Chapter 19 Quentin
“Idon’t want you going back up there,” Cass said, his voice quiet and face pale.
After my unsuccessful run in the lab, I came straight to my big brother.
He was the only source of comfort I could think of in this hellish situation.
He was sitting in his chair, worry lines etched deep into the corners of his eyes and his brow.
It was the same look our dad used to get after a difficult shift at the hospital.
Watching him now made me ache for my parents.
Sophie stood near his chair, eyes fixed on the floor. “I don’t think we get to make that decision for her.”
They were surprised to see me on their doorstep, but heading home hadn’t been an option.
It was too quiet, with too many reminders of Gray.
After being isolated away from everyone in Elysia, the last thing I wanted to do was be on my own.
Plus, Cass was the other half of my brain.
If either of us couldn’t resolve an issue, it was hashed out together.
James had been intent on sticking with me, but I sent him home.
The fewer people involved in this mess, the better.
“Even if I could stay down here, I can’t,” I said, forcing them both to look at me. “There’s too much at stake.”
Cass’s lips drew into a thin line, making him look older than he was.
I knew what he was thinking. That this was all too dangerous.
That he moved here so we would be closer together again.
That he didn’t want to lose another family member.
If he had it his way, we’d forget any of this ever happened and continue on with our lives with no complications.
There was a moment, as I left the Life Sciences building, where I thought about hiding.
Maybe if I moved away from London or the UK and worked in a completely different field…
But it wouldn’t matter where I was or what I did, I could never deny what I was.
A demigoddess. Home no longer just meant Earth, but also encompassed Elysia.
Not only that, but I’d never run from anything in my life, and I wouldn’t start now.
I couldn’t let those who I’d never believed in push me into becoming a version of myself that I didn’t recognise.
“Quentin, this wasn’t what you signed up for,” he pointed out. “You took that job because of the prestige and the pay. You didn’t ask for any of the rest of it.”
“They never gave me a contract with small print. No subsections that told me about what to do when you find out you have divine blood. Or what the company policy is if they decide to relocate back to Elysia for an undisclosed amount of time during the middle of the project. You kind of learn to roll with the punches when it comes to the Gods.”
Cass didn’t know how true that was. I’d told him a scaled-back version of what was happening up there.
The effects of it were already trickling down to Earth and causing chaos.
Storms with wind strengths that ripped roofs from houses.
Volcanic eruptions that blocked out sunlight with thick plumes of ash.
New virulent diseases that were spreading with resistance to all established treatments.
When they said a tip in the balance of Elysia affected Earth, I didn’t fully comprehend how bad it would get.
Yet another reason to figure out how to resolve all the mess.
“What do you want to do?” he asked, running a hand down his face. “How are you planning to broker peace when they all seem so desperate for a war?” Cass let out a strangled laugh. “War. My little sister is trying to stop a potential war.”
I wished I could have laughed with him at the sheer absurdity of it. I wasn’t a diplomat or a general. Stopping wars was as far out of my remit as it could get. Organising the lab to pay towards the coffee and biscuits was a far cry from brokering peace with angry deities.
“I don’t know. The thing I need, I can’t get a hold of yet, but even after that I don’t know what to do,” I admitted.
“What is it you need?” Sophie asked.
“I…”
“You?”
“I need some oleander.” For a moment, I thought about confessing my intentions to Cass and Sophie, but I swallowed back the words on the tip of my tongue.
Some things you could process and accept, others were a little more difficult to look past. “I can’t explain why, but it’s important.
It’s what’s inside the cuffs and dampens our powers. ”
“So, if you get the oleander, you might be able to weaken Hunter?” Sophie confirmed.
“Yes.”
It was a partial lie. I didn’t plan to just weaken Hunter. I planned to kill him.
Cass stood up from his chair. “I’m not sure about this, Quentin.
You’re already being held like a prisoner.
They got Gray, and he’s the God of chaos.
If they could tie him up and render him powerless, what makes you think you’re going to be able to weaken Hunter?
I love you, but I can’t see how this is going to work. ”
An excellent question, albeit one that was a blow to my ego. Cass had always believed in me, especially when I couldn’t find it in myself to do so. Hearing his doubts now made me wonder if I truly had lost my mind with this plan.
“I have Gods that are on my side.”
His face turned red before he exploded. “I don’t trust a single one of them! I trusted Grayson to keep you safe and look at what’s happened.”
“I would never have placed a bet on Grayson,” came a silky voice from the hallway. Archer soon stepped into the room with Andreas by his side. “But we all make mistakes.”
“Archer. Andreas,” I said, relieved to see them. “What are you doing here?”
“Get out!” Cass hissed, marching towards them.
A thin, smoky green tendril reached out and pushed against Cass’s chest, stopping him in his tracks.
“Let’s not do anything stupid,” Archer said to him. “After all, I am one of the Gods who is on her side. They are in limited supply. You don’t want to put her at any more of a disadvantage. Do you, Cassidy?”
Cass remained silent as I rose to my feet and joined his side. Placing a hand on his arm, I said, “I trust him. For now.”
“Clever girl,” Archer commented. “It’s pandemonium up there.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Hunter’s called for a war,” Andreas said, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating in my chest.
“Why? He was planning a wedding a few hours ago, and now he’s taken Elysia to war?”
“Let’s just say his hand was forced.”
“In what way, Andreas? Stop talking in riddles.”
Archer pinned me with a stare. Dark green eyes bored into me as he contemplated on whatever it was. Eventually, he sighed. “You’ll find out soon enough, but Grayson has managed to free himself from the cells.”
The hairs on my arms rose to attention at the news.
Gray was free. A sense of relief flooded through me, making me slightly unsteady on my feet.
No wonder Hunter wanted the heavens to be at war.
Gray wasn’t going to sit silently and do whatever Hunter said.
Every doubt I had crumbled to dust. He would be out for blood the same way I was.
Worse, if his track record was anything to go by.
I shifted my focus to Andreas. The giant of a God was emanating a dangerous, unseen aura that made the room seem small. Sophie and Cassidy had gravitated towards each other, with my brother standing protectively in front of his wife.
“You’re not up there helping them?” I asked.
“Are you questioning my loyalties?” came his reply.
“Not at all. I know your loyalty lies with Sloan. I’m just surprised you aren’t up there with everyone.”
“I’ll be of better use here. I’m sure you can understand.”
It was lucky that I understood because his tone left no room for argument. I didn’t want to imagine what could unfold if one of the Gods were to use Andreas’s gift without his permission. How much messier it could get.
Looking back at Archer, I asked, “Did you find any of the oleander?”
Archer shook his head. “I searched the greenhouses before the chaos made its way over to me. I would try and threaten Tobias, but it’s impossible to find anyone with everything going on.”
“It can’t have just disappeared,” I told him. “Hunter’s room is locked, so he must have some in there.”
“None of us are welcome in his home, are we?” Archer pointed out. “Have you been to the lab?”
“No, I’ve been sitting here having a catch-up with my brother. Of course I’ve checked the lab. They’ve got rid of it all under Hunter’s orders.”
“He’s planned well to this point,” Andreas mused. “But war is unpredictable. He’ll have to think quick on his feet now.”
“Not if he has the oleander at home,” Archer replied. “And how long before he comes back for her? Success is exactly what he needs right now. He only put her down here so Grayson couldn’t get to her.”
That statement brought Cass back to life. “They aren’t taking her back,” he said. “I won’t allow it.”
“What are you planning to do? Offer him a hip replacement?”
The bickering became a hum as I thought about Hunter’s plan.
Andreas was right. Up until now, Hunter had thought of everything.
He planned meticulously to make sure that there was always an escape route.
He would have factored in the possibility of things going south and escalating into war.
And if he had made contingency plans for that eventuality…
“The oleander isn’t at his house,” I said, voicing my thoughts.
Archer took a breath from snarking at my brother and narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“Hunter would want plausible deniability in case it didn’t go his way.” The pieces were falling into place. “If he got caught and had to stand in front of the council and Elysia. He needs a scapegoat.”
“I assume that would be you.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s Mabel.”
“Mabel?”
“She told me he trusts her.”
“We all know that isn’t true.”
“Listen. It’s not about trust. It’s about what he can make her believe. She said something like he doesn’t have anyone but her. That he knows she’ll never let him down.”
The realisation dawned in Archer’s eyes. “He’s growing it at Mabel’s.”
“We need to go there and find it,” I told him.
“No.”
The refusal came from both Archer and Cass. I turned to look at my brother first.
“Quentin, I can’t…” His voice wavered. “I can’t let you go back there and get involved in all of this. Not when I don’t have a guarantee you’ll be back.”
“There’s never a guarantee…”
“None of that bullshit,” he cut me off. “This is an entirely different situation and we both know it.”
“Far be it from me to wade into family issues, but she’ll need to be back with the rest of her kin,” Archer said, ignoring the way Cass shot him a murderous glare. “But not quite yet.”
“Why not?”
“Wait until I’ve found the oleander,” he explained. “If you go up there and Hunter finds you first, then you’re handing him the win on a golden platter.”
I wanted to argue, but there was no point.
Archer made a compelling case. As much as I wanted to be back up in Elysia to search through Mabel’s house, I couldn’t guarantee that Hunter wouldn’t find me.
And if it wasn’t Hunter, it could be Mabel or Tobias or anyone who sided with him.
If they found me and used my gift, then it was over before we even had a chance.
“Stay here,” Archer ordered. “I’ll be back with news when I have some.”
He left no room for discussion before he wrapped his aura around him and disappeared from the spot.
“Please, duck,” Cass whispered.
I looked at him and took in the heartbreak on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re not planning to listen to Archer, are you?” Andreas asked. “It would be too much to ask you to wait here.”
I swallowed, thankful that the gears were finally turning in my brain. “Andreas, you can ask me for my success in all this. I’ll let you do it. I’ll let you use my gift.”
He raised his hands defensively. “I cannot do that.”
“Why not? If you ask to use my gift, then we can go straight back to Elysia and help Archer. Help everyone.”
“Quentin, regardless of what side they are fighting on, they are still my kin. The reason I came down here is to avoid being used in a way that could manipulate the outcome. There is a lot that rests on my soul from the last war we had. I won’t do it again.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay… okay.”
“What are you thinking?” Sophie asked.
I looked up at her. “I need you to do me a favour.”
“Anything you need, Quentin.”
“I need you to pray to me. Pray for success.” I was already pulling my phone out of my pocket as I turned to Andreas. “And I need you to take me back to the Life Sciences building.”
“Why?” Cass asked.
“Because I need help, a lot of it, and that’s the best place to start.”