Chapter 33: Son of Hades

SERAPHINA

Time seemed to stretch out, ensuring I could absorb every detail that would be seared into my memory.

I could feel the knife against my throat, the pain—and another kind of pain. A pain that wasn’t mine. The blade slipped from my skin and clattered to the floor.

I watched in horror as Damien fell. My eyes locked onto him in terror. The same darkness that seemed to surround that creature visibly jumped from me, sliding down every orifice of his open flesh.

Time seemed to freeze as the shadows settled and choked him. Meanwhile, I felt warmth spill through my fingers. My vision shifted from red to green, then faded into a strange darkness.

I tried to blink away the sparks that danced across my eyes, vaguely aware of my own blood pooling into my toes. The creature approached me, casually whistling “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” as he surveyed the carnage.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I struggled for breath. Death was taking far longer than I had expected, considering the amount of blood flowing through my fingers as I crumbled to my knees.

I couldn’t find the words to say as he crouched down in front of me, his face serious. His dark, bottomless eyes roamed over me, and I wondered if it was my turn next.

“Nothing to say? Really?” he asked.

He seemed surprised by my silence, laughing almost manically and running a hand through his hair. “Oh, what a beautiful catastrophe as always.”

He leaned forward, placing a cold finger under my chin and tilting my head up. Pain lanced through me, but the blood flow was somehow staunched by his touch.

“I won’t fix that for you, but I’ll stall for some time. My name is ~Zagreus~. We’ve met before, when you made a deal with my mother. You do remember that deal, don’t you?” he said.

His words sounded like he was talking to a child, mocking.

Zagreus.

Recognition sparked in my mind at the sound of his name. Even with my damaged memory, I recognized the name Zagreus. It was a name often mentioned in certain circles, along with other names like God of the Wyld, Dionysus, Lucifer, Xuanwu, Seth.

However, it was our long intimate connection that made his features become clearer, even in the shadows. I remembered every detail in the sunlight, still searching my mind for exact details.

That meant his mother was Persephone, the goddess of life and death.

“There it is. Right there in your eyes. You do remember me, don’t you?”

The sound of ripping flesh and screaming echoed through the mirror as Zagreus leaned in, his lips near my ear. “You attract a lot of bad people, Karkadann. Good thing that’s the point.”

His fingers left my body; blood started to flow at a slower rate from my neck. It was as if whatever he had done to stall things had helped some of the blood coagulate. I began to crumble to the ground.

Pulsing and rippling darkness surrounded him, seeming to rip at the seams. The casters that had followed Damien seemed to fight the shadows. Shadows that were retreating as Zagreus began to melt into them, leaving what appeared to be shadowy beasts.

Strange wolf-like creatures with razor-sharp teeth and red eyes, their faces shaped closer to rats. Several casters fought against them. The surrounding courtyard seemed devoid of shadows now, revealing hundreds of plants, several shrubs, and a large pomegranate tree with a pond near its base.

Blood seeped into the ground, pooling like a fresh spring in the surrounding foliage. Cries rang out behind me as I turned to see those trying to get through the mirror die in various ways.

What struck me most was the blood and carnage. A wolf’s muzzle tore through the flesh of a person’s throat like butter before leaping onto the next prey. Like a cat pouncing on a mouse who had barely any time to realize it had been there.

The blood and howling rage from the beast coated its muzzle just as thickly as he continued his attack on a caster that had used some sort of force to push him to his side.

“You’re really just begging for me at this point, sweetheart,” he growled.

Aleksandr’s hands felt warm as his face came into view. I realized I had crumbled to the ground, clutching my neck. Blood poured from Aleksandr’s palm as he cupped it to my face.

I wanted to refuse, but I wasn’t in any position to do so as I felt the blood coat my lips and mouth. The taste was richer and deeper than chocolate.

As I closed my eyes, my head spun as if everything was suddenly rushing around me. The taste of his blood was like a comforting salve to the burning, spreading from my throat and creating a tingling sensation through my skin. It felt as if he was physically applying cream to my back.

Aleksandr noticed my reaction and pulled me closer. His fingers lightly traced the healing wounds, a shadow crossing his eyes. His gaze roamed over my face as his hand pulled back from my mouth, allowing me to swallow on my own.

His fingers ran over my body as if he was checking me over thoroughly. “You’re covered in blood, Seraphina,” he whispered angrily. His words were filled with more emotion than I had expected.

My vision sharpened as I moved further from death’s door.

“That’s not all her blood. It’s Damien’s,” Garrick retorted, his voice laced with bitterness.

He glared down at us, splattered in blood in his nude form, arms crossed as he took in the scene around him. A myriad of emotions seemed to settle behind his troubled eyes.

“I hate to come all this way and retreat, but those things will be on us next if we don’t get through the mirror,” he said.

“I saw Lilith die, she can’t close it. If she can’t, I—”

My words were croaking, hardly audible. It was a wonder either of them understood me. A look passed between the two males as the courtyard seemed to shudder once more. A large shrieking cry rang out as darkness seemed to start to close in again.

Aleksandr picked me up abruptly, shoving me into Garrick’s arms. “This isn’t over until the orb is back where it belongs. Take her back, and if things go to shit, Chen will close it.”

“You’re going to trust that short little fucker to—”

Aleksandr moved quickly, one of the beasts moving with almost the same lightning speed toward us, baring its fangs. Aleksandr was faster, bracing his arms around its neck and snapping it like a twig.

Its black inky fur was tight to its skin now that it was closer. It looked very much like a giant rat of sorts.

“You wanted my help, do what I say, dog! Move her to safety!”

“No, Aleksandr! Aleksandr!” I tried to cry out, realizing what they were planning as Garrick was pulling me away. I tried to get out of his arms despite how my body twitched and shook with weakness. My throat was raw and hard. I hoped he heard me as I yelled out.

“Damien didn’t have the orb!”

I was certain he didn’t hear me. The portal between worlds ripped at my skin and threw us back into real time.

Unlike this time, it was much less painful. Whatever spell Damien had done protected those transporting to both sides. Or perhaps it was just because the veil was thinning once the orb had been removed.

Whatever the case, the choking sensation of magic being lost around me was the only indication I was home. As well as the unequivocal dread I was feeling as Aleksandr tried to right a wrong that couldn’t be undone.

“No! Get him back. Get him back,” I croaked, my hand banging on Garrick’s chest. I felt a blanket closing in around the both of us.

“What is she going on about?”

“I don’t know. She’s saying the orb isn’t there,” Garrick replied, slightly mystified.

“What? Then how did the portal get opened?”

“Is she mental?”

“What’s on the other side?”

“Everyone back up. They’re covered in blood, we have two minutes or an instant to close this portal if anything other than Vasiliev comes out,” I could hear Chen’s voice ring out with authority from somewhere within the carnage. The room was dark, but filled with people and vampires from three different groups, all here for a common goal.

“Fuck.”

“No. Goddammit. Fuck. Alright. Hopefully, he’s fast,” Chen yelled out as a chorus of other curses joined the first with casters around the room. Someone started to chant.

Presumably, they were starting the closure of the portal in a panic. My heart pounded as I stared at the mirror in horror, knowing how quickly it would solidify.

I hoped he would get through in time, or that Zagreus wouldn’t decide to slide through. Or worse, the head of Aleksandr with Zagreus’s mimicking laughter. The horrific laughter that loved to taunt and torture, maim and—

My worries dissipated as he stepped through the portal. He was bloody and disheveled, the strange whooshing howl filling the room moments after he solidified.

The mirror shattered across the back of his suit as he ducked his head. He attempted to keep the shards from nicking his flesh while Chen and his group’s voices rose to new heights.

“Effectively, they are permanently closing the portal to the other side,” Chen said.