Gods Save the Princess (Grace of Gods Book 2) (2 page)

I had the most horrible feeling sewn in my stomach. I couldn’t go with him. Something bad was going to happen.

But then he pulled away, freeing me from his unwanted embrace and left the kitchen again. I finished off the dishes quickly and hurried upstairs, closing my door and leaning my weight against it like that might protect him from coming to get me.

If I couldn’t tell my dad about this – who could I tell that would believe me? Seven brothers but I couldn’t very well think any of them would take me seriously. After all, why would the wonderful, saintly, honourable Uncle Adam do something as atrocious as
that?

It was unthinkable. But it had happened, and I knew it was going to happen again.

Someone knocked on my door, not saying anything. I could feel my heart pounding, my head telling me it was Uncle Adam. Slowly getting up from the ground I moved over to the closet and as quietly as I could I slipped inside and hid behind the clothes that belonged to my sisters and I.

The door creaked open and I could’ve sworn I was going to throw up from the anxiety and nerves. Whoever it was didn’t say anything as they looked around the empty room and left again.

I had to go with him tonight father said; I couldn’t though. I wouldn’t. I steeled my resolve and carefully padded out of the closet, heading back to the door. I stuck my head out into the hallway and crept out. I needed to get my father away from Uncle Adam...

“There you are.” My entire body shuddered slightly as I spun around, expecting to find Uncle Adam but instead my father was watching me with an arched eyebrow. “Adam is ready to go.”

“Da... I don’t want to go with him.”

“Well you don’t have a choice Valentina.”

I frowned, licking my lips and trying again, “at the dinner table, during grace... Uncle Adam, he... He made me touch him. Inappropriately.” I felt my cheeks burn as I cast my eyes down waiting for his response.

“I doubt that.” He said firmly, “God punishes liars Valentina. He’ll split that wicked tongue of yours in Hell for lying.”

“It’s not a lie! Da, he did... Please... don’t make me go with him. What if he...” He smacked me then, so hard I started in surprise, eyes widening and staring at him.

“How dare you accuse
my brother
of something as depraved and vile as that? Now Valentina, you are going to go with him tonight and you will seek repentance for your lies. And when Adam feels you have sufficiently made up for your sins you will continue to pray more. Now go and pack or I will do it for you.”

My eyes were brimmed with tears that burned my eyes as I stared up at him. I knew he wouldn’t believe me, but I didn’t expect him to punish me by sending me with Adam
indefinitely.

“Yes sir.” I said weakly, turning away from him and walking back to my room defeated. I numbly packed my bag with essentials only, taking my time still before I couldn’t stall anymore. I had been nothing but a good daughter from the time I could talk. But here my father was: condemning me like I was a horse to be traded.

Sullenly I descended the stairs, walking past the living room filled with my siblings and not a single one of them noticed me leaving.

“Ready?” Adam smiled in that way that made my stomach twist and knot. He knew he’d won, but won what exactly?

“Yes sir.”

“Kiss your father goodbye. You’ll see him on Sunday for church.”

“Bye da...” I said so quietly I was surprised he could hear me as I leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“C’mon Valentina.” Adam pulled the door open and started out into the snow, toward his truck. I cast one more lingering look on my father, silently pleading him to change his mind.

But when he said nothing, barely even looking at me, I turned and walked out of my home, as it turned out, forever.

Chapter Two

At first, living with Uncle Adam was fine. He acted as if the exchange at the dining room table hadn’t happened and I barely saw him. True to the story that he would be working strange hours he was almost never home, and when he was he slept.

The two weeks went by quickly and as they neared the end I grew excited about going home. I even started to believe that I must’ve dreamt what had happened at the dinner table. I was tired, exhausted by my siblings and my constant need to take care of my mother. I made excuses for myself and for Uncle Adam.

I had to admit his house was far smaller than ours and much simpler to clean. Making meals for two people was much less time consuming than for 14. This appeased me far more than doing almost all the work at the farmhouse.

But then two weeks passed and I didn’t go home. Three came and went in the blink of an eye, and then four and I started to worry. Adam had stopped going to church, which consequentially meant so had I. He got more and more used to his shifts at work and I saw him more frequently. I wanted to ask about going home but in the back of my mind the fear of drawing attention to myself kept me silent.

It wouldn’t have mattered in the end. I realised that now. He was biding his time, letting me get comfortable so my guard was down when he was ready to spring. At first it was brushes of his hand along the low of my back, grazing my breast when he reached for something making it seem like an accident, coming up behind me in the kitchen to get something and pressing himself far too close for comfort.

My nerves began to get so bad I couldn’t sleep, but I was exhausted by my constant desire to be on guard. I just wanted to go home.

One day while he was at work I finally gave in and let myself sleep, doing so in a ball on the couch. He woke me when I felt the top button on my dress open and I shrunk away, batting him away from me. He laughed as though he didn’t care.

No matter what I did or said, it didn’t stop him and eventually I lost the will to fight. As much as I wanted to shut down, turn my conscience away from what was happening, I couldn’t. I was so hyper aware of everything that was happening it only made it worse.

After that it didn’t stop, it grew more frequent and eventually I resolved to run away. I didn’t get far; he cornered me with his truck threatening to just run me over if I didn’t go back with him.

I considered it for a moment, wouldn’t death be better than this life?

But then I still needed to absolve my sins. I must’ve done something in my life for this to happen to me. There had to be something about my demeanour that had encouraged him to believe I was available for his use like this.

He kept me locked in a walk in closet after that. He wouldn’t even dignify me with a bedroom. When he needed or wanted something from me he took me out of the closet, took what he needed and put me back like I was a toy.

After a while I realised I was dying anyways, perhaps I should have just called his bluff that day on the road and spared myself the dramatic decaying. My days disappeared, time became obsolete and I just lay there on the floor: a broken shell of who I used to be.

One day the door opened up and I stopped fighting, I just laid there and waited for it to come but it didn’t. 

“Valentina?” The voice was so kind, gentle, and concerned. He crouched down next to me, brushing my matted and dirty hair out of my eyes as he frowned sadly at me. As I turned to meet his gaze I felt my stomach knot. I could see in his eyes he knew what had happened, I could see he had the power to stop it... But who was he? Why hadn’t he?

“I’ve come to take you away Valentina, I’m going to pick you up. I’m sorry if this hurts.” He lifted me up, cradling me carefully in his arms as he turned and left the closet.

“Who... Who are you?” My voice was horse from weeks of disuse and crying. It ached as much as my body did even when I didn’t use it.

He looked down at me, his clear blue eyes bearing down into my soul for a moment before he spoke again, “my name is Atlas.”

I frowned. I didn’t know anyone by that name. It was such a strange name.

“How did you find me?” I said quietly, trying to blink through the exhaustion that was crawling through my body.

“I will answer all your questions later, for now I’m going to help you sleep. When you wake up I promise you will be better.” I couldn’t imagine how that was possible when my abused body felt broken beyond repair but I didn’t have the chance to ask anymore questions when suddenly my mind simply gave in and I slept.

When I woke again I was in the comfiest bed imaginable. I was warm and I felt my strength returning to me. I was dirty though, but I was thankful the kind stranger hadn’t cleaned me himself.

Pushing the blankets off me I looked around the room, it was plain but everything I might need was there. It didn’t give me any indication of where I was though. To my right there was an attached bathroom where I thankfully managed to shower and take stock of my condition. I was gaunt and bruised, but I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. I washed the tangles out of my hair, brushed my teeth and finished, staring at myself in the mirror until I started to feel uncomfortable about it.

As I left the bedroom and came into the small, attached apartment I felt a panic and worry seize up in my chest. Had one captor taken me from the first and brought me to a home exclusively for his use?

Someone knocked on the door making me turn to look at it in worry. Taking a deep breath I slowly made my way over to it and opened it just a crack. Atlas stood there, smiling gently at me.

“Good morning Valentina, may I come in?” I swallowed and nodded, stepping away to give him room to enter. As he got closer I took the necessary steps back, keeping my distance from him.

“I’m not here to hurt you.” He said simply, walking past me and sitting on the couch. He looked at me like he expected me to join him so I did, protecting myself by sitting in the chair directly across from him. He smiled, all right with my decision as he stared at me for a long moment.

“You look better, are you feeling a little better?” I thought about it and shrugged slightly.

“Well, I hope you’re not too uncomfortable. I didn’t want to overwhelm you too much, hence the simple apartment but if you want anything... please tell me and I will arrange for it to be brought to you.

“Thank you.” I said quietly, “but why are you doing this?” 

He folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head slightly, “I know that what I’m about to tell you is going to sound strange. Everything you’ve been taught about God and religion will only make this seem more fantastical and ridiculous but I hope that you might keep an open mind...” I conceded and nodded my head for him to continue, a frown no less creasing my brow. “Good, alright. Well, my name is Atlas. I am a Titan. Titans were a race of elder Gods who ruled on Mount Olympus before the Greek Gods you would know as Olympians took over.”

“Greek Gods?” I frowned, shaking my head. There was only one God, one Father. Not many. I was very diligent about my homework, I loved to read and never once had I ever heard about this.

“Yes. Greek Gods. They call it the Pantheon; it is a collection of different Gods all blessed with the power to control one specific facility of life – the heavens, motherhood, death, love, home, war, wisdom, fire, sun, and moon... Each facility was once an important aspect to the Greek way of life. But these Gods lost their faith – people began to forget them, replace them... They replaced them with your God in fact. It was easier for people to believe in a solitary all-powerful figure instead of a dozen all-powerful Gods and dozens of other smaller ones under them. So when their faith began to wane Zeus, King of the Gods, asked me to take their souls and put them to sleep in the earth. Then, when the time came and humanity needed them to be restored and return the world to its former glory and rid it of evil, they would be awakened. It’s been over two thousand years and the time has finally come... I released the souls and they went out into the world. They found the vessels that were best suited to host these Gods - humans who had shared similar experiences with their Gods and Goddesses, mortals who had wisdom from their human lives that would help their Gods rule in a way that would be different from the last time. You are one of these Gods, Valentina.”

If I was supposed to keep up with what he was saying he was crazy. My mind was racing, reeling in disbelief at his lies. I wasn’t a God - that was sacrilegious! There was one God, one Father and I most definitely was not him.

“No, I’m sorry. You’re wrong.” I stood up, silently addressing the fact I didn’t want Atlas to stay any longer. He looked sad as he stared up at me but nodded his head, setting a book down on the arm of the couch.

“I know this is very difficult for you. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, but if you want more answers you can read this. It’ll tell you everything you need to know when you’re ready to learn. If you need me – for anything, just leave the apartment and think about me. The mountain will bring you to me.” I frowned at him, what he was saying made no sense. Mountains were not realised in the way humans were, they didn’t have physical abilities to bring someone to another place.

“Alright.” I said nonetheless, my tone betraying just how crazy I thought he was. I had traded one form of captivity for another, one vicious captor for a crazy captor. I was grateful he had saved me from my uncle but all this talk of other Gods, magical doings, and all from a man named Atlas... It was too much.