From Titans (Book 4) (7 page)

“
Shut
up!
” the same voice snapped.

A woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a
red, flowy dress, materialized from thin air on the other side of
the invisible wall.

“
Hello,” she purred. “My
name is Eris. It
’
s a pleasure to have you.
I
’
m
glad you all could make it.”

“
We already know who you
are, get on with it, Eris,” Zeus hissed.

Her friendly tone sent a jolt of anger
through me. That lunatic thought she was engaged to my Mason. My
eyes stung with rage, and my fingertips sizzled, ready to attack as
soon as she dropped the shield, but I suppressed my anger. We
needed answers first. No good would come from our visit if she
refused to tell us where she hid Mason.

Nick sprang from behind and pounded on the
invisible wall. “You crazy bitch! Let my brother go.”

Hades held him back.
“You
’
ll have to excuse him. He
’
s been going a bit crazy looking
for his brother. I
’
m sure you
understand.”

Eris glared and hissed,
showing her perfect white teeth. “Don
’
t be a fool, Nick, or
you
’
ll never see your brother. But he
’
s not really your brother.
Isn
’
t he just a half-brother? Anyway, I can
’
t wait to call you
brother-in-law. We
’
ll become one happy family.” She
showed off her white teeth but didn
’
t smile.

Nick covered his ears. “Over my dead
body.”

“
Now, now. Behave, little
one,” she scolded, waving her finger. “Or I just might give you
what you wish for. Death is permanent, you know…at least for your
kind.”

Nick growled, and light shot from his
fingertips. Everett held him back. When Zeus gestured with his
hand, Nick stilled.

Zeus focused on Eris
again. “Where
’
s Cronus? Tell him to show
himself.” His calm tone sounded confident, but I knew he feared his
father.

“
Cronus
isn
’
t here.”

“
Liar!” Zeus sent the
lightning from his staff. It flashed into the invisible wall and
burst in brightness, blinding us, but it didn
’
t penetrate the
wall.

Eris laughed, like Zeus
had told the funniest joke. “I
’
m the goddess of my domain. You
can
’
t hurt me here. I call the shots, Zeus. Funny how the roles
are reversed. I kind of like that. But don
’
t worry.
You
’
ll see him soon enough—or not. When
I
say so. So, would you like to come
to my party, or are we going to argue all day?” Eris brushed the
side of her hair, smirking. “It
’
s funny how Zeus is begging to
come to my party. It was the other way around before.”

“
I
’
m not begging,” Zeus
growled, his eyes crackling with electricity. His rage shook the
ground. “You
’
re forcing me to come. Get this
over with before I do something I won
’
t regret. And to clarify: It
wasn
’
t my wedding. I didn
’
t send out the invitations, but
if I had, I wouldn
’
t have invited you
anyway.”

Eris threw a daggered
glare at Zeus and waved her hand. As the invisible wall started to
disintegrate, a new world materialized. Willow trees lined a long
path. The lavender leaves drooped, waving in a gentle breeze. To my
left, we approached a vast apple orchard. To my right, water shot
out from all around the fountain adorned with a statue of
Eris.
How vain
.
But where was Eris? She had vanished when we entered.

“
Over there.” Poseidon
pointed ahead. “Under the trees.”

The gentle murmur of the stream faded into
soft instrumental music. We walked cautiously toward the trees,
where a large banquet table filled with food awaited us—a whole
roasted chicken, a huge chunk of beef, assorted vegetables, cheese
and crackers, fruits of all seasons, all kinds of dessert, and red
and white wine. More apple trees surrounded us.

Eris smiled genuinely,
appearing again. “So happy you could make it. It
’
s so nice to see the
three brothers finally made amends. Forgive and forget. I hope one
day I can forgive the gods for not inviting me to that wedding, but
I don
’
t think Hades was there. Oh, that
’
s right, he was locked away
in the underworld by his own brothers.”

Zeus growled. Electric current snaked around
his staff from top to bottom as a warning.

Eris had changed into a
blue strapless gown the shade of her eyes, and
she
’
d even crowned herself with a gold tiara, sparkling in the
sunlight. Embellished with gold rings on her fingers, countless
gold bangles around her wrists, and a thick gold necklace in a
shape of a tree, she made a statement that she loved gold. The
gorgeous tree pendant extended its roots outward, covering her
chest.

“
I
don’
t think you have enough gold,” Hades
commented. “Perhaps you should hook up with King Midas, or we could
place you in a solid gold cast with Hephaestus.”

Eris ignored Hades and
focused her attention on Zeus. “The meal is a replica of Peleus and
Thetis
’
s wedding. It
’s
exquisite. Isn’
t it Zeus?”

Zeus rubbed his face in
annoyance. “We
’
re not here to eat and chat,
Eris. Get to the point. Give us your demands. I
don
’
t have time to play your games.”

Eris cut her eyes at Zeus
sharply, her eyebrows pinching at the center. “You do not get to
throw orders in my domain. Just for that, you
don
’
t get to eat.”

Zeus slammed his staff
once against the grass. The ground cracked around him, creating
long, spidery lines. “Bring me Mason, or I will call upon the
thunder and the lightning with my staff, and it
won
’
t be pleasant. Your choice.” He planted his fist on the table
and leaned over. “If you choose wrong, I won
’
t be sorry, and no one
will miss you.”

Eris took a step back. Her
shoulders tensed and her eyes twitched. “Fine,” she snapped. “Fair
warning. He
’
s not himself. Mason
wouldn
’
t behave, so I had to do what I had to do.”

My heart squeezed, and I
gasped for air. Any second, my eyes would set upon Mason. He had
been gone so long, and I couldn
’
t wait to jump into his arms, to
tell him we were taking him home. My body stiffened, and the
anticipation ate at me. I had no idea what he had been through and
what condition he was in. All those sleepless nights I imagined him
being tortured and in pain.
Please,
don
’
t let my nightmares be true.

Eris took a step back and gazed behind the
nearest tree. “Mason, come out and show yourself,” she
commanded.

My heart leapt, and joy
coursed through me as Mason appeared from behind a tree. He had
been hidden behind the thick trunk? Handsome in his debonair suit,
he swept me off my feet. His hair was slicked back, and the tie
matched Eris
’
s dress, but why would he
wear…

I clasped my hands to keep me together.
Tears pooled in my eyes. “Mason.” My voice came out hoarse and
broken.

“
Mason!”
Nick snapped.

“
What
’
s wrong with him?”
Hades growled, reaching for him, but Eris raised her hand to stop
him.

“
No, no, no.
He
’
s
still mine. I will put up the wall again, or better yet,
you
’
ll never see him if you continue to attack me.” Eris linked
her arm with Mason
’
s. She peered up at him and
caressed his cheek. “Isn
’
t he dreamy?”

Mason gazed beyond us as
if he didn
’
t see us. His stoic expression,
his posture so still and robotic, worried me. I concluded he had
been drugged or hypnotized. It was so wrong on every
level.

“
Release him.
He
’
s
not your property. You have no right to take him,” I spat, my heart
thundering uncontrollably.

I didn
’
t care what happened
to me. Needing to wrap my arms around Mason outweighed the
consequences. Fury took over, and electric light sizzled from my
body. Eris was going to get it. I bolted straight for her. Instead
of colliding with her, I slammed into an invisible wall and dropped
to the ground.

Hades picked me up as I
tried to gain control. “Don
’
t be stupid, little sis.
You
’
ll only hurt yourself. I understand your pain.”

I didn
’
t heed his warning,
nor did I care. Pounding on the invisible wall, I let it all out.
“Let him go! He
’
s not yours. You
can
’
t! You can
’
t…
you can’
t…” Tears dampened my eyes
as I punched the wall over and over, taking me back to the Bella
Amore kitchen wall where Mason had been taken from me. It tortured
me to have him in reach and unable to do anything.

“
He
doesn
’
t know you, silly girl.” Eris
’
s lips spread widely, stroking
Mason
’
s arm. “Like I said before, he
’
s mine.”

“
What are your demands?
What do you want in exchange for Mason?” Zeus asked, placing his
hand on the shield.

Eris stepped away from Mason to the banquet
table. She picked up a cherry, ate it, and spit out the seed. After
a long stretch of silence, she finally answered. “I thought you
would never ask.”

Chapter
8

Mason

Sunlight glistened across
Sky
’
s beautiful face as her hair danced with the light wind. Her
eyes settled on me lovingly, and I came alive with recognition. My
heart thundered, and every cell in me burst from missing
her.
Sky, it
’
s me. You found me, baby. I knew
you would. I
’
ve missed you so much.

Why
didn
’
t she answer?

Sky, Sky,
Sky
. No response. I tried to run to her,
but like before, I couldn
’
t move. She
couldn
’
t hear me. But could she see me? She dipped her head low for
a second, and when she looked back up, sadness filled her eyes.
Then blistering fire filled them, and her fingertips sparkled with
electricity. Like a wild animal, she pounded her fists in midair.
Then it all became clear. An invisible wall separated us. She
yelled an unfamiliar name, Eris, who must have been the goddess
holding me hostage. My heart sank, and the little bit of hope
crushed, shattering my heart to a thousand pieces.

I closed my eyes to pacify
the gut-wrenching pain, but no matter what I tried to do, seeing
Sky and then having to let her go again was torture. After Sky came
closer, I could clearly make out her face. Her eyes were sunken
with dark circles underneath. She too lacked sleep. My poor Sky. I
knew exactly how she felt, for her pain was mine. Then Everett and
Nick came into view, lips contorted and foreheads creased. Zeus,
Poseidon, and Hades even came to my rescue. They studied me as if I
were some kind of novelty. That made me wonder what was wrong with
me and what I
’
d been forced to wear. If the
gods couldn
’
t take me home, then it was
hopeless.