Emblazed (24 page)

“If he doesn’t show, you can always try in your dreams. Both Morpheus and Hermes are
linked to your subconscious when they are invading your mind. They can hurt you, but
you can also hurt them. I will be back when you have completed your task,” the Oracle
said right before disappearing in her puff of smoke. I hated when she did that shit.

“Maybe we should just do that. It would be safer and I could try to kill two Gods
with one stone,” I attempted to joke.

Jace didn’t find it funny, and he narrowed his eyes at me. “Yeah, but you’re totally
on your own in there. I want to be able to help you if you need me, and I can’t if
you’re fighting them in your mind.”

He was right. I was at a disadvantage if I had to fight Hermes and Morpheus in my
subconscious. “Fine, let’s go ahead with the beach idea. If that doesn’t work, I’ll
face them in my nightmare,” I relented.

“If it comes to that,” Jace reminded.

I rolled my eyes at him as we walked to the beach. Kimber, Zane, Kiera, and my dad
were all waiting at the house, watching from our balcony. A balcony that now had so
many delicious memories associated with it.

Jace smirked at my thoughts, giving me a sexy grin as he warned, “If you keep thinking
like that, I’m going to take you back home, kick everyone out, and keep you up all
night. You won’t have time for dreams.”

My cheeks heated from his seductive words. Even though I wanted him to follow through
on his threat, we had a task to complete; one that I wasn’t looking forward to in
the slightest. The thought of seeing Hermes again had my stomach churning from the
combination of my fear and revulsion. I hated how defenseless and dirty he made me
feel, like I was nothing more than some piece of meat.

The beach was deserted, just like we had thought it would be. We laid out our towels
before sitting next to one another on them. We talked for about fifteen minutes before
Jace asked, “You wanna get in the water with me,
mi amante
?”

“No thanks, baby. You go ahead,” I replied.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few,” Jace stated before heading towards the ocean, just
like we had planned.

He would wait there until Hermes made an appearance, then rush out of the water to
help me. Once the others saw Hermes, they would race from the house to help us.

I lay on my stomach while I watched Jace in the water, and time seemed to drag on.
After about twenty minutes with still no sign of Hermes, Jace asked in my mind,
Anything?

Nothing yet. What should we do?

Let’s wait another fifteen minutes or so,
Jace answered.

Five minutes passed, then ten. After fifteen minutes with still no sign of Hermes,
Jace trudged out of the water. He came back over to me and grabbed his towel to dry
off. “Ready to go home?”

I nodded. I was relieved and disappointed all at the same time. While I didn’t want
to face Hermes, I knew it was something that was necessary in order to move on, in
more ways than one. I needed to let go of the fear from everything I had experienced
as a result of our encounters. Plus, I needed to move on to the next step in saving
my mom and ridding Hades from my life.

Jace helped me up and we started the silent walk back to our house. When we entered,
everyone was waiting for us in the living room.

“What now?” Kimber asked.

“Come back first thing in the morning. Brielle is going to try to fight Hermes and
Morpheus in her dreams,” Jace declared.

We were met with various looks of confusion before Kiera asked, “What? How can she
do that?”

We relayed our conversation with the Oracle to the group before reluctantly saying
goodnight. My dad decided to spend the night on the couch in case anything happened
during my nightmare. I knew he just wanted to be there to make sure that I woke up
safely.

After Kimber and Zane left, Kiera went to her room, and Jace headed upstairs to shower
while I got some sheets and pillows for my dad to use on the couch. Once I made up
his “bed” for the night, I kissed him on the cheek and hugged him as I said, “Goodnight,
Daddy.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you,” he replied as he squeezed me tightly.

“I love you, too,” I returned as I ended our embrace.

I headed up to my room, where Jace was still in the shower. I decided to join him
since I was covered in sand from our failed entrapment at the beach. Once I entered
the restroom, I stripped out of my bathing suit and stepped into the shower with Jace.

He was washing his hair as he greeted me, “Hey, baby.”

“Hey,” I replied half-heartedly.

I was dreading falling asleep, and even though I didn’t want to admit it, facing Hermes
by myself terrified me. I felt like I had no control over anything in my nightmares,
so how was I supposed to defeat a God that was orchestrating everything there?

Jace lightly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him as he said, “Don’t worry,
mi amante
. You got this.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Jace. How do I even use my powers while I’m sleeping?”

“Your powers are practically limitless, Brie. I’m sure you can use them in your subconscious
just like you do normally,” Jace answered reassuringly.

I started washing my hair as I commented, “I doubt it’s that easy.”

“Don’t be so negative, baby. I believe in you—you can do this,” he affirmed.

“I hope so,” I mumbled.

Jace shook his head at me with a small smirk as he responded, “I know so. Stop doubting
yourself.”

I smiled even though I still had my doubts. I’d be kidding myself to believe that
this was going to be some easy feat, even with Jace’s encouraging words. He always
held so much faith in me, and I feared that the pedestal he put me on would crumble
and lead to nothing but disappointment.

We finished showering before getting ready for bed, which I prolonged as much as I
could. I took my sweet time brushing my teeth and flossing meticulously before washing
my face. Then, I fashioned my hair in two intricate French braids before entering
my bedroom, where I continued to procrastinate the inevitable.

I rifled through drawers repeatedly as I looked for clothes to sleep in as Jace requested,
“
Mi amante
, stop. Come to bed.”

I sighed as I took off my towel and put on the clothes I had picked to sleep in. I
trudged over to the bed and slid under the covers next to Jace before snuggling into
his side. His arms came around me, cocooning me in his warmth and security.

“I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay up and watch over
you. If I notice any injuries or distress, I’ll wake you up, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered. Even though I wasn’t confident with myself, I trusted Jace with
my life. I knew he would protect me if I needed him.

Jace reached over, turned off the lamp by the bed, and plugged our phones into their
chargers before rewrapping me in his arms.

I laid my head over his heart, trying to let his heartbeat soothe me to sleep, but
I was so anxious that I didn’t think it would be possible. I alternated between staring
at the balcony doors and shutting my eyes in attempts to fall asleep. My mind raced
with various scenarios of what could happen when I faced Hermes in my dreams, and
most did not bode well for me.

Jace began to trace my hairline with his fingertips, knowing how the simple act always
helped me find slumber. After several minutes, sleep pulled me under its veil.

When I entered the realm of dreams, Hermes’ body was atop mine, crushing me with his
weight. One of his hands gripped my neck while the other pinned my wrists above my
head.

“I’m tired of playing with you! You will submit to me tonight!” Hermes snarled in
my face.

Even though it was a dream, I felt like I was suffocating from the pressure of him
choking me. I brought my knee up, missing his groin like I intended and hitting him
in the back of his thigh instead. I tried again, hitting my mark and forcing him to
roll off me.

I jumped up as he clutched his crotch, his face reddening as he took deep breaths
and squinted in pain. I tried to summon my powers, but I couldn’t get them to materialize.
Shit!

I knew it was a bad idea, but I closed my eyes to try and focus on my Elements. They
responded sluggishly, most likely since my body was asleep. They must have been in
some type of dormant state when I slept.

Before I could get them to fully awaken, I was tackled to the ground. My eyes shot
open to Hermes on top of me once again, and I immediately struggled beneath him while
simultaneously trying to free my powers.

Hermes reared back his hand and slapped me so hard that my vision blurred for a few
seconds. Bad fucking idea—I hated being slapped. The rage that started to simmer inside
me helped with unleashing my Elements, and they erupted in a furious flurry. I summoned
their power, needing them to end the horrible ordeal with Hermes.

Hermes wrapped both hands around my throat, attempting to choke me again as he used
his knees to open my legs. I was done with being in fear. I was the only being capable
of killing a God, and I wasn’t going to be controlled by one any longer.

I placed my hands on his chest as he removed one hand and moved it down towards the
lower half of our bodies. I knew what he planned to do, and I was definitely not letting
him violate me ever again. I blasted my Akasha into his chest, sending him soaring
off of me and landing about twenty-five feet away.

As I stood, I could see smoke rising from Hermes’ chest where my Akasha had connected.
He wasn’t moving, but I wasn’t going to celebrate just yet. I still didn’t entirely
believe that I had enough power to kill a God, so my skepticism made me even more
cautious as I approached Hermes’ body.

When I was about ten feet away, Hermes groaned and sat up. I gasped at the gaping
hole that spanned the entire width of his broad chest, wondering how he could still
be alive. Maybe everyone had gotten the Prophecy all wrong; maybe I didn’t have the
power to kill a God after all.

“Stupid girl! Do you know how long it will take my body to recover from this?” Hermes
shakily gritted out in pain.

“I was hoping never, actually,” I retorted.

My heart sank when I realized I would have to tell Jace that I wasn’t able to kill
Hermes with my Akasha. We had been relying on that one tool to defeat Uranus. If I
couldn’t even defeat a weaker God like Hermes, I didn’t know how the hell I was going
to defeat Uranus.

Hermes chortled as he coughed up blood, spitting it on the floor in front of him.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but that meddling Oracle will most likely tell
you anyway. You have yet to unlock the power necessary to kill a God.”

Come again? Was he trying to distract me with lies?
“What are you talking about? I already unlocked Akasha. I just blasted you with it!”

He gestured to himself, “And yet, I’m still alive.”

The asshat had a good point. I would need to talk to Jace and the Oracle before deciding
whether or not what Hermes had just relayed was true.

“Doesn’t seem like you will be for long,” I commented sarcastically.

“It would seem that way, but I am immortal. Your injury will put me out of commission
for a few days so that my corporeal form can regenerate, but I won’t die. As I said,
you don’t have the power to kill me … yet. Sorry to disappoint you,” Hermes gurgled
before spitting up blood and falling back.

His body disintegrated with a glimmer of light before I blacked out.

I gasped awake, sitting up suddenly and smacking Jace in the face with my forehead.
He grimaced as he covered his mouth, “Ow.”

“Sorry, baby,” I apologized as I rubbed my forehead.

Jace tilted my face to the side with his free hand, assessing my cheek from Hermes’
slap before dropping the other hand from his mouth and saying, “That fucking bastard!
Are you okay,
mi amante
?”