Chapter 28 Quentin
Blotting out the world with love and pleasure was the perfect way to spend time with Gray.
Being with him again healed every painful wound I’d collected over the last few days.
I was home again, where I belonged. My soul was at peace, united with its other half.
Unfortunately, the bubble couldn’t last as there were pressing matters to attend and the quicker they were resolved, the better it would be for all of us.
“I love you,” I said to Gray as he straightened the cuffs on his black shirt. He was dressed in his colours, exuding a confidence that I didn’t quite share.
He walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me flush against him. “I love you too. You need to stop worrying.”
“Can you blame me?” I asked, smoothing down sections of his wild hair.
“No, but you’re my golden girl, so if anyone can help sway this today, it’ll be you.”
“Look how well that’s worked for us so far,” I muttered.
“You’ve been struggling to focus. You should be able to here.” He leaned down and his lips brushed against mine in a chaste kiss that left me unsatisfied. “I believe in you, Quentin.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“That’s my girl.” The smile lightened his features, and my heart thumped erratically at the sight of it. “Ready?”
I nodded because there was no other option.
Gray’s aura took us away from the safety of our home and to the council chambers.
The piles of rubble had been cleared away, and the pillars stood proudly again.
The thrones were righted, and the room was packed with Gods and Goddesses all talking until there was a steady hum.
There were no injuries. No visible sign Elysia had been at a tipping point.
The only scar was on Gray’s side where the oleander had left its mark, darkening his flesh and raising the skin.
Sloan and Erik were standing together and Larkin had taken her place by her throne, chin tipped upwards. Archer was brought from the cells and as we locked eyes, he afforded me a curt nod.
Could I let him take the fall for Larkin?
Gray mentioned that the Gods would decide what justice looked like, but I’d been around long enough to know that they were all vying for blood.
An eye for an eye was expected here. Would I be able to live with myself if Archer lost his life for something he never did?
My stomach twisted uncomfortably, and my aura pulsed out from around me, lighting up the surrounding area in a golden hue.
A flurry of whispers and eyes in my direction did nothing to calm my nerves.
The last thing I needed was for them to think that I was trying to influence things.
But then I remembered yesterday and how so many auras had shone before me to make sure I was protected.
I had no idea what they thought of me, but I didn’t trust that they wouldn’t change their minds at the drop of a hat.
My aura had remained around me from the moment I returned from Earth.
Even when I tried to focus and bring it back to me, it remained in the air.
The prayers I asked for that I so desperately needed were still being channelled to me.
Mortals didn’t know that the war was over.
That now we were dealing with the fallout.
Gray’s hand squeezed mine as he looked down at me.
I gave him a small smile in return. Through our bond, I sensed the excitement that bubbled through him.
As he’d said, this was the first step to our eternity.
After this, there would be no more obstacles for us.
No need to look over our shoulder. He led me across the room towards the dais and stopped in front of his throne.
“You can sit here,” he told me.
“Gray,” I said, feeling uncomfortable in a spot where I was so visible.
“Erik will look after you. Remember, you have nothing to worry about. I love you.”
The confidence poured from him. In the few hours it had taken him to heal and come back to himself, Gray had flourished.
It was easy to see that this was a role he had been preparing for his entire life.
He was ready to step up and take Elysia forward even if it meant having the uncomfortable conversations.
And I was proud of him for doing it. For opening up and allowing them all to see the other side of his personality.
The part of him that showed mercy and kindness to his friends in a time of difficulty and darkness.
Gray’s footsteps echoed as he strode to the centre of the chambers where he could command the attention of the room. The rest of the Gods found a seat and the whispers soon died away as they waited for the show to begin. It was impossible to ignore the few curious stares that were thrown my way.
“You requested a trial.” Gray’s voice filled the space, deep and authoritative. “And I have granted that request. It should have been done a long time ago, and I hope it brings you the peace you seek.”
Archer stood a few feet away from Gray, still bound in cuffs.
There was no panic or fear evident on his face.
Instead, Archer continued to carry the same calm tinged with a smugness that he always did.
It made me question what his plans were for this public spectacle.
The temporary camaraderie, if it could even be called that, between him and Gray against their common enemy had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The tension in the air was thick, reminiscent of the way it had been the last few days, but on a smaller scale. We were meant to be witnessing a public trial, but something about it felt more personal between the two Gods. The final battle in their long-running feud.
“The minor Gods would like to see your memories surrounding the events of that time,” Archer said. “Please project them for all to see.”
“I thought you needed physical contact to share memories,” I said, leaning towards Erik.
“You usually do, but if you’re good with your aura, then that should be enough. Watch Gray. See how he’s moving it out to the room?”
The council chambers grew dark with Gray’s aura until nothing was visible around us. Even my aura was no match for his.
I focused, the way Gray told me, on channelling my gift towards this entire situation. But the focus was difficult when his memories flooded out around me.
Hunter stood at his home looking out of the window while Gray and Erik sat at the table behind him.
“It can’t go on any longer,” Hunter said.
Gray shifted in his chair. “So, what exactly do you plan to do?”
“When you have a problem, eliminate it.”
“Please don’t tell me you mean…”
Hunter turned around to face them. “That is exactly what I mean, Grayson.”
“Don’t you think that’s extreme?”
“I’m surprised you care.”
“I’m just saying there must be a reason they’d cause so much unrest. They must be unhappy. We’d be better off opening up the chambers and hearing their grievances.”
Hunter scoffed and shook his head. Disgust and distaste marred his features.
“You’re both soft,” he spat. “They’ve been trying to tip the balance here and if they succeed, we might all cease to exist. The demigods will be fine if people stop believing in us. They’ll resume mortal status, but the rest of us… well, that would be the end.”
Gray and Erik exchanged a nervous glance across the table.
“You’re my younger brothers,” Hunter continued. “I’m tasked with the responsibility of protection. I was elected to lead. Everything I do is to make sure I keep you both and the rest of Elysia safe.” He oozed charm and logic. There would be no reason to doubt him with the charisma he possessed.
“I never ask you for anything.” Hunter placed a hand over his heart and softened his voice.
“I’ve always led on my own, but I’m asking for your help now, and I would trust that my family would stand by me.
The task will be too great for Elva alone.
We’d need to round them up and then get rid of them. ”
Erik shifted uncomfortably. “Hunter…”
“I know it might not be in your nature to kill, Erik. It isn’t in mine either, so we can help to gather them.” He turned his focus on Gray. “Grayson. I need you.”
Something flashed in Gray’s eyes. A vulnerability that he hid from the world.
Hunter walked over to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “My brother. Help me keep Elysia safe. Prove them wrong. They think you are not capable of acting on their behalf. They think you’re a monster, but show them you care.”
“Allow them a trial,” Gray replied. “Any found committing treason should be sentenced, but the others—”
“We’ll see what happens once we have them. First, we need to contain the incident before it becomes something we can no longer handle. Do you understand?”
There were a few moments of silence before Gray nodded his head.
“I knew I could always rely on my flesh and blood.”
I knew what Hunter’s words must have done to Gray.
Gray, who had always been an outcast because of his gifts.
Gray, who felt like no one could love him because he was made to feel like a monster.
Hunter preyed on that and made him feel like there was redemption if he did this, and Gray believed him because he wanted it so badly.
Gray trusted that his brother would do the right thing, only for him to lie and frame Gray as the vicious one in the end.
As the day drew on, Erik and Elva were called on to share their memories.
Hunter didn’t waste any of the emotional strings on Elva.
He ordered her directly to use her gifts to help and Elva had already sensed a large amount of death coming, even if she wasn’t involved.
She chose to do so in order to help the rest of Elysia steer away from war.
A heavy melancholy blanketed the chambers as the truth of the war that wiped out the demigods came to light. Tears were shed and the emotional weight of the testimonies had Gods leaning on each other.