis' fault. They did this. They could have neutralized Ariadne upon her arrival. Never listened to her bullshit. How about never should have created those collars? Not bad enough they'd ruined their world, they'd tried to spread their anti-arcane thinking.

No more.

I stalked through the tunnels, and if I saw golden armor, I pulverized it. But the random zaps weren't enough to appease. I found the chamber holding the well of sacrifice and collapsed it, the groaning of rock making the woman and children wail while the soldiers formed a line in front of them.

The little boy who called me pretty earlier whispered, "Goddess is mad."

Damned right I was! But even I drew the line at killing kids.

My fury had me exploding through the ceiling, pushing through tons of rock to emerge into the windy, dirty sky. The sun struggled to brighten through dense clouds.

Look what they'd done to this planet. Memories of it from before, given to me by the god I'd ingested, showed it as lush and bountiful. Its cities had been a meld of necessity with nature that only enhanced the beauty. All gone, a reminder of the deusvenatis' transgression.

Lightning crackled from me, zapping in all directions, making dark clouds even more somber, heavy with acidic moisture. I could have fixed the world. I knew how. Knew where to put a magic stopper to stem the poison spewing from under the crust. Filtering that toxicity was what the old gods used to do.

But the deusvenati didn't deserve it. They chose to betray their god.

Betrayed me.

As I floated above the mountain holding the cavern and a portion of their remaining civilization—with other pockets scattered in other tunnel systems—I was ready to murder them all. Which was when someone dared to interrupt.

"Goodness, what a temper tantrum. I knew I should have spanked you more as a child."

My mother's sudden voice interrupted me from meting out punishment. It took me a second to see her as a speck on the ground, standing below the hole I'd punched in the cave.

I dropped from my height that I might face her. "Mom? Is that really you?" I couldn't stop a suspicious lilt.

She looked different, even though it had been only a few weeks since I'd last seen her. The woman who'd raised me had ditched the hippy style. She wore a leather bustier that did amazing things to her breasts, snug britches showcasing her hourglass shape, and knee-high boots. Her hair remained long, but rather than hanging loose, she had braids twisting the front part out of her face. She also wore daggers on each hip.

"Yes, it's me, and before you ask for proof, remember the time you wanted to use my lipstick and I said no so instead you got the permanent marker from the drawer and colored your mouth green?"

I did remember. At five, I'd not been good at staying within the lines and had a clown-like smile for weeks.

"You survived." Last time I'd seen my mom, she'd gotten tossed into a dimensional rip.

"As if there was any doubt," she retorted with a snort.

I frowned. "How did you get here?"

"Same way as you. Through the Zuzamenn portal. It was quite the journey, too. The place Ariadne sent me proved challenging."

My lips pinched. "You shouldn't be here. It's not safe."

"Seems to me the real danger is gone. That is, if you can control your temper tantrum."

"I'll be pissed if I want. They deserve it," I spat.

"They're misguided, yes, but destroying the planet is extreme unless you want to be the shortest goddess to ever live."

"I never asked to be a goddess, and it's not like they care about this planet." I glared at the huddled remnants of deusvenati. "They killed the original god. Then, when they realized they fucked up, they doubled down and started sacrificing anyone with magic."

"They made a mistake."

"A mistake!" I roared. "They tossed Typhon back into his prison and destroyed the way out."

"Ah. I see what this is about." Mother nodded. "You're worried about your lover."

"Yes," I hissed. "They fucked him. It seems only right I fuck them too."

"And how will massacring these people fix that?"

Logically I knew it wouldn't, but I muttered, "It won't. But it might make me feel better."

"It won't. Take it from someone who deals in betrayal. Vengeance isn't the answer. Not when you should be looking for ways to reach him instead."

"How? Ariadne died before she could tell me how to get there through another door." My lower lip jutted.

"Ariadne was a twit. Why look for a door when you have one right here?"

"It's broken," I reminded.

"So fix it."

"Oh, because that's so easy," was my sarcastic retort.

"You're a goddess now."

"And? So are you. Why don't you repair it?" Could she? My mother had been doing this god thing for longer than five minutes.

"I don't have your strength. Not all gods are made equal. My power is in betrayal. Yours, though…" She eyed me up and down. "It's an impressive mixture, but at its core, you have the heart of the original god of Atlantis, and he was all about innovation."

Her words left me pondering rather than angry. Could I fix the portal? Typhon had said something about them being around before he ever existed, but someone had to make them in the first place.

Mother coughed. "I don't suppose you could do something about the air. It's getting rather hard to breathe."

I'd not noticed, but at her mention, I saw the children wilting and coughing. While their parents might not be innocent, they were.

Dammit.

Once more I shot into the sky, and this time when I spread my arms, it was to do a few things.

One, I drew in the poison, which might kill living things but actually made me stronger. Apparently, I could filter it into power. That power could then be turned into a magical plug that I settled over the vent spewing toxicity into the atmosphere.

Next, I whirled, a mini tornado in the sky that twined and twisted the air, pulling it to me for further filtering. With the poison removed, the dust fell harmlessly to the ground. The winds died down, and as the clouds cleared, a ray of sun highlighted me as I floated back into the cavern.

As I alit, the deusvenati hit the ground on their knees, leaning over so their foreheads pressed against the floor as they chanted, "All hail the goddess. Bringer of the sun."

Hunh. I didn't hate the sound of that. Maybe they didn't all have to die.

Noise drew my attention to a tunnel and the voices that emerged from it.

It couldn't be…It sounded like…

People appeared, and I blinked, unable to believe my eyes.

"Frieda? Enyo?"

My sisters stood there, looking different but the same. Enyo had always had swagger, but now she had a style that enhanced her feminine side. Think sexy female Spartacus with a ginormous sword. Frieda, dressed in a tightly cinched robe and a wispy short-hair style, looked as if she could take on the world.

At their backs appeared three men. Bane, looking as grim as ever. John, still a golden pretty boy. But then there was Bacchus, looking thicker and healthier than when I'd last seen him. He tucked an arm around my mom's waist and gave me a nod and a gruff, "Good job."

What the fuck?

Movement at their feet turned into a trotting furball in chainmail. Not just any furball.

"Baby!" I screamed as I fell to my knees, arms open wide. My strutting dog might have looked impressive and tough, but the moment she laid eyes on me, her tongue lolled, and she galloped crookedly into my arms for a snuggle.

"What the fuck happened to you all?" I asked as I snuggled my face in Jinx's fur and got a tongue washing.

"We ended up in Tartarus," Enyo answered. "Interesting place. It's where we found Mom and Bacchus. Sorry it took so long to get back."

"It's only been a few days," I murmured, still blown away my family was safe.

"Yeah, not for us. Think more like a few years. Hard ones," Enyo added with a dark glower. "Those Titans needed a few lessons on manners."

Sounded as if they'd had quite the adventure.

"Did you tell her?" Frieda asked, her question directed at Mom.

The goddess of betrayal fidgeted. "I was getting to it."

"Tell me what?"

Bacchus cleared his throat and offered a sheepish, "So it turns out I'm your father."

I stared. Long. Hard.

Mom squirmed a bit more. "I lied about your dad being human. And before you freak, Bacchus never knew. I kind of seduced him around the same time I stole that magic from Ariadne for the blessing."

I rubbed my forehead. "So we're the children of gods. Any other surprises?"

"Jinx is pregnant," Enyo blurted out.

I glanced at my furball with her tongue hanging from her mouth. "Dare I ask by what, seeing as how you just came from Tartarus?"

Frieda clasped her hands together as she said, "Hellhound. But don't worry. I see her having a healthy litter."

Puppies? Okay, I was a little excited.

"Speaking of seeing, do you see Typhon in my future?" Might as well find out now.

"Yes. But you should hurry if you want to catch him at the right moment," Frieda added.

"Hurry she says. I still don't even know how to fix the fucking door."

"Stop whining and act like a goddess," Mom snapped.

I glared.

She gave me that look. The one that said don't be a twat. A familiar one from my youth.

"You and I are going to have a long talk about this, Mother," I muttered as I stalked for the portal room. No surprise, my family came along, as did Jinx, trotting by my side, leading the way.

I really wondered what kind of adventure led to my dog wearing armor. And getting with a hellhound?

Later. First, I had to stare uselessly at the broken door. The freshness of the cracks made me clench my fists.

Fix it, Mom said. As if it were that simple. I wish I knew how to repair it. How to smooth the cracks.

The cracks disappeared as if the portal had never been broken.

Bacchus whistled. "She's got the power of creation. Nice."

I ran my hand over the stone. Pushed against it. "It's not working," I huffed angrily.

"Because you need to reconnect it," my mom chided. "Stop being so emotional and pay attention. Look beyond the door to fix its path."

"Look beyond, she says. Just fix it," I muttered.

I closed my eyes and tried to center myself. Bacchus called me a goddess of creation. Maybe I could wish the connection back into place.

Nothing happened.

My lips twisted. Why did this have to be so annoying? I just wanted to forge a path between here and the world Ariadne called Apoleia. It didn't even have to be permanent, just open a door long enough for me to slip through and find Typhon. If we got stuck there together until the next eclipse on Earth, so be it. At least he wouldn't be alone.

The stone under my fingertips hummed, and I opened my eyes to see it shimmer just like the other doorways. Had I done it?

"Want me to check the other side?" Enyo offered, unsheathing her big-ass sword.

"No. I'll go. Typhon is there because of me." Because I'd convinced him to come here.

"It's dangerous," Frieda remarked.

"Exactly. So don't you dare follow." A threat that I followed with a wall. A barrier between them and me, with me still by the portal. I wouldn't let them follow. This rescue was my responsibility. Mine alone.

I stepped into the doorway and out into a chamber much like the one I'd left. The doorways were broken but for the one I'd emerged from.

No Typhon, yet I sensed him. He'd recently passed through.

I followed the only exit out, noting the hole he'd made to get through a caved-in part of the passage. I floated over a chasm, my god powers following me here despite this not being my planet.

I emerged into pale daylight on a world that looked like it had been nuked.

Stark. Gray. Dead. I shivered at the sight. How had Typhon survived? I'd have gone mad for sure.

As I stared out over the landscape, I had to wonder where he'd gone. Once more my eyes shut, and I let myself simply feel, my body pivoting to give me a direction.

That way.

Rather than climb, I flew, standing upright and not horizontal like superman. I saw movement on the ground. Creatures that hunted. Pouncing and killing. A place that punished weakness.

A shadow overhead drew my attention, and I saw a giant, flying monster.

Is that a fucking dragon?

I gaped because, hello, ever since watching Game of Thrones, I'd longed to have one of my own.

It swooped for me, mouth opening wide, and it occurred to me I should probably do something.

"Halt." I held up my hand.

It ignored me and kept coming. Since I worried it might knock me from the sky, I dropped rapidly to the ground, wanting to be braced to fight.

I launched fireballs at it.

Lightning.

To no effect. Its scaled exterior repelled my efforts. Maybe I could wish it dead?

Die, dragon.

It kept coming for me. Apparently, my new godhood didn't allow me to control monsters.

Some rescue. I was about to be eaten five seconds after arriving.

Sorry, Typhon. I've failed you again.