Sacrifice (33 page)

“Eventually you will leave. It’s your choice as to how. But if you choose to stay, you will surrender,” He threatened and extended his fangs. Was I supposed to feel threatened?

“Is that a threat, Mr. Mayor?” I asked, darkly. I was overwhelmed by the heat within me and had a difficult time controlling it.

“That is my only offer.” The mayor chuckled ominously, throwing his head back, fangs still exposed.

I watched how his followers – each with extended, shimmering, white fangs, chortled and guffawed along with their leader. Their eyes glowed, a deep shade of crimson and they all seemed to be having a hard time suppressing their urge to feed. I wondered just how evolved this breed of Apolluon was. A quarter of a century ago, they couldn’t feast on divine blood. Did that rule still apply?

“If and when we decide to leave, it’ll be after you blood suckers go back to the Underworld, for good.” I said and I lost all control.

I ascended a few feet into the air and the current burst out my chest brighter than I’ve ever seen it. Even my disciples had to step back and shield their eyes from the blinding rays. The bolt was as thick as a log and pierced the mayor’s chest, cutting through him and exiting out his back and splitting into dozens of stems. The stems of lightning coursed through Mrs. Mayor next, and blasted through the vampires who stuck around to get torched. My current didn’t stop coursing through the vampires until they exploded. The Apolluon’s ashes were sprinkled onto the blood soaked floor like pepper.

I garnered my power and the lightning bolts reentered by body. I stood over the murky puddles for what seemed like a very long time, thinking of my parents – not the vampires, but the mother and father who had loved me. What I had done was final.

I fell to my knees and my body trembled uncontrollably, as I held my face in my hands and the tears streamed down my cheeks. I threw my head back, facing the ceiling and screamed at the top of my lungs. The piercing sound of my agony cracked every mirror and piece of crystal hanging from every chandelier in the Plaza Hotel. I was inconsolable. What hurt most was never having the chance to say good-bye.

Epilogue – Cordelia

Bittersweet

As the sky took on a tangerine and magenta hue, my heart sank along with the blazing sun. The air was thick and sticky this evening as I sat at my patio table with Nikolas and Bethany. We chatted about the events that transpired in the last forty-eight hours.

“I made sure that the tomb will never be reopened by any entity or unearthly force,” Bethany said reaching out to pat and squeeze my hand. I nodded.

The mystery of the tomb had been solved. The person who had buried my parents in the year 1926, was me, and it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Their marker read:

Emperor Constantyn Tieron

and

Lady Thalia Tieron

Beloved parents

of

Empress Cordelia Tieron

June 4, 1926

“Delia, I thought I was going to soil my pants while I watched all three of them battle to take over Victor’s body. I mean I was scared and in dire need of a drink,” Nikolas chuckled. I was glad that he changed the subject because I already felt the tears brimming.

“Well, you seem to be making up for the thirst,” I said as I watched him chug wine into his mouth straight from the bottle. “And I guess prohibition has no power over you.”

“Niko isn’t afraid of anything,” Bethany declared as if I ever had a doubt. “Especially not the supposed authorities of this wild city. Come on baby, let’s get ready to go,” She added, blowing perfect smoke rings. Her elegant fingers held onto the cigarette holder in such a dainty and relaxed fashion.

“Where are you two off too tonight?” I asked. They didn’t seem to have any plans of ever leaving this era. They loved the idea of breaking the mortal’s laws of drinking and dancing at a different speakeasy each night.

“A little spot in Harlem where they play the most amazing jazz and have the best liquor.”

“Yes, indeed. And we fit right in.” Nikolas added, happily.

“No Lykanos or Apolluon to fight off.”

He jumped out of his chair and held out his arm as Bethany wound her arm through it, and said, “Probably, but even those beasts know how to have a good time.”

“We’ll be fine. Good night Delia,” Bethany giggled. They danced the Charleston right out of the room. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow! Those two are at it again.” I didn’t notice that Evan had walked into the room.

A warm feeling washed over me as I gazed up at him. He looked incredibly handsome in an argyle sweater vest over a pinstriped shirt and a crisp pair of linen trousers.

“They never stop to breathe,” I chuckled and Evan did too.

I stopped laughing when I detected the feeling of sorrow from his aura. I also noticed that he wouldn’t make eye contact with me. After a strange pause, he spoke.

“Where are Christopher and Phoebe?” That wasn’t what I had expected him to say.

“There in the billiard room and probably getting into trouble, no doubt,” I giggled nervously. Still no eye contact. Evan just stared down at his feet.

“Is there something wrong? You seem a little distant,” I said.

“Uh… no…uh I’m fine. Why?”

“Oh, nothing.” Just the fact that you haven’t looked me in the eyes since you walked in here. “By the way, my face is up here,” I said and he slowly raised his head and met my eyes.

Oh no, I thought. His eyes darkened to a deep shade of turquoise. Why is he looking at me that way? Like my best friend just died and he’s the poor bastard that has to tell me.

“Is Victor around?” Why was he looking for Victor?

“No,” I said cocking my head to one side. “He’s probably at home.” I shook my head trying to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, he was blocking me from reading his mind. Serves me right, I guess, since I promised not to do that to him anymore.

Evan shut the doors to the patio, but didn’t utter a word. He walked over to the large wicker table, where I sat, and took my hand. He sat down in the dark wicker chair beside me. I just stared at him – his beautiful face, his succulent lips, and his thick lashes. He was as gorgeous as any god could be. I squeezed his hand in mine and waited for him to speak. Although I knew he loved me as much as I loved him, I wondered if it was enough.

“This hurts so badly,” he said after a long pause where the room was excruciatingly quiet. “I know it does for you too.” I nodded in agreement because I couldn’t find my voice as I choked back tears.

“I need it to stop hurting Delia.”

“I do too, but I don’t know if we can stop it. Not completely,” I said as my voice cracked.

Evan leaned closer to me and kissed me tenderly on the forehead. That was when I noticed the tears in his eyes. I wiped them away with my fingertips and the corners of his mouth curved up, but only slightly. I threw my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I pressed my lips to his mouth and my body against his. He returned the kiss, devouring me. I gently pulled away from him and we stared into each other’s eyes.

The choice was never ours to make. We knew this and we knew that that kiss would be our last. That knowledge made the pain surge to a monumental level, causing me to cringe involuntarily.

“I love you, still,” I said and pulled him close, resting my head on his chest.

“I’ll always love you,” he whispered pulling away for a moment and gently rested his forehead against mine. “Always.”

“Always,” I repeated as the tears streamed down my cheeks. Evan brushed my tears with his fingertips, but it was futile. They wouldn’t stop pouring.

“I know you love Victor. I guess I’ve known it for a while now,” he said as he gazed into my eyes. I said nothing and looked down at the slate blue tie around his neck. Then I nodded.

“It’s as I said before. When you realize that you love someone you must go to him.” He added.

“Yes,” I whispered, nodding slowly. “I do love him. I guess as much as you love Evangelia,” I added with a heavy sigh.

“I do love her. I can’t even describe the depth of it, but I’m sure you already… understand that feeling.”

“I… do,” I said.

“The gods can be brutal when it comes down to matters of the heart,” Evan said sniffling.

“I agree, totally,” I said. “Just brutal.”

“And I finally understand why Victor couldn’t fight his feelings for you and why he wouldn’t give up. We are all eternally powerless over our hearts,” Evan explained.

We held each other for a very long time, neither one of us wanting to let go, neither one of us wanting to be apart, but still needing the pain to stop. I broke the embrace, finally, and got up from my chair. When I did, Evan pulled me back into the chair and held me again.

“I’m so sorry for what my father has done to us. So incredibly sorry,” he said through tears.

“It’s not your doing so you don’t have to apologize,” I looked him in the eyes. “We were meant to be at some point or at least we both felt like we were and that I’m never going to feel sorry about. I am so lucky to have been loved by you Evan. You are the sweetest, kindest, and most giving demigod I’ve ever known.”

“And I’ve always felt like the luckiest man to be loved by you. I wish things didn’t have to change,” he said.

“But they have. Perhaps, this was one of the changes that Hermes spoke of.”

“Choices – are they really ever ours to make?” Evan asked and slowly let go of me. I knew that he was referring to the gods. He took my hand, brought it to his lips, kissed it, and then walked away, disappearing before he reached the French doors leading back into the apartment.

His leaving felt like a death, yet something inside me came alive. I knew that someone – someone so madly in love with me, was waiting. I wanted so badly to go to him now. I walked back into my apartment and drifted down the hall.

“Are you alright?” His voice startled me as I entered my living room.

“Now I am,” I gazed into Victor’s shimmering eyes. He sauntered over to where I stood under the archway.

All of a sudden, our bodies began to tremble as the floor shook and quaked. The ceiling vibrated and cracked in long crooked veins. We shielded our eyes with our hands without a second to brace for the impact. The ceiling crumbled away, but in the direction of the sky and not down on us.

I stared up into the cerulean, cloudless sky, and barely breathed. Victor looked from the sky to me, and back up to the sky again. Suddenly, blinded by a ball of light, which at first I mistook for the sun, I screened my eyes once again until I felt the strength of the light weaken. The ball of light slowly enlarged, but dimmed as it descended. The glow streamed outward in different directions and took on the shape of a human being. The extremely large and tall figure floated down in front of us. My heartbeat thudded against my chest as if it was trying to burst through it. Victor stood beside me with his eyes glued to the luminous rays. Zeus’ eyes materialized first, bearing down on me as I broke out into a cold sweat.

For the first time, I realized just how monumental he was. As the rest of his face broke through the bright beams, a hand reached out to me. I raised my arm as my temperature rose well over the boiling point, and the lightning kindled within me. Suddenly, my trembling body was thrust forward while the heat continued to build. The power surged, exploding out of my chest, eyes, fingertips and the ends of my hair. The lightning bolts carved a path straight to its original owner.

Victor’s eyes widened and he mouthed words that I couldn’t hear or make out over the crackling bolts. I watched as every current entered Zeus’ palm. The last of my current burst out of my chest and I fell to the floor, exhausted and limp. I felt an unwelcomed hollowness. The pain of countless stabs into my chest left me gasping. I opened my mouth and tried to inhale, but every breath I took was labored.

“Delia!” Victor yelled, kneeling down beside me. He lifted my head and cradled it in his arms. “I’m here baby, I’m here.” Victor brushed several strands of hair away from my eyes and cheeks.

“Why are you taking the bolt away?” Victor asked, in a heightened and trembling voice. “She did nothing wrong. She loves me… she does. I know it,” Victor acknowledged. Zeus stayed silent as the glow surrounding him blazed brighter.

Everything around me appeared fuzzy. Suddenly, darkness surrounded me and began closing in quickly, pushing the light further away. I don’t know if Victor spoke. I couldn’t hear him anymore and succumbed to the hefty weight of my eyelids. Something prodded my mouth open and something as soft as rose petals, pressed against my lips. A blast of air flooded into my mouth, subsequently filling my chest. Confusion clouded my mind for a moment or two as my eyelids fluttered and I tried to focus on Victor’s flushed face. Directly behind him, I noticed Zeus’ bare feet as they came into view, along with the rest of his body.

Victor raised me to my feet and I leaned against his muscular frame for support. At first, my legs felt detached and wobbled a bit, but they soon strengthened and I was able to stand on my own. Victor stayed beside me and we both appraised Zeus before us. He was dressed in a white silk toga, cinched at the waist with a gold sash. His face was slightly sun-kissed and partially concealed by a lustrous, curly beard the color of sea foam, which matched the hair on his head.

Zeus dwarfed us both, hovering at twelve feet tall. He held his hand out to me and my heartbeat drummed with apprehension when I thought of the last time he reached out to me, summoning my life source – my bolt.

Correction,
his
bolt.

I had only been borrowing it and now he has come to claim it. This time there wasn’t anything left to tear out. How was I to survive without the bolt? Why had he taken it away? I remembered hearing Victor ask the same question.

What had I done wrong?

How had I offended him?

I looked into Zeus’ vibrant green eyes, which glowed as brightly as the rays surrounding him. They sparkled and calmed me almost instantly. Instantaneously, the diamond lightning bolt embedded in my medallion, shone intensely. I tore my gaze away from Zeus as the orbs of light appeared one after the other. The familiar faces emerged, luminous and fiery. Their eyes shimmered as the corners of their mouths curled slightly. They were donned in shimmering togas either cinched with sashes in their divine hue, or covered in gilded armor and helmets. The Olympians regarded me closely as if they waited for me to say or do something.