Hooked [Complete]

60. Beltane Part 7: An Old God's New Tricks

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to marzipanlimpet, who left the comment in the prologue about Old Gods and New Tricks. Thanks for the title inspiration!

Song for this Chapter: November Rain by Guns N Roses. It's not November in the story, but these lines are perfect for Cernunnos and Cerridwen's final argument: And when your fears subside/And shadows still remain, oh yeah/I know that you can love me/When there's no one left to blame/So never mind the darkness/We still can find a way/'Cause nothin' lasts forever/Even cold November rain

Cernunnos' POV

To be a dead man, Finn is surprisingly talkative. As we walk, he tells me everything in a flat, neutral voice. How Mercury and Trivia created a bubble under my ward with spirits, how Apollo and Diana abducted him and Lana, how Mercury tortured Lana mercilessly and forced Finn to bring Sean, how many godspawn are attending Mercury, and as much as he understands of Mercury and Trivia's plans for Cerridwen, Lana and Sean.

"He doesn't think he can kill you, you know." Finn finishes. "He thinks your divinity is more enduring, though not as  acutely strong as his. That's why he wants you to submit willingly."

I don't know what death really means to a god. All the times I was dead, I was unaware, but obviously I still existed, because Cerridwen brought me back, and each time, I was all that I ever had been before. But I don't tell Finn the truth that I do know—that the Romans most certainly can obliterate my mortal form in this plane.

A secret I never told anyone: every time I sacrificed myself, at the very end, I changed my mind. I wanted to live, I wanted Cerridwen, I wanted to see our child born. But it was too late. I had lost too much lifeblood. I didn't have the strength to reach up and stop the scythe blows.

Jupiter channels the power of the other Roman gods for acts like his lightening bolts.Perhaps one Roman god alone is not enough to overpower me, but Mercury, Apolla, and Diana together? It's a toss-up for sure. And when my mortal form dies, and Cerridwen is mortal, and there is no one's immortality for her to sacrifice for me, there will be no way for me to return to the wheel of life.

I don't tell Finn any of this.

Instead, I lie to this mortal I no longer trust. "Of course he cannot kill me, unless I bare my throat before him. But you have put me in a helluva position, Roman. Who do I save first? Because I cannot save them all, and if Cerridwen has been rendered vulnerable..."

"Then she's your only priority. I understand," he says simply, and I know he does. Lana was his only priority in this...her moment to moment. He doesn't have a god's eye to look at the longer picture. He's only mortal, and he couldn't take her pain. Suddenly, I feel pity for him. If Lana dies horribly, perhaps death would be a kinder a fate for him, than to live with the belief that she died because of his actions. I know what separation from your one true love is like.

Shit, suddenly I realize, I can't have Finn with me inside this ghost bubble. He's an unpredictable liability. He knows me better than most mortals; he may betray me in some way yet, if Lana is at stake. Worse, pity for him and Lana may make me hesitate in some crucial moment. If I'm going to kill James Finn, it's better to do it now, than take the chance that he may interfere with me saving Cerridwen. I no longer need him to lead the way. I can smell the despair of the unhappily risen spirits.

"I can track the ghosts from here," I say softly. "Your services are no longer required, James Finn."

Ahead of me, he stops and turns, meeting my gaze.

"Kneel," I say. The quickest death is a snapped neck, but he is very strong for a mortal. I'll need the leverage of being above him.

He is pale. He knows what's coming. "I'd rather stand, if that's ok. It doesn't have to be painless. Knife to the heart is fine."