Venus Rising Deleted/Altered Scenes and Snippets

Alternate Sacrifice

I winced as the Steele bit into my neck, but before Narcissus could bark his next order, Hades's power latched on to me and yanked me through the layers of reality in a hasty teleport. Pain flared through me as the Steele in my system reacted to the power. I screamed, only dimly aware of his hand clamping down around my mouth.

"Shh!" he hissed, glancing around furtively. His dark hair fell into ice blue eyes, and he shoved it back with an irritated sigh.

The agony subsided enough for me to realize we hadn't got away. He'd ported us to an identical observation room down the hall. Seeing the pale blue cinderblock walls, the same spackled tile floor, the unbroken window and intact metal door, and the empty metal table sitting in the center of the room felt surreal. Like I'd been jerked back through time instead of space. I could even hear the demigod's angry voices down the hall. It was just a matter of time before they found us here.

I glanced around for Otrera and Medea, the motion sending sparks of pain exploding across my vision. "Can't leave them," I panted. "Pantheon promised—"

"I wasn't trying to," Hades said, voice tight with frustration. It was only then I realized how much pain he was in. "I tried to get us all as far away from here as possible. It didn't work. Damn Steele." He dropped the piece he'd been carrying on the tile floor, casting it a dirty look.

I sank back on the floor, wondering how long before they found us. Not long enough. The Pantheon hadn't signaled that they'd been in place when Medea dropped the shield, and while it felt like hours, not much time had actually passed. How long would it take before Persephone realized our plan had gone awry?

We were going to die here.

Unless I saved us. My eyes latched on to the piece of Steele Hades had dropped on the ground.

You'll die.

So, what else was new? I'd been at death's door practically since my creation. And the second the demigods found us huddled up and defenseless in this tiny observation room, I'd be there again. Hell, I'd never left. At least this way I could save the others.

Ares....My thoughts turned to him with regret.

"Can you stand up?" Hades asked, unaware of my thoughts. He held out marble-pale hand. "Maybe we can sneak out the back door?"

"The locked and broken back door?"

He swore, dropping back to the ground to stay beneath the observation window.

Survive, the memory of his voice pleaded, echoing through my mind.

I want to do more than just survive, I remembered telling Adonis. Even if it kills me.

Every moment I wavered, gave the demigods another moment to find us. They'd pour in through that wide metal door and slice us to pieces with Steele. If we were lucky they'd do it fast. Then my choices would be spent.

You're killing Adonis, too. That thought gave me pause, but I only needed to think of him struggling desperately to fight Narcissus's command, his limbs moving under someone else's control to realize I'd never saved him in the first place. I'd turned him into a puppet. A posable doll. Something Narcissus could use.

He'd chosen to die to save me in the first place. A part of me might hate him for what he'd done to me, but I knew him well enough to know what he'd rather have happen in this scenario. In a way, I was saving him too.

"Aphrodite?" Hades moved toward me, ice blue eyes wary. "I'll think of something, or she'll come for us, or..." he trailed off, unable to articulate a lie to reassure me.

I've been here before, I realized. When Ares had been charmed into killing Adonis. But not exactly. I remembered the moment I saved Adonis. My resolve. My utter certainty that I could do it. But when I saved Adonis, I'd done it for me. Because I didn't want to live with the guilt of him sacrificing himself for me.

This time, I was doing it for them.

Will this even count as a divine death? I wondered, glancing down at my glamoured hands. I didn't look like a goddess anymore, hadn't for months. And my powers were hit or miss.

Powers or not, you're a goddess.

But I hadn't felt like a goddess for a very long time. Not since I'd been glamoured to look like Elise, my powers stripped away by poison and betrayal. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my golden palms. Would I even recognize myself beneath this glamour anymore? Was there anything left of me?

Yes. But that doesn't matter, the voice sounded so self-assured. So familiar yet so strange.

Was that my voice would sound like if I weren't so broken?

You are greater than your powers, more than your looks. You stood up to Zeus, you cowed Poseidon, you created a god and trained a new kind of goddess. You've found Hades, found the weapons, now all you need to do is finish the last step. The blood of Chaos runs through your veins. Act like it.

I mean, that a nice sentiment, I told myself, eyes falling on the Lord of the Underworld. A realm ruler, a deity, and while not at full strength, at least in possession of enough power to manage a short leap teleportation wise. But why not double my chances?

"Hey Hades," I asked weakly, reaching for the gleaming length of Steele lying on the tile floor.

"Yeah," he said, brow furrowed with distraction. He was probably trying to reach Persephone through their marriage bond, but if that had any chance of working, it would have worked the second he regained consciousness. The Steele was probably blocking that too. And why not? We'd never studied what affect Steele had on marriage bond given that any god exposed to the stuff was supposed to die within a matter of heartbeats.

"Remember that time you told Persephone you killed me." In fairness, he thought I was Zeus in a glamour at the time. Long story.

He shot me an odd look. "She told you about that?"

"She didn't know how you got out of it."

Hades worked a muscle in his jaw. "I never said when."

I pressed the Steele into his hand, then jerked his wrist forward. "When."