Page 13 of Immortal Sun (Dark Olympus)

CHAPTER 13

CYRUS

“If you are fated, it doesn’t matter if you choose or not. You simply have the illusion of being free to choose.” –Ivar, Vikings

I ’m still reeling over the fact that she was alone with Apep. I have no idea why he’s taken a sudden interest in her when he knows he can’t do shit. Probably just to mess with my head.

Of course he’s getting brazen since she’s the last one. God, I wish I could kill him without throwing my world into more chaos, though sometimes I think it might be worth it.

I grip my phone in hand and stare down at all the missed text messages, most of them discussing the last two weeks, meeting times, and peppering me with questions about our missing intern on top of asking how his sister is dealing with all of this.

Don’t even get me started on the stupid text thread that Anubis started. If I never have to talk to another immortal from Seattle again, I’d be thrilled. I get that they keep the peace between immortals and humans and are guardians of sort from every species but they’re just so---nosey. It’s almost like they want me to fail so I can stay here with them. I get that Horus is here, in fact I haven’t seen him in ages but he has his own life and part of me is slightly terrified that if I get too close and see what he has—I’ll want it too.

I’m irritated, so when Cleo finally does walk into the dining room, or half walks half stumbles. I want to yell at her, shake her until she understands how much danger she’s in from simply existing.

How much danger I’m in for wanting what I shouldn’t have.

“Don’t talk to him,” Is the first thing I grate out. “Apep, he’s not a nice man.”

She scowls and walks over to her usual seat. “He was actually really nice. He offered to help me find my?—”

“Brother,” I finish for her. “Like I told you, he took a leave of absence. I wouldn’t be too concerned about it.”

Irritation washes over her features.

“Trust me, he was in good spirits and he did say he tends to go off grid sometimes. And our original contract is still intact. Trust me when I say, he’s fine. Give it another week and if we still can’t locate him, I’ll have them further the search. The problem is he notified us when he started that if he discovered something he’d go off grid. I have it in writing to protect everyone involved. There is no law against people making their own choices, Cleo.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “I know, I just. I’m worried.”

“It’s okay to be worried.”

She sighs and reaches for her waiting wine glass. “Apep said he’d take care of it. He’s clearly just as concerned as I am.”

I snort out a laugh. “Apep never does anything for free.”

“Maybe he’s just being kind to the lost college student who’s petrified her brother is dead!”

He’s not. But I don’t tell her that. I’ve said it a million times and still she won’t listen. “I know you think you’re wise to the ways of the world because you grew up in New York—but people like Apep aren’t good people.”

“And you?” She leans back and crosses her arms. “Are you good?”

“No,” I snap. “And that’s the difference between me and Apep. He claims to be good while living in darkness. I own the darkness, I shed light onto it, I’m not good, Cleo, I never have been. My life’s purpose isn’t goodness, it’s setting the world on fire.” I pause almost adding that hers would be the same, if…

If.

One of the most horrible words in the human language.

I wonder if she even realizes what she’s capable of. Probably not, because people are so used to writing things off, justifying coincidences, when in my world that word simply translates to power.

“Hold out your hand,” I instruct.

“What?”

“Hold it out.” I walk purposefully over to her. The minute her hand is out, I slap it.

She jerks it away. “Are you serious right now? You can’t just hit people!”

“It was a light slap. Now, if you were doing something wrong, or about to get killed by a poor decision and I slap your palm to remind you of the pain of that mistake, am I the bad guy? Or is my discipline keeping you alive?”

She opens her mouth then closes it.

“Furthermore,” I add, “if I don’t slap your hand, but allow you to make your own choices, I don’t discipline you, I simply allow you to run around and do whatever you want. Is that love? No, because love is born out of discipline and learning from your mistakes. You might see the first as being evil. I see the second as being the most evil of all, because the person does nothing. Oh, they might smile at you, they might encourage you, but when you fall, they won’t reach for you. They’ll watch you crumble and take over everything you’ve left behind.”

“That’s…dark,” she mumbles.

“Like I said, I’m not good.” I shrug. “I just figured it would make more sense if you heard it that way and experienced it.”

The smell of steak fills the room as my staff starts to bring out the food. I find my seat on the opposite end of the table and reach for my wine. “Just in case you weren’t following, I’m a man who teaches you to be better even if it hurts, Apep’s a man who stands by your side until it no longer benefits his end goal. That is the difference between us.”

She swallows and looks down at her plate. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to make that decision on my own, not because you say it’s true.”

I grit my teeth. “Suit yourself.”

She shoves her plate forward. “I’m not that hungry.”

Her eyes are unfocused when she looks at me, she’s looking but not seeing. For the first time since she arrived—she can’t see the sun burning behind my eyes.

I can tell because she no longer greedily searches.

And then I realize, it’s because she doesn’t want to, she’s detaching from me. I hate that I’m disappointed how easily she gave up her fight, how easily she gave in to Apep. It was stupid to look at her future choices, stupid to imagine that she would be different among the many.

She’s pathetically normal.

I swipe my wine glass crashing it against the fireplace.

She jumps a foot. “I’m sorry, I’m really just not hungry.” Cleo gets up so quickly, her chair tumbles over backwards.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp standing and leaning on the table. “It’s not you, it’s me. It wasn’t the easiest day and…” I hate lying, it goes against who I am, but I have no choice. “I just worry for you being around him, that’s all, but that’s no excuse to throw wine glasses around, apologies.” Shit now I sound like a jealous nutjob. All she knows is I’m her brother’s boss and she just met me and here I am acting like a jealous boyfriend. What the hell has this trial turned me into?

Human . Anubis’s words come back to haunt me full force.

Would it be so bad?

Yes. It would.

She licks her lips and walks over to stand next to me. Shit, she still smells like him, a mixture of salt and burnt firewood. “Did you want to talk about why your day was so hard?”

Never have I felt so humbled and low that a human college student would ask me if I want to talk about my feelings.

Well sure, here’s the thing, I’m going to torture you in order to complete the human trial I’ve been in for over a thousand years. Then, I’m going to sacrifice you to the gods in order to earn my place back on Mount Olympus oh and in the meantime you’ll know nothing but fear until the very last part of the eclipse but don’t worry, Anubis will hold your hand while you descend into the underworld and back to the Nile. More wine?

“Ah, that.” I fold my arms to keep from touching her. Instead it’s her who touches my arm. Nobody touches me. I touch them. I seduce them. I keep them warm.

But who keeps the sun warm at night? Who?

“Yeah, that,” she repeats still touching my arm.

I rock back on my heels and strive for honesty. “Got in a fight with an old friend, argued with a new one.” Her. “Got jealous of an enemy.” Apep. “Felt sorry for myself for some decisions I have to make in the near future.” Her life. “And then decided to day drink even though it’s nearly impossible for me to get drunk, and well, that was all before dinner.”

She nods slowly. “I got my hand stuck on your spear does that count as a bad day?”

I go completely still; I swear my heart even stops beating. “I’m sorry, you what?”

Cleo holds up her right hand, her little charm kisses her wrist. “This got stuck to Ra’s spear in the warehouse. Anyway, that’s when Apep found me screaming in terror, trying to get the stupid spear off. He said something about a conduit and got it off me.”

How dare she! I have words for that spear. The hell was she thinking?!

“I’m going to bed,” I say abruptly, leaving her in the dining room by herself. Everything in my body has gone cold. Everything.

I take the steps outside and to the warehouse and grab a torch then set it in its spot, more lights flicker on down the darker hallways, but I stop at the spear and stare at it.

“Two hundred years,” I whisper. “And you choose to attach to her of all people?”

The spear gleams, blue fire erupts down the handle making it glow. With a trembling hand, I pick it up with ease. “It’s too soon, though.”

The spear shakes in my hand.

“She’s not ready,” I whisper.

You’re not ready. My heart reminds me.

The spear continues to shake uncontrollably in my hand. It thirsts for final blood while warring the way I am. It’s an extension of me. It craves Olympus—but it feels for me and it feels for Cleo.

I need more time, time to figure her out, time to figure out why for the first moment in centuries—I’m hesitating. Am I just that tired of it all?

My gut says no.

I grip the spear hard in my hand and curse. “We still have days until I send her to the caves.”

The blue fire curls out from the tip of the sword and presses against my chest. I have a sudden vision of her holding the spear as if I’m watching a movie. She panics and then she gets annoyed. The spear itself doesn’t want to let go.

“Enough!” I snap. “Saving them is not your purpose. Ending them correctly is your destiny now.”

The Spear of Ra moans and shakes in my hand. I quickly slice the palm of my hand to appease her with blood and carry the spear out of the warehouse. If it says it’s time, if its fire is showing…

Then I have been wrong all along.

The time is more than near.

The eclipse is here.