Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Prometheus and Lorcan lived in a beautiful log cabin in the woods, surrounded by a neatly tended garden with a yard housing birds that resembled chickens and small grunting animals that reminded me of the pigs from our world.
Inside, the cabin was spacious but cozy. The ceilings were high to accommodate Prometheus’s height, and the windows wide and tall to let in light and bathe the space in warmth.
The air was permeated with a delicious aroma coming from the huge pot simmering above the fire in the hearth.
“Lorcan’s favorite stew,” Prometheus said, following my gaze. “I make it for him frequently as it contains all the nutrients that his body needs.”
“You enjoy it too,” Lorcan said with a teasing smile.
“I do indeed,” Prometheus said with a chuckle. “Even though I do not need the sustenance, and my indulging may be seen as gluttony.”
“You’re a god,” Gabriel said.
“I am,” Prometheus said without any kind of pride. “And Lorcan is immortal…because of me.”
Lorcan put his hand on Prometheus’s arm. “I’m glad of it.”
“Of the punishment my indiscretion brought upon you?”
“I would suffer for an eternity with you rather than live a life of peace without you.”
Prometheus leaned down to kiss his lover. “And so would I.”
I needed to know what we’d seen on the bridge, how they were here, and why they’d known we were coming. “Was it you two on the bridge earlier?”
“Yes,” Lorcan said. “And also no. The males on the bridge are remnants of our past. An imprint left behind after Thanatos freed us.”
My confusion must have shown on my face because Lorcan quickly continued. “Let’s eat, and Prometheus and I will tell you our story.”
“And how you knew we were coming?” Kabiel added.
“That too.”
Prometheus plodded to the kitchen and began to gather bowls and spoons. “Please find a seat. Our table isn’t big enough for everyone, but there are chairs and plenty of floor space.”
The next few minutes were spent filling bowls and finding places to sit. I claimed a spot on a bench by one of the windows, and Gabriel joined me. Jilyana and Asbeel sat on the floor beside us, and the rest of the watchers found seats on the floor.
We ate in silence for a few moments. The stew was filling and flavorsome, the first hot meal I’d had in days, and my stomach was grateful for it.
Once spoons scraped bowls, Prometheus began to speak. “You saw what happened on the bridge. You saw Lorcan turn into an eagle and tear out my liver?”
“Yes,” Gabriel said.
“Then you saw our punishment.” He paused for a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “That punishment was pressed on us by a jealous god who wanted me for herself. Her name is Zeus.”
“Wait, I thought you were a god, too, so how could she punish you?”
“Even gods have a hierarchy. There are the first gods—the ancients. Then there are those of us who came later, born through their unions and dalliances or from experiments with the ether. We are all gods, but we do not all hold equal power. Zeus is one of the oldest. Neither feminine nor masculine, she is whatever she wishes to be at any given time, and her appetites are insatiable. I was her favorite toy, and for the pleasures I provided, she gave me certain freedoms. Such as being permitted to visit the worlds she created.” Here he paused again, his gaze going misty as if he was falling into a memory, and when he continued to speak, his voice held a hypnotic quality, so it felt as if he was drawing us into the memory with him.
“It was on one of those worlds that I met Lorcan.
His people were a primitive breed—new and innocent, learning the wonders of life.
They lived in darkness once the sun set.
Unable to fend off the threats that lurked in the night.
“The first time I set eyes on Lorcan, he was huddled outside his shack, clutching a crudely made weapon—the chosen watcher for that night. He’d been frightened but determined.
His aura was filled with love and light for his people.
His courage was what drew me to him, but it was his beautiful mind that kept me.
” He looked across at Lorcan, who smiled, misty-eyed, urging him to continue with a nod.
“Zeus created Lorcan’s world but did not give it fire. They had no light source. No way to stay warm in the winters. They had no way to cook their food to rid it of harmful bacteria, and predators did not fear them, hunting with impunity.
“I went back again and again to help them adapt. To help them find new ways to live, and in the process, I slowly fell in love with Lorcan. It soon became clear to me that Zeus had created this world as a twisted joke. That it wasn’t meant to last long, but I wanted to protect it.
I knew that Zeus could bar me from visiting Lorcan’s world at any time.
Knew that she had the power to keep me from him.
I needed to ensure their safety if I could not return.
And so, I did the only thing I could—I stole fire from Olympus. ”
“What do you mean you stole fire?” Kabiel asked.
“Hephaestus, the god of fire and flame, was a friend of mine, and so I went to him for help. He tried to convince me not to meddle, but I would not be swayed, and so he gave me an ember which would change Lorcan’s world, and I, in turn, gave it to them.
To their world. When Zeus discovered the truth, I hid Hephaestes’s part in it and told her I’d stolen the ember.
I thought I’d be punished for it by being grounded to Olympus, but I’d underestimated her obsession with me.
She’d been spying on me. She knew about Lorcan.
She’d wanted to see how far I’d fall to betray her, and she had a punishment prepared.
One where we would forever be together and yet doomed to hurt one another. ”
The bridge? “Your punishment was to guard the chasm and be mutilated?”
“Yes,” Prometheus said. “Lorcan would become an eagle and rip out my heart every day. And every night I would crush his skull between my hands. We were compelled to repeat the cycle and did so for millennia. Zeus would visit at first, to watch and revel in our pain, but after a while, she seemed to forget about us. But Thanatos would come visit often, and one day he said it was time to set us free. He broke whatever curse Zeus had placed on us and created a pocket of freedom for us here.”
“Zeus was furious when she found out,” Lorcan said with wide eyes.
“She tried to curse us again but failed. Whatever Thanatos did protected us. But she was able to bar him from her circle. We haven’t seen him since.
” He sat forward in his seat. “Did you go through the seventh circle? Did you see him?”
My heart sank. “We did. He helped us, and he…he was killed.”
Prometheus let out a bark of laughter. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at your ignorance. Thanatos cannot be killed. None of the gods can. We are eternal. You saw the destruction of the vessel housing him, nothing more. He has not ceased to exist, and maybe you will see him one day again.”
“That makes more sense,” Gabriel said. “But what I don’t understand is why Thanatos waited so long to free you.”
“There are rules among the gods,” Prometheus said. “Boundaries. Thanatos was merely adhering to them. He did what he could when the time was right.”
“And what about us?” Kabiel asked. “How did you know to expect us? Thanatos? No. He was surprised to see us, and his vessel was destroyed on our way here so…who told you?”
“My brother Apollo came to visit us soon after we were freed from Zeus’s control. He told me that we’d have visitors and that we should help them, that our world depended on it.”
“How do you know he was talking about us?”
He looked right at me. “He showed me your face. Told me to trust it. I know you mean to cross the fifth circle, but unless you can swim for days or have the ability to breathe beneath the waters, you won’t survive, and so we built you a vessel.”
“A boat,” Lorcan said, almost wistful. “It’s magnificent, and it will get you to the gate that leads to the inner circles.”
“Do you know where the gate is?” Jilyana asked.
“No, for that you will need to speak to the Gehennans who occupy the waters. You can lure them to the surface with blood.”
“Blood?”
“They are carnivorous beings, so beware,” Prometheus added. “Apollo told us that much. The rest…the rest is up to you.”
“Come, we’ll take you to it now,” Lorcan said.
Prometheus chuckled indulgently. “Slow down, my sweet. They may wish to rest a little before they continue their journey.”
I’d rested enough. The sooner we completed our quest, the better. “We’re ready to go now.”
“Then come.” Prometheus led the way out of the cabin and into the afternoon light.
We took a pleasant trail through the forest with the sounds of nature around us and the smell of spring on the air.
I’d taken my furs off in the cabin, and it was warm enough out here not to need them.
Their pocket of existence was beautiful.
Thanatos’s doing. I was glad the god wasn’t dead. That he continued to exist…somewhere.
The forest thinned, the trees growing sparser, and a shimmer bloomed in the distance.
“We’re approaching the edge of our land,” Lorcan said. “But look…look at what we built.”
The boat came into view, a magnificent wooden structure larger than I would have expected with a mast and a sail and… “Does anyone here know how to drive one of these things?”
“Sail,” Kabiel said with a chuckle. “You do not drive a boat, you sail it, and yes, I spent some time on the seas in one of my sojourns on earth.”
His nostalgic tone hinted at stories to be told, and I promised the nosy bitch inside me that we’d find out one day.
“We had plenty of time to work on it,” Prometheus said. “In fact, it’s been a labor of love.” He put his arm around Lorcan, and they both looked up at the boat as if it was their child.
And in a way, it was.
They’d brought it into being together, after all.
“We’ll take good care of it,” Gabriel said. “It’s truly beautiful.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Lorcan said. “We put in bunks, and there’s a cubby for storage, and we built a latrine at the back to allow for privacy.”
“Yes, I would not have thought of those details alone,” Prometheus said, a proud glint in his eyes. “Come inside.” He led the way up the ladder that leaned up against the boat. “This will be your home for the next few days, after all.”
“Days?” Jilyana said. “How long does it take to get to the fourth circle?”
“The fifth is vast,” Prometheus said. “Thanatos once told us it would take four suns to reach the fourth circle.”
Four days. We’d already been gone two. We still had to locate the relic, so that would add time to our journey. How long would we be stuck in Gehenna?
My thoughts took a backseat as we climbed onto the boat, and the next few minutes were spent exploring.
I’d never been on a boat. Never seen one, so there was a lot to take in.
Words like deck, stern, bow, helm, rudder.
They all melted into one. Thank goodness the watchers knew what Prometheus was talking about.
They’d sailed before, built boats before. Been on the sea before.
Thank fuck they’d come with us because Gabriel wasn’t as up to speed with how to sail.
There were three rooms below—a small seating area, a sleeping area, and a kitchen that housed a small stove filled with fuel called coal.
“We’ll bring you supplies,” Lorcan said. “They should last you for your trip. You’ll need fresh water too. We’ll fill containers of it.”
“And how do we get the boat into the water?” Kabiel asked.
Lorcan looked up at Prometheus, who smiled smugly. “I may have been cursed, but I did not lose my godly strength. The sea lies beyond this veil. Once you are prepared to leave, I will push the vessel through the veil and onto the sea.”
“In that case, let’s prepare,” Gabriel said.
It didn’t take long for us to load up the ship with supplies, although I felt bad taking food from Prometheus and Lorcan’s stores, but they were adamant they had enough and could get more if need be. The world that Thanatos had created for them here was bountiful.
The sky was a beautiful orange hue by the time we were ready to leave, and the immortal lovers prepared to disembark.
I joined them at the ladder. “Thank you, for everything.”
“Thank us by fixing this broken world,” Lorcan said. “We may only have a sliver of it, but it’s our home.”
“But even if you fail,” Prometheus said, “even if our world is doomed, we’re grateful for the time we had together.”
The way they looked at each other, pure and unfettered by all the horror they’d experienced, made my heart ache.
Gabriel pulled up the ladder once Prometheus and Lorcan were on the ground.
Kabiel took the helm, and the other watchers perched on the bow and stern. Jilyana stayed close to Asbeel, looking out at the veil from the bow.
Prometheus and Lorcan waved goodbye before walking out of sight, and in the next moment, the boat was inching toward the veil.
It swallowed Jilyana and Asbeel first, slowly eating away at the boat until it was rushing toward us, and for a moment, doubt and fear dug their claws into me, but Gabriel took my hand, and the fear melted.
“We’ve got this,” he said as the shimmer washed over us.
I hoped so, because we had so much more riding on finding the last piece of the relic now. With two worlds hanging in the balance, failure wasn’t an option.