Chapter Brothers
brOTHERS
CYRUS
Cyrus had certainly made his fair share of reckless decisions. Hell, he had even given up a piece of his own soul to save Prue’s life.
If anyone could understand the need for a dangerous and impromptu solution, it was him.
Even so, he couldn’t believe Evander had bargained his own immortality to save Mona.
There was a time when Cyrus would have made the exchange in a heartbeat. In fact, he had made such an exchange—when he had brought Prue back from the dead. He had fully expected to die to pay that price.
But he hadn’t. And now he knew that not all exchanges were so simple.
With his title as king restored, he had more than just Prue relying on him. He could not make careless decisions like that anymore.
Evander did what you could not, said a small voice in his head. You were unable to save Prue… but Evander could. He did what was necessary. But you couldn’t.
The thought filled his mouth with a foul, sour taste. His anger, his shame, his panic all felt more potent from that one singular thought.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, shoving Evander in the chest so hard that his brother stumbled backward. “How could you be so foolish?”
“I was doing what needed to be done!” Evander shouted. “Unlike you.”
Cyrus had never seen him like this before. Evander had always been calm and level-headed. The most even-tempered of all his brothers, except maybe Romanos.
“Mona wouldn’t have wanted this,” Cyrus said. “She would be horrified. What will happen when you rescue her, and she realizes she only has one mortal lifetime with you? Then, you’ll die, and she’ll continue living for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.”
Despair flashed across Evander’s features, but his expression hardened as a mask of icy fury settled into place.
“She’s made plenty of careless decisions without my input.
For one, she sacrificed all of her memories to return to the Underworld.
She sacrificed me. I think she would understand my decision.
Especially if it means her sister gets home safely. That’s all she cares about.”
Bitterness laced his words, and Cyrus stared at Evander. Hurt and anguish and devastation filled his silver eyes.
Evander was in pain.
That same cool mask returned, and Evander’s lip curled. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want your pity.”
Cyrus scowled. “Don’t tell me what to do. I have to clean up your shit now, so I’ll look at you however the hell I want to.”
“Clean up?” Evander let out a harsh laugh. “I saved your ass. I know where the Titans are. Do you want to know, or do you want to keep fighting with me?”
Cyrus froze. “The spirits told you?”
“Yes. They knew. This whole time, they knew, and you were too much of a coward to ask them.”
“I didn’t want to ask them because I knew they would extract payment from me! Just like they did to you.”
“Well, at least one of us had the balls to get things done.”
Cyrus’s rage boiled over, and he took a step toward Evander, teeth bared. “Watch yourself, brother. I’m still the king of this realm, and you’ll show me some damn respect.”
“I’ll show you respect when you earn it.”
Cyrus shoved Evander again, but this time, his brother retaliated with a swinging fist. A heavy force collided with Cyrus’s jaw, sending him flying. He crashed into the earthy ground with a deep groan.
Evander advanced, but Cyrus was ready. As he climbed to his feet, he summoned his Titan power. Lightning streaked across the sky, and the ground rumbled. White-hot power danced along Cyrus’s arms.
Evander stilled, his eyes growing wide.
“Want to try calling me a coward again?” Cyrus bellowed.
He slammed a bolt of electricity straight into Evander’s chest. Charred flesh filled the air, and Evander soared backward, then collided with a thick oak tree.
A deafening crack filled the air as the tree split in two.
Branches and leaves crashed to the ground, making the earth tremble again.
Evander slumped over, his head lolling. Silver blood oozed from the back of his head, staining the forest floor.
“Shit,” Cyrus hissed, withdrawing his magic as he sprinted toward his brother.
Smoke rose from Evander’s form, and an ashy black mark stained his chest. Cyrus ripped open Evander’s shirt, but no injuries marred his pale flesh.
Thank the gods for that.
Evander coughed, his eyelids fluttering open as he gazed at Cyrus in confusion. “Bastard,” he muttered.
Cyrus couldn’t help but snort. “You started it. Can you stand up?”
Evander let out a grunt and pushed away Cyrus’s extended hand. Slowly, Evander stood. He teetered slightly, but after blinking a few times, clarity returned to his gaze.
“You’d better be careful,” Cyrus said. “Once we’ve rescued Prue and Mona, you might not be able to walk away from an injury like that.” His tone was half teasing, but in all honesty, it was a solid warning.
Evander would not be as indestructible for much longer.
The statement sobered Evander, who looked at Cyrus with a grim and almost haunted expression. There were certainly inner demons at work here, and they were tormenting Evander to no end.
Cyrus wished he could do something to help. But he had a feeling that the only one who could vanquish those demons was Evander himself.
“No matter what,” Cyrus said softly. “You’re still my brother. You know that, right?” He placed a hand on Evander’s shoulder.
Evander’s lips grew thin, and his eyes swelled with emotion. He offered one stiff nod and started walking. He had a slight limp, but Cyrus knew it would heal quickly, thanks to their god blood.
God blood that Evander wouldn’t possess for much longer.
Lagos, Theo, and Maleck helped unearth several different maps buried in the castle vault. Cyrus had heard of Rhea before, and Evander confirmed that it was the same desert where the fire witches lived.
“Unfortunately, it’s huge,” Evander said as they pored over the maps on the throne room table. “I have no idea how to locate a spot without magic in a desert so vast.”
“Perhaps the fire witches can help?” Theo suggested. “They are powerful enough to assist in a fight against the Titans.”
Cyrus shook his head. “We can’t risk it. And they would be foolish to pick a fight with the Titans. It would mean war for their people. But they might be able to point us in the right direction.”
“They would likely know of a place where the Titans could be hiding,” Maleck mused, rubbing his chin. “If they’ve lived there for a long time, I’m sure they know the ins and outs of the desert.”
Cyrus nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’m counting on.” He cast a glance at Lagos. “Has the portal been repaired?”
“Yes,” said Lagos. “It just needs a dose of magic to power it.”
“We also repaired the reflection bowl, as you requested,” Theo said. He bent over to retrieve something under the table. When he resurfaced, he was holding the mended bowl. The cracks from the broken pieces were still stark, but they had been welded together.
Cyrus stared at it. “Have you tested it?”
Theo shook his head, then set the bowl down on the table. Lagos grabbed a pitcher of water from a servant in the hall, then poured it into the bowl. Cyrus expected the bowl to leak, but it held the contents perfectly.
Swallowing hard, Cyrus felt every pair of eyes watching him as he braced his hands on either side of the bowl. “Show me Prue,” he commanded.
The water rippled and swirled. To his surprise, an image appeared within the bowl. It was… Prue.
Gods above. The sight of her made his stomach lurch, and fresh longing coursed through him. His heart twisted painfully in his chest, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. The world seemed to stop for a full moment as he stared at her.
Prue sat on a small cot alongside Mona. They were speaking with one another, their expressions serious and their heads bent together. It looked as if they were in a small room of some sort.
At least it wasn’t a cave or a dungeon.
“Where are they?” Evander murmured, leaning closer.
“I—I can’t tell,” Cyrus said. “Show me the Titans.”
The water rippled again, and a new image appeared. Two of the Titans—one of which was Hyperion—sat on a ragged sofa in a room similar to where Prue and Mona were. They seemed… comfortable. Unbothered.
The sight was unsettling. They clearly had no reservations about Cyrus attacking them. The thought made Cyrus feel part offended, and part nervous.
If they weren’t worried, then they obviously had a plan in place for when Cyrus came for Prue.
And he had no idea what that plan was.
“Show me Atlas,” Cyrus said.
The water rippled again, and the purple-skinned Titan appeared. He was standing in a forest of dead trees, alongside another Titan Cyrus recognized as Oceanus. Cyrus squinted, trying to make out other details. But all he could see was a decaying field and a vast array of dust and dirt.
It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere.
With a growl, Cyrus pushed the bowl away and rubbed his forehead. Once more, he felt the others watching him, waiting for him to decide what to do.
Even Evander was silent, though Cyrus waited for him to say, I told you so.
Because he’d been right. The reflection bowl didn’t hold the answers.
The Wild Spirits did.
Cyrus rubbed a hand down his face with a long sigh. “All right. Evander and I will cross through the portal to the fire witch clan. Hopefully, the witches will be able to tell us about any hiding spots located within the Rhea Desert where we can search.”
“I’ll come, too,” Lagos said. “I worked in Tartarus for a long time. I’ll be able to smell Titan magic from afar.”
Cyrus looked at Lagos, his brow furrowing. “You want to go to the mortal realm? Are you sure?”
“You aren’t the only one who would go to great lengths to save Prue.” Lagos’s voice was full of an emotion that surprised Cyrus. He knew the demon was fond of Prue, but he didn’t realize how much.
The thought made his chest cinch even tighter, because he knew Prue would do the same for Lagos.
He turned to Theo and Maleck. “Can you manage the council in our absence?”
They both nodded. Maleck added, “I’ll address the people once more and assure them a solid plan is in place to bring back their queen.”
“Thank you.” Cyrus glanced at Evander, whose expression was stony as he stared at the reflection bowl. “Are you ready?”
Evander’s eyes flashed. “I’ve been ready for a long time, brother.”
“Good. Let’s get Prue and Mona back.”