Page 109 of The Cursed Chalice

She sighs. “I would never poison the father of my children.”

Aphrodite raises her cup. “To times gone and to times to come. I wish you nothing but…love.”

I toast her cup, and I watch as she drinks her wine.

I bring the cup to my mouth, and I swallow. It tastes bitter, like charcoal with a hint of honey. I pause for a moment, waiting for something to happen. Nothing. Heat slams into my chest, racing through my veins. My vision blurs like it’s being covered by darkness. My skull feels like it’s splitting. I hold on to the counter to balance myself. I throw my head back and roar.

I stagger around the kitchen. What the fuck did she give me? I grip the chair, and it crumbles under my touch. My pulse hammers like war drums. The world tilts and is red.

Aphrodite stands in front of me. “Stop fighting it, baby. Embrace your rage. There he is. Let him out; bring out the God of War.”

My vision is fractured. I blink once, twice, trying to regain clarity. My control is slipping, and my body trembles with each step. I move out of the kitchen and into the dining room and the main hall.

I can hear footsteps racing toward me. Through the cracks, I can see my wife’s hand on the banister. Her mouth parts when she sees me. “Ares, baby?”

Her voice carves through my madness; it digs into me, it’s unbearable.

Soraya moves to me slowly; her scent of jasmine and home anchors me, but it causes me great pain. I throw my head back and howl like a beast.

“Kill her. We must kill her for Talia,”Aric commands. I can’t stop myself from retrieving my sword from my hand.

I close my eyes and breathe. In the depths of my mind, I see myself, eyes dark, skin bare, bent over like a beast.

“This is not you, Aric. Help me get a grip.”

Aric shakes his head.“No, we have to save Talia. You were right. Soraya dies today.”

“Aric, Aphrodite drugged us. This is my fault. We can’t kill Soraya.” I approach him slowly. His shoulders move as he breathes.“No, she dies.”

This is not right. Aric is my humanity. As I am about to say more, he plunges a dagger into my chest.

“Rest, I will take care of everything,”Aric says. In my weakened state, I can’t fight Aric. Soraya is about to die.

As my power fades, I scream, “Run.” My voice sounds pained, almost inhumane.

Aric is fighting me for dominance. “Run, Soraya.” I force it out raw and desperate.

Soraya’s eyes are stuck on me. I need her to move. I take my sword and fling it into the chandelier. Pieces of crystal rain down to the floor. She wouldn’t walk across that.

Soraya doesn’t move; her eyes are locked on mine.

“Run, baby…please.”

I hear the soft laugh of Aphrodite. “This was fun. See you back in Olympus.”

I don’t see Aphrodite. I see my wife running away from a god that I can’t hold back.

SORAYA

I always wonder why the first girl in a horror movie falls, especially when she is running through a forest. Today, I understand. Is it flight or fright? Or fight or flight? Either way, fright wins.

My knees feel weak, and my legs are acting like spaghetti that has just been boiled.

I run through the house, wondering where I should hide. I can hear Ares’s feet pounding behind me.

Dashing into the library, I sprint to the vault wall, drag it open and slam it shut behind me. Maybe I can hide in here. My feet pound down the spiral staircase. I hear the door behind mebeing smashed in, and a scream pushes out from my throat. I freeze, my heart is hammering, before darting behind a pillar.

Trying to control my breathing, I press my hand to my chest. How do I get out of here?