Chapter Eleven
Roux
We were all going to die.
The Council looked down at us from their lofty perches, surrounded by lesser Gods and other deities.
There wasn’t an empty seat in the viewing gallery, and huddles of people stood crowded together wherever there was a space to stand.
Word had clearly spread that not only had a Reaper been summoned but also that this particular Reaper would be accompanied by the King of the Underworld, the God of Death and a Primordial.
Maybe I needed better friends…
Kidding. There was no one I would rather be facing Zeus with than the men at my side.
Zeus, on the other hand, looked like he was chewing glass.
He looked like the smell of shit had wafted under his nose and stayed there.
I also expected him to look older, but he looked like a slightly older version of Hades.
There was grey peppered through his dark hair, and he had let a beard grow across his face, but he had the same lines and features as his brother.
He was good-looking, but there was a severity about his mouth and a distasteful turn to his brow that made him appear much less handsome than his younger brother.
The chamber was full of whispers and finger pointing, curious looks and a bite of fear.
The Gods sat in marble thrones – Zeus’ obviously being the biggest and gaudiest – in a semi-circle around the chamber.
Only Hades’ throne, which stood to the left of Zeus, was empty because he stood next to me, showing a giant ‘fuck you’ to his brother.
Erebus stood to my right and Hades to my left.
The others were in a booth at the back of the chamber, and part of me was grateful they weren’t standing here under the direct gaze of the Gods.
Intimidating didn’t even scratch the surface of how it felt. Fuck, I was going to hurl.
“Why is Ares looking at you like he knows you?” Hades whispered in my ear, his eyes never leaving the Council.
I looked at the God in question and found him watching me with amusement in his bright eyes. It always took me by surprise how fucking huge the guy was. How did the guy even fit into his little throne? “I may have partaken in the fights at his club.”
Hades huffed a laugh. “Of course you have. Next to him is Athena, then Poseidon, and Hera to the right of Zeus. If there is anyone to convince that we aren’t in the wrong, it’s Ares and Hera.”
“Hera? As in his wife?” I blurted.
“Hush,” Hades admonished. “And yes, as in his wife. Theirs is not a happy marriage.”
“Really?” I said, disbelief making my voice high-pitched.
“Really,” Erebus said flatly. He looked delicious today, and my eyes were having a hard time staying away from looking at him.
He wore a white shirt with billowy sleeves, open at the throat, a blood-red waistcoat and high-waist trousers that made him look like he’d just stepped out of a gothic Regency novel.
I had to keep checking for drool, which Erebus found incredibly amusing. Asshat.
“But why?” I asked, dragging my eyes back to Hades, who was equally well dressed in a sharp three-piece charcoal suit.
The pair of them made me feel incredibly underdressed in my standard Reaper uniform of combat boots, black trousers and tee and my long black Reaper coat with all the fun pockets for hiding weapons.
I’d unfortunately had to surrender those when I stepped into the building, and I may have been a little impressed with myself at the fact that it took more than one box to store all of them in.
I’d even had to hand my scythe in. Now though, I felt a little vulnerable.
“Because Zeus is a man-whore,” Hades said with a shrug. “He’s had countless affairs, fucked a number of women, and Hera has suffered through it all.”
Sweet Lord, the poor woman.
“Don’t feel sorry for her,” Erebus added, no doubt roaming around in my mind and listening in to private thoughts.
I threw him a scowl. “Stop that.”
“What?” he said, an innocent little smirk on his beautiful face.
“You know exactly what, but why shouldn’t I feel sorry for her?”
Erebus leaned closer and dropped his breath to a whisper. “Because she likes being Queen of the Gods and can be just as vengeful as her husband.”
Okay, I would bear that in mind. Don’t piss off the Queen.
“And you will find an ally in Apollo,” Hades said, pointing to a stern looking man with raven-black hair.
Sitting on the floor next to his throne, with her feet dangling over the edge, was Raevyn, the Demi-God necromancer who was fast becoming a good friend.
She gave me a thumbs up, and I felt a little of the unease settle into something a bit more comfortable.
Zeus stood from his throne, and the murmurings from around the room immediately stopped. “It is a sad day when kin turn their back on kin. Brother, it is not too late to take your place by my side, where you belong.”
Hades stepped forwards and casually tucked his hands into his pockets.
Something I noticed he tended to do when he was trying to keep his temper in check.
If his hands were imprisoned in his pockets, he couldn’t pull anyone’s head off.
“Zeus. My place has never been by your side, and we all know it. I’m right where I belong, Brother. ”
There was a collective gasp from the onlookers and the Council. A couple of the Gods, including Ares, smirked at Hades’ boldness.
The harsh lines on Zeus’ face hardened even further, and the room suddenly dropped to a bone-chilling temperature. Fucking hell, that was uncomfortable.
“Then let us begin,” Zeus said, his voice dark and dangerous. He pointed to a podium set beneath the foot of his throne. “Roux, Reaper. Step forward.”
Hades grabbed my wrist as I walked past him and pulled me to a stop. He pressed a kiss against my temple and whispered, “Remember, we are with you. You are not alone.”
I nodded and squeezed his hand. I cast a last look at the men at my back, squared my shoulders and stepped onto the podium to face the King of the Gods.
Zeus sat back down in his gaudy throne and crossed one long leg over the other. “Well then, Reaper. Would you care to explain why I no longer have a vault?”
“I could explain that, but wouldn’t it be more interesting to talk about how you covered up the break-in at the vault a decade ago?”
Zeus’ brows descended in a sharp slant. “Excuse me?”
I looked around at all the other Gods. “Let me tell you all a story about a woman. I don’t know her name because I can’t remember it. She broke into the Vault, somehow made it past all the creatures and managed to get all the way to the Diadem.”
“Impossible,” Zeus scoffed.
Ares leaned forwards, his bright eyes glinting with emerald fire in the low light. “No, not impossible. Improbable maybe, but not impossible. I am intrigued, Reaper. Please, continue.”
Zeus pursed his lips but didn’t interfere, and I took his silence as permission to carry on.
“There she met an ancient being, a creature of shadows. The Master of the Vault.”
All eyes snapped to Erebus, but he just stood there casually like their interest didn’t matter. To be honest, I was pretty sure the guy was more powerful than most of these Gods put together. He was a Primordial, after all.
“But before they got a chance to know each other, the woman stole the Diadem.” I braced my hands on the plinth in front of me. “The woman woke up in the Underworld with no memory of how she got there, no idea who she was and no Diadem.”
Zeus leant forwards, a nasty sneer curling his lips. “If that were true, where is this woman now?”
I looked him dead in the eye. “Right here.”
The God scoffed. “So, you are admitting to stealing from me twice?”
Seriously, that’s what he took from the story?
I turned to Hera, a beauty with soft caramel-coloured hair who looked completely bored.
“Look, I’ll admit the tale is a tall one, but I went into the Vault because I wanted answers.
I wanted to know the truth. I want to know who I am, and if I stole Nyx’s Diadem, then I want to know why.
The connection I have with Erebus ties him to me on a level that I have yet to understand.
It was never my intention to destroy the Vault, but I know that responsibility lies on my shoulders, and mine alone. ”
Hera tipped her head to one side and cast a curious look at her husband. “Did you know there had been a break-in at the Vault all those years ago?”
“Of course I did,” Zeus replied, his tone miffed. “It’s my Vault, Hera.”
“And you, Reaper,” she said, her tone cutting as she turned to face me again. “Did you find your answers?”
I held her gaze unwaveringly. “Some of them, but not all.”
Hera unfolded herself from her throne and floated gracefully down to the ground before me. She landed softly, her navy-blue gown billowing gently around her feet. “Child, I cannot condone your actions, but I understand your need for truth. Tell me, would you sacrifice yourself to save them?”
With her standing this close to me, I could see that there was a sadness about her eyes as she spoke, and it made me feel sympathy for her.
“In a heartbeat,” I replied. “They are everything to me. I know that they followed me into the Vault willingly and by rights, should share in the punishment, but if there was any way to spare them from it, I would do that in exchange for me.”
A small smile played about her mouth as she glanced at Hades over my shoulder. “You even managed to warm a heart that I thought had been lost forever. There must be something special about you, Roux.”
“I’m just a Reaper,” I said softly as she trailed her gaze over my face.
Hera reached out and grabbed my chin in her hand; her touch was firm but not painful.
“Oh, no. I think you are something much more than that. There is something hidden deep within your depths that not even I can see, but it feels achingly familiar. And your face… You look like someone I used to know, but I can’t quite remember who. ”