Rising Heroes Book Four: The Sands of Ouroboros

Chapter Thirty: United

Disclaimer: I don't own HOO or VE

Chapter Thirty: United

It was a windy day when the Grigori landed in the middle of New Orleans.

First came the original group: Lily, Andi, James, Beth, Roc, and Seb. Roc rushed over to Lily and spun her around, causing her to laugh. James hugged Andi tight. 

"We were lost in time!" Beth said when they had all regrouped.

"We helped my mom fight Lilith," Lily said.

"We were in Santorini," Roc added.

"We were with the demigods," James said.

"Us too," Beth added. 

"And..." Andi bit her lip. "Our siblings, but they were older- and our children!"

No one looked surprised by what she had said. "But where are they now?" James wondered. "Where did they go?"

"Hopefully home," Lily said. She put a protective hand on her stomach.

"So... where are we now?" Seb asked, looking around.

"I think..." Beth glanced around. "Are we in New Orleans?"

Lily looked at the busy streets, the crowded bars and telltale fleur de lis. "I think we are," she said.

Roc grabbed at a newspaper then crumpled it up angrily. "What is it?" Andi asked. 

"We didn't go home at all!" Roc yelled. He grabbed another paper and pushed it at the group. James snatched it and scanned the top line before passing it on. "We're back in time again."

"So the others probably went to another point in time," Lily guessed. She sighed. "Fabulous."

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Based off the date on the paper, they guessed that they had been stranded in New Orleans a few days before their parents would arrive to try and save Spence. "How are we supposed to go back in time?" Andi asked as they tromped through the streets. None of their parents had actually ever taken them to New Orleans, and they weren't sure where the Grigori safehouse was supposed to be. 

"We don't have a demigod to activate the watch," Beth said.

"I mean, maybe Lucifer-" Roc started, then stopped.

"What about Lucifer?" Lily asked. She stopped walked, but Andi pulled her forward.

"He said he was going to control where we all ended up from the time travel," Roc said. "He said he wanted to help you, but I have no idea why. Or... why we're here."

"Well, if we find the Kronos Immortie, my blood can imbue it," Lily said, squaring her shoulders. "It can also heal. And... I can kind of control plants. I think it's a gift from Gray."

"Woah," James said. He glanced at Lily's stomach, then at Andi. She shared a looked with Lily, then mouthed, later. 

They finally found the safehouse by the edge of the river, planted behind a heavy glamour. Lily was able to pull it back and then Andi put it in place. When they got inside, however, they found that the safehouse was empty. 

"This doesn't make sense," James said as he poked around the discarded newspapers, journals, and files. "Ray, Roman, and Leila are supposed to still be alive."

"Guys?" Beth asked, her voice high pitched and freaking out. She gestured to the articles strewn in front of her. They were from a Grigori newspaper, one of the ones used to distribute strictly Grigori news. The first page read: "The Dark Queen Reigns" and the second, "Grigori Heroes Felled Trying to Save Slaughtered Children."

"I don't understand," Lily read the papers, frowning. "This says that Lilith killed my parents!"

"And my dad," Roc added softly.

"I don't get it," Andi looked like she was trying not to cry. "We didn't change anything... how did this happen?"

"It's a long story," an ominous voice said from the darkness. The group jumped, and they turned to see Sammael and Leviathan emerge from the shadows.

"You!" Lily growled.

"My betrothed," Leviathan smiled. "A shame it is not my spawn you are carrying, but your filthy partner's."

Lily glanced panicked at James, but he merely nodded. "It's ok," he told her. "Our... our daughter was with me in the past."

"Enough!" Sammael swung a sword through the air, cutting them off. "Thanks to Leviathan, we have been able to free the Dark Queen. While Lilith hunts down the Grigori, we have been using blood sacrifices to imprison the angels and gods in the heavens."

"So they can't interfere," Beth guessed.

"Yes," Sammael bared a toothy smile. 

"But wouldn't killing them be better?" Seb asked.

"I helped him see the error of his ways," Leviathan said. "Now we can use the gods as a power source, and the angel as well. Thanks to them, we will reign forever!"

"You're diabolical," Roc said. 

"Hm," Leviathan just smiled. "I would kill you, but I think you'll be long gone before you can do anything of consequence. But," he looked at Beth. "I think your powers might help me." He reached forward, surrounding her in tendrils of darkness. The rest of the group charged, but before they could do anything Leviathan, Sammael, and Beth had disappeared.

"No!" Seb yelled. He turned his fist to iron punched one of the walls, causing it to crumble. The whole room started to shake. 

"We have to get out of here!" Roc yelled.

The whole group ran outside. "What is going on?" Andi asked as soon as they were out. "Did we really mess things up this bad?"

"I have no idea," Roc said grimly. "But I have a feeling if we want to find out, we're going to have to go straight to the source."

"We have to get Beth back," Seb said. He looked around wildly.

"Seb..." Andi took a deep breath. "We can't."

"Why not?" Lily asked. "They're partners. He should be able to track her, right?"

Seb shook his head, hair falling in his face. "Andi and I are partners now," he said. "Before we left our timeline, I asked the angels to change our partnership... because I'm in love with Beth," he said. "I could feel the bond as soon as we landed."

"He's right," Andi confirmed.

"So who's Beth's partner?" Roc asked.

"I have no idea," Seb said truthfully. "She never got to tell me."

"Then we stick with the plan," Roc said. "We need to get some answers, and find Beth. It's time we go back to New York."