Fall From Grace

Chapter Forty One

Chapter Forty One

"You FUCKING monster."

Eros is just standing there, taking in the destruction he just caused. He seems too proud. I'll wipe that smug look off his face. The wind picks up even more as I move closer to him, one of the sacrificial knives in my hand. He deserves to feel the pain of everything he's done.

"No darling." Thelxiope menacingly smiles at me. "That's him."

She points behind me, making me turn to see a figure walking through the flames. It's Hades, completely unharmed and a little too late.

"I told you little one, Hades doesn't care about you." Eros says, but like always his face changes to Anteros. It seems he does it especially for me. "You didn't see him, but I did, standing in the distance, waiting. He let your friend die. All of this is his fault."

I blink away the tears.

I didn't see Hades. But he knew. He heard the prayers, he should have come. Instead, he waited just like he had me wait and not save Avery.

"He will never love you. He will never be what you need." Eros continues. "But there will be someone who will. I'll help you find them. It's what I do."

His words feel like a blanket, softly caressing my cheek.

"Come let us take our revenge."

I look at Hades once more, waiting for him to argue with Eros, in his all black outfit, his leather jacket. He seems cold. Colder than the weather we are in. His face reveals no emotion, he has nothing to say. But Eros, his words pull me to him, and the wind seems to want me there too.

The sky has turned purple, and the air smells like snow. It's crisp, like right before the rain, but colder. I'm not sure where Dio is, but everything seems to fall away.

I'm caught in the gaze of Eros.

"Come here Aza Grace," Thelxiope sings. "Don't you want to have your friends back? Vivian can be yours again."

I don't know how she got there, but Vivian is by her side again. She is staring off into the distance, as if she has no idea what's going on, as if she's not in there. I don't know what they did to her, but that's not Vivian up there.

I blink, and everything disappears. The fire, the robed crowd.

We are brought to an open clearing. Eros, and the Twins with Vivian and Mania behind him. Hades is standing on the other side, me caught in the middle.

"What do you want Cupid?" Hades finally speaks up.

"For you to suffer," Eros is himself again.

"I've done nothing to you. Nothing that deserves this, nothing that all of these humans needed to die for."

I remember Avery, I remember Cal, and my heart aches.

"You don't even know." He cackles, his face flitting back to Anteros. It seems as if he is losing control.

"Why don't you enlighten me?" Hades steps closer.

"Story time, you ready little one?" Eros gives me a positively creepy smile.

I don't answer.

It feels as if I am standing between an angel and a devil.

"You saw her, you wanted her, so you took her. That's the story all the humans tell. You claim you were in love." Eros scoffs. "But all of that was wrong. You two never loved each other, at least not without me. Beautiful, innocent, Persephone would never love someone like you. My love... I was hired to shoot you two, make you attracted to each other so that we could start a war. Get rid of you for good. I didn't want to, they knew I loved her. They told me I had no choice. They would take him away from me. Who do you love more, family or some maiden?"