Chapter 26 Into the Realm of the Gods
Into the Realm of the Gods
Heaven
“Whoa, what is wrong with you?” Allie asks as I finish my drink at record speed and cough.
I shake my head. Nothing! I write, refusing to think of the way a certain pair of hips swayed to the music and drew my attention to- I shake my head, my cheeks burning up.
No! No, I did not look at that. I could not have looked at that.
Eww, he’s so gross! And he’s not my type!
I do not like uncivilised tattooed men! Eww!
Allie leads me over to the drinks table.
“You’re pretty red in the face there. Are you choking?” Allie asks, narrowing her eyes.
I shake my head as I cough, hoping she doesn’t realise I just shamelessly- no – mortifyingly, ogled her asshole, idiotic cousin. Eww!
Allie passes me a bottle of water from the table, and I accept it, taking a gulp.
Breathe, girl.
“Was the show too much for ya, Blondie?” I freeze as Theo reaches past me and takes a bottle of water.
I snort. There was nothing worth looking at, I write, hoping he can sense my contempt. Just to make sure he does, I glare up at him. But he’s not even looking at me, his head is tilted back as he pours the contents of the bottle into his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulps it down smoothly.
Oh Goddess…
I look away quickly.
“Like she said, it was lame,” Allie adds in agreement. Theo chuckles, crushing the empty bottle and tossing it into the trash can a few meters away.
“Sure,” he says, turning away as a few girls come over.
“Can we get some pictures with you?”
“As long as you’re willing to donate more to charity!” that same annoying kid who was collecting money earlier declares. I glance at Theo, who’s got an infuriating smirk on his face again.
“Sure thing, right, ladies?”
“Yes!”
They quickly take some money blindly from their bags, not even bothering to check how much, and toss it into the bucket before rushing to Theo’s side as he slings his arms around them.
I roll my eyes, turning away.
“Here, take a photo for us, please?” One of the girls sticks her phone in my face. I cock a brow, looking at the women latched to him, their hands plastered to his abs. I look at her phone and then back at her.
Who does she think I am? Her servant?
I give her a ‘you wish’ expression, twirl around, toss my hair and walk off.
I am not about to take any dumb pictures for anyone!
“Where’s Holden?” Allie asks.
I don’t really know, nor do I care, I write and then cross my arms. She frowns, her eyes glimmering red.
“What did he do?”
Relax, it’s no big deal; he’s just an asshole.
Allie raises an eyebrow. “Right, I agree with that, but if you need me to tear him apart, I’m all for it. His face could do with some roughening up.”
I nod, then tilt my head up, gazing at the moon. We need to go soon. I know where we need to go, a place where the veil is thin, and with the help of Hades’ amulets, we’ll be able to pass through. I’m nervous, although I don’t show it.
This is it.
We are about to do the craziest thing that shouldn’t even be possible. We are actually going to go to the Realm of the Gods.
I exchange looks with Allie.
It’s time.
She nods, and we both split up. We will signal the others, grab our things, and then head to the exit, where Ahren will be waiting for us.
Theo is still taking pictures, and I shake my head. What a show-off.
He spots me before I can even get his attention, and he arches a brow. “Want a picture, Blondie?”
I shake my head and tap my wrist instead. His eyes seem to sharpen before he nods. “Alright, ladies, I have to get going.”
“Oh, come on! Please stay!” One of the girl’s pouts.
“I would, but see that scary witch over there? She might hex me or something,” he jokes.
The girls look at me before they begin asking him for a final picture. Shaking my head, I walk off, deciding to get my things instead.
I pause, spotting Holden talking to a girl from our year. They’re laughing over something, and it does sting a little, but you know what, he isn’t worth my time.
“Dump him before he hurts you. He’s no Mr Superhero,” Theo says from behind me. My heart skips a beat. I didn’t even realise he had approached. I tilt my head, observing him with an arched brow.
And you are? I write, raising a brow. He steps closer, close enough that I can smell him, his voice a deep velvety murmur.
“Na. I’m the one they send in when the hero fails.
The one who doesn’t wear a cape or carry an elaborate title, the one who doesn’t pretend he’s saving anyone.
I simply live with blood on my hands while the likes of you rest your heads on your pillows every night knowing your moral compasses are intact.
I know what kind of girl you are; is that really your standard? ”
You can’t say that… you don’t know me that well.
“Oh, I see you.” Then he steps back, a smirk on his painted face.
“I see more than you’ll ever know.” And for a heartbeat, maybe longer, I swear he’s not just looking at me.
He’s looking right through me, looking straight into my soul, to the parts of myself I’ve buried and prayed no one would ever find.
Whatever. Come on, we need to go, I write, leading the way. But he isn’t wrong… Holden isn’t worth my time. When we get back, I’m dumping the loser.
I smile slightly at the thought. I don’t feel sad at all. I have better things to do with my life, and I’m not going to tolerate someone who makes me feel like that.
Now, let’s go save Sienna!
“We are not going to hear the end of this when we return,” Jayce murmurs as we slip past him to the entrance.
Once we’re there, they will realise we’ve left.
He was saying we should tell some of the elders so they don’t worry, but he was outvoted on that.
They would probably try to stop us. They’ll get the news from Tatum, who will tell Uncle Rayhan, Grandpa Alejandro and Uncle Liam first, as they will be the first to feel their pack-links snap.
The plan is to tell them roughly a minute or two before we leave.
We won’t have long to get away from here. I’m clutching the chest Hades gave me, my heart racing slightly.
“Yeah, well, we’ll have Sienna with us when we get back, right? So hopefully everyone will be happy rather than pissed,” Carter says grimly.
Tatum nods. “Just do your best, alright?” he murmurs. He’ll hear a lot from everyone, but he’s not bothered. He meets me for a hug quickly before patting Allie’s back, and then motions for us to leave. I’ve put the guards to sleep, but it won’t last long.
I cast one more glance towards Tatum before I slip out through the gates when Ahren appears out of nowhere. He gives Tatum a nod and looks at his watch. “We need to move. Once we cross over, the packs will feel our links break.”
I nod as we all hold on to one another, ready for Ahren to teleport us. I give Tatum one last small smile before we are pulled away with a small puff and reappear in the dark forest a few miles from the Academy.
The location I had chosen.
Ahren is right; we need to move fast. I take a deep breath before I begin locating the weakest spot in the barrier. The rest stand around, everyone silent. It is here. I know that, I’ve been here before…
“We have two minutes before the Academy will realise we’re not there,” Jayce says.
“And about four before our entire families are notified by Tatum,” Ahren adds with a smirk.
“Let her work. Pressure won’t make her go any faster,” Allie cuts in.
“I told Tatum to record the video call so we can see their reactions when we get back,” Ahren adds with a sly grin, trying to lighten the mood.
“Real mature,” Ares says. The tension is thick, and everyone is on edge.
We’ve left our Schattensichts with Tatum, so Leo doesn’t try to track us.
Put these on, I write, opening the chest. I take the large amulets out and pass them around, one for each of us. Sienna’s is safely tucked into my pouch. I close my eyes and chant the words that Hades had given me. Allie watches me closely. She’s the only one who can hear my inner voice.
“Maybe they’ll understand,” Renji says with a small smile, but I can tell he’s worried. “As long as Tatum gets to tell them we’re not dead. I mean, Dad’s going to feel five pack-links break. If he doesn’t answer the call straight away, he’ll think we’re dead…”
“Too late to think over that, but I do want Dad to think I’m dead,” Allie says flatly. “That would be fun. Shame I wouldn’t be able to watch him panic.”
I keep chanting, zoning them out as I focus on the veil. Slowly, I can see the slight ripple growing and begin to see the crack materialise, and then sense the same energy I felt when Hades made himself known. It fills the air around us.
This power is Hades’. He’s opening this portal for us.
The price I paid was worth it.
“Hold on,” Theo says, and I feel his hand on my shoulder. I sense everyone move closer, and then there’s immense pressure, and we’re sucked through, surrounded by pure darkness.
I feel myself spinning violently, the amulet burning against my skin, then something tugs inside of me, and I gasp. The air around me changes, and then we’re falling. So fast I can’t even change positions, as if my body is disconnected from my mind.
I can sense the others around me, but even when I try to open my eyes, I can’t see anything.
And then I’m landing on something firm, but soft. I gasp upon impact, the fall still knocking the breath out of me. I try to gather my senses as I open my eyes.
It’s neither dark nor light. I can’t see a sun or a moon. We’re on some kind of green field. I look down, and my eyes widen in horror.
No… no!
I panic, touching my waist. My herbs! My weapons! I look at my hands. My nails are black and slightly longer than my own, dark green, almost black, runes and patterns wrap around my arms and legs like tattoos.
I search the ground, my heart filling with relief when I spot Sienna’s amulet. My hands shake as I snatch it up and try to calm my emotions. For a moment there, I thought it was lost.
We aren’t wearing what we were wearing on Earth.
A heavy cloak falls around my shoulders.
It feels luxuriously soft, like velvet, leather, and water all at once.
It’s a beautiful shade of ivory, and the clasp is made of a gorgeous gold with a thunder symbol upon it.
I look up to see Jayce, with a grim frown on his face, his eyes averted as he moves away.
My eyes widen as I look him over. He looks like Jayce… but at the same time, he looks different. He looks like… a god.
His skin is almost glowing, like he brushed my favourite highlighter all over his body. The scar on his nose and the few on his torso almost glow gold. A flowing wrap is draped around his waist like a royal sarong, held in place by a golden belt that holds the Deimos symbol.
I can see his muscular thighs, as the wrap barely covers much.
He’s wearing gold boots that reach mid-calf.
He’s also equipped with his three artefacts.
The ornate golden shoulder plate, which looks like the branches of trees, glistens brightly despite the lack of sunlight.
He also has his helmet, with its visor down, and his gauntlets.
And where his shadow should be on the ground, I can see the outline of a wolf – his wolf. Behind him is the blinding aura of Zeus, encompassing him entirely.
Looking down, I realise why Jayce had given me his cloak.
I have on a sheer, dark green corset with gold patterns along the chest, giving it a bit more coverage.
It’s paired with a sheer skirt with thigh-high slits.
Thin gold straps wrap around my stomach and arms. The tattoo-like runes cover my stomach, too.
I have knee-high gold sandals on, in the same shade of gold as the straps that run along my stomach and arms.
I look across at the others, my heart hammering as each one gets up, each one no longer wearing what they were previously.
I don’t even get to look them all over, my heart hammering as Allie stands, her hair now combed into an extremely high ponytail. Her hair is far longer than it was on Earth, a ribbon keeping it in place.
She’s wearing a fitted, black leather corset that is sculpted to her frame, and there’s a subtle golden pattern along it.
Beneath the leather corset is a fine, black satin fabric with layered sleeves that fall off her shoulders, a slash between an open kimono and a dress.
It spreads out behind her like an open jacket, dragging onto the ground like a trail.
She’s wearing leather pants in a muted gold and high, black leather boots with the same runes and symbols as her corset.
She wears muted gold half-gloves, and she’s looking at the seven-foot spear she’s holding.
It’s mostly made of dark metal, but there’s a touch of gold on it.
It’s elegant, radiating power, and that shimmering hue swirls around her.
Her lycan’s shadow is beside her. And just like Zeus’ aura embodies Jayce, a god’s aura wraps around her entirely.
This god is tall, with the face of a jackal.
I recognise him.
Anubis.
The god who guides souls…
Allie’s eyes, which are rimmed with dark eyeliner, meet mine, my heart hammering as I look back at the god whose tall form towers behind her.
In that moment, I realise I’m not just looking at Allie, our fearless lycan princess, but at the final ruler.
Damn…
She may not have come into power yet, but Allie is the Volkov Queen.