Chapter Eighteen

"Oh shit." I breathed, stepping back and plopping down on the bed, gripping the bedpost for support to avoid melting to the floor. I couldn't even focus on the rest of Hannibal's conversation with Akin, not that it was any good news, I'm sure.

Atlan has the power to destroy other gods. How was that possible? I knew he could destroy the Khalian without rupturing the Source now, because we were part of him and the Source had already deemed us unfit to live in this world the day we struck our bargain. However, this was a whole different game. There was a huge difference between destroying a god and just dropping a god into a prison in the Source. Atlan could completely wipe out the other pantheons and become what the other gods had feared.

An omni-god. Omnipotent and omniscient.

Not to mention, he'd completely destroy the meaning of the world polytheistic.

The balance would be thrown off and the Source would resort to one final act to save itself and its creations.

Total destruction of space and time.

Everything would be gone. It would destroy everything.

And Atlan was just the kind of person to think he could outrun it.

"Akin's alerting Hades," Hannibal said as I managed to tune back in to see him sitting on the bed beside me, looking grim, "It sounds like this might be serious enough for Hades to actually come to Olympus."

"That's not a good idea," I muttered, "First of all, putting Hades and Zeus in the same room, let alone the same realm, is just asking for violence. Second of all, having all these powerful gods in one place? If Hades comes, what if Xenon comes? If he does that, Atlan will have all the pieces he wants in one spot. He got into Olympus once and he can do it again, and with Hades's spell, he can kill any god who gets in his way. Hannibal... Things don't really look pleasant for us right now." Hannibal nodded in bitter agreement, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees, hands folded together tightly before he drew his thumbs up to push against his chin thoughtfully.

"We need to get that spell."

"We don't even know where Atlan is hiding. Not even I can pick up on his signature. Hannibal, he snuck right up behind me and I didn't even know. He's gotten stronger since he's killed the other Khalian. If he kills Teslius, he might get even stronger. And there's no way we can send you after him. That would be stupidity."

Hannibal still seemed to be thinking hard, brows knitted together in a stern frown, jaw shifting as if he were grinding his teeth.

I sighed and glanced over at the digital clock sitting on his nightstand.

"It's getting close to sunset. We have a meeting with the other gods. Can we really trust Aphrodite enough?"

"To be honest," Hannibal said slowly, sitting up to look at me, "We really can't trust anyone. But that's just me... And unfortunately, if Hades shows up, the meeting may no longer consist of just the sane gods." As if on cue, a powerful sonic boom pulsed through the air, stealing my breath away in a sharp intake of breath and Hannibal actually winced, rubbing at his chest.

I recognized that power anywhere.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." The look on Hannibal's face concurred. We got up and walked out just as Menoetius and Arikos were coming down the hallway toward us.

"Did you feel that?" Arikos asked, expression dark. Hannibal nodded and Menoetius looked surprisingly calm about the whole thing.

"I think this is our cue to crash the party," he said. We exchanged solemn stares before teleporting as a group from Apollo's temple to the source of Hades's power that was crackling through the air, and seconds later, the sky darkened overhead and rumbled with thunder to indicate Zeus had met with Hades.

The fact that an F5 tornado wasn't tearing through the mountain was a miracle.

We appeared outside the ruins of Zeus's temple, at the base of the destroyed steps where Zeus was standing in his black suit that was now smudged with dust and dirt from his ruins. He stood with his hands on his hips, blue eyes snapping with each flash of lightning overhead.

Across from him, Hades stood with a deadly swagger that dared Zeus to come near him. A deadly regal shadow of death was my first thought upon seeing him, and considering his clothes changed to black as was tradition for anyone from the underworld, it just made him look even more evil... and slightly like a poster child for a Goth shop. His silky long black hair fell over his shoulder, and his infamous blue eyes that glowed like the hot embers of a fire just added to his intimidating presence.

Also joining him, not too surprisingly, was Lucifer in all his angelic glory of golden blonde hair and deceptively rugged handsome face, decked out in white leather that hugged a fine muscular figure. Standing next to Hades, he was quite literally the yang to Hades's yin in colors.

"And here I thought you couldn't get any stupider," Hades was saying arrogantly as we appeared, causing the other gods to inch back a few steps when Zeus's nostrils flared and more lightning exploded overhead, "I thought you'd already hit the top of the stupid thermometer when you went after Cronus on your own, again... No scratch that, your let's not deal with it attitude when we announced the Atlanteans returned. That was your stupidest move, or so I thought. You just blew right past Stupidville into Brain Dead City."

Zeus's eyes flashed at the same time lightening crackled and thunder exploded overhead. A single bolt shot for Hades, but Lucifer threw his hand up and caught the bolt before it could make contact, and crushed it in his fist, throwing sparks at the ground.

"Stand down," Zeus barked at them in warning, and waved his hand so that several gods could come forward, dressing themselves in high-tech battle armor with the snap of their fingers, "Or is this your idea of foreplay?" Hades said nothing, but Lucifer's eyes appeared to go from blue to red then back again before he took a step forward with the intention to attack Zeus, but Hades caught Lucifer and yanked him back without even looking at him.

"As nice as it would be to watch you choke on your own blood after Atlan rips your still beating heart out of your chest," Hades drawled, releasing Lucifer to put his hand on his hip, "I also recognize that someone needs to sit their ass on that bloody throne of yours, and since no one else wants to, I guess we're still stuck with you. Oh yeah, and the universe kind of doesn't want Atlan to have that nifty power."

"Oh please," Zeus scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, "Atlan's a fool. So what if he has the spell? He doesn't stand a chance. We have a plan." The other gods shared nervous looks, as if they were beginning to question said plan. Zeus picked up on the uncertainty instantly and his features tightened until Hades actually laughed.

"Oh, you mean the plan that started with you letting Atlan get past your barrier, into your home, effectively destroying it to a level that actually suits your life a lot right now, and he walks off with your shit, attacks a Khalian, and walks out of Olympus as if he just walked into his house to get his car keys? Yeah, that's a great plan. What happens next, Oh Mighty Lord of Greece? Are we gonna bleed on his shoes next?" The gods were a jumble of wanting to laugh and wanting to grimace, but they settled for wisely remaining silence when Zeus's face took on a new meaning to pissed the hell off.

"Get the fuck off my mountain, whore. I've got everything under control here, as I always have and always will." His words received a deadpan stare from Hades, one that was near comical, if the situation wasn't so serious and Lucifer wasn't glaring at Zeus like he was imagining chopping him up into tiny Zeus finger foods.

"Father," Athena's voice came from the crowd and everyone turned as they watched her step out, dressed in a blue and gold battle uniform, and her helmet under her arm, "Please, it's time to recognize we need help and who better to assist than Hades? If not for him, we could have lost to the Titans and we would be the ones rotting in Tartarus. He carefully executed a plan that involved far more soldiers than this one will need and he destroyed the Titan forces within a single day. Not to mention that not more than a few days ago did Hades manage to fend off Atlan's attack on his realm and Lucifer's... Hades has fought Atlan before. He has the experience and battle expertise that we need.

"She's right," Demeter spoke up from behind her, breaking away from the crowd with Poseidon, both of them dressed in their own purple and blue uniforms, "She's not the god of warfare for nothing, Zeus. She knows what she's talking about. Any other time, I'd agree with you on sending Hades away, and you know that. But today is not the day to fight amongst ourselves. Today is the day we fight together against a common enemy. We are one step away from non-existence." Zeus looked less than pleased by her words and his lips pursed, his expression telling everyone he wasn't anywhere near accepting Hades's help. This time, Poseidon curled his lip and drew closer to Zeus, dangerously close and Zeus's eyes dared him to touch him.

"I've seriously about had it with your pissy attitude," he sneered in Zeus's face, making his younger brother's eyes bug as he sputtered in disbelief, "We both know that I'd also be on the Let's Get Hades bandwagon any time of the day, but we need help, and we need it as soon as possible." They shared a silent war between them, of piercing glares that could freeze the Sahara.

"Enough already," Demeter complained, coming forward to grab Poseidon's hand, "Stop it before you kill us all with testosterone poisoning." Poseidon looked like he still wanted to sucker punch Zeus in the face, something all the other gods seemed to be expecting with baited breath, but were sorely disappointed as Poseidon backed down and retreated to Demeter's side where she gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

Zeus still looked he wanted to break necks, enough so that the thunder overhead rumbled and lightning crackled through the air, wind picking up to speeds that had hair and clothes whipping around, the dark black clouds rolling and twisting.

I caught movement out the corner of my eye and saw that Menoetius's face had completely drained of color and he looked like he was going to be sick. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he'd seen Zeus's temper tantrums before in a way that said he was the cause-- not that I would doubt that with his attitude. However, what stunned me the most was when Arikos grabbed Menoetius's hand in his and gave him a firm squeeze, snapping Menoetius out of his meltdown.

His dark eyes wide, stared at Arikos in utter shock and a slight glint of fear passed through them so quick that I wasn't sure if I even saw it at all. And behind them, Hannibal frowned instantly as his eyes dropped to their hands just before Menoetius yanked his hand away and awkwardly rubbed his other hand with it.

Curious.

"All right," Zeus snapped at last, and I swear all the gods around us released a breath of relief, "I'm calling an emergency meeting to discuss a new strategy."

"Where," Hades asked, "The big bad wolf blew your fucking house down." Zeus looked at Hades with an expression that said he wanted to squeeze the life out of him, and Hades just smiled innocently. Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose.

You'd think by now the angel would be used to Hades purposely trying to antagonize 99% of the universal population.

"My place," Poseidon said suddenly, cocking his head in the direction of his Olympian home, "I haven't been there at all since I got here, but it's better than sitting in a pile of rocks." Zeus cut him an unamused glare at the jab, but nodded to everyone else before teleporting. Following him, one by one the other gods, and myself, followed.

Poseidon's temple was clear on the other side of Olympus, nestled on an exotic cliff side that fell off into a large clear crystal lake with a waterfall that poured from the side of Poseidon's home. Big and extravagant, it was the epitome of modern mansions with flat rooftops and tinted windows from floor to ceiling, the front doors massive and flanked on either side by depictions of merfolk and their Greek origins.

We walked into the main lobby with a glass dome roof and sparkling white marble floors. We headed down the open corridor ahead and followed the other gods as we turned down the hall and walked into an open dining room, massive enough to fit almost all of the gods. Poseidon's servants were scurrying around in a frantic attempt to prepare everything for the incoming guests, setting up the dining table and wiping it down, pushing chairs in from a nearby storage room.

In no time, the room was jam-packed with gods, some seated and others standing around. Angry chatter filled the room during the pile up, but it became abruptly silent as Hades and Lucifer appeared in the room, taking a pair of empty chairs across from Athena and Zeus. The silence that followed, aside from the shifting of chairs and an occasional cough, was uncomfortable and eyes kept flitting about warily, until Athena cleared her throat and stood up to get everyone's attention.

"Our meeting will now begin. We're gathered here to discuss our situation and how best to handle it. Right now, our main concern is that Atlan somehow managed to get past our barriers and steal something vital from Zeus. Do we have any idea what it is that was stolen?" She asked, turning to Zeus, who narrowed his eyes and drummed his fingers on the table. It was his silent fuck you to the question. Hades rolled his eyes.

"Let's leave it at, he stole a spell that could lead to the destruction of the entire universe. It was supposed to have been destroyed," the glare he gave Zeus could've fried him on the spot, and Zeus curled his lip in repugnance, "But apparently temporary stupidity possessed me to actually think he'd destroy something he could use to destroy the universe on his own." Zeus's glare was menacing as he clenched his fist against the table, his other arm thrown back around his chair.

"It was a security policy," he answered through clenched teeth, "I don't really give a shit about the rest of the universe, just my pantheon and my throne." Hades looked like he didn't believe that for a second, but said nothing. Athena sighed, reaching up to rub her temples as the other gods became riled with the news.

"No one wants your bloody throne," Hera said from across the table, "I've been telling you that for centuries now. It's too tainted by gore." Zeus's features pinched and his eye twitched, but he said nothing in response-- for once.

"Enough," Athena called gently, but firmly, "Our focus is getting that spell back then. He's got us in check and we need to make a move now before he uses that spell against us. We must retrieve it at any cost."

"We can't send people after something we can't find," Dionysus pointed out grimly, leaning back in his seat, "Atlan was in and out before anyone even knew he was here. He could be anywhere in the universe right now. How the hell are we supposed to find him, grab his shit, and take off like he did?" Murmurs of distressed agreement spread through the room and Athena tapped her knuckles against the table for silence.

"That's why we're here," she said patiently, "To figure out a plan of attack. Right now, we need to recognize Atlan is a real threat to the security of not just our pantheon, but to that of the rest of the universe. He's intelligent, fast, and powerful beyond belief. We must remember that he's as old as time itself and he's gained copious knowledge on people and how they work. He's a master manipulator and has even controlled one of the first demons. It's possible he could've even tricked one of us into allowing him through the barrier." The gods became silent, a chilly cold silence that spread goose bumps across my skin as I clenched my hands together.

It seemed that the cold realization that Atlan was truly a danger had settled in and I resisted the urge to scream at them.

About time!

I waited to see if Zeus would boast about his own intelligent and military prowess, about how he could take Atlan down with his pinkie finger, but he remained silent and stared at the table, as if he too were beginning to come to terms with the terrible threat at our doors.

"Maybe Atlan didn't trick one of you into letting him through the borders," Hades said suddenly, making everyone look at him in surprise, but he seemed to be thinking out loud as he studied the table, scraping a fingernail on the polished wood thoughtfully, "Atlan also broke through the barriers that Lucifer and I had on our realms. He even broke past the barrier Xenon put on Atlantis when he first arrived. Atlan can break through the barriers the same way the original death gods can." Lucifer suddenly looked ill.

"Xiphrus had the same ability," he said, looking at Zeus, who scowled in confusion, "You have a constant basic realm protection barrier around your realm and you only just recently reinforced it. Xiphrus was still able to get past it to wreak havoc on Olympus. He was also able to leave Hades without his permission. The same ability that Stanton has. He's been able to come and go from my realm for centuries now, and half the time I can't even pick up on his presence in my realm."

"St. John can do the same thing," Hades muttered under his breath. Lucifer gave him a curious stare, but Hades still seemed preoccupied with his own troubled thoughts.

"It makes sense for a death god, but for a demon? Atlan? What makes them so special?" Dionysus asked.

"Because they're all firsts," Ares spoke up from between Aphrodite and Hermes, both of him who looked at him with wide eyes, "As one of the first creatures to leap out of Chaos, they probably have powers we can't even conceive of. Maybe one of those abilities is to bypass the natural barrier laws."

"That makes sense," Athena agreed, then seemed to pale for a moment, "And Atlan knew we didn't know. We put up the barriers to protect ourselves, which for an entire realm, requires a considerable amount of energy. It weakened us. Atlan knew that would happen. That was his plan all along. He pretended he couldn't get to Olympus by sending flunkies in after the Khalian. He wanted us to waste power and resources to keep the barrier up so that when he attacked us, we would be weak."

The revelation caused the room to erupt in chaos, chaos that was main directed at Zeus, considering it was his idea to enforce the barriers.

"Are you fucking kidding me!"

"We're weak no thanks to you!"

"We should've listened to Athena from the very beginning!"

"I knew I should've married that Egyptian queen, then I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Fuck this, I'm going to Canada! Nothing ever happens over there!"

"Shut up," Zeus shouted, his voice booming over the outcries and shaking the temple into silence, "If Athena herself just figured this out, what the hell made you think I would've figured it out before her? How was I supposed to know Atlan could bypass the natural barrier laws? I'm not a first! So shut your damn mouths, or else I'll just gift wrap you and drop you on Atlan's door step myself!

"Then maybe we should just defect," Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, said as she appeared near Demeter and Poseidon, her black traditional Greek gown leaving soot in her wake, "Prometheus defected during the Titanomachy for the winning side, which at that time happened to be our side. Maybe those of us who wish to live should simply choose Atlan. After all, he seems to be far more intelligent than you, Zeus." Half the gods murmured in agreement while the other half seemed to choke on their tongues at the mere suggestion of joining the psychopath god. Zeus's glare darkened as he slowly stood up to size her up, not that it did much because the goddess held her ground and didn't bat a lash at Zeus's bravado.

"Are you suggesting that you wish to abandon this pantheon?" He demanded. Hecate's gold eyes glinted in the chandeliers overhead and the other gods fell silent, shifting uncomfortably.

"Don't be stupid," Hades said, making Hecate cast him a sideways glance, "While it's smart to choose the winning side, are you forgetting Atlan hates anything with Greek blood in their veins? He'd probably use you and cast you aside the first chance he gets. The asshole's hunting down his own children. What makes you special?" Hecate considered that and Zeus curled his lip, glaring at Hecate distrustfully. Of course, Hecate just met his stare with a cold one of her own.

"Oh, stop it," Athena said sternly, making Hecate raise an eyebrow, "No one is defecting. No one who values their existence anyway. The universe is at stake here and while I know this pantheon can be a serious thorn in your backside, the universe need not suffer from our stupidity. Besides, Hecate, would you truly put your children in danger by defecting to Atlan?" Hecate's features softened at the mention of her beloved children. If there was anything that made the goddess warm and fluffy, it was her children. She bowed her head respectfully to Athena.

"So, what do we do?" Dionysus asked again, leaning his elbows against the table. Athena frowned thoughtfully, her hands gripping the table so hard it was a miracle it didn't break.

"Bait," Zeus said casually, making everyone cast him a sour glare, a few gods shouting in protest until Athena quieted them and Zeus continued with an eye roll, "I don't mean trick Atlan into Olympus. Obviously that didn't fucking work. I meant, set a trap for Atlan somewhere else. Somewhere we have control over the environment. He's bound to have the spell somewhere nearby so he can use it. We find Atlan, we send in what he wants most."

"Wow, you're a fucking parrot," Poseidon deadpanned, making Zeus glare at him, "Because that sounds a lot like the last plan that backfired in your face." Athena grimaced at him, then looked around the room.

"Wait a minute, that's not a bad idea," she said slowly, "If we can locate Atlan, we send in bait, and while Atlan is occupied with them, we can sent in a second squad to retrieve the spell." I frowned at that.

"Then send me in as the distraction." I said.

"Absolutely not," Apollo said angrily, startling me from his spot right behind me. I turned to glare at him and he glared back at me, "There's no way in hell I'm letting you go up against that asshole. Are you forgetting that he nearly killed you last time you came in contact?" I sighed.

"Apollo, if Atlan kills me, it won't rupture the universe. It won't have any effect at all. It'll give you all a chance to grab something that does--"

"Don't say that," Apollo protested, his voice raising an octave with his panic, blue eyes flashing, "It'll affect me!" Zeus made a noise of supreme disgust as he leaned on the back legs of his chair, arms folded over his chest.

"Don't tell me you've gotten attached to the Atlantean bastard. Had I known you would get this clingy, I would've just kept the slave for myself." His comment didn't make Apollo any calmer as the sun god whirled around with a fury that stunned me. The room even seemed to heat several degrees.

"Shut up! I'm done taking a backseat to your bullying the pantheon! You can beat me, cut me, fucking set me on fire, but you're not sending Anexius in to his death! We don't even know if this plan will work at all! He'd die for nothing! As Anexius's master, I order him to stay on Olympus until I deem it necessary for him to leave!" He shouted. Zeus shot to his feet, cheeks mottled red with fury. A storm crackled outside the temple and thunder exploded, waves from the nearby lake sloshing and churning violently. He flexed his hand a second before sending a bolt of lightning streaking across the room, causing a couple gods to duck.

Acting on instinct, I was in front of Apollo and grabbing the lightning bolt before anyone could react. I smashed the bolt into a ball between my hands and snuffed it out, leaving behind smoke and scorch marks on my fingers. A painful burning sensation throbbed in my palms.

"How dare you, you impudent little--"

"Zeus, shut up," Demeter snapped at him, making the king god sputter angrily, and Demeter turned to Apollo, her expression somber, "Apollo, believe me, we understand where you're coming from. It hurts to let go of someone you love, but Anexius himself is offering. And no one said he has to die. We'll send back up with him."

"I'll go," Arikos spoke up, making Hannibal glare at him, "Don't give me that look. I've already died once, so what if I die again?"

"There are worse things than death," Hannibal responded without emotion. Arikos winced.

"Let me go," Menoetius said suddenly, making everyone stare at him in surprise, but he coldly disregarded their looks by meeting Athena's wide eyes, "It doesn't matter if I die. I was brought back for the sole purpose of fighting in this war. This is what I was made for."

I waited to see if Hannibal would protest the idea, but he remained silent. Arikos's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at Hannibal like he was expecting to come to his defense, but he didn't. And I saw disappointment flash through Arikos's eyes, something that I'm sure Hannibal saw because he dropped his eyes to the floor like he was ashamed.

"I'm going too then," Apollo declared.

"No," Zeus snapped, making Apollo glared at him incredulously, "While nothing would give me greater pleasure than to watch you get kicked on your ass, you're still my son and you are still a god of sunlight and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you."

"Like you give a shit," Apollo sneered.

"My word stands," Zeus responded coldly, then he looked at the other gods, "Apollo is not to leave Olympus. Anexius and Menoetius will go as the distractions to Atlan."

"No! He's not leaving at all then," Apollo argued. Zeus gave a frustrated growl, clenching his fists and power crackling through the air as if he were preparing to beat Apollo right on the spot in front of everyone. I looked at Arikos with a shared look of panic when I saw movement out the corner of my eye.

I turned just as Hades approached me and grabbed me by the throat, making me gasp.

"Let go of him!" Apollo snarled, reaching for Hades, who shoved him back with an ease that actually scared me. Apollo was like an insect to Hades, and a strange sense of fear went through me at the thought of Hades harming him.

Of course, I could do nothing as Hades squeezed my throat, my lungs burning and windpipe crushing under the weight of his grasp.

"I take back custody," he stated, making my eyes widen and Apollo screamed, the sound cutting me straight to my soul, "I, Hades, Lord of the Greek Underworld that bears my name, son of Cronus and Rhea, hereby rename you Nikolos, property of myself." A small pang of pain pulsed hot in my chest and I parted my lips in a silence scream of pain as fire shot through my veins and collected at the base of my throat, winding round and round like an invisible collar formed by Hades's hand.

Apollo lunged for him again, but this time Lucifer was there to hold him back. The horror in Apollo's eyes struck me hard. A strange part of me wanted to assure him that I was okay, that everything was going to be okay, and another part of me wanted to sob. Why did I want to cry?

Apollo was just Apollo.

And yet, as that thought crossed my mind, I knew that we'd come far from simply being slave and master. It was as Zeus had said; there was a part of Apollo that had become dependent on me, and shamefully, a part of me had clung to him. An understanding rooted in our shared pain at the loss of people who were dear to us.

Despite the violence that had happened between us, despite the anger he incited within me whenever he hurt me or took advantage of me, I couldn't find it in me to truly honestly hate him and that terrified me... because the next feeling I felt for Apollo was far too close to that I felt for Dexius.

And no one could take Dexius's place in my heart.

Hades released me a second later and I crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath and touching my throat. Lucifer let go of Apollo, who dropped to his knees beside me, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at him, his blue eyes glittery with unshed tears. He was checking me over, like he always did when I was hurt.

"What did you do?" Apollo choked, jerking his head up to pin Hades with an agonized glare. Hades remained stoic.

"Something as powerful as a Khalian should never have been in the hands of a child," he responded simply, making Apollo go pale, "He's not your slave anymore. And as added insurance..." A sudden pain seared the underside of my foot and I cried out, slumping against Apollo and reaching back to clasp my hand around my foot. I tore my flat off and looked down as the skin burned and smoked, a welted black slave mark with Hades's symbol forming there.

"You fucking bastard!" Apollo shouted, shooting to his feet to lunge for him again, but Lucifer caught him and shoved him back hard, giving him a cold stare.

"Apollo, enough." His words were steely and Apollo was still breathing raggedly like he wanted to destroy Hades, who just stared at him stoically. I'd never seen Apollo look so shattered before. He even looked like he was going to cry. Everyone was staring at him in disbelief and he looked at me one last time, the look of pain on his face searing me, and he vanished on the spot.

A flicker out the corner of my eye revealed another god had vanished from the room, and a quick scan of the room told me it was Ares who had followed Apollo out.

Closing my eyes, I sent a silent prayer to Ares. Please make sure he's okay.

Part of me wanted to accuse Apollo of being a child, being possessive, but the look in his eyes wasn't the one of an angry child who had his toy taken away. It was the look in his eyes I'd gotten when my family had taken Dexius of me, the look he got whenever he thought of Hyacinth and a cold thought doused the pain in my foot.

Don't tell me he... No. I didn't want to think about it. If I dared think that, I wasn't sure I'd be able to follow through the plan and right now, I didn't have time to be selfish. Apollo would find someone better, someone who wasn't a selfish jerk, someone who could love him the way he deserved to be loved. And I would finally do something useful with my life...

"We've got a plan," Hades announced, turning to the rest of the gods, startling them out of their thoughts, "We'll send Menoetius and Anexius in to distract Atlan. Meanwhile, a second team will be sent in to seek out the spell and destroy it. At least, that's what we have so far. My million dollar question is; how the hell do we find Atlan in the first place?"

"He's got a point," Dionysus pointed out, "How are we supposed to find a god we couldn't find in the first place? Isn't that the whole reason we were luring him here?" The gods fell silent in thought before Lucifer spoke.

"Atlan would want to hide somewhere he believed was secure, safe, where no one could break in... Somewhere only a first could find him." He and Hades exchanged looks and Lucifer nodded. It was almost like they had a telepathic understanding of somehow.

"St. John, we need you." My eyes widened at the mention of the demon that had conversed with Aphrodite. I glanced over at her to see her reaction, but she apparently had been running this lie for a while because she remained totally placid.

The air beside Lucifer stirred, blurred, grew foggy until the smoke swirled and vanished to reveal a stunningly beautiful man. There was something pretty and feminine about him, almost innocent, but his cold pink eyes belied anything about him that could be misconstrued as innocent. He was tall and slender, skin like fine porcelain, and snow white hair that was tied up into a ponytail. He wore a stylish set of bleached jeans and a navy v-neck under a loose gray cardigan, ankle boots clicking on the floor when he appeared.

"This better be fucking good," he stated. A shudder went through me at hearing his voice, his thick accent, in person. Wow, he sounds even more beautiful in person. I wasn't the only one who seemed to think that either, because I saw Zeus's eyes widen slightly, mouth falling open. A few other gods suddenly seemed to be paying a lot more attention.

"We need to find Atlan," Lucifer said, making St. John give him a sideways glance, "We figured you'd have an easier time of it." St. John's pink eyes glinted, a dangerous thing. I noticed that, while the gods in the room were affected by the demon's beauty, they seemed to sense the ancient evil that dwelled within him, because no one said a word or gave him a lecherous sneer, something I more than expected from Zeus.

Someone scary enough to make Zeus go quiet? Who is this person?

"What makes you think I know where he is?" St. John asked dryly. Lucifer frowned.

"You're one of the firsts. We need to find where Atlan is hiding. Where better to hide than where only a first could find him? Surely he'd hide in a place where Xiphrus could get to him easily," he pointed out. At the mention of his brother's name, St. John's eyes burned a terrifying shade of gold, then back again. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath as if to count to ten, then opened his eyes to scan the room.

His stare paused on Aphrodite, for a split second longer than the others, and I saw something in her eyes that said she was replying to something his eyes told her.

And this time, St. John's eyes jumped to Menoetius, who frowned instantly at him. St. John's eyes narrowed and he turned back to Lucifer.

"Your plan is to send in two distractions and jump him from behind," he stated. Athena looked surprised that he figured it out without inquiring. I couldn't tell if that meant our plan was awful or St. John was smart.

"That's the gist of it. Detail wise, we're going to send Anexius and Menoetius to keep him occupied while another team goes in to take a destructive spell from him. But it'll be easier to flesh this plan out once we know where Atlan is so we can use the environment to our advantage," Athena explained. St. John's mouth twitched and I knew instantly that our plan wasn't going to work. His expression said it all, but instead of berating us, he answered calmly,

"Not a good idea. If he sees Anexius, he'll know what you're planning. Send the hybrid."

"Are you insane?" Zeus demanded. St. John surprised me by flashing him a smile.

"I'm as old as time itself. My sanity died a long time ago."

"We can't send the hybrid," Lucifer chided sternly, "He's the only weapon against Atlan that we have." St. John nodded, folding his arms over his chest and shifting his weight to one foot, looking across the table at Hannibal, who stiffened.

"Exactly. Atlan would never expect you to send out your greatest asset. Send the hybrids, both of them, and Menoetius. Put them all together. Don't send them to Atlan directly, then he'll really be suspicious. Send them to Atlantis on a mission to excavate something on the east island. They'll go about their business, bring it back, and Atlan is sure to attack them at some point on the mission. While he's occupied with trying to capture them and seduce them to his side, send Hades, Lucifer, Athena, and Ares in to snatch the spell."

"Wait," Zeus said, confused, "What if he doesn't attack them?" St. John gave him a droll stare.

"If by some miracle, he's gone deaf, dumb, and blind, at least you'll be getting the artifact from the east island," he explained. Arikos scowled.

"What artifact? I've lived in Atlantis for centuries and I've never heard of anything being on the east island, except lots of fucking dirt and sand and two-headed scorpions." St. John smirked at that.

"You'll know when you've found it, trust me." The look on Arikos's face said he didn't trust St. John as far as he could throw him.

"This artifact," Lucifer said slowly, "Would it help in this war?" St. John's expression became placid as he turned to stare at him.

"This artifact could do more than help you in the war. It'll open the channels to the Source," he responded. It got so quiet you could hear a pin drop before Zeus spoke, his voice thick with possessive fascination.

"Open the channels to the Source? Meaning?" He asked. St. John frowned.

"Meaning you'd have direct access. You'd gain a power that the Moirai have. You'd know what was going to happen before it even happened. You'd know how to defeat your enemies before they even knew. You'd be omnipotent."

Zeus's eyes glittered at that and I got a really bad feeling out of that.

St. John, I think you just said the wrong thing to the wrong person.