Theta (44 page)

From this point, I was able to see the tops
of the walls surrounding DC. My goal mocked me. Not only could I
not reach the walls without suffering the massacre of my army, but
I didn’t know if I’d be able to execute Adonis’ brilliant plan now
that my forces were scattered.

I felt helpless and alone. Tears of
frustration pricked my eyes as I thought about the massive
undertaking before me in reestablishing my army.

“
I understand why you did
what you did.”

At Herakles’ measured voice, I swiped my
tears away hastily and turned to face him. He remained a short
distance away, gaze stormy and features flushed.

“
You are still my best hope
at rescuing Alessandra,” he continued. “I will stay, as you
requested, but only on one condition.”

I waited.

“
No more lies. About
anything.”

I nodded.

“
I found help,” he said.
“Technically, they found me. I guess they’ve been trying to find me
for a couple of weeks.”

Startled, I was about to have Kyros ask him
what that meant, when the slender forms of two dozen young women
slid into view from behind trees. A dour priest in brown robes
accompanied them.

“
Alessandra had more than
me as her protector,” Herakles explained. “Her sisters are nymphs.
They possess abilities we might be able to use in your war. They
would like your permission to join us.”

In all my experiences with gods, I had never
met a nymph. The women with mythical powers were quiet and still
enough to be part of the natural world from which they drew their
abilities.

While I would deny Herakles nothing at this
moment, my logical side also understood the value such people could
provide. If their powers were anything like what I’d read, it was
possible we would never again worry about tainted water, finding
food, or being discovered in the forest by our enemies.

I nodded my agreement. The women moved with
otherworldly grace and silence to surround Herakles. One of them
giggled, and suddenly, they were all trying to hug him. He managed
to smile and hugged the nymphs back, murmuring words I couldn’t
make out. That he cared for them was clear, and I couldn’t help
feeling a pang of envy. I’d give anything to have Theodocia here to
hug me or to feel as if I weren’t so alone in my war, especially
after alienating my trusted advisor.

“
Things are looking up,”
Kyros said with far too much cheer.

Maybe,
I allowed. I wasn’t so certain the gods were going to follow
through with their promise or be of much use if they
did.

Feeling once more as if I were isolated from
the rest of the world, I turned my back on the happy reunion before
me and went to the vehicle.

Kyros joined me. “Let’s go find our army!”
he said.

I glared at him. Secretly, buried too deep
inside me for me to admit their existence, relief, and gratitude
towards Kyros softened my anger.

“
We better go.” His mood
darkened. He was gazing out at the forest. “Something is
coming.”

Fetch Herakles.
I wasn’t sticking around to discover what Kyros
was talking about. His instincts had kept me alive, and I’d trust
them again and again. Exhausted, I climbed into the passenger seat
of one truck and rested my head back.

Somehow, we managed to pack all the nymphs
into the trucks. We left the scene of my massacre, but I couldn’t
shake the heavy feeling sinking into me.

Last night was just the beginning, and I
viewed what was to come with trepidation.

“
I’m tired of being weak,
afraid,” I whispered, distraught by the thick column of smoke
rising towards the sky. Pythia and I stood atop the walls
surrounding DC, gazing out over Northern Virginia. I assumed the
smoke came from the Silent Queen’s compound and could only hope
Herakles and the army had evacuated before the attack. Not knowing
how he was – this was torture. As with the situation with Adonis, I
couldn’t afford to be selfish right now. The fate of the worlds was
on my shoulders, and I had to become the Oracle I desperately
needed to be. The two of them were safer away from me than in DC,
and I had to focus on doing what it took to keep them
protected.

“
None of us knew what would
happen. The paths I foresaw were too many. They have been narrowed
down, and now you must make the best choices you can,” Pythia
answered.

“
Did you see what happened
after this?”

“
No. I cannot have visions
now that I am dead, and what I foresaw has changed. Lantos was
always a wild card, but I didn’t foresee him hiding your body from
Cecelia.”

“
That could end up being a
bad thing, if he hid it somewhere where I can’t find it,” I said,
frowning.”

“
You have a chance to forge
a new path. And in every circumstance, I saw you have the power to
change the course of the Fates. The apocalypse is one option of
many, but it will take a great deal of effort to avoid
it.”

“
This isn’t a great pep
talk,” I said.

“
It’s a new day. Anything
is possible. The apocalypse is not inevitable, and sometimes,
that’s as good as it gets.”

“
Correction. This is
the
worst
pep talk
ever,” I mumbled.

She smiled.

I tested my strength again. “I can still use
my power, even though my body is missing.”

“
As long as you have a
body, you’re grounded to the source of your power, to our
Earth.”

“
I can bring the walls down
right now.” I funneled energy into my feet and beyond, into the
walls. The cement began to shake.

“
Not yet.” Pythia said. She
motioned to the forest at the base of the walls. “Zeus built the
wall to protect the people inside. Until you have a plan to save
humanity, you’ll want to avoid exposing those who remain to the
dangers outside the walls.”

I peered over the edge, not understanding.
Movement occurred in the trees hedging the wall. Interested, I
strained to get a better view of what it was. Something huge, if
its movement caused the trees to bend as they were.

“
Manticore,” I breathed.
“Cleon … Cecelia unleashed all the monsters.”

“
And that’s not all.”
Pythia pointed.

Several humans were huddled with what
appeared to be rope. A closer look revealed rotting flesh that fell
off their bodies, and missing limbs.

“
What in Hades?” I asked,
disgusted.

“
Gods and goddesses who
have possessed human bodies. They need new bodies to survive, or
they need to draw off Zeus’ power, which is centralized in
DC.”

Monsters and zombie-gods outside the walls,
and an all-powerful tyrant inside. Which was worse?

“
I have to find my body,” I
said with a shudder. “We’re running out of time.”

“
Yeah,” Pythia agreed. “My
parole is almost up as well.”

I studied her, and fear floated through me.
I could still here the whispers of the gods and goddesses at the
back of my mind. The door Lantos had opened between them and me
remained. If Pythia left soon, I hoped to retain some divine
guidance. “Then let’s get started. Teach me what I need to know to
destroy everyone.”

She lifted an eyebrow.

I flushed. “Sorry. That was a Cleon
thought,” I said sheepishly.

“
You’re scaring
me.”

“
Yeah. Me, too,” I
admitted. “Teach me what I need to know to
save
everyone.”

With a nod, she turned away and floated to
the bottom of the wall, on the protected side. I glanced once more
down at the possessed bodies and monsters moving within the forest,
and then followed.

All I had to do was save the world. Once I
did, I’d have Herakles and Adonis back, and the death of Lantos and
anyone else who didn’t survive this game would be for a
purpose.

Omega Series

Omega Beginnings Miniseries

Omega

Theta Beginnings Miniseries

Theta

Alpha Beginnings Miniseries (2017

Alpha (2017)

Have you read the Theta Beginnings
Miniseries?

Continue reading to see how the Holy Wars
started five years before Omega!

Silent Queen (#1, Theta
Beginnings Miniseries)

I had waited my entire life for this night.
Even if I were able to draw a full breath in the voluminous gown I
wore with its tight girdle, I would still be breathless.

The lights overhead were too bright, and
sweat trickled down my legs and gleamed on the faces of the clergy
in front of me. None of the dignitaries, politicians, royalty from
around the world, acolytes or other honored guests dared complain
about the air conditioning going out two hours before the ceremony.
Like me, the most powerful and influential people in the world
stood in quiet anticipation, prepared to witness an event so very
few ever did.

I suppressed the urge to sneeze. The air was
clogged with incense and smoke emanating from burning orbs filled
with herbs held by priests. The coronation ceremony was performed
in the oldest temple in New York City, the temple belonging to
Apollo, the patron god of the City. Built around two hundred years
ago, it was cozy and showed the signs of being renovated recently:
modern, track lighting, pristinely whitewashed walls, and a gold
altar whose corners were sharp and unscathed surfaces polished to a
shine. The walls, ceilings and floors were all adorned in royal
purple, and my personal guard lined the perimeter.

My hands trembled, and I struggled to stand
perfectly still under the weight of my attire and my own agitated
excitement. Now fourteen, I was officially of age to assume my
duties as the Queen of Greece and following in the footsteps of my
mother, grandfather and every other royal member of the
Bloodline.

Someone sneezed, shattering the solemn
silence of the ceremonial chamber. The bursts of sound came three
more times.

I didn’t look directly at the offender, but
it was hard not to smile.

Tommy, the son of my confidante the High
Priestess of Artemis, Theodocia, was probably too young for the
ceremony. All of six and a half years old, he was like a little
brother to me. I wouldn’t hear of him missing today. He and his
mother were my family. No one dared shush him, not when it was
understood I wouldn’t approve of anyone who did.

Theodocia – my friend, advisor and mother
figure since her arrival into my life seven years ago – stood
before me flanked by two High Priests, one serving Apollo and one
serving none other than Zeus. Behind them were three rows of other
high level members of the priesthoods, each one representing a
different god or goddess.

Theodocia was trying hard to maintain the
deadpan expression worn by every other attendee, but her brown eyes
glowed with pride. Seeing her joy filled me with such warm emotion,
I wanted to cry, so I stared at the mark of Artemis on her forehead
instead of meeting her gaze.

One of the two priests jerked and went
rigid. His eyes became glassy and his face blank as the god he
served possessed his body in order to communicate with us. A
flicker of unease worked its way through me when I saw the
lightning bolt tattooed on his forehead.

Zeus himself had possessed the priest. From
what I knew of my family’s history, it was a very rare honor for
the chief god to oversee the ceremony. I didn’t know what to think
of this, not when my own feelings about the honor being bestowed
upon me were mixed. To be a member of the Bloodline was to have the
ability to harness untold influence over mortals and gods – and
coupled with a debilitating curse. All the wealth my predecessors
had been hoarding for ten thousand years couldn’t buy our way out
of our destinies.

Long simmering anger threatened to spike at
the appearance of Zeus, the god with the power to end the curse
that suspended the Bloodline bearers in a state of living death
lasting all of eternity. My emotions were already difficult to
control tonight. I wasn’t certain if my sense of duty would prevail
when confronting the god with whom I’d been furious since learning
my fate. I simultaneously hated what he had done to my family and
loved him for blessing mortals with life, and the warring emotions
distracted me to the point I forgot to offer any sign of deference
before he spoke.

“
Hello, Phoibe, my sweet
child.” The head of the Greek pantheon greeted me
quietly.

Hello, Father,
I gave the traditional address which my family
alone was permitted to give. I dropped into a deep curtsey. The
sounds of rustling and movement filled the chamber as everyone
around me hastily did the same.

“
Still you do not speak.”
He sounded both gruffly disapproving and amused.

No, Father,
I replied mentally, fully aware the gods and
goddesses were able to hear me.

The possessed priest shifted closer to me
and knelt.

“
You cannot escape your
fate forever, young one,” Zeus said through his human puppet. “You
know this.”

In a kneeling curtsey, I stared at the floor
at my feet. My heart pounded hard in my chest, and it became even
more difficult to draw a breath. If he was aware that I knew of the
curse, he would also understand how angry I was with him. His
knowledge should not have surprised me, given he was the most
powerful of the gods, but I didn’t expect him to scold me. How
could he believe I, or anyone else, would ever welcome such a fate?
I could never forgive him for what he’d done to my family, and yet,
my eyes filled with tears at the prospect of displeasing the mighty
Zeus.