Happy New year, everyone! Xx

The Jaded Heart

Malreus' POV

"You're safe!" Simos' chest fell and his shoulders tensed when Xon threw her arms over him and hugged the tall man against her. His mother had tears in her eyes, but her expression quickly shifted to one of anger when he didn't react to her great display of worry. "What are you thinking doing this? Do you want to hurt me? Huh?"

"I want justice." Simos snarled at her and refused to wrap his own hands around her thin form. "For all of them."

"You won't get justice if you're dead, Simos." Xon scoffed at him and squeezed his waist, urging him to react to her. "Don't go into the Labyrinth. Don't."

Simos didn't reply to her. He simply removed her arms from his waist and stepped back. The young man avoided all the eyes fixed on him. Manos remained quiet as he watched his wife and nephew speak; no doubt not wanting to get involved. Too bad he was already heavily entangled in this affair.

I stood with my back to the door and my eyes watching the scene unfold across from me. I was no longer in the mood for these mortal dramas- not that I had been from the start, but now, after our scrap in the jungle, I was less inclined to be compassionate.

I wanted to grab Theia and the rest of the gang and leave. These mortals deserved their own sorrow and pain...

"Listen to me, Simos." Xon's tone turned into a bite. She barked at him like an angry wolf; "You will not go into that Labyrinth. I cannot protect you from there. It will be your end!"

"Then so be it!" Simos yelled at her. Their faces were inches apart and their nostrils flaring with fury. "What does it even matter to you? You gave up the rest of your children? Why would you even shed a tear for me, mother?"

Xon's eyes widened and I saw the white of her palm before the slap sounded through the room. "Do you think I had the choice!" She screamed at him while Simos lifted a hand to touch his red cheek.

He stared at her with wide eyes, but quickly his anger returned tenfold. "I hate you." He muttered and turned to leave.

The guards tried to hold him back, but Manos dismissed them and mumbled; "Take him back to the compound."

Simos pushed himself through the gap between the guards, knocking them aside and left me alone with the king and queen. Xon's eyes landed on me and she was furious. "You had better keep them both safe, boy." She snapped at me and I was slightly surprised by her temper. "If anything happens to them..." She stopped herself.

Manos moved to calm her down, but she slapped him away and retreated towards the adjoining room. She slammed the doors behind her and the small courtyard was thrown into an awkward silence.

What had she meant by 'both'? Did she feel some sort of concern for Theia? If so, why? Xon barely knew Theia.

I glanced at Manos. He was deep in thought.

I turned around to head back to the compound with an envoy of guards, but Manos directed his attention to me the moment I moved; "You do realise you will all die in there?"

I stopped. My smile wanted to escape, but I tried my best to keep the emotion from my face. Little did he know... "Do I?"

"Do me a favour." Manos whispered and his dark eyes narrowed; "Make sure Simos is dead first."

I paused, but then bowed slowly. The guards moved to push me back and out of the room towards the waiting carriage. "It will be my pleasure."

Theia's POV

"Theia!" My mother ran towards me, her white dress clutched in her hands and her eyes the size of dinner plates. She looked frantic as her arms wrapped around my shoulder. "You're back!"

"Mama..." I whispered against her soft, blonde hair. They smelt the same- like vanilla. It was the scent of my mother; a comforting and calming fragrance.

"I'm so happy you're safe, my sweetheart!" She cooed in my ear, but pulled back slightly to shoot her husband a pointed look; "I thought we agreed no meddling?"

"You agreed, I didn't." My father remarked casually and stroked a hand down my hair. He looked into my eyes with a sadness; "Why did you leave like that, Theia?"

"I'm sorry, I-" My words got caught in my throat and I looked around the luxurious palace. This wasn't right. I was here- back home and safe, while the rest of the group was still in danger. I gently lowered my mother's arms from around my shoulders. "I need to go back."

"No." My mother scoffed softly and looked up at my father; "Just bring the boys back. We'll bring them all back." She said to me with conviction.

I shook my head; "I can't just leave, mater. It's not right. I need to go back-"

"You will stay here, where it's safe." The king remarked with a hard tone and shot his wife a pointed look, urging her to agree with him. She sighed and nodded, gesturing for me to sit down.

I refused. "No. You cannot just pull me away from this when I'm nearly at the end! It's not right. They need me!"

"And who is they?" My father snarled at me and crossed his arms over his chest with purposeful intimidation.

"Mania." I answered without a second thought. Those poor fools were in more danger than they realised. That wolf- or whatever it was- was dangerous and I had the feeling the games weren't going to satisfy it, nor Manos, for much longer.

There was a piece of the puzzle that I was missing- I knew it.

I could feel it.

There had to be something about all of this that kept evading us.

"Theia. I admire your courage and your principles, but you are a princess. You need to remain here, in your kingdom, doing your duties to your people. You owe earth nothing." My father was partly right- my people did deserve a princess that looked after their needs, but he was also mistaken. If I didn't look after earth too, then who the hell would?

It was my responsibility to help. If I could, then why not?

No one else was going to do it.

"I want to do this." I said softly and looked straight ahead, avoiding their eyes.

In the corner of my eye, I could see them share a quick glance. My mother closed her eyes and was about to give in, but then father quickly interjected; "Very well then."

My eyes met his with shock. He calmly stated; "You will come with me to Leibysos and show me the burial site. If it exists, we take it from there. If it doesn't exist, then you part with Mania for good. Understood?"

My mother didn't know what he was really talking about, but she remained quiet and glanced at me, waiting from my reaction. I thought for a moment, but then figured that I wasn't going to get a better offer than this.

My father was willing to bend a bit to meet me somewhere in the middle and I wasn't going to waste this slim chance I had.

I nodded; "Alright. I'll lead the way."

"This is it."

I extended my hands in the air and gestured to the large, barren field. It was just one vast plane of dirt and sand- nothing too special.

My father examined the area with keen eyes and then lifted his gloved hand up to test something. I watched and waited patiently for him to finish. He was feeling the air for souls- I trusted that he would feel them. At least, I'd hoped he would...

A few seconds passed. The squadron of reapers behind us waited in silence for my father to feel out the area. When he dropped his hand and frowned, I knew then that Simos had lied.

There was nothing here.

"I'm so naïve..." I whispered to the ground and ran a hand through my thick hair. I felt like burying myself into a deep grave.

"No, you're not." My father said with a sigh and turned to look at me, his gaze filled with worry. "You're trusting and sympathetic. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Theia."

"Yeah, right..." I scoffed and walked away a bit to the side. Idiot, I scolded myself. I knew I had a tendency to be a bit too trusting, even when people didn't deserve my faith, but this was too embarrassing to shake. My father must've thought I was reckless to believe these strangers so easily...

If only I'd checked...

Uncle Barrios rushed up the hill from the side, his eyes concerned. I frowned when he passed me without so much of a glance- he was heavily focused on my father. "Thanatos." He called to him with a worried tone.

"What is it?" The king asked his head reaper and best friend; "Did they find something?"

"There are hundreds of them."

My ears perked up.

I bolted around with wide eyes and listened in as Barrios explained; "We dug in the area you asked- there are hundreds of unclaimed bodies. Mortal." Barrios shook his head in disbelief and a redness spread across his cheeks. "None of the reapers knew this mass grave even existed." He was the captain and he had no idea that so many mortal corpses had been unaccounted for.

"What?" My father scanned the area again and his eyes landed on the section where the reapers were digging. A body was being lifted up from the ground. "That's impossible..."

"They have no souls, Thanatos." Barrios caught my father's gaze with stern eyes. "How is this possible?"

"I- I don't know..." For the first time in my life, my father, the god of death, looked shaken.

"So it's true?" I asked from the side. Simos didn't lie to me! He was telling the truth, but... He knew because Estra had told him and how on earth did Estra know? Did the Aetos dump the bodies here like he'd said? Did the Baron allow it?

What on earth was happening? Was this the only dumping ground?

How were these mortals buried without souls?

"You were right." Barrios looked at me with wide eyes; "There isn't one soul in that grave, but... There are so many bodies."

"Theia." My father looked at me with disquieting eyes; "What exactly is happening on that island?"

I looked between the two older men and glanced at the fields. My mind was racing with so many possibilities, but one thing was for certain. There was one element that still remained a mystery throughout this entire fiasco- the wolf.

My eyes met my father's; "Honestly, I'm not too sure, but I know it needs to be stopped."

My father raced us back to the palace.

He'd called for an emergency meeting with the Emperor and Hades, his fellow king in the Underworld. A servant was also sent up to Poseidon's palace with news of the gathering.

I stormed after my father as we raced through the gardens on our way towards the king's hall in our palace. From the side, I spotted a familiar pair of orange eyes approaching- Uncle Hypnos looked frantic.

"Thanatos." He raced towards us. "What is going on?" My uncle spotted me walking up behind his twin and stopped; "Theia?"

"Uncle..." I swallowed a bit and quickly tried to apologise; "I am so sorry about Morpheus-"

My uncle rushed in and hugged me close before I could utter another word. "Relax, dear. Are you alright?" He looked down at me with big eyes and stroked my hair.

I nodded quickly and added; "I'm fine and I am sorry about Morph. It wasn't my idea to bring him with, but I couldn't convince him to come back-"

"It's fine. He's stubborn." Hypnos looked at my father and lifted an eyebrow; "Like your father. What's this about an emergency meet? What happened?"

"Something is happening on that island." Thanatos stepped closer to his brother and softly said; "There are soulless bodies on earth, Hypnos. Human corpses with no trace of a soul."

"What? How can that be?" The lighter-haired twin turned to his brother and asked with a hushed tone; "I thought you were the only one who could harvest a soul?"

"Well, apparently not." My father said in annoyance; "Whatever is happening- it's unnatural."

"That sounds worrying." Emperor Apollo approached our small circle. An envoy of golden armoured guards followed closely behind him and his brightly polished crown of laurel leaves sat comfortably on his head. Apollo's eyes widened when he saw me standing beside his father. "Theia? You're back?"

The emperor quickly engulfed me in a tight embrace and patted my back with worry; "We were worried sick. Well, your father was, but I knew you'd be fine." He smiled at me and squeezed my arms. Uncle Apollo looked around and quickly asked; "Where's Asclepius?"

"Oh, um-"

My father interrupted to answer his old friend; "He's safe, for now, but something terrible is happening on earth and we need to figure out what."

"And my son is there?" The emperor snapped at my father and looked to Hypnos for some sort of explanation. My uncle shrugged with irritation.

"Come; let's discuss this in private." My father directed the two men towards his private chambers where he dealt with all of his kingly duties. "Where are Hades and Poseidon?"

"Hades sent word that he was on his way." Apollo remarked and followed my father along the marble path.

"Good. Send another messenger to Poseidon. That man is horrible when it comes to emergency meetings..."

"We'll have to inform the entire council." Hypnos stated with impatience.

"Not yet."

"Who's fetching the children?"

My father quickly dismissed Apollo's concern. "I will. But first; let's talk."

I moved to follow them, my eyes firmly set on the path ahead.

This was turning into an even bigger mess than before. I had to slip out and leave to earth when no one was looking. There was no more time to waste. The others were there- dealing with an issue they never would have had to face if it weren't for me.

At least Simos hadn't lied to me; that was a great relief in itself. I trusted him- it might've been a foolish thing, but I did. I was a trusting person, but something about Simos, and the pain he felt, made me want to believe him.

I just hoped Malreus wasn't too angry with me. I knew I had to get up there as quick as possible to apologise.

My eyes watched as the three men were quickly greeted by a messenger that carried news of Hades and Poseidon's arrival. They were waiting in the hall; eager to hear what was so important.

I stepped back to sneak away, but my heel lightly knocked against something very hard.

I looked up to find a statue, and my world crashed to a halt.

When I was young, Casseus and Claudeus would chase each other around in the gardens- these gardens- with little plastic swords and some of father's old metal helmets. Mother would sit under the terrace, enjoy a nice cup of tea and read her book, while father ran after the twins, laughing and playing.

I would sit at the base of this statue, with my feet crossed, my head leaned against the strong legs of the man behind me and my head lifted to the heavens. I would watch the clouds move slowly across the sky and wonder how the Underworld could have such a beautiful view.

Sometimes my father would let me sit at the statue, and other times, he'd pick me up like I weighted nothing and drop me next to his rose bushes. He'd playfully tickle me and remind me not to sit at the statue's feet- they get dirty, cub- he'd say, but mother's eyes led me to believe there was a different reason.

I knew there was a different reason.

My father hated that statue.

He hated that he kept it in the gardens and for so many years- ever since I could remember- he avoided looking at it at all costs.

My father would walk around it; going out of his way to pass it. My mother was no fan either. Some days, when I was a bit younger, I would catch her staring up at it when no one was around. She always whispered something to it. I was always standing too far away to hear what she'd said to it, but from her expression, I could tell that her words weren't kind.

For the hundredth time, I wondered why in the hell it was still here- still in the gardens I grew up in, when clearly everyone wanted it gone.

But for the very first time in my entire life, I looked up at it and thanked the gods that my father had never had it removed, because if Thanatos had the statue of his father removed from the palace, I would never have known what he looked like.

Then, I would never have known that the man who I'd spoken to at Manos' palace, was Erebus.

"Theia..."

I realised that I had been staring up at my grandfather's face with shock and fear. I dropped my eyes and they snapped to my father's.

Thanatos looked scared when he saw the realisation on my face.

I cleared my throat and tried my best to smile. "Sorry. Did you say something?"

Thanatos watched me with sharp eyes and then lifted them to his father. A quick gulp went down his throat and my father replied with a soft; "No, no. It's alright."

We were far from alright.

The moment he turned his back and darted into that chamber, I was heading straight back to earth. I could see my father contemplating what he was going to do next, but my mind was already made up.

I knew there had been a reason why I was so drawn to Mania- to the wolf. Whatever evil was brewing and gathering up there, involved a god who no one wanted to look at, and yet, no one could rid themselves of him. Just like his damned statue.

My father stepped back when Hypnos pulled him towards the chamber. Our eyes locked for one more time, before he moved to turn and I did the same.

He didn't know for certain why I'd frozen solid at the sight of his own father, but he knew that expression. It was one of dread.

My grandfather was on earth- and Erebus knew I was coming for him...

Thank you everyone for being so patient with this book! 

I know this one is unlike the others, where I updated very regularly but unfortunately my personal situation is quite different this time around. I've been working since January last year, whereas with the previous four books I was still a student, so I have less time on my hands than I did before.

I will complete this story- that's not the issue, but please understand that I will also not upload a chapter that I haven't edited and do not completely like. Please do not rush me- it will not help, trust me.

Thanks for understanding and happy reading!

D Xx