Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 28

He didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t see anything around him. He still vaguely remembered the explosion, the sudden burst of fire and death all around him.

His body ached all over. He tried to move, but his arms and legs refused to work. No matter how hard he willed them up, his very muscles betrayed him.

He sat upon a cold slab of stone. His shirt was gone. His pants as well, he suspected, though he couldn’t really tell with his movement blocked. Goosebumps prickled his flesh.

A light flashed on above him, blinding in its radiance. Garrett Vos’s eyes dilated as he stared up into it.

Stomp tried to see through the light. Though he wasn’t sure how long he spent in the dark, his eyes had thoroughly adjusted to the lack of any light. He saw forms move above him. Two dark human shapes filled his vision.

“Hello, Mister Vos.” The voice was female, almost calm. “We’ve wanted to see you again for a very long time. Our ally above created quite the diversion to bring you here.”

No, Stomp thought. No, not this.

A broad grin came from the other figure. “Mister Vos, you’ve read our legends online. You must know that no one ever truly escapes the Vivisectors.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 27. Cyrus

Cyrus stood at one end of the grand dinner table. Ian and Phoebe sat to his right. Marilyn and Alli still held hands to his left. He wasn’t sure what to think of Marilyn’s obvious affection for her girlfriend, not after their affair. But he knew he would have time to think about it, perhaps to speak of it to her, later. Now his focus and attention must be on his parents.

“Mother and father, do you see these people?” He looked to Ian and the women around him. “This is why I will never be one of you again. I may be born a god, but I’m not one of you. I would rather be a human than something that stands above and alone.

“When I left your home, I thought I was just going on an adventure. But I faced down evil twice now with these people. And what I’ve realized is they are far more noble than we will ever be.”

“Yes,” Persephone said. “You’ve made your feelings for humanity clear.”

“You still can’t see it, can you mother? Melinoe’s betrayal, Hermes’ intervention and the return of Caelus wasn’t just happenstance. You wrought all this. You live forever, but you’re unbelievably short-sighted. Your need to be above everything left you open to this plot. That monster is still out there, ready to rebuild his empire.”

“Caelus will be found and he will be stopped. He will not find the Olympians easy to overcome. His plot is exposed and his power structure fractured. We survived this day and he will not get another like it.”

“We survived today by the acts of my friends from the human world, not by the act of a god.” He pointed to the blue haired woman to the right. “Phoebe may be an immortal, but she’s still no god. She understood who could stand against Caelus. Marilyn, Ian and her were the heroes today. Not you, not me and not the Olympians.”

“What would you have me do, Cyrus? Do you wish me to forgive your trangressions? You may not have murdered Patraeus but you still abandoned your station!”

“You don’t get it still! The act of having a station is everything wrong with all of us! We are no better than the humans. This is their world. The sooner we learn to live in it, the better all of us will be.”

“Your insolence insults every Olympian,” Persephone said. “I do not understand your goal in all this, my son. We just want what is best for you and that is to accept your station. You must understand the importance of your own godhood.”

“There is no importance! Any importance disappeared millennia ago, mother, long before I was born!”

“Child, you will stop your insolence. You will listen or I will—”

Pluto raised a hand between Cyrus and his mother. Persephone stared at her husband as he rose from his seat.

“Perhaps the boy is right,” Pluto said. His voice was quiet but commanding. Cyrus couldn’t remember the last time he heard it, but he was proud to hear his father’s words. “We have let our own hubris blind us. We cannot let it continue. We must find our way in this world. Perhaps that means we must become part of it truly.”

“But husband—”

“No, Cyrus is right. We must honor his wishes. He and his friends are not ours to oversee, not anymore.”

“His life is his own and it’s about time he goes to live it.”

Pluto raised one gloved hand. He swept it across the table.

Cyrus still stood in front of four chairs filled with his friends, but they were atop his apartment’s roof.

“I’m so damn tired of being teleported everywhere!” Alli’s words rang across the roof.

It looked like it was almost morning—again. Cyrus didn’t want to think about how much time they actually lost in Hades. It could have been a few more hours or it could have been weeks.

“Come on inside,” he said. “I don’t know about everyone else, but if we’re starting a new day, I could sure use a cup of coffee.”

Everyone nodded their agreement as he took them to the roof access. Flashes of the minutes before his parent’s arrival raced through Cyrus’s skull.

He tried to focus on anything at all other than Marilyn’s naked form atop him. But it wouldn’t come to him, even as he glanced over to her, still holding Alli’s hand.

The walk down to his apartment seemed easy after the battle with Caelus. It was the familiar ache of everyday life. It felt good. It felt right.

His key was long gone, but a focused use of his powers popped the lock with ease. He stepped inside and immediately heard water running. It took him a second to realize it was the shower.

Someone else was here.

“I didn’t know you had a roommate,” Ian said as they passed the threshold.

“I don’t,” Cyrus said. “Be careful.”

They all started towards the bathroom. The thought of another battle made Cyrus feel even more exhausted, but he wouldn’t back off from anyone that attacked his home.

The shower ceased as they approached. Before anyone could open the door, it opened from inside.

Draped only in a towel, Melinoe stepped out. She gave her brother a wry grin.

“Hey, brother. It looks like we’re roomies now.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 26. Ian

“It ends today, Caelus. I will take you again. I will carry you back for judgment. With good behavior, your sentence may only be a few more thousand years.”

Caelus screamed, his voice echoing across the rocks. He charged towards Phoebe. A blade of dark energy formed in his hand. Phoebe threw up her own blade to stop him. The two blades flashed as they struck. Phoebe stumbled back from the blow.

Hidden from view by his own illusion, Ian looked down at his hands. Phoebe knew exactly what she needed of him. But he wasn’t sure he could do it again. He still remembered Doppelganger. He still remembered how good it felt as he sucked the kidnapper’s life away. He wasn’t sure he could contain himself, not against someone with Caelus’s levels of power.

I don’t have a choice, he told himself, but he knew it wasn’t true. Phoebe said they could not stand against Caelus any other way, but he knew he could do nothing. He could slip away, walk from the fight. He could leave Cyrus, Marilyn, Alli and the others to death at Caelus’s hands. He really didn’t know them that well. He could just find his way out, back to the world. Other men or women could stop Caelus.

I can’t leave them to die. The thought hit Ian like a brick. He felt like he should be able to go. He should be able to abandon anyone. That something inside him was used to doing just that. Maybe it was a memory of the past or just some kind of sense memory. He wasn’t sure, but he knew it was wrong.

I have to stay and fight. I have to help. Even if it costs me everything.

He took a deep breath and remembered Phoebe’s plan. He silently counted to three. Then he ran, but not away. He charged straight towards Caelus.

As he leapt into the air, Ian only had one thought.

I sure hope this works.

He landed against Caelus’s back. He threw his hands around the freak’s neck and head. He felt the energy below the Godkiller’s skin. He felt it surging through Caelus’s veins. Every ounce of his body craved it.

Ian closed his eyes and let it all flow into him. It screamed through his frame like lightning. Beautiful perfect lightning. It burned his veins, ignited every nerve ending. He loved it, never felt more alive. He couldn’t imagine a high ever as great as this one. No orgasm, no thrill and no drug could ever compare.

Ian let the illusion fade around him. The desert of Elsewhere faded into the ether Ian pulled it from. He didn’t need it anymore. He had everything he needed draining into his veins.

“Ian, get ahold of yourself and get away!”

Phoebe’s words broke him from his revelry. His eyes shot open. He could feel the halo of energy around his skin. It surged around him, strengthened him and intoxicated him. But he remembered the plan. He couldn’t take any more of Caelus’s power.

He released the Godkiller and dropped back to the ground.

“No!” Caelus screamed. “It will not end this way!”

He turned his attention to Ian. Ian met the Godkiller’s eyes. He could tell Caelus knew his energy levels waned. The Godkiller knew what Ian had done. But the sudden drain of his energy was purposeful.

Caelus raised his blade, ready to strike down Ian and regain his power.

He never even saw it coming. Ian watched the slice of blue energy rip out of Caelus’s heart. The Godkiller’s eyes widened. The blue faded.

Ian only had time to roll out of the way before the body dropped to the ground.

Ian pulled himself to his feet. His body still surged with power. But the power made him afraid. He backed away from the others as they closed around Caelus.

“Is he dead?” Marilyn’s words echoed across the emptiness of Hades. Ian still couldn’t quite believe they were in some mythical hell, but the army of the undead and the unconscious death god made it seem clear.

“He’s left this body,” Phoebe said. “But I wasn’t able to contain him. The spirit of Caelus cannot be killed, not by any means known to this galaxy. He’s out there somewhere and he will strike again.”

“If he’s not a fool, it won’t be here.” Cyrus’s words echoed across the field. He turned to the other woman there, the one Ian could only guess was Persephone. “Mother, will father be alright?”

The goddess bent down by the still body of her husband. She rested a hand on his shoulder. “He is greatly weakened, but he will live. But his control over this realm is already dangerously shattered.”

Phoebe looked at Ian. “His power is not lost, only moved. Caelus tried to leech it away, but we’ve taken back from him.”

Ian could see the grim expression on Marilyn’s face as she turned to him. He could feel her judgment. I killed again. For good or bad, they see me as just a murderer.

Phoebe walked to him and took Ian by the hand. He tried to pull away from her, but she held him fast.

“You won’t hurt me, Ian. But you can help me. You just need to trust me.”

She led him over to the prone body of Pluto and the goddess next to him. Phoebe bent down. Ian leaned over next to her. He watched her put her hand beneath Pluto’s dark cloak.

His body suddenly shook against his will. He could feel his muscles spasm as the power was pulled from them. He didn’t know how, but Phoebe was pulling the energy he took from Caelus back into the god.

In just a matter of seconds, it was over. Pluto’s glowing yellow eyes were open and Ian could barely keep his feet under him. Phoebe bent over to support him.

“Lord Hades,” she said. “It is good to see you well. Now can you free us from this death realm?”

He rose suddenly from his prone position. And with one swipe of his arm, the land of the dead faded around them.

Ian’s vision blurred at the sudden change of scenery. He was used to his own illusions, but this was entirely different. This was a shift from one realm to another. He began to think this was becoming far too common in his life. Teleporting, dimension hopping, escaping intergalactic prisons: it seemed a strange way to live life.

Pluto walked to his wife’s side as the manor lawn appeared all around him. Phoebe took a moment to make sure the world met her approval. Then she turned her attention to the prone Alli. She bent over her still body and placed a hand on her neck.

“Her breathing is steady. She’s went through trauma, but whatever hold her captor had over her is gone. With a little stimulation—” Her hand glowed blue for just a second. Alli slowly blinked her eyes open.

Alli stared up into Phoebe’s eyes. She seemed confused. Ian figured she remembered the attack on her, but Phoebe’s warm smile didn’t fit the monster that turned on them not that long ago.

Marilyn rushed to her fallen lover’s side. Alli’s eyes were drawn away from Phoebe as Marilyn reached her side. They quickly embraced. They mumbled thankful expressions to one another as they held each other tight.

The staff retinue rushed in on them, dozens of them. Several took Melinoe’s still prone form and rushed her away.

“Cyrus, come,” Persephone said. “Bring your human friends. We have much to talk about and I suspect the dining room will be far more accommodating.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 25. Marilyn

Marilyn didn’t quite understand everything that was happening around her. But it truly didn’t matter. She saw this Caelus down Pluto in one hit. She heard the words from Cyrus. She could feel his power like a siren’s call.

Cyrus stood up to the monster in his friend’s body. But she knew he couldn’t hurt him. No one could hurt this monster, not really.

We need to go, she thought. We need to get out of here before he kills us all.

Persephone screamed in rage at Caelus. “What are you? What are you doing?”

Caelus slowly turned his attention her way. “I am taking back what is mine. You took this world from me, godling, and I would have it back.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about! Get out of my home.”

Caelus shook his head. “They teach you nothing. You know my name, you know my place. I am Caelus. I am the sky. I am the stars. I created your progenitors, godling. You are my children, yet you betrayed me to a prison you could not imagine.”

“I did nothing,” Persephone said. “I do not know you, dead thing, but return to the realm from which you came.”

“That will not happen,” Caelus said. He walked towards her.

Persephone swung an impotent fist towards the emaciated form of Petraeus, possessed by whatever this Caelus was. Marilyn watched him catch her hand almost in slow motion. He held her fast and shook his head.

“Your rage is impotent. It will do you know good against me.”

He pulled her closer, ran a hand supply down her cheek. “If you are good, I might find you a place as a concubine. If not, you can join the fool on the floor.”

Persephone spit into his face. “Go to Hades, you monster. I bow only to Zeus.”

“His time will come, woman. As will yours.”

Caelus’s hand stopped its caress. He drew it back and brought it hard across Persephone’s face. She sprawled to the floor. She stared daggers up at him, clutching her jaw.

Cyrus saw enough. He charged towards Caelus, intent on avenging his mother’s honor. Marilyn tried to stop him, but Cyrus moved too fast. Caelus didn’t even seem to see him as Cyrus charged forward. Marilyn saw the distortion form around his hands, signs of the sonic energy he built up. He planned a killing blow, but Marilyn didn’t know if even that would stop this monster. She wasn’t sure if anything could hurt Caelus.

A figure dropped down from above on Cyrus. Shrouded in darkness, she struck him with a sharp foot to the skull, rebounded off and landed on her feet. She smirked, white teeth gleaming beneath her raven black locks.

Nightmarish visions floated around her, moving as if tendrils of pure evil. But despite her change into a long black gown that melded with her dark creatures and the hair now falling in her face, Marilyn recognized Melinoe.

Persephone and Cyrus both stood shocked. Melinoe walked up to Cyrus and drove a sharp boot into his gut. She pushed him back and away, and let him crumple down next to their mother.

“Melinoe,” Persephone cried. “What are you doing? Help us! Your brother is not the enemy. This monster is.” She pointed towards Caelus.

“Oh, mother, so naive. Thousands of years and still you do not even glimpse the minds of the truly enlightened.”

She turned and walked to Caelus. He opened his arms to her as she approached. She came into them and kissed the lips of the possessed corpse. It was no peck, but a kiss of passion, a kiss of longing.

“Hello, my love,” Melinoe said. “I’ve waited millennia to finally see you, to hold you, to touch you.”

Persephone clearly couldn’t believe her own eyes. “You betrayed us. You killed Petraeus and framed your brother. You’ve betrayed everything I’ve ever taught you!”

“No, I’ve manipulated you into doing everything I needed you to do, mother. I thought I would have to use my dear brother and his lover here to unlock my beloved’s prison. You sent me after him like a hound, but I waited and waited until he had the right connections, the right people around him. I knew Cyrus was too much a fool to ever stay away from human connections. And I needed those connections.”

Cyrus looked to Marilyn. Marilyn gave him a slow nod. She knew she wasn’t the smartest or wisest being in the universe, but she understood Melinoe’s words well enough. This was why Cyrus wanted to run, to leave her and the others behind.

“But Cyrus didn’t just pick a lover, he also picked up an entire group of friends,” Melinoe said. “An entire gaggle of them. I realized I wouldn’t have to convince you to use my choice of prison. I could just trick his friends into traveling there.”

“Don’t be coy, Melinoe.” A new voice emerged from the shadows behind Marilyn. “You couldn’t have done it without me.”

The man stepped out of the shadows. He was a thick figure, dark skinned and covered in tattoos. Marilyn didn’t know him, but she recognized the figure draped over his shoulders. It felt like forever since she last laid eyes on her.

“Alli!”

The man laughed. “Good, I’m glad you still remember her.” He dropped Alli on the ground in front of him.

Caelus turned and looked down at the limp form. “Is she still alive? You have not harmed her? She freed me from my prison how ever inadvertently. She should be honored for doing so.”

“Honored?” Marilyn’s word seemed to echo through the room.

“I cannot survive in this corpse forever,” Caelus said. “And I do not plan to spend another day without a body. Your friend honored me with my freedom. It seems only fit that I honor her by wearing her body and transforming her into a god.”

“You would kill her,” Cyrus said. “She did nothing but help you.”

“Oh, yes, the dear girl did give me my freedom.” Caelus turned to the other man. “No thanks to you, Vulcan.”

The tattooed man shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“It proved all too simple,” Caelus said. “Many things changed during my imprisonment, but mortals remain trusting fools. They trusted Smith here because he was one of them, a man with powers. They didn’t even ask questions, knowing he was a figure that could help them. It was all too easy to plant him where he needed to be in order to intercept their path and bring them to my prison.”

“You’re sick,” Cyrus said.

“Perhaps. But I’ve also won. I played your entire family for fools, child god. I led your human allies into breaking the chains only they could break. And I did it simply by offering power to my allies.” He looked at Melinoe, eying her like a piece of meat.

“Are we really the fools?” Marilyn’s words pierced through the tension in the air. She heard enough from this mad god. He might have more power than they could hope to beat, but she wasn’t sure. He seemed to use shows of powers to hold them, but beyond his attack on Pluto, really did nothing. Melinoe and that Vulcan bastard were doing the grunt work.

Focus, she told herself. You can’t help Alli if you don’t focus.

“You speak out of turn, human!” Melinoe’s words brought everyone attention back to the traitor.

“No, I don’t think I do. I don’t think we’re the true fools. You are, Melinoe.”

“Enough! Enough of your insolence!” Melinoe turned to Caelus. “Show them, my love! Show them your power!”

Caelus started to chuckle. But the chuckle quickly grew into a full belly laugh. Marilyn could feel the menace in his humor though. This wasn’t whimsy or joy. This was a snake being caught just as it struck.

He pulled Melinoe into him and kissed the goddess on her lips. Her eyes turned black. Her skin shriveled beneath his touch, the veins showing through her skin. It took only a matter of seconds.

Caelus released her body and let her drop to the floor. Melinoe still lived, but she looked like a mummy of her former self. But Caelus stood triumphantly, his own skin more alive than before.

Caelus turned to those gathered before him. “Do you see now? Do you understand what you have made me? This is my body now. But I will have all your life and your death.”

He looked down at Persephone and Pluto. “Once I suck you dry, I will have control over life and death. My limits will gone and the world will be mine.”

He kicked Melinoe’s body aside. “I don’t need any foolish love affairs to get in my way.”

Cyrus stepped between his parents and the killer. He was ready to die to protect them.

Marilyn didn’t know what to do. She still couldn’t grasp what this monster was. He talked of godhood and ancient times. Her life was measured in a matter of a few short years. It was too much to take in. Too much to comprehend. She couldn’t grasp why anyone that ancient could be so evil. Nor could she ever believe they stood a chance against such a being.

No. There’s no choice. Chance or not, we have to stop him here. If Cyrus and I don’t do it, the entire world might pay. Live or die, it’s time to fight.

Hermes flashed across the floor, teleporting from his position to directly in front of Cyrus. His fist caught Cyrus in the jaw. Cyrus stumbled at the impact, but he didn’t fall. He threw up his own hand.

The chamber shook as he unleashed a burst of solid sound at Hermes. But Hermes vanished before it could strike. The blast flew across the room and smashed into the stone slab on which Petraeus’s body sat only minutes before.

Hermes reappeared near Caelus, but Marilyn was already ready for him. Before he could react, her body was already fluid. She flowed towards him, enveloping him in less than a second.

He might be fast, but he wouldn’t escape her, even if she had to squeeze the life out of him. Marilyn already knew that killing a god was a crime here, but she no longer cared. Hermes hurt Alli. He tried to hurt Cyrus. The bastard would pay.

She squeezed with all her might, uncaring about her fate or that of the god. Marilyn never felt rage like this before, but she felt it for the monster her liquid form enveloped. She felt his bones bend and crack, felt him struggle to cry out, but no air came.

And then he was gone. Disappeared from within her and gone from all sight.

Caelus roared with rage. He raised both hands and unleashed a blinding burst of energy. Marilyn felt it rip into her skin even as it flowed across everyone else standing in the room.

It hit her like a anvil to the chest. The blast knocked her down and back. Her eyes were on Cyrus and Persephone. Both went down at the impact as well.

“Fighting will solve nothing. You can scare away Hermes. You can try to fight, but I will not be beat. I am Caelus. I am a god of gods. I am the ruler of the universe. This world is mine!”

He threw up a hand and the chamber shifted around them again. The tomb started to rise back to the surface, but as it did so it opened into a wider wall.

The walls shimmered and transformed. Gone was the marble, replaced by old brick, ancient stones piled one upon the other. The room temperature quickly rose.

Marilyn remembered what Cyrus told her about the Estate. He said it existed between Hades and Earth. As she watched, it seemed clear that Caelus was moving them from reality into the death-realm. She didn’t know why, but she already knew it would be bad.

“Yes, yes! This is my world now. The false god of death is gone! Now Caelus will rule. Now I will take what is mine. Life and death, reality and unreality. All are mine to control. Come. Come lords and ladies of Hades. Come and know your new ruler. Come and be free from this realm. All you must do is destroy my enemies.”

The moans seemed to come from everywhere. Marilyn rose to her feet, but as she did so, the first of them appeared from nowhere. A lone shambling figure in ancient attire, some kind of Roman warrior. He came towards them, unspeaking, perhaps mindless.

And he was far from alone.

They appeared one by one, male and female, young and old, Greek and Roman, ancient and far more modern. In seconds, they seemed to stretch for miles.

Caelus laughed. “Yes, yes! Your monstrous overlord is gone! Rise, my army of the dead. Rise, serve me and live a new life. I will give you the justice you’ve craved for eternity!”

Marilyn met Cyrus’s eyes. The young god just shook his head. She knew the meaning. I don’t see a way out of this.

Marilyn didn’t see one either, but she knew she wasn’t going to stop. One way or another, she refused to let this be her fate.

“This isn’t over,” Marilyn said. “We have to fight him.”

Persephone shook her head as she cradled her husband’s still form. “Without Pluto we have no control over Hades. We cannot stop Caelus.”

“Why can’t we?” Marilyn looked towards the dark god. “He’s a pompous ass with some power. He can suck the life from a god, but he still fears us. If he was as powerful as he claimed, we would all be dead now.”

“No,” Persephone said. “He’s older than us, more powerful than us. We can’t—”

“No, you’re wrong,” Cyrus said. “I’m sorry, mother, but Marilyn is right. If I learned one thing from the humans I’ve met, it is that when all else fails, it’s up to you to do the right thing. And if that means I must fight for my very life, then so be it.”

Marilyn could only smile at his sudden support, but she knew she didn’t have time to focus on it. The undead were closing on them.

She twisted her head around in a full three hundred sixty degree turn. They were surrounded. But it didn’t matter. All they needed to do was stop their leader. And she may not know how to kill him, but she could stop him in his tracks.

“Let’s do this!”

Her hands flailed out like two trees flailing in hurricane force winds. They each struck a few of the undead, sweeping them down and into more of their brethren. It did little to break the siege, but it opened a clearing. It gave them room to move.

Cyrus shot into the air with a wave of sonic energy that shook the dirt beneath their feet. The strange red-black sky seemed to undulate around him. He flew towards Caelus, ready to end the fight one way or another. Marilyn hoped for his survival, but she needed to make her own move.

As one arm continued to push back against the oncoming horde. Her other hand slipped across the ground. She pulled her fingers through the dirt and towards Alli’s still form. Her lover was still breathing, but Marilyn knew that she might need medical care.

Can’t think about that now. Got to focus on the task at hand.

The hand on the ground found what she sought just as her other outstretched arm was caught and held by one of the oncoming dead. She started to pull it away, but the walking deadman was joined by first one man, then several more undead men and women. They held her arm fast and started to pull.

She ignored their insistent tugging. She knew they would pull her in soon enough, but she had other priorities. Caelus needed to be stopped, one way or the other and she knew she could do that.

She brought up her other arm, Sticky Gun in hand. Before anyone could realize what she was doing she took aim and fired. The first ball of glue-goo flew into Caelus’s chest and started to expand. She fired a pair of follow-up rounds. With three shots in place, the goo spread out across his entire frame.

She pulled against the horde that wanted to rip her to shreds, but it was no use. “Cyrus, Persephone, help me!”

She looked to Cyrus, but Marilyn saw he had his own problems. The undead had pulled him from the sky. He blasted them back with sound blast after sound blast, but even his powers didn’t allow him to generate the attacks fast enough. They were overwhelming him.

“Persephone! You have to help us. If you don’t, I’ll die and your son will die! If not for mankind, do it for your family.”

Persephone stared down at her still husband. Her eyes traveled to her daughter’s shriveled, still form just a few feet away. But she didn’t move. Marilyn wasn’t sure the goddess even heard her. They would die here.

Slowly Persephone rose to her feet. As she rose, her face went from passive and broken to strong and commanding. Marilyn couldn’t believe the change that came over the goddess. One second, she seemed beaten, but now she truly looked like a queen.

Marilyn realized the goddess was a far stronger presence than she ever let on. She let her husband show force, but she controlled her own power.

“You made a mistake,” Persephone said. “I am queen of the dead. But I am also the overseer of the harvest. This is my time of power. I am at my strongest. And you Caelus, will pay for your transgressions against my family!”

Caelus laughed as he met Persephone’s glaring, glowing eyes.

“Prattle and prance all you want, woman. I am Caelus the Unkillable. Caelus the All-Powerful. You can imagine what you wish, but your kingdom is mine now.”

“No, as long as I stand, Hades remains free of your will.”

She waved a hand outward. The army of the dead around them dropped to their knees. Marilyn found her body released from their tightening grip.

Caelus shook his head, the only part of his body free from the goo’s grip. “You think I’m beaten. You think you’ve won. And I’m only just beginning. You see I am many, many things. But one thing I have always been is a powerful force in the universe. Since millennia long forgotten, gods have rose to rule mortals. And sometimes those gods stepped out of line. That is why I exist. I walk this universe to end the foolish immortals that think themselves unconquerable. I am Caelus and I am the Godkiller.”

The ground started to shake beneath their feet. The sky seemed to flicker from a dull gray to a glaring, deadly red. The army started to fall down. Their frames seemed to shrivel.

Marilyn didn’t know how, but somehow Caelus drew in their power.

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 24. Ian

A body floated. The body was male, but his face was down, blocked from view. Water stretched out all around him. The body was alone, lost and truly important. Ian didn’t know why, but he knew this figure would play an important place in his future.

Ian’s eyes shot open. He stared up into the Rhode Island sky. He was cold, but he was alive. His head ached and his jaw felt like it was on fire. He slowly sat up and looked around.

Alli was gone. So was Smith. His dream left him disconcerted, but he knew something far more dangerous—something far more immediate—endangered him and perhaps the world.

Phoebe stirred on the ground next to him. Her hair was now even bluer. Her skin was darker and her gown seemed to have lost much of its glimmer. Ian climbed to his knees and crawled over to her.

“Phoebe, are you alright?”

“I—where am I?”

“You’re on Earth. In Rhode Island. Do you remember me?”

“Pollux?”

“No, my name is Ian. Do you remember?”

“I—gods, did you say Earth?”

“Yes, we came from—”

She shot up to her feet. “We have to move. We have to go now. If we don’t hurry, the entire universe will be in danger.”

She walked away from him. Her eyes shot across the fields around them, but Ian couldn’t begin to guess what she wanted to find. Outside of Providence, Rhode Island, he didn’t have a clue what was going on.

“Phoebe, I still don’t know what’s going on. You collapsed as soon as we got here. Smith turned on us as soon as he appeared. I don’t know where Peach is, but the portal closed behind him. She could still be trapped on that other world.”

“I cannot help your friend out of the Inbetween, Mister Ian. I can only stop what you and this Mister Smith have unleashed on the world.”

Ian grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned, threw up an arm to hold him. “You would be wise to watch yourself, mortal.”

“You don’t remember me at all, do you? We talked for half an hour before we came to Earth.”

“My memories are muddled. That often happens when you’re possessed.”

“Possessed? What are you talking about?”

“I mean you were tricked by the being the Inbetween was created to hold. He is a monster that ravished half the galaxy. He claimed it was his to rule. But thousands of years ago, his body was destroyed. Still his power kept him alive.”

“His soul-self needed to be contained. We could trap him Inbetween, but a bodiless spirit would have an easier escape route than one contained within a body. A guardian had to be chosen to suffer the banishment with him. The Galactic Council asked for someone to take him, hold him within them. I volunteered for the process.”

“You went to that hole on purpose? You said you were there thousands of years.”

“Even then, he told the truth. I was sent to The Inbetween to contain him. Somehow he convinced someone here to help him, to break him free. It appears that somehow he gained a means of communication back to Earth.”

“How?”

“That I do not know. But if Caelus has even one ally here, he may have many more. We must tread carefully?”

“Did you say Caelus? Like in mythology?”

“You know the name then. Interesting. Perhaps his godhead is deeper than I thought.”

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s a particular well known figure, but for some reason I feel like I know it. Like I’ve studied it closely. I don’t know. I don’t have all my memories.”

“Intriguing. I sense great mystery about you, Mister Ian.”

“Please, just Ian.”

“Ian then.” Phoebe pointed towards the large manor on the estate. “I’m not sure what Caelus plans, but I suspect we can find at least a clue inside. Are you with me, Ian?”

“I am.”

Ian wondered if this was a mistake. He already walked a monster back to Earth and now that monster had Alli. He was wary to trust Phoebe, but if he was going to help his friends, he would have to take her. Even if she tried to betray him, he knew he could hurt her back, though the thought of using that power again made him sick to his stomach.

He walked up to the door at her side.

“Should we knock?”

Phoebe studied the door, then the entire patio. “This place isn’t as it seemed. It exists between planes. It connects to something else. Ah, I see. It’s a godhead, a realm of death.”

“A what?”

“It is a death realm. Most are barren wastelands, not unlike the Inbetween. Certain beings are known to latch on to the souls of the dead. They will capture those souls of their so-called followers, keep them from passing to their final reward. They place them in a sort of netherworld, store them for their power. It is an archaic art, but one backworlds are known to still practice. Earth has been shut off from the world for millennia. It would seem death gods still exist here.”

Ian rubbed his forehead. “Space and gods and death realms. This is a bit much for me.”

“The universe is a grand place, Ian. You must learn to accept it for what it is: a grand adventure often fraught with danger. Now come.” She reached out and tried the door.

The knob turned and opened with ease.

“Be careful,” Ian said. “I can’t imagine what awaits us if the doors are open. No one leaves their doors open these days.”

Phobe turned towards him. “These days, Ian? You are an immortal too. I remember.”

“I don’t know about that. I only remember the last week or so.”

“Perhaps I can help with that should we survive this day.”

“I would like that,” Ian said with a smile.

“Good, now be ready.”

She turned and entered the door. With a deep breath, Ian followed her.

The hero thing still wasn’t his thing. He really hated to even think about what kind of danger they faced inside. He wasn’t a fighter. He was more than happy to hide behind an illusion, let the world think he was gone.

No. I’m here for my friends. I have to help them. Or if need be, avenge them.

He walked through the door. The air turned instantly dry as he walked inside. It was warm inside, but with no moisture at all. It felt like a desert.

Guess this is a death-realm.

The room was the kind of opulent foyer one saw in any number of Southern Gothic films. But it didn’t feel like one. It felt like something unearthly. It wasn’t just the dry air, something seemed not quite real about everything around him.

“Is there anyone here?”

Phoebe scanned the room as Ian’s question lingered in the air.

“Not in this realm. This place is native to your world, but it is also a nexus that connects to the death-realm. The control over the connection seems to be gone. Something has happened to crack the link. The natives of the death realm have lost their connection to our reality.”

“Is that good?”

“The connection needs to be maintained. It won’t close without its owner in control. Rifts between realities are inherently dangerous. Left open they could wreak any kind of havoc on this world. It could turn your entire world into a barren wasteland. Or it could open your world to a flood of millions of men and women long dead.”

She turned her head and looked around again. Her eyes traveled downward towards the marble floor below them.

“Or it could be used to power a madman that wants to conquer the galaxy.”

“Stand back.”

Ian took a few steps back though he wasn’t quite sure why. Something in Phoebe’s tone perhaps. She bent down and studied the floor. Her hand reached out and ran across the black and ivory marble. Her hands seemed to caress it, as if it was a pet.

“Yes, this is it.”

A second later, the floor shifted beneath her feet. It sank down into the ground inch by inch. Her spot stopped after only a few seconds, but the rest of the floor in front of her continued to drop. One by one, steps formed out of the receding floor, a perfectly squared pathway down into something.

Ian tried to peer down at the base of the stairs, but the path disappeared into darkness. The lights of the foyer couldn’t penetrate all the way down into the seemingly never-ending path.

“What is it?”

“It is our way to your friends and allies. I do not know where they have went exactly, but I know it is down there. Will you continue this journey with me, Ian? I know I have given no reason to trust me, but I—”

“If there’s a chance my friends are there, I will follow you. Even if I’m literally walking into hell.”

Ian worried about the lack of light as they walked down the stairs, but he quickly learned there was no need. Phoebe raised her left arm after a few steps downward. A soft glow rose from her flesh, a beacon of light in the nagging dark. It illuminated her and Ian as they made their way down the narrow steps.

He hated not knowing where they were going. He hated being lost and scrambling for answers. This isn’t normal. I just want to find out who I am and live my life.

He didn’t know how long they walked downward, but it felt to Ian like they were entering some subterranean chamber far deepr than any subway. Phoebe stopped short at a door, a simple old piece of wood that looked centuries old.

Phoebe reached out and touched the door. Ian could feel the hint of electricity in the air. Power radiated from the door—or perhaps something beyond the door.

She looked back at him. He nodded, hoping he showed confidence that he did not feel.

She turned the handle and pulled the door open. Light flashed at the door’s edges as it opened. Red and ominous, it streaked out over them, consumed them. Ian didn’t even have time to scream before he was whisked away to somewhere else.

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 23. Peach

The portal flashed behind Ian. Peach was already cursing.

“They did it. Oh, god, they let that thing free.”

“Yes they did,” Smith said. “They let the host walk right back to our world.”

“What do we do? Caelus—you know the stories. The legends.”

“Oh, I know them.”

“You don’t seem very bothered by this,” Peach said. “We just let a monster loose from his prison.”

“I know,” Smith said. “It’s why I came to this hellhole in the first place.”

The words sunk in just as Smith turned. His fist whisked through the air. Peach watched it close, faster than she could react.

Peach tried to move, tried to dodge the sudden assault by a man she thought was an ally. But it was no use. He was too fast. He caught her along the side of the head. She staggered back against the wall of the room.

She was momentarily dazed as he loomed over her.

“For someone clearly as old as you, you’re a damn fool, girl. You didn’t even question me. You didn’t even question why I was so willing to help you all. It was simple. I was told to help you. I would have let you die out there if I didn’t need someone to unlock the gate. But it’s open now. So you’re useless to me.”

“You’re not just some thug,” she said. “You’re an immortal.”

“Clever girl.” Smith laughed. “You figured out something any fool could. I see how you let the beast take control of you. You may be older than most humans, but you’re no wiser. There’s a reason we ruled over you for thousands of years.”

“You’re an Olympian!” She felt the fire grow in her belly. She had little power left, but if she failed it wouldn’t matter. She needed to stop him before he could get back to Earth. She couldn’t let him do whatever it was he planned.”

Smith drove a foot hard into her chest. Peach went down to the floor. Her breath left her. Her ribs were broken.

“You’re just a little fool. Do you really think I can’t tell you’re summoning your power?”

“I was hoping you might be too busy talking.”

He drove a boot into her side.

“You’re lucky I’m in a hurry. I like my women mouthy and dumb. I could have a lot of fun with you.”

“I’d rather die.”

Smith looked out into empty expanse. “It looks like you’re have plenty of time for that.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small canister. To an untrained eye, it might look like some kind of half-size soda can. She recognized it for what it was: a pulse grenade. It wasn’t an Earth weapon, but they both knew he would have access to such a weapon.

She tried to get up, tried to stop him, but a boot to the side of her head sent her sprawling back to the ground. Her head rung as he depressed the trigger on the pulse grenade.

There wasn’t a choice now. She had only one option. The worst option.

She didn’t have to concentrate or even think about it. She only had to let go. A moment later, her body wasn’t hers. The beast rose up inside her frame, subsumed her into just a passive viewer.

The beast brought her body up, seemingly unaware of the pain. The beast wanted to kill. The beast would take revenge for her simply because the beast loved to cause death.

She lunged at Smith, a fury of insanity. He was already running towards the open portal. He turned as the beast unleashed a roar. He turned and pulled another device from his pocket. The beast ignored it, but Peach knew what it was.

Stop! No, stop!

The beast paid her no heed. It ran headlong towards Smith. He held out the tiny device, aimed the small aperture in the tube outward. With a roar of sound and fury, the force blast struck her body square in the chest. Beast or not, Peach’s frame could not stand up to the brunt of the blast.

She felt her ribcage cave. It was agony as her body fell backwards. She landed hard on her posterior and back, but neither she nor the beast could make her body get up.

She could only watch as Smith simply walked through the portal. She could only watch as the pulse grenade flashed on the floor just a few feet away. She took a deep breath and waited for the end.

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 22. Alli

It wasn’t like Smith’s teleportation. The warp was far more violent. Alli felt her body rip through space and time. It felt like a roller coaster, but one that ran a hundred thousand times too fast. Her stomach lurched as she saw the stars fly by around her. It was all a blur, beautiful and confusing all at once.

She came to a sudden stop just a moment before the sight could drive her insane. She was used to the corners of reality, but this was far past her comfort zone.

As she lurched to a stop, she dropped to her knees on to cool wet grass. It had been hours since her last meal, but the remnants of it still came up in violent heaves.

She wiped her face clean just as she heard the wisp of wind and energy as the portal activated again. Phoebe fell through the portal a moment later. Unlike Alli, she landed comfortably on her feet.

She walked over to Alli’s side. “I am sorry. I did not think about the effects the transition might have on a mortal’s constitution. It will pass.”

Alli climbed to her feet. “Yeah, I guess. Uh, welcome to Earth, I guess.”

“Yes, thank you. I—” Phoebe’s head snapped back. Her body started to shake wildly. Her eyes rolled back.

Alli rushed to grab Phoebe, but it was already too late. Phoebe’s body pitched back. She landed hard on the ground, the grass far from enough padding as her head snapped against the ground.

She continued to shake violently, her body seemed locked in some kind of epileptic attack. Alli wasn’t even sure how to treat a human epileptic during a seizure, let alone an immortal being from outer space.

“Phoebe? Phoebe? Are you all right?”

Alli coughed as a strange mist rose off the immortal woman. It smelled of ozone and something unique, something not quite of this world.

The portal whisked open again behind her. She heard Ian fall through and hit the wet grass with a dull thump and a sharp, surprisingly high-pitched scream.

“What’s going on? What happened to Phoebe?”

Ian rushed over to Alli’s side and stood over the unconscious immortal.

“I don’t know. One second we came through and talked. The next she was falling down. Something came off her, but I’m not sure what.”

Ian reached down and pressed two fingers into the side of her neck. He wasn’t sure if it would do any good. He didn’t know much about her anatomy. But he felt a dull pulse there, so at least in that regard her human appearance seemed correct.

“Her hair,” he said. “It’s different.”

Alli hadn’t noticed, but he was right. Phoebe’s formerly black hair was now a deep blue. Though dark, it was clearly a color not seen in human hair. She wasn’t sure she ever saw anyone even dye it such an odd shade.

“What took you so long?”

“I heard something,” Ian said. “It was Peach and Smith. I heard them yell, just as Phoebe passed through. They were saying something about not letting her go through. I tried to stop and wait for them, but I lost my footing and fell into the portal.”

“Why wouldn’t they want Phoebe to come through the portal?”

Ian looked at the unconscious woman. “You heard her story. She said it was a prison. We only had her word about her crime. Maybe she did something much worse. Maybe we unleashed a monster.”

Phoebe was unconscious. She seemed almost at peace, just asleep on the carpet of grass. She didn’t seem like a monster, just an ancient being free from her personal hell.

None of it matters, Alli thought. She looked around the grounds. They were in Rhode Island. They were where Marilyn was.

“We have to leave her.”

“What? We can’t.”

“Marilyn is here. Phoebe’s breathing. We can call a doctor for her, but neither of us has any way to diagnose her. But Marilyn may be in trouble. She might be in danger.”

Ian scowled. She could see on his face that he cared. He was worried about the strange woman they just met, even if he didn’t quite trust her. She could understand the feeling, but she couldn’t let it stop her. Marilyn needed her.

“Look. You can stay here if you need to, but I need to find Marilyn.”

Ian nodded. “I understand. You’re right. We can come back to her. We can call a doctor. Is your cell working?”

Alli pulled it out. The screen showed no service.

“We’re in a city. How do I have no service?”

Ian shook his head. “Come on then. Let’s find Marilyn.”

But before they could take another step, the portal flashed again.

Smith came through the portal, but he was alone. A row of cuts bled down the side of his face.

“Smith! What happened?”

Ian rushed to his side. Smith groaned as the boy closed.

Ian didn’t even see it coming. Smith took a wild swing, but the blow was perfectly aimed. The blow caught Ian hard in the jaw. Ian’s head snapped back. His body seemed to float in mid-fall for a long moment before he crashed down to the ground next to Phoebe.

“What is this?” Alli said. Her hand whipped the Sticky Gun free. She trained it on Smith a second later. “Why are you doing this?”

Alli realized the four cuts were from fingernails. Peach.

Smith smiled despite the gashes. “Just following orders, baby.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 21. Cyrus

Pluto and Persephone stood over them at the height of the tower before them. Cyrus could not help but feel there was no need for this trial. The judgment was already passed in the gods’ eyes. He was already guilty.

And so is Marilyn, he thought. All because I was a fool.

“Cyrus, son of Pluto, you stand accused before your regal father, charged with the betrayal of the pantheon. You turned against your own family, worked against us, even struck your own blessed sister. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty,” Cyrus said.

“We will see, Cyrus. You make a poor choice by dragging out these proceedings Your father might have been lenient if you would have admitted your guilt.”

“I would have to be guilty of something for that, mother. Yet I feel no guilt here.” Cyrus stood tall in the face of his mother and looming father. Pluto merely stared down at his son. But Persephone looked annoyed at her son’s rejection of her words.

“You have chosen to continue this trial,” Persephone said. “Let the record reflect the arrogance you show in doing so.”

“Call it what you will, mother.”

Persephone turned to her daughter. “Melinoe, you stand as prosecutor to Cyrus. Tell us your experience with his crime.”

“Of course, my queen.” Melinoe turned and gave her brother a smirk as she spoke. “I remember the time well. You had left for your annual pilgrimage to stay with the honored Demeter. Cyrus and I both remained behind to serve watch over Hades House. Father showed little interest in the house’s day to day affairs as is often the case when you are away.”

This brought a smile to Persephone’s face. Mother always liked to hear stories about Pluto’s mad love for her.

“However, Cyrus proved to have no interest in his godly duty. As soon as he was free of his parents’ oversight, his attention turned to the human world.”

“I object. We live in the human world. Why are we even pretending otherwise?”

“You have no right to speak at this time,” Persephone said. “You will get your chance to defend your actions, Cyrus. Now is not that time.”

Cyrus crossed his arms as Melinoe continued. He would listen to his sister’s words, but he didn’t have to like it.

“Dear Cyrus immediately started packing. He wanted to leave and he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way. He would not be dissuaded, not even when one of his dearest friends tried to stop him.”

I don’t like where this is going, Cyrus thought. None of this makes sense. I just left. I didn’t talk to anyone. I don’t know what Melinoe is playing at.

Marilyn squeezed his hand. He gave her a nod as Melinoe continued.

“It was horrific. Patreus grew up alongside Cyrus. He was nothing but a human grandson of Zeus, yet another of a thousand bastard children. But Patreus came to us when he was young. He grew alongside Cyrus. And Cyrus killed him.”

Patreus is dead! No, it can’t be. That cannot be right. He—I should never have left here. Cyrus buried his head in his hand.

“I watched it all,” Melinoe said. “My brother did not think I was near, but I stumbled upon him when he tried to leave. He argued with Patraeus. I thought at first it was some kind of lover’s quarrel, but I never knew the two to be so intimate. Patraeus seemed distraught.”

None of this happened. I simply told Patraeus I couldn’t stay. He tried to convince me to stay, but we didn’t yell. We didn’t fight. She’s lying.

“Cyrus pushed Patraeus. Patraeus fought back, even though he knew he had no chance of victory against a true child of a god. With no reason or recourse, Cyrus decided to use his powers against the poor young man. It wasn’t loud, not like I expected. But it was a low steady hum. I could feel the force of the vibrations even from across the house. I watched as Cyrus’s powers flayed the skin from his dearest friend.”

“No!”

Marilyn’s words broke up the affair. She pulled away from Cyrus as she said it, but her words were directed towards Melinoe. “It isn’t true!”

“Silence, mortal!” Persephone’s words rang through the room. “Another outburst and I will pass judgment on you now. You are a fly before us. Do not forget that.”

Persephone turned to her daughter. “Finish your story, daughter.”

That’s all it is, Cyrus thought. A story, a piece of fiction. I thought I was to face a few decades of confinement. But this is a frame up, a con job. I didn’t think even Melinoe could want me dead.

“I have little use for mortals as you well know,” Melinoe said. “But I also know that demigods are protected under Olympian law. Cyrus didn’t care. He wanted his freedom and would not let anyone stand in his way. He didn’t even seem troubled by his crime. I watched him take his bag and walk over the blasted corpse of his friend. Little more than a skeleton was left of the boy.”

“Is this all of your testimony, Melinoe?”

“It is, mother.”

“What do you accuse your brother of?”

“I accuse him of the murder of a child of Zeus. He willfully killed a child of Olympus. And he did it to abandon his sacred duties.”

Persephone turned to Cyrus. She peered down at him as Pluto stood silently beside him.

“You have heard the charges against you, my son. These are dire charges. You know that they could lead to your death or your exile to the lower realms. These actions are indefensible, but you have time to speak, son. I suggest you make the best of your remaining few minutes. Let it not be said that your father does not know mercy.”

The room fell silent. Cyrus could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He knew his mother expected him to fall to his knees. He knew she wouldn’t really listen to any of his words. He could save himself by pleading and begging. But none of it mattered. It wouldn’t save Marilyn. She would be punished one way or another. A hundred years in confinement here would be a pain for him ,but it would mean her death. He couldn’t have that burden on his soul.

“Melinoe is lying. I didn’t even know that Petraeus was dead. I spoke to him before I left. He tried to convince me to listen to you and stay. But I didn’t do that. I left. I freely admit to that crime. I thought that was the crime I stood trial for today. But I have never taken another man’s life. I’m still trying to believe that my friend is dead.”

Melinoe shook her head. Persephone joined her. Cyrus could feel his chances sinking. He would fight if need be. He wouldn’t let them frame him for a crime he did not commit.

“Your words sadden me, son. I suspected truth from the son of death. Instead, you make excuses. You deny the sworn word of my blessed daughter. You turn against the gods words and then have the gall to deny your guilt.”

“I deny nothing!” Cyrus’s voice echoed off the walls as he raised it. “I admit I left Hades House. I admit that I hid to keep from returning. I admit that I grow tired of horrible standoffish behavior of this family. Our era is a thousand years past. Maybe it's because I never saw the heyday of our era, but I see that fact clearly. The age of the Olympians is dead. I wanted to see the world and understand humanity. Not hide from it.”

“We don’t hide from the world. The world belongs to us!”

Cyrus shook his head. “You are so deluded you cannot see what is before you. You think mortals so lowly that you could think I would kill a friend. I loved Petraeus. He meant more to me than anyone else in this room. But he was a lowly to you despite his grandfather. You are so lost in your world that you truly cannot believe that I looked at Petraeus as an equal. I could never kill him.”

“Enough! You will say no more!” His mother’s fury echoed through the room. Her eyes seemed to flare as she spoke.

Cyrus rose up to his full height. He breathed in deeply. “I will not be silent! Not anymore!”

“You will not speak!” Persephone’s rage shook the room. “This is my court, not yours!”

Pluto’s hand reached out and rested on his wife’s shoulder. His head moved slow as his wife and everyone in the room turned to look at him. But the nod was obvious.

“He—”

Pluto said nothing. He only looked at his wife.

She turned and threw a hand into the air. “Fine. Speak.”

Cyrus felt all eyes on him.

“I did not kill Petraeus. I didn’t even know he was dead. I—it’s still hard for me to think that my friend is dead. I do not know what motivates her, but Melinoe’s story is a fabrication. I left Hades House. Petraeus and I spoke before I left. He tried to persuade me to speak with you before I did. But I knew that conversation would be pointless. I knew you didn’t want the connection to humanity that I want. I’m tired of pretending we’re somehow better than them just because we live forever and have some power. Thousands of them can say the same thing.”

He shook his head. “I love you, but I cannot be like you. So I said goodbye to Petraeus and left.”

“How dare you!” Melinoe’s words echoed through the room. “I am not a liar. You are a murderer and a false witness!”

“I don’t know what happened to Petraeus,” Cyrus said. “But now that I do, I will bring his killer to justice. Find me guilty or innocent but his death will not go unavenged.”

He met Melinoe’s eyes as he finished his threat. Cyrus turned back to his mother and father.

“I left you under my own volition, mother and father. Punish me for that if you see fit. But I have not killed my friend.” He looked to Marilyn. “Mortals are far more important to me than you could ever imagine.”

No one said anything for a very long moment. They don’t trust me, Cyrus thought. But they don’t fully trust Melinoe either.

Persephone looked between her two children. “You challenge your sister’s word. But you also admit to your own wrongdoing. Her word does not give us reason for question. But yours do. You willingly stepped away from your duties as a god of Olympus. I do not—”

“I have no duties as a god of Olympus. Ancient Greece is three thousand years dead. The last of the Romans gave up on us more than a millenium go. We survive on the power provided by a few outlying worshipers. Beyond that Olympus is just a myth. The humans look on us as a story. They don’t even know I exist.”

“That would have changed, Cyrus. You would have rose to be a great force in Olympus. You could have—”

“I could have done nothing, mother. You hold on to a dream that no longer exists. You had your followers. Petraeus would have followed you both anywhere. But I am not the person for that. I no longer see myself as some god. I am a man, a gifted man, but just a man.”

Persephone’s eyes widened in shock. “Sacrilege!”

“No, mother. It is the truth. We can no longer live above them. We are already forced to live among them. Let’s not play games with what that means.”

“How dare you? This is your way of life! You cannot just say no and walk away. That is not the way of our people. You may not live in Olympus, but you are an Olympian. You are a god and you must learn to act like one.”

“I know very well how to act like one,” Cyrus said. “And I don’t want to do it anymore. I won’t do it anymore. So make your judgement, but do not pretend this is anything but a farce. My friend was murdered and I’m being aimed as the patsy.”

Cyrus turned to Marilyn. He spoke in hushed tones. “I’m sorry. I wish you never got involved in this. I was afraid you would just be forced to grow old next to me. But they want more than that.”

“How much more?”

“My sister wants me dead, Marilyn. I don’t know why, but she’s murdered my friend.”

“How can you be sure? How do you know this Petraeus is even dead?”

Cyrus stopped short. She was right. The gods were fickle if nothing else. It wouldn’t be unlike Melinoe to simply lie about Petraeus’s fate. A missing demigod could be as good as a murdered one if her story was right.

“I demand to see the evidence held against me.”

“What?”

“I want to see the body of my friend, mother. It is the least you could do if you accuse me of his murder. I only have the words of those around me that he is even dead. I will not be condemned for a crime that I didn’t even know happened. Not without seeing the proof.”

“No,” Melinoe said. “No, you cannot let him do that, mother. It is too terrible! He—”

“Enough, Melinoe. He speaks truth. He does have the right to see the body.” She turned to her husband. Pluto nodded. The courtroom began to shift again.

Beneath their feet, the floor shifted downward. Marilyn grabbed on to Cyrus. He wrapped a comforting arm around her. He knew she wasn’t used to the behaviors of Hades House. Trapped between two planes, the Estate was set at the whims of Pluto.

“It will be fine. Just watch and wait.”

“I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff in my life,” Marilyn said. “But this might be a new record.”

“I’m afraid we’re only just getting started. Brace yourself for some real oddities. This isn’t a normal world. There’s a reason why I left.”

The floor continued to drop directly beneath them, even as the rest of the courtroom opened. Persephone and Pluto lowered down next to Cyrus and Marilyn. His father was still passive. Persephone showed no emotion, but Cyrus couldn’t help but feel the doubt she felt.

Melinoe sat high above, still in her booth. The fact that Pluto didn’t bring her down also made Cyrus wonder if they didn’t trust her either.

Something was off about this whole affair. Petraeus’s death made no sense. Melinoe had no reason to kill him, not that he could grasp.

The floor came to a stop a full two stories beneath the surface. Cyrus knew his parents could take them down much farther, but the underworld had no real answers for them. Instead, they would just travel to the crypt, a simple stone crypt for the honored dead. Petraeus would rest there until his grandfather Zeus gave an answer to his final resting place. But that could not happen until the trial was complete.

The room shifted behind Persephone and Pluto. The moving walls opened to expose the crypt. Cyrus had only visited the tomb once before, when a demigod in the service of Apollo was killed by a messenger of Hermes. He didn’t remember it to be a pleasant experience.

Pluto turned and yanked on the large stone door. It opened with ease.

Marilyn squeezed in closer to him. She didn’t really seem afraid. But she did seem to need some kind of comfort. He was happy to provide it as they moved to follow his parents into the tomb.

It was black inside the crypt. Persephone brought the torches to life with a wave of her hand. “This way.”

They walked through another door inside the massive crypt, which Pluto opened as easily as the first. As soon as they entered, Cyrus saw him. He lay in perfect state atop a stone slab. Petraeus was still and white. His body had been cleaned up and cleansed. His corpse was perfect, clean and still.

Cyrus pulled away from Marilyn and stepped towards the body. “Oh, Petraeus. I’m so sorry, my friend.”

He stared down at his dead friend. For the first time the loss felt palpable. For the first time he truly regretted leaving his parent’s home. He couldn’t help but feel that his friend would still be alive had he remained.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you,” Cyrus said. “I’m so sorry.”

Petreaus’s bright blue eyes shot open. “Don’t be sad, godling. I’ve been waiting millennia to meet you all.”

A sly grin filled the face of Petraeus. But Cyrus knew this wasn’t his friend. It was something else. Something old. Something very, very evil.

“What are you?”

Petraeus sat up, still smiling. “Don’t you recognize your old friend, Cyrus? It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

“You’re not Petraeus.”

Pluto stepped forward. His hand came up. Energy crackled through the room. For the first time in forever, Cyrus saw an emotion on his father’s face. It was fear.

Petraeus—or whatever he was—raised a hand. A burst of power struck Pluto head on. Cyrus watched his father suddenly consumed by energy as dark as his own.

Pluto fell to his knees. Persephone moved to her husband’s side as crumpled face first to the floor. She bent over him, even as Pluto shook from whatever strange energy fell over him.

Cyrus stepped between his parents and the monster in his friend’s corpse. “Who are you? What are you?”

Petraeus’s body smiled. “You would never hope to recognize me, little human. I am greater than this tiny demigod body. I am greater than the gods that sit before you. I am the darkness, the universe from which this world was formed. I am Caelus and after a thousand, thousand years, I am free.”

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 20. Ian

Their path seemed almost endless. Ian didn’t really know how long they walked or how far they traveled. He just knew it felt like they would never stop. It felt like they would never get anywhere ever.

“You’re quite lost. Though I suspect you’re far more lost than you could ever dream. That is the nature of this place after all.”

Ian and Alli both turned around at the same time. A woman stood before them. She was taller than both of them, dark-skinned with long kinked hair. And she was completely naked.

“What the hell?”

The woman smirked at Ian’s sudden shock. With a wave of her hand, dirt and sand rushed off the ground. They flooded around her frame. Over the course of several seconds, they tightened and formed over her frame. They came together and formed a shiny silver fabric that hugged her skin.

“I apologize if I disturbed you by my sudden arrival. I mean no harm. I only wish to meet the people that found their way to this dead world. It isn’t often I find strangers appear here. I only wished to welcome you and inquire how you came here.”

Ian looked to Alli. He was wary, but he knew they couldn’t overlook the woman’s sudden arrival. Any sign of life in this world would be a key to their survival. If she knew how to escape, how to find their way back to their dimension, they needed to take it.

“Thanks,” Ian said. “I’m Ian. This is Alli. And we’re not quite sure how we came here. Our friend was supposed to teleport us a few hundred miles, not to a death dimension or whatever this is.”

“Death dimension?”

The woman’s question caused Ian to look to Alli again. Turning back to the woman, he simply said, “We aren’t in another dimension?”

The woman stopped as if she was thinking about it. After about twenty seconds, she finally said, “I can’t really be sure. You’re certainly not in a death dimension though. This is a stable reality. This is just a less hospitable corner of it. Probably why I don’t get any visitors.”

“Who are you?” Ian said.

“I am just a simple entity that was trapped here a thousand years ago. I haven’t had a name for a very long time, but you may call me Phoebe.”

“Like Friends?”

“Are we friends? I do not know, Ian. You would have to tell me that.”

“No, nevermind,” Ian said. “I just—nevermind. It’s good to meet you, Phoebe.”

“It is very good to meet you both. As I said, it felt like I would never see another soul on this world. But with you here. With you here, I may finally have a chance to escape.”

“You know a way off this world?”

“There is a portal,” Phoebe said. “But it is cut off from my reach. An immortal cannot enter the cavern. Alas, my long life has become a curse here.”

“You’re immortal?” Ian looked to Alli. He was becoming used to hearing strange things. But immortality certainly wasn’t one of them.

“It happens,” Alli said. “Where is this portal?”

“It is not far.”

“Show us,” Ian said.

As they walked, Ian couldn’t contain his curiosity. “You said you’ve lived here for a thousand years, Phoebe. How did you come to be here?”

“It is a long story, Ian. And not a kind one. I was imprisoned here for crimes I did not commit. Only one other prisoner calls this world home and he is a great danger. Thankfully we keep to ourselves.”

“There’s only two people on this entire world?”

Phoebe nodded.

“And you are both immortal.”

“Indeed. The universe is a vast place. We are certainly not unique across the frontier. But immortals are rare. Immortals with great power are much rarer. This world was designed to contain us and forget us.”

“Why?” Alli said. “What could you have done that forced you into an eternal existence alone?”

“I did nothing,” Phoebe said. “But they claimed that I committed genocide.”

“Genocide?”

“It was a world a thousand light years from here. A single race of hominids populated a small corner of the world. They were wiped clean by some force. I do not know who. They claimed the energy signature matched my own. They convicted me on those grounds alone. I might have been able to fight my way free, but that would just make me the monster they claimed I was. So I let myself be damned to this place until a day I could find my way free.”

“It’s a good story,” Alli said. Ian could detect the unspoken question that went with it: but how do we know it is true?

“You do not trust me,” Phoebe said. “I suppose that is expected. If you don’t know my story, you have no way to know whether I lie or tell you the truth. You have only your own sense of trust and that is truly one of the hardest things in any world to gain.”

“It’s more than the hardest thing,” Alli said. “It’s—”

“Do you want off this world or not?” Ian’s word cut her off. “We’ve lost hours already. Think of Marilyn. If we can get back to Earth, we might be able to find her.”

“Earth?” Phoebe said. “You are from the Earth?”

“Yes,” Ian said. “You’ve heard of our world.”

“Everyone has heard of the planet,” Phoebe said. “It is an ancient world, one connected to a thousand others. It is known as the lost colony to many, a world cut off from the rest of the galaxy for reasons unknown.”

“What?”

Phoebe shook her her head. “It was another prison planet, a planet cut off from the rest of the universe because of dangerous beings trapped there.”

“What kind of dangerous beings?”

“You know nothing of this?”

Ian shook his head. “No, we don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then we truly must move.”

Alli sent out several messages through the two-way as they followed Phoebe down her path. But none brought an answer from Peach or Smith. Ian could tell she was getting worried as they walked towards a small cliff face.

The outcropping stood maybe ten feet off the ground, but in the vast expanse of these plains, it stood out like a mountain. The opening was little more than a crawl hole, but it was the only shelter anywhere in this vast expanse.

“Is it safe?”

Phoebe turned to him. “Nothing is safe here.”

“Very reassuring.”

She gave a weak smile.

“I can’t get Peach on the line,” Alli said. “We need to find them.”

“If your communicator does not reach your friends, they are almost certainly dead.”

“I’m not willing to accept that, Phoebe.”

“Nothing on this world should block your communications. But if they walked away from you, it is possible they encountered one of the monsters that roam here. You are lucky to have found me before you encountered such a beast.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Alli said.

“You did not ask. I did not understand the concern. I mean no disrespect to you and your friends.”

Ian could tell Alli didn’t like Phoebe’s response. He couldn’t blame her. They barely knew this woman. But he knew that she was their most likely path home. Blowing up at her wouldn’t help anyone. He pulled Alli aside.

“We will find out what happened to them. But first, we need to find this portal. See if we can open it. I know we’re not exactly friends, but we have to think about Cyrus and Marilyn. We need to get back to them. Right?”

Alli nodded. “I still don’t trust her.”

“You don’t trust me either, but we’re in this together.”

“Alright.”

Ian turned to Phoebe. “Show us the way.”

They followed her down into the small cavern. The entrance was barely large enough for them to crawl through. But as soon as they entered, it was clear that the area was far from a natural occurrence. The inside opened into a full chamber with a ceiling high enough to stand. The walls were not carved rock, but some kind of plastic. It was firm to the touch as Ian ran his hand over it. He had the feeling it was far more solid than any plastic on Earth.

The chamber wasn’t particular large. It dug into the ground maybe twenty feet back. It was a simple rectangle, maybe eight feet wide at the most. The back end held what looked like a large door. It was round and a large metal iris kept it closed.

Between it and them was a large blue wall of energy.

“So that’s it,” Ian said.

“That is the warp door,” Phoebe said. “It creates a wormhole through space and time. I’m not sure how well your world understands the physics of it, but through it one can connect from this world to their home planet.”

“So it will send us back to Earth if we open it?”

“Indeed. I will accompany you to your world. Though another quarantine world, it seems almost certainly more hospitable than this one.”

“That it is,” Ian said. “But how do we know it will drop us somewhere safe. What if it drops us in the middle of the sky?”

“It cannot,” Phoebe said. “I do not pretend to understand the technology beyond the basics. It certainly runs on systems past typical knowledge of any single galactic citizen. But it is designed to drop people on where they focus. Safety protocols keep it from being somewhere fatal to the chosen species.”

“Fascinating.”

“Yeah, real fascinating,” Alli said. “We have people to help. Smith and Peach may still be out there. Marilyn could be in danger right now. We need to get back now.”

“You’re right,” Ian said. “How do we get through the field?”

“You must only walk through,” Phoebe said. “It will not block a mortal. Once you’re through, you may open the iris with simply a touch. Contact should bring the field down and send us back to your world.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

Ian started towards the glowing blue energy. It felt like he was getting ready to walk into a wall as he stepped forward. But Phoebe said it wouldn’t make a difference. It would be easy.

He closed his eyes to get the thought of the wall out of his head. He took a step into the field.

Lightning shot through Ian’s body. It didn’t feel at all like walking into a wall. Instead it felt like every ounce of his body was on fire. He wanted to scream, but his body wouldn’t let him. He could only smell burning and wonder if it was his own skin.

He felt his body fly backwards. He struck the ground just inches from Alli’s feet. He could see smoke rising off of his body. He ached all over. But he was still very much alive.

“I don’t understand. I thought I was supposed to be able to just walk through. Why did the field stop me?”

Alli turned to Phoebe. “What kind of game are you playing? Are you trying to lure us into some trap?”

“I mean neither of you harm,” Phoebe said. “You must believe me. I do not understand why your friend could not go through the field. It only works against immortals. I have seen it in action before. The only way he wouldn’t pass is if he did not age. He too would have to be an immortal.”

Alli turned to Ian. He could feel the thought projecting from her head. It was the same thought he had. He remembered the news articles they found, the history of Ian Page from decades before. Maybe it wasn’t some other Ian. Maybe it really was him.

One more unanswered question, he thought. If only I could remember something. Anything at all.

“I don’t remember my past,” Ian said. “Not even that. Could it be possible?”

“I do not know,” Phoebe said. “My knowledge of such things is quite limited.”

“There’s one way to check,” Alli said. She looked back at the field.

“Alli, the pain—you don’t have to do it.”

“Yes I do, Ian. I don’t have a choice. We’ve got to go back. We have to find Marilyn.”

She looked towards the field. With a deep breath, she took a step towards it.

Alli passed through the energy with no trouble. She didn’t even recoil as she tried. Ian envied her confidence. If he saw what the field could do, he would never have tried. But she took the walk with a calm and grace.

She turned on the other side and looked at them. “I guess that answers one question.”

“The iris,” Phoebe said. “Open the iris.”

Alli turned back towards the gate. She walked up to it. Ian clenched his fists as she examined it for a second. With the same confidence she showed before, she reached out and touched the metal gate.

The field flickered in front of Ian and Phoebe. A second later, it was gone. The black woman, this strange immortal figure, smiled a broad grin. She seemed ecstatic, but her demeanor did not let her express it in any way past the simple grin. Ian thought if he had been imprisoned for a thousand years or more, he might show a bit more excitement.

The iris started to telescope back into its recesses. Ian walked past the field, Phoebe at his side. The iris fully opened, but only blackness showed through the gate.

“Is it ready?”

“It’s ready,” Phoebe said, stepping towards the opening.

Ian looked to Alli. “You ready for this?”

“Let’s get home.” She put the two-way down on the floor of the room. “Hopefully Peach can find her way to it as well.”

“I hope so.”

Alli looked back at the other end of the strange chamber.

“I feel bad leaving them behind. What if they’re still alive out there?”

“We have to choose between them and Marilyn. What do you want to do?”

“We need to go.”

She turned and stepped into the blackness. Phoebe stepped up to the aperture next. Ian watched her slowly walk up into the path.

“No! Stop! Don’t let her through.”

He turned and saw Smith and Peach running towards them.

“No, she’s dangerous! You can’t let her escape. She has—”

Something grabbed Ian from behind. He felt a tug from the gate and he fell backward through it. He caught just one more glimpse of Peach charging towards him, her hand out. A moment later, the blackness consumed him and he didn’t see anything at all.

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 19. Rosa

The drive with Keith was mostly quiet, but Rosa couldn’t help but notice the sideways glances he gave her. They weren’t too frequent, but they were obvious the times he did them. At first, she wondered if she just looked that bad. Her body was covered with soot and dirt after all. She quickly realized though it wasn’t that. He was checking her out.

He didn’t say anything though. And she tried to pretend like she didn’t notice. It seemed the easiest for both of them.

The drive was short. Rosa was grateful. She could have ran it much faster. But that wasn’t what she wanted.

She hurt all over. Even her skin ached. But more than anything she didn’t want to be alone. Having Officer Kenwood—Keith—with her made her feel not quite as broken. She still didn’t know how to explain this to the others, but she knew she would have time to figure it out.

Keith pulled the car up in front of her apartment. “Well, this is the place. I’m sorry about your friend.”

“Thank you. Could you please do me one last favor?”

“Of course.”

“Please just walk me to my room.”

Keith unbuckled his seatbelt. “Not a problem, ma’am.”

Rosa felt like she was falling apart, but she walked up to the apartment under her own power. Mama and Papa raised her to to be self-sufficient. Despite her aches and pains, she knew she would be fine. Her bruises and abrasions would heal before the day was out.

Keith walked her to the elevator which by some miracle was now working. He pressed the button and waited next to her, acting the gentleman the entire time.

When the elevator arrived, he even pressed the button for her floor. She gave him a weak smile as the elevator rose.

Keith held the door open for her when the elevator arrived. She walked out and pointed down the hall towards her apartment door. She started down it with him a step or two behind.

It took only a few seconds to reach her door. The lock was finally fixed. She slid her key in and found it worked just fine.

“Well, you’re home. I truly am sorry for your loss, Rosa.”

“Thanks, Keith.” She glanced back into her open apartment. “I don’t—would you like to come in?”

“Yes, I would.”

Rosa wasted no time once they were inside. As soon as the door clicked shut, she grabbed Keith by his tie and pulled him in close. Before she even really understood what they were doing, they were kissing. His hands roamed across her body. She felt herself react immediately.

She was no virgin, but she never felt anything like this. She didn’t just want him. She needed him. Only he could fill the emptiness inside her.

He pulled his lips away from hers. “We shouldn’t. I’m on duty and you’re a mess and—”

Her hand snaked into his pants. His words cut off as she pushed his pants down to his knees. She stroked him as she spoke. “Do you really mean that? Do you really want to leave?”

“No,” he said. He kissed her again. She didn’t even bother moving. She just pulled him to the floor of her living room. She yanked her jeans down in seconds. In another, he was inside her, thrusting wildly.

She groaned and ran her hands up his taut back. She couldn’t see them under his shirt, but she could feel his muscles. Keith certainly worked out.

He grunted, clearly past the point of control. “I—are you on birth control?”

In answer, she just clamped her legs around him as he thrust. She felt him explode inside her. His climax set off her own and she was lost suddenly in the bliss.

As she came down from her afterglow, she wasn’t sure why she did it. She certainly wasn’t on any birth control. Her upbringing taught her it was wrong. Of course, her upbringing also taught her premarital sex was wrong and she was certainly breaking that rule as well.

It didn’t matter, she supposed. Her metabolism made pregnancy highly unlikely. A child wouldn’t survive the routine rigors of her body. The doctors in Guadalajara told her that when she was barely out of her teens.

“Are you okay?”

Keith’s words brought her out of her own revelry. She focused back on him and gave him a smile. “I feel better. That’s for sure.”

“I shouldn’t have done that. It was inappropriate. I took advantage—”

Rosa laughed. His protests were amusing when she stil could feel him shrinking inside her.

“What?”

“You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do. How long is the rest of your shift?”

“Technically it’s over, but they might still need me back at the site.”

“Can you get out of it?”

“Yes.”

“Then do it.”

He cut an amusing figure as he placed a phone call without any pants on. It didn’t take him long to finish. He flipped the phone shut and turned to Rosa.

Rosa stood in the door to her bathroom. She gave him a smirk. “Are you done for the day?”

“Not even close. But my work day is over.”

Rosa laughed. “You said I was a bit dirty. Do you care to help me clean up?”

He looked her up and down. “I’m not sure how clean we’re get.”

“We’ve got all night. I’m sure we will find a way.”

“I’d definitely like to try.”

Keith walked over to her and took her in his arms. He kissed her for just a second. But she didn’t let him take control. Instead she pulled him into the shower. She planned on enjoying this night.

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 18. Peach

Peach still wasn’t sure she trusted Smith. But as they walked through the barren wilderness, the burly man didn’t try anything stupid. She wasn’t one to judge someone by appearances, but she also dealt with too many creeps in her life. She could handle herself in a fight, but that didn’t mean she willingly walked into dangerous situations.

“I’m trying to figure you out,” Smith said. “You may be the most enigmatic woman I’ve ever met.”

“And you seem to be pulling out your five dollar words.”

“I can travel anywhere in the world whenever I want. You learn plenty when you spend one day in London and the next in Alexandria.”

“I suppose so,” Peach said. “I’ve traveled plenty and never spent much of that time learning new words.”

“To each their own and all that,” Smith said. “Where have you been?”

“Like a great man once said, I’ve been everywhere, man.”

“You a Johnny Cash fan?”

“He was an interesting but terribly conflicted man.”

“You saw that movie.”

“Movie?” She paused, trying to figure out what he was talking about. He looked strangely at her. She realized she committed a faux pas and quickly blurted, “yes, that movie.”

“You are a strange one. You don’t even know what movie I’m talking about do you.”

“Of course I do.”

“What was it called?”

“Johnny Cash.”

Smith shook his head. “And people call me elusive.”

Peach said nothing. This man was far too inquisitive for his own good. Ian was wonderful. He was far too wrapped in his own problems to even think about anything past what she offered him. This man wanted to know everything though.

“I don’t like talking about my past,” Peach said.

“Who does But you don’t hide your age well. I mean, you look great. I wouldn’t guess you were more than thirty at best. But clearly you’re far older. Good genes?”

“Something like that.”

He shook his head. “Do you ever give a straight answer?”

“Not when I can help it. Like I said. I don’t like to talk about my past. It’s not something I really want to think about.”

“I know the feeling. There’s definitely things I don’t like thinking about much. We all have demons in our past.”

You don’t know how dangerously close you are.

“My life is my own. I like to keep it that way.”

Smith looked around the barren wasteland. “I guess I figured we didn’t have anything else to talk about. There’s you and me and nothing. What do you plan to do, kick rocks?”

“I plan to find a way out of here. I plan to get free of this plane. I don’t know how, but we’re find an exit. I’m not willing to spend the rest of my life wasting away here.”

“Look, lady. I don’t want to be here anymore than you do. I’ve barely known either you or your buddies for more than a couple hours and already I’m lost in some fucking wasteland. You may be hot but that doesn’t mean I’m going to fucking bend over and take it from you because I tried to make conversation. As far as I’m concerned this whole fucking mess is your fault anyway.”

Peach stopped in her tracks and stared at Smith. “My fault? Have you lost your ever loving mind?”

“Who gave me the location? Who put the image in my damn head? You were the one that claimed to know where we’re going, but instead we end up here. This is your damn fault.”

“You have a lot of nerve, Smith. It was you that did the teleporting. My directions were good. It was you that screwed things up and dropped us in another plane of existence.”

“You’re the only one that even knew about other planes of existence. I still ain’t even sure what that means. But you seem to know all about it but are too busy playing mystery bitch to tell anyone anything.”

Peach ran towards him and drove both hands into his chest. Smith staggered back, but the blow didn’t do anything else. “Don’t piss me off, damn it! I can and will kill you!”

“You’re going to kill me? I have muscles bigger than you, you dumbass little ho. You couldn’t even hurt me if you tried.”

Peach felt the rage build inside her. She could feel it rising up, trying to get out, trying to destroy. The magic use made it worse. It made everything so easy to let slip away. She clutched at her chest. She felt the heart tattoo pulse beneath her hand. It wanted release and she wasn’t sure she could stop it.

“Please. Please run away. You have to get away from here.”

“What?”

“Please, you need to run. Now.”

She met his eyes. Smith’s face turned pale. He ran.

Peach clutched her chest. No, no, no. This is my body. This is my mind. You cannot have it.

She felt it crawling in the back of her skull. It had been too long since it was last released. It was so strong, maybe too strong.

Freedom. Destruction.

Peach knew the thoughts were not her own.

She rose up and her roar echoed through the emptiness all around her. It seemed to shake everything around her. Peach tried to walk, but her feet didn’t listen to her. It’s already too late. It has control.

She realized the rumble continued around her. Something else was here. Something other than her—and it. This plane wasn’t as empty as it seemed.

Her body shuffled forward. Her arms hung low. Her head whipped back and forth as she slouched down, her senses acute. The thing that controlled her body didn’t care for appearances. It cared only for death. Destruction. Power. It was a beast of pure animal cravings.

Even it knew it was in a battle beyond its control. Something was coming for her, for them. The released beast hunched down and watched the ground shift before it. It was ready. Whatever came for them moved beneath the earth.

Peach felt her lips curl into a smile.

It came out of the dirt with a shot. The creature was a strange light gray color, not unlike the barren earth in which it lived. It was hairless with dry scaled skin. It was almost bipedal, but its lower limbs were short and multi-hinged. They moved with a blur, clearly meant to propel the creature through the ground at high speeds. The front limbs were far longer, each tipped with a three fingered hand. Each finger held a massive claw at least four inches in length. As it shot from the ground, those claws flashed towards Peach.

She turned and fell back. The animal flew past her. It struck the ground and instantly burrowed back under the earth.

The monster was a killer, but so was she—or rather, so was the beast that controlled her body.

Peach’s body lunged forward as the creature came out of the ground again to strike. This time she didn’t try to dodge. Instead she chased it down and struck out with her own hands. Her hands raked across the creature’s scaly skin. Peach felt the power surge out of her.

She knew the feeling well. She knew that the power had only one purpose. It was meant to kill. It had no other purpose.

A piercing scream came out of her victim. Its skin burned and flaked away. Within seconds, the cry strangled off. She released her grip and let the monster fall to the ground.

Peach felt the glee of the beast within. It reveled in the death of the creature. She didn’t know how to feel. The creature was a danger. It would have killed her if she didn’t fight back. But it wasn’t enough to embrace her beast.

Nothing would make her do that. She lived with the beast too long. Kept it in check too long. And it was time for her to do it again.

You’ve had your fun, she thought. Now give me my body back.

She could feel the beast rage against her. But its power was waning. The beast’s appetite was sated, whether it wanted more or not. It was now or never. Either she would take control or the beast would rule over her forever.

I won’t—can’t—let that happen, Peach thought. It is my life, not yours.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She pushed against the monster in her head. She felt it fight back, but it was too full, too lazy. It couldn’t resist her not now. Slowly the beast’s power waned. Slowly she felt it retreat back into the depths of her subconscious.

Peach dropped to one knee. She was exhausted, but as she flexed her fingers, she knew her body was her own.

She pushed herself to her feet. Her body ached, but it was her own again. She raised her hands up to the eternal sunless sky, stretched as if waking from a long sleep. Her power was waning, expelled by the beast within her. She had used more of it than she had in nearly a decade. Peach knew well the dangers of letting it wane. Too long and the beast would again grow in power.

Comfortable her body was hers again, she turned her attention back to the creature that attacked her. Only the burnt skeleton remained, but something seemed eerily familiar about it.

No, no, that can’t be, she thought. She knew the creature only it was far too small. As if it’s a child.

The world started to shake again around her.

Peach knew that the slanath was coming for her. She knew it wanted her dead. And she knew she couldn’t fight it, not in her current condition.

The ground started to break as the massive animal rumbled towards her.  It was easy to see a slanath’s approach once it neared the surface. It left a divot nearly three meters across as it moved through dirt or sand.

The unearthly creature was a deadly predator, but one able to survive for years with only minor sustenance. But a slanath would wait in its nest for years, sit until it heard even the faintest rumble from the surface. Then it would strike, a ravenous beat designed only to kill a surface creature.

She never saw or heard of a young slanath before. She didn’t even know how the creatures reproduced. But it seemed that the child stayed near its parent. Or at least it did until she killed it.

While the slanath was infamous to anyone as well traveled as her, she couldn’t begin to guess its motivations or its patterns. No one ever got near enough to the monsters to really study them. Peach couldn’t guess if the creature was smart enough to understand revenge. But it had to know its youngling was dead. It had to know that the surface prey was responsible for the death. And even if it knew nothing else, it wouldn’t save her from the creature’s hungry maw.

The slanath flew out of the dirt, face first. It was far larger than its child. A full grown slanath could be over twenty feet long, but this one was about a dozen. Still, the monster was formidable. Massive clawed limbs, as long as Peach was tall, twisted out from their tunneling positions and out towards her. Peach watched her death approach.

She didn’t have time to prepare a spell even if she had the energy to summon it. She was dead.

Then she wasn’t.

The path was suddenly different. The broken ground was gone. The dead slanath and its deadly parent were not in sight. She looked around, completely confused. Did the beast do this?

She realized a pair of hands were on her hips. They let go as she spun around. She raised a hand, ready to fight off whatever she faced now. If the slanaths were here, more dangers could lie in wait—

Smith looked at her, a crooked smile on his face. “You aren’t going to kill me are you? Because that would put quite the damper on the whole rescue thing.”

“I—thank you. I’m not going to kill you. I wasn’t myself then. Quite literally.”

“What do you mean?”

Peach scanned the land around them. The slanath would still know their presence. They could detect surface creatures for miles. It wouldn’t be long until they found them. But that wasn’t foremost on her mind.

“We can talk about that later. How did you get me out of there? I thought you couldn’t teleport?”

“I didn’t think I could either. But I realized I just couldn’t teleport back home. I hadn’t tried to teleport from one place here to another. I got no problems there.”

“You can teleport here.”

“That’s what I said, yeah.”

“Listen carefully, how far can you teleport?”

“Anywhere that I can see pretty much. Anywhere we’ve been. Beyond that, it’s a risk. It would be all guess work. I could teleport us into a rock or the ground or anything.”

Peach reached out with what little power she had. She tried to sense the life around her. It wasn’t a hard spell, barely a strain. But she was already weak. She reached out and grabbed Smith’s arm to brace herself.

“Are you okay?”

She heard Smith’s words, but her focus was outwards. She could feel the slanath. It was coming their way and it was hungry.

“We need to go.”

“As far away from here as you can take us. At least two or three miles. It doesn’t matter where. Just away. The slanath is coming back and it won’t leave us alone if we can’t get out of its range.”

“Slanath?”

“The monster. Just listen to me and do it, okay?”

He reached out and grabbed her. “Hold on then.”

Peach and Smith blinked away from where they were. A second later, they were somewhere else. They were still on the road, but much farther down the open, empty plane.

“There you go,” Smith said.

“Again. Get more distance.”

“What—?”

“Again!”

He teleported them away again. After the fourth jump, she told him he could stop. They were at least five miles from the slanath. Hopefully that was out of its range.

She pulled away from him. “We should be safe now. But we need to keep moving.”

“No,” Smith said. “I may just be the big dumb criminal to you, but I’ve had enough. I want answers and I want them now.”

“You’re right. I have answers and I owe them to you and everyone else. I’m not usually a person that likes to give very many of them. I like to keep to the shadows. I like to avoid confrontation. Kind of like you, I suspect.”

Smith said nothing.

“I was wrong. I thought we were on another plane of existence, a death realm. I’ve been to a couple in my times and they were always experiences I like to avoid remembering. But the slanath tells me that I was wrong. Those beasts aren’t extradimensional. They certainly wouldn’t be in a human death realm. No, the slanath isn’t an extradimensional threat. We’re on the other side of the galaxy, not in another realm.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Smith said. “I could teleport us if we were in space. I’ve been from here to Betelgeuse and haven’t seen anything like this. And no matter where I went, I could always teleport back.”

“You’ve traveled off world?”

“Regularly. Like you said, I don’t talk about it much.”

“Fair enough,” she said. “Have you ever heard of Penance?”

“The prison system?”

“An entire solar system designed to hold in any criminal, but designed to hold just one being. And all of it is surrounded by a field that blocks any incoming ships, space-faring entities or—”

“—teleporters.”

“Exactly.”

“But how? How could we even get to Penance? No one can get in or out.”

“There’s only one way. Somehow, somewhere on this world, Penance has been linked to Earth. And there’s only one reason for that, one person that could be responsible for that.”

“The Great Destroyer,” Smith said.

Peach said nothing, but her silence said enough to both of them. They were in more danger than they ever imagined. And worse, Alli and Ian had no idea what they could be walking into.

Peach pulled out her two-way. “Alli, come on. Alli, please come on.”

Only silence answered.