Evans, Gabrielle - Reckoning [Fatefully Yours 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (13 page)

“Athena has been forbidden to speak of any aspects of your life. Zeus does not rule me, however, and he can kiss my ass. Besides, what I have to tell you does not correlate to this skirmish with Ares.”

Echo snorted. “He’s tried to kill me several times and actually succeeded once. I’d call that a little more than a
skirmish
.”

“And by his rash actions has made you a stronger, more formidable enemy. Do not mourn the loss of your mortal life.”

“Wasn’t I already immortal? I mean, I have a goddess and a Titan as parents.”

“Very astute. However, we are only immortal within the realm of the gods.”

Echo sat up a little straighter. “So, I lost my immortality when I was sent to live on Earth.” The wheels turned and his neurons snapped. “So…that means that Ares’s status as a god means nothing on Earth. He can be killed.”

Helios smiled crookedly and dipped his head. “You are so very much like your mother. Your wisdom far surpasses your years.”

“I’m not so wise.” Echo wrinkled his nose and settled back in his chair. “Can you tell me why I was sent away?”

“No. That is for you to learn.”

“I don’t understand,” Echo admitted. “If you are not bound by the laws of Zeus, why can’t you tell me?”

“Technically, I
can
tell you. Think of it like learning to ride a bicycle. You can watch someone do it a thousand times, but it still will not prepare you for that first ride.”

Echo thought over the words for a long time, but still couldn’t make sense of them. He’d have to ask Syx about it later. His mate always had a way of explaining things for Echo to understand. “Okay, so what can you tell me? There’s obviously a reason I’m here. And if you found out months ago that I’d disappeared, why are you just now contacting me?”

“Your mother has asked for my help. I know it may seem cruel and callous to you, but I do not love your mother. She bargained with me for a child, and here you are. Once my part of the deal was cemented, I gave either of you little thought. Athena, however,
does
love you. She came to me once more and bargained for my help.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what bargain they’d made, but then Echo decided he really didn’t want to know.

“Why you?”

“Only someone of your blood can summon you to Olympus. Athena is bound by the sacrifices she made, which prevent her from calling you home.”

“This is not my home,” Echo spat. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“No, you are not dreaming. How you came to be here is not important. Athena chose me to father you so that you might be the light to combat the darkness.”

Echo held up his hand in a “stop” gesture. “I’ve always had powers, but I wasn’t able to produce light until I became a daemon. Why is that?”

“Though no longer immortal, you still maintained some of your powers on Earth. You’ve always had the light within you, but since you were no longer a god, the power was dimmed and hidden away. Daemons are essentially ghosts, unable to die by even the hands of a god. They walk between realms since that is their purpose. They are protectors and the epitome of immortality. Once your immortal status was restored, your powers began to resurface.”

“When my mates claimed me, they said I was immortal then.” It wasn’t a question, but Echo wasn’t sure how to phrase it.

“There is much your demons do not know.”

Echo waited for more, but when Helios didn’t elaborate, he probed further. “So, I wasn’t immortal before I died? And is it true that I have to drink from them to maintain my corporeal form?”

Helios stared at him for a long time as though judging how much he should divulge. “You were immortal, but bound to creatures of the darkness. Your light could not shine. You require blood from an immortal to maintain a physical form, but not necessarily from your mates.”

Rubbing at his temples, Echo tried to make sense to it all, but he was growing more confused by the second. “I’m still bound to them, though. None of this is making sense to me.”

“You are bound to them, but they are no longer servants of Hades.”

“I kind of imagine they stopped serving Hades when they escaped the Underworld.”

“Then you would be wrong.”

“So, what changed?”

“You.”

Echo threw his hands up in frustration. “You are worse than Athena. She doesn’t answer anything, and you give me only enough to make me want more. Is there a point to this conversation?”

To his surprise, Helios began to chuckle. “You would have made a fierce warrior, my son. I require a favor from you.”

Echo’s brows drew together and he frowned. “I thought Athena wanted you to speak to me?”

“She did, but I only agreed because there is something I desire from you.” He shrugged as if this were only natural and Echo should have expected it.

“What’s the favor?”

Instead of answering, Helios produced a small, glowing orb from his pocket and handed it across the table to Echo. Though hesitantly, Echo reached out for the globe, shocked to find it cool to the touch. He’d expected it to burn him with how brightly it shined. It looked kind of like a tiny sun contained within a crystal ball.

“Okay, so what do I do with this?”

“Use it to destroy the Protector.”

“Uh, who is that, and why am I destroying him?”

“Demigods are not permitted to live on Olympus. Luckily, most have human parents who are able to care for them. Those who are orphaned are sent to live under the care of the Protector. He was granted gifts from the gods, including immortality, in exchange for his service.”

“Okay, you’ve lost me again. You said that gods can’t maintain their immortality on Earth, but this Protector guy can. My mates are immortal. Something isn’t adding up.”

Helios linked his fingers together on the desk and sighed. “The demons were forged, not born, and therefore retain no souls. Hades has little use for the vessel in which a soul is housed. It is the soul itself that is called to the Underworld.”

“So, this Protector has no soul?”

“Correct.”

“Do gods have souls? I mean, if what you’re saying is true, how can gods be immortal? How am I immortal?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” The Titan didn’t sound like that was exactly a good thing, either. Then he shook his head and chuckled. “You cast off your mortal shell when your life was taken. You are now purely a soul. A soul cannot die. Hades can call you to the Underworld, but he won’t. Only the virtuous become daemons. Hades has little use for the righteous.”

“What about the gods?”

“The gods are all powerful. We were not meant to live among mortals. To live among humans is either a punishment or a choice. Some gods may choose to give up their immortality to live life on Earth. Others have been stripped of their immortality and banished from Olympus.”

“Well, I wasn’t given a choice, so I guess that means I was banished.” Echo wasn’t sure how he felt about the information. Nothing about this conversation was helpful. He had more questions than ever, and Helios’s explanations left much to be desired. Maybe he was being difficult, but he still didn’t understand how living on Earth would make a god mortal.

After several minutes of silence, Echo eventually waved his hand around and huffed. “I don’t understand any of this. I feel like you’re just talking in circles. Why don’t you just tell me what you want and let me go home?”

“I want you to destroy the Protector.”

“And who is that?”

“You know him. Think, boy. Do you believe your mother would send you to earth with no one to watch over you?”

Echo’s eyes widened, and he almost dropped the little ball in his hand. He clutched it tight and brought it to his chest. “Who is he?”

Helios looked at him across the desk, and Echo saw a great sadness in the Titan’s eyes. “His mother was the only woman that I ever truly loved. She died many years ago as mortals do. He was all I had left of her, but as a mortal, I could not bring him to Olympus. I persuaded Zeus to grant him immortality in exchange for his soul and allow him to protect the demi-gods.”

“Wait. If Peter is your son, wouldn’t that make him a demi-god as well?” If Peter was the son of Helios, and Helios was also Echo’s dad, then that meant…

Echo’s stomach churned, and his heart did its best to crack his sternum as it thundered inside his chest. The things he’d done with Peter slithered through his mind like a disease. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t known at the time. Oh, gods, he was a sick freak.

“Peter is not my son—not by blood anyway. I granted him powers that no mortal should ever possess, but I did not father him.” Helios sounded as though the words hurt to say.

The relief that slammed into Echo, though, was so overpowering that he slumped back in his chair and had to close his eyes for a moment to regain some of his composure.
Oh, thank the gods.

Before he could ask any more questions, Echo found himself standing in the field behind his home. Part of him was grateful to be away from the man who had fathered him. Another part of him was hurt that the Titan obviously didn’t want him. A tiny piece of him was sorry he’d ever met Helios.

Mostly, he was just happy to be home. He had so much to tell his mates and prayed that Syx and Vapre could make heads or tails of it.

Running across the field, he bounded up the steps and hurried in through the kitchen. He’d only been gone an hour or so, but he missed his men and knew they’d be worried out of their minds if they realized he was missing.

“Guys! Where is everyone?” He tucked the glowing orb into his pocket and started across the kitchen. He pulled up short, though, when Fiero came barreling into the room.

Every ounce of blood drained for the warrior’s face as he stared at Echo. Then he dropped to his knees right there in the doorway and began gasping for breath.

Rushing across the room, Echo knelt in front of his mate and began stroking Fiero’s cheeks. “Breathe, big guy, just breathe.” The other demons rushed into the kitchen and stood there, staring down at Echo as though he’d grown a second head. “What is wrong with you guys? I realize that you were worried, but I wasn’t gone that long.”

Eyce fell to the floor beside Echo and crushed him to his heaving chest. The rest gathered on the tiles with them, all wrapping their arms around Echo, Eyce, and each other. They stayed that way for a long time, all breathing heavily and not saying a word. Myst looked like he was trying damn hard not to cry. Hex had a crazy look in his eyes that scared the shit out of Echo.

“Guys, seriously, I was gone for an hour. I’m sorry that you were worried, but you’re freaking me out.”

Eyce’s fingers gripped the back of Echo’s neck and pulled him into a kiss that could only be described as desperate. The kiss went on forever, and when the warrior finally disengaged from Echo’s lips, a deep growl rumbled in his chest. “Where have you been?”

“In a meeting,” Echo said with a sly smirk. “I have a lot of stuff to talk to you about.” He reached up and stroked Eyce’s cheek when the man continued to growl. “I’m perfectly fine, love.”

“Echo?”

Glancing up, Echo found Mac standing in the doorway with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Hey, Mac.”

“You’re back,” his friend breathed. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

Echo rolled his eyes. “What the hell has gotten into everyone? I haven’t been gone that long.” Then he suddenly remembered Helios telling him that time worked differently where the gods lived. “Have I?”

Mac’s eyes widened, and he looked between Echo’s mates before he swallowed hard and bobbed his head. “You’ve been gone for over two months. The equinox is in two weeks.”

Chapter Twelve

Eyce refused to let go of Echo. He knew his other mates needed to hold the smaller man and assure themselves that he was fine, but he just couldn’t let go. He carried Echo to the living room and perched his lover in his lap, keeping him crushed in his arms.

He still couldn’t breathe properly. For nine weeks, he’d done nothing but think of Echo and search for the man. They’d all lost weight. None of them had been interested in eating. They rarely slept. They’d scoured every inch of the woods and any other place they could think to look for their missing mate. They’d dredged up every old contact, had anyone at their disposal looking for Echo, but it was as though he’d vanished into thin air.

“Gods, I’ve missed you,” Onyx breathed as he sat beside Echo and buried his face in Echo’s neck. His massive shoulders shook, and Eyce wrapped one arm around him while holding tight to Echo with the other.

The other demons moved closer to them, all touching and stroking any part of Echo they could reach. Fiero’s arms wrapped around Echo’s waist and pulled him out of Eyce’s arm. Eyce had to bite back the hysteria that bubbled inside him at being separated from his mate again.

“I love you,” Fiero whispered raggedly. He repeated the words again and again, petting Echo’s hair with trembling fingers.

Echo looked shaken and pale, but not nearly as upset at the rest of them. If Eyce had to guess, he figured their reaction to his return was what was making Echo so nervous. Trying to calm himself and be strong for his lover, Eyce took several deep breaths before he spoke.