Divine Mortals (36 page)

“Robeeert!”

Wills hand struck my cheek hard, snapping my head back and cutting off the end of Roberts name as I called it, my vision spun as I stumbled from the blow, eyes streaming.

Before I could recover Will was behind me gagging me tightly, I tasted blood as it tore the corners of my mouth. The ringing in my ears slowly subsided and I stood straight again, staring directly into Wills unforgiving eyes.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he sneered, “We can’t have Robert coming back and realizing what’s going on, you need to disappear nice and neat, one of those lovely unsolved cases you see on TV all the time.”

Why!

“Why?” he laughed, “Because he didn’t put you down when he was told to, the idiot thought it wouldn’t matter.” he shook his head,

“We’ll use him to take down the elders, to strike the Guardians from the inside.”

He picked me up, a strangely familiar embrace, so similar to how Robert carried me.

“Oh how romantic,” Will sniggered sarcastically and then we were moving, running at the same blinding pace that Robert travelled, the rain pummelled into us as we tore through the night, stinging my bare arms and legs. I clenched my eyes shut, willing it to be over, fighting back the nausea I always had when travelling like this and wondering the entire time where we were going. I was hoping beyond hope that Robert had heard me, he had only been gone four days, would he now be close enough to hear?

Was he even listening?

The only sound was the hiss of the rain as it hit the earth, I didn’t dare look, it terrified me to travel with Robert like this, let alone with some crazed guy who had just turned out to be nothing like I had thought. There definitely were more people like Robert and Allison, Will was one of them too.

“Not quite.” Will snickered, “One of these things is not like the other,” he began reciting the childrens song.

A low rumble announced our approach to the river, swollen from the downpour, and then disappeared behind us as we passed it.

I tried not to think anything more about Robert, I didn’t want Will to know any more about him then I had already, stupidly, revealed.

Just as quickly as we had started, we stopped, I lifted my head gingerly, the world seemed to swim for a moment and I blinked hard trying to clear my vision. Mist swirled around our feet and the rain still fell heavily, creating a thick veil that I struggled to see through. I looked at my more immediate surroundings until I noticed something I recognised, a log, the log Robert had sat me on the first day I had seen him up here with that man, we were at the plateau paddock.

“Fitting don’t you think?” Wills voice broke through my thoughts, “You know, that I bring you here to the place that you first saw Robert and I”

And with that he dropped me, I landed hard on my back, the air rushing from my lungs, my newly mended ribs shooting pain up my side. I couldn’t move for a moment, the gag was making it hard for me to draw breath, I rolled onto my side sucking what air I could past the dripping wad of material in my mouth. Slowly I regained enough breath to think clearly.

So that was you in the field with Robert.

“Yes.” he answered plainly, “Obviously I’ve had a bit of a haircut, what do you think?” he modelled himself in front of me, turning from side to side.

Go to hell Will.

“I’ve just come from there.” he answered thoughtfully,

The penny dropped.

The unseen. The demons. The evil.

“Got it in one sweet cheeks.” He glowered, his dark stare had me shuffling backwards, suddenly he cocked his head as though listening to something else, then snapping out of it his gaze came to rest on me once more, obviously satisfied with whatever he had heard.

“I guess you would probably like a few things explained…” he raised his brows at me in question, “Like perhaps why we’re up here together on this lovely night?”

You’re damned right I want a few things explained.
I yelled at him with my thoughts, receiving only an infuriating smile in return.

“Feisty aren’t you, I had you penned for the helpless maiden but you’re surprising me, well done.”

I focused carefully on reciting all the French I had learnt in sixth grade, anything to keep him out of my head.

“You’re fast, I’ll give you that,” he snickered, “But you
will
run out of French soon enough, you won’t be able to hide your thoughts all night you know.”

Then speak!

I had managed to climb to my feet again during this short exchange, Will shoved me backwards once more.

Buckling at my knees I landed heavily on my side, I thought about trying to run or even crawl away, but one look at Wills mocking smile made me realise that this would be useless and so I stayed put, sitting amongst the long wet grass, hating myself for being so helpless.

“Okay, well,” he sighed, “Obviously Robert and I aren’t your usual boys next door, from your thoughts I can see you know that more than well enough already.” He hesitated, cocking his head to the side, an unconscious movement he made when listening to my mind.

Snape tres comfortable pour moi com ce!

“I bet it’s not.” he hissed, before rearranging his features and carrying on.

Sitting elegantly on the log, apparently oblivious to the rain, Will sneered down at me.

“You will have heard of the Greek gods.” It was a statement not a question.

Hercules and the like?
I shook my head, Greek gods?

Will burst into laughter, “Hercules, the most over-rated Demigod of all time. The mans a pussy.”

I narrowed my eyes, Will was crazy. And what in hell was a Demigod?

Taking his time to get over his amusement he flicked the rain from his hair.

“A demigod,” he answered my thought casually, “Is a God-Human Hybrid, like your sweet wee boyfriend and myself.”

I opened my mouth slowly, squeaked and then shut it again.

“You weren’t expecting this?” Wills green eyes glowed cruelly, “What were you hoping for, a damned vampire? An Angel? Geeze you humans are easily led.”

A god
. I shook my head,
Are you insane
?

“Are you deaf?” he retorted in a way that insinuated that I was perhaps stupid as well, “Hybrid. Half god. A god parent and a mortal parent.”

This was madness.

“No I’m not insane, yes it is the truth and no Robert doesn’t realise it himself yet.” He snapped answering each of my thoughts as they came to me.

I closed my eyes taking the moment to focus on my breathing and the rain thrumming against my cheeks, like tiny needles poking at my skin.

This was huge.

It was completely unbelievable but then so was Robert, it was never going to be an easy explanation. But Greek gods.

Opening my eyes I found that Will hadn’t moved, he gazed down at me in a way that made my skin ripple with goose bumps. The evil in his eyes so pure and undisguised I wanted to shrink away and soak into the ground like the rain drops.

“Humans named it the big bang, the moment the earth was created. No one created it, it simply was. Out of the Universe came Chaos, and alongside of him Gaia, Uranus, Tartarus, and Eros. These were the first beings in existence. The Titans.” He sighed as if this recount of history bored him.

“Long story short the Titans sired the Olympians, Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Zeus and Hades. My father.”

I froze, unable to tear my eyes from his.

Your father is Hades, God of the underworld?
I felt numb, glad I could only think my questions, I was sure my voice would shake should I have to ask them out loud.

“I see my fathers reputation precedes him.” He smirked, “Did you know that when the Olympians defeated the titans the three brothers, Zeus, Poseidon and my father drew straws. Zeus,” he spat the name, “drew the sky, Poseidon the Oceans and my father… well apparently you already know.”

And Roberts father?

“Zeus of course. Does his flying not give it away, god of the air and all that.”

Zeus.

I was feeling a little dizzy.

“Robert doesn’t even know
this
much about his own race, we pretty much know nothing about our history until we start our training.”

Training.

“Yes Training, when we turn twenty one the elders come for us and take us away to train, to teach us how to use the talents we are born with, like read minds for example, that’s why Robert can’t yet.”

How old are you, I mean how long do you train?

“I’m be twenty three in two months, and my two years of training will be complete”

And then?
I was surprised by how open he was being,

“I return to my father.”

In Hell?

“You put it so nicely.” He sneered, “Yes in hell.”

This was more than a little confusing, what was the point of training if they were training for nothing in particular, nothing special but to be sent home again.

“My father was banished.” His voice began to rise over the hiss of the downpour and his eyes glowed like green flames. “Zeus banished him to Hades and so he cannot leave, he is stuck with the souls of the evil and cruel for eternity. He is feared and ignored. No temples were built to revere him. He is the outcast, forgotten and mistreated by his brothers.”

I don’t understand?

“What don’t you understand?” he yelled, his frustration building,

I don’t understand why I’m here, and why it is that you hate Robert,

His laughter broke through the rain, a terrifying piercing sound, Will was becoming unhinged.

“I did this,” he sneered, “For my father. Zeus ruined my father and I will ruin him by destroying his son.” He almost spat the words, his anger building with each syllable.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it.

“It should have been me.” He sneered, then glared at me as incomprehension reigned.

“They decided there should be a new generation. New gods, a divine ‘Y’ generation if you like, a generation that understood humans now not humans from centuries ago.

The three brothers thought that by each creating a Demigod bought up in the human world it would give them a more secure future that could perhaps steer the humans away from science and back to religion.”

My father had a beautiful women but Zeus,” he spat the name, “Stole her from him and got her pregnant.”

Roberts mother.
My heart was thundering.

“It should have been me!” he cried, “I should have been the sky god, but no, I roam the earth knowing I’m different and not knowing why until I’m snatched away, told what I am and trained, but for what?” He dropped his head, “to return to the underworld and rule with my father, to bring fear to the humans that have spent their lives in idle sin.”

My eyes flew up to meet his emerald gaze.

That’s not fair.

“No,” The hurt in his expression made him look even younger than he was, “What’s not fair,” He continued, “Is that Robert is allowed you. None of us are allowed to find a partner outside of our own group, outside of our own race!”

I shook my head in question,

“Because,” he rolled his eyes, “We cannot have children with you, God Ava do I have to do the whole birds and bees thing as well?”

Apparently yes!

“If a female Guardian sleeps with a human man she will choose whether or not to fall pregnant, his essence – if you like, is not powerful enough unless she allows it to be.

A male Guardian however will
always
make a human female pregnant and if he does she will die.”

His voice was matter a fact and he gave me a smug smile, enjoying my shock.

“That is how most of us have come to be and why most of us are orphans. A male Guardian takes his pleasure with a woman and leaves, she falls pregnant and as the pregnancy progresses she gets weaker and weaker. The child that is growing inside her is far too strong and will sap all of her energy, it literally takes the life from her. A human woman will
always
die during child birth if she has conceived a baby with a God or Demigod.” He smiled down at me, cold and calculating.

“Been careful have you? It would be just terrible if you were to have a wee accident and fall pregnant now wouldn’t it.”

Screw you Will!

He chuckled, “Perhaps, I imagine it would twist your boyfriend even more out of shape if I did.”

My blood ran cold, I scrambled for another question, anything to prolong whatever evil he had planned.

But Robert said he is a Guardian, Why call yourselves that.

“Ah yes.” Will rolled his eyes, “That old coconut, we are ‘Guardians’, at least that’s the bull we are fed before we really know our history. We are guardians for the Gods, Guardians of our history. Our whole purpose is to become human so we can then use our experiences to extend our knowledge. We guard the secrets to our pasts. To what we are and also we guard against disappearing in the future. You humans are all about science now, you don’t even realise gods still exist.”

A look crossed Wills face, a decision made, he stepped forward grabbing me by my wrists and hauling me to my feet. I resisted, pulling against his grasp, he didn’t seem to notice that I fought him with everything I had, giving me an ironic smile he flung me one handed into the air. I twisted crazily, unable to right myself without my arms, landing painfully next to the spring at the edge of the field. I hit the ground hard, a small ‘pop’ echoed through the rain and I screamed as pain shot through my side again.

I felt each of the recent breaks along my ribs reopen with screaming heat,

Don’t be broken, please don’t be broken!
Although I knew already that they were.

“I saw you that day,” Will was beside me instantly, “I saw you in his mind, it had already happened it was too late.”

I didn’t understand, I was too consumed with pain.

His next words turned me to stone.

“So I tried to kill you that day in the barn.”

That was you!

“Of course it was. Robert thought it was a warning, he didn’t tell you that though, he didn’t want you to worry.” Will shook his head, “I fully intended for you to die that night, but I’m glad you didn’t. This will hurt him more, this will be even worse than he could have imagined.”