Zeus [Book One] - Rewriting

Four

Zeus
| four |

It did not take long for Zeus to find the other wolves, Hercules in his human form, crouched down naked, standing up straight to face his brother.

Zeus shifted, the stench of blood filling his nostrils. "Where?"

Hercules looked at him, pointing towards the clearing. "The scent leads to there, but there's no one in sight." Zeus lead the wolves, walking into the clearing, eyes darkening as he stepped forwards. He stumbled, Hercules reaching out out to steady him. Zeus looked down, greeted with darkness. His eyes narrowed, Hercules mimicking his actions as the smell of blood intensified.

"Anya?" Zeus whispered, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, seeing his mate and her friend lying crumpled on the floor. He growled, crouching down. Apollo stepped behind him, his eyes widening.

"Athena!!" He rushed forward, but Hercules held him back. "What are you doing?!" The younger wolf glared at him. "They need our help!" He took a step forward, before being pushed back a few steps. Apollo growled angrily. He turned his glare to Zeus. "What is wrong with you?! That's your mate down there!"

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!" Zeus threw his hands up in the air, his eyes narrowed down at his cousin. "I have spent the past few hours going mad, trying to find her; it's been driving me insane! But we have to do this by the rules. I am the Alpha, and it is my duty to make sure we do this properly and safely." He blinked down at the hole in the ground. "This ground could cave in at any minute, we have to be careful!"

Hercules bit his lip, noticing the large branch that was sticking out of his Luna's stomach. "They are hurt, for all we know they could be dead."

Zeus' head snapped to look at his brother. "Don't. Don't say that." Apollo looked grim, Zeus putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to get them out. I promise." Apollo nodded his head, sighing in defeat as the wolf named Ares stepped forward, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Right," Zeus clapped his hands, fingers shaking as he forced himself to get his head together. "I will go down there. I want one of you to get the thickest rope you can find, I need to use it to loop it around myself as I carry them up." Ares and Apollo took off, Zeus turning to face his brother. "I need you to help me get down there. Be my eyes; it's so fucking dark in there, I'll be surprised if I can see either of them." Hercules nodded his head, a pained expression on his face. He opened his mouth to apologise, but Zeus held a hand up. "You can make it up to me by helping me get them out safely." Hercules nodded his head, watching as Zeus sat at the edge of the hole, his legs dangling into the darkness below. He could just about hear their heartbeats, faint and slow. He took a shaky breath, his heart pounding as butterflies erupted in his stomach. "Oh God," He muttered, looking down into the dark.

Hercules sat beside him. "It's going to be fine. All that matters is that you get your head focused." The sound of padded paws crushing dry leaves told them of Apollo and Ares' return. "Come on, Zeus, focus." Zeus nodded his head, feeling slightly sick as a very naked Ares handed him the rope. Standing at six foot, the black haired boy resembled a younger Zeus. However, their relationship only went as far as friends. He stared at him, giving him a reassuring smile as Zeus wrapped the rope around his waist, giving the other end to his brother.

With a small nod, he slowly lowered himself into the depths of darkness below, pausing for a few seconds to allow his eyes to adjust. From the top, Hercules, Ares and Apollo both held the rope, feeding it through their hands the lower Zeus went.

When he finally reached the bottom, he almost sighed in relief. He ran to his mate first, the amount of blood that covered her clothes worried him. He knew he had to get her out first, if there was going to be a fighting chance of her surviving. He slowly moved Athena's body, laying her gently on the ground, quickly checking she had a steady pulse as he moved to take hold of the branch that pinned Anya to the ground. He grunted with strain as he pulled, a sudden rumble causing him to remain still. Hercules looked down, "Are you alright down there, Zeus!?!" A frustrated growl was his reply as Zeus took hold of the branch, this time managing to snap it in half. Anya moaned at the sudden release of pressure as he picked her up, blood soaking his clothes immediately. He held her to him, tugging on the rope to signal Hercules to start pulling. A few more wolves, including Artemis, took a hold of the rope, all straining under the weight of the Alpha and his mate.

It took a couple of minutes, but as soon as Anya reached the top, Iris rushed to her, Zeus preparing to be lowered again. His eyes flashed towards his deathly pale mate, the older lady applying pressure, before turning his gaze to Hercules, "Hurry."

Athena was a much simpler matter, Zeus being able to place her body over his shoulder, even pulling himself up at the same time Hercules and the other wolves hoisted them up. Apollo immediately threw the rope aside, rushing over to Athena as Zeus gently laid her on the ground. He moved towards his mate, ripping part of her dress as he knelt by Iris. "Alpha, I-"

He cut her off, "As soon as I remove this branch, you give her your blood, do you understand me?" Iris stared at him incredulously, most of the wolves turning to face them. "She's going to die, you need to give her your blood."

"But she'll turn?" Apollo whispered, watching as his sister's eyelids flickered. "She'll be one of us."

Artemis took a step towards her brother, "What if this isn't what she wants? What if she hates you for this?" Zeus felt his heart twinge, a dark look on his face as he looked down at Anya, her once pink cheeks now a sickly white.

"At least she'll be alive," He whispered.

Hercules took a step towards him, kneeling beside his brother, taking the ripped fabric from his hands. Pushing the fabric as close to the wound as possible, before nodding at his brother. "Do it."

Zeus took a few shaky breaths, hands shaking as he wrapped his fingers around the branch. Iris bit her wrist, already placing the blood against Anya's mouth. With a loud grunt, he wrenched the piece of wood free, blood immediately seeping over his fingers. He and Hercules pushing down, Iris continuing to feed blood into Anya's mouth in the hope that their future Luna will live. Artemis bit back a sob, a gasp and a small yelp catching her attention; Athena had come round. Apollo grabbed her face, slapping her cheeks lightly as her eyes focused on his face. Her breathing became rapid, sitting up as she shoved him to the side, tears pooling into her eyes as she stared at Anya. "Oh god. A-Anya..." She moved to stand, but Apollo pushed her back down. She blinked up at him, "Is she going to die? Oh god, it was all my fault, I shouldn't have brought her here..." She trailed off, biting her trembling lip, watching as Iris removed her bloody wrist from Anya.

Everyone remained silent as Zeus took a hold of her dress, ripping it from her body, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he watched her skin grow back together, leaving behind a long white scar that ran three inches across her abdomen. He almost laughed with glee, putting his hands on hers, lacing their fingers together for a brief moment before picking her up. Apollo gave Athena a piggyback ride, her head resting tiredly on his shoulders, Artemis silently walking along side them as everyone made the long trek back to the pack house.

Hercules slung the rope over his shoulder, jogging to catch up with his brother. "Man, she's going to be pissed about the dress," He joked, a few members letting out a small chuckle. Zeus looked down at his mate, her face having a little more colour in them as a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"I'll buy her a new one. She can have whatever she wants," He whispered. Hercules smiled, patting his brother on the shoulder, walking a few paces ahead. He thought of finding his own mate, a frown on his face as he wondered what she'd be like, what she looked like, how she smelt. He could only imagine. But one thing he knew for sure, she would be perfect for him.

I will find you, he thought, trudging through the thick grass, leaving behind the tree that had fallen as a result of the ground caving in. Hercules took a deep breath, slowing his pace so that he fell into step with Zeus, both of them leading the pack home.

Stupid olive tree.