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POWER
PRUE
Prue lay in a chasm of darkness. For one horrifying moment, she thought she had returned to Tartarus. She tried to sit up, to scream, her body tense with terror and dread… only to find she couldn’t move.
“Peace, my child,” whispered a soothingly familiar voice. “You are safe. You are still between worlds. But you are now traveling through my memories.”
“Mama?” Prue tried to reach for Gaia, but she still couldn’t move. Only darkness surrounded her, swallowing her whole. If not for her mother’s voice, Prue would believe herself to be dead.
“You cannot interact with any part of my memories,” Gaia went on. “I will be here with you through it all, but only in spirit. Remember, Prudence, you cannot change anything. This is only to give you the answers I do not have time to divulge myself. Please know that I will always regret lying to you, my darling. But I hope this will help you understand why I did.”
Prue tried to protest, but her voice was drowned out by a rushing noise that filled her ears. It reminded her of the lapping waves on the beaches of Krenia, and for a moment, she allowed herself to be consumed by it.
Lightness bled through the void, burning and scorching. Prue flinched against it, raising a hand to her eyes—only to find she now had a body. She wore the same ripped red dress as before, when she’d been in Tartarus with Cyrus. She wiggled her fingers in front of her, just to convince herself she was truly alive and here.
Wherever here was.
She blinked against the burning sun, waiting for her eyes to adjust.
But it wasn’t the sun at all. The brilliant display of light was coming from a person.
A god.
“You have enough, Janus,” crooned a voice. The voice was familiar and foreign all at once. There was a lilt to it that Prue recognized, but it was younger, more coy and drawling than she was accustomed to.
“There is never too much power, love,” said another voice. This one was deeper, one Prue had never heard before. It was smooth and sultry and confident.
A pair of figures came into view. They stood on a beach similar to Krenia, but Prue knew instantly this place was different. There were rocks and boulders surrounding a cliff’s edge, and the waters were more green than back at home. A tall, muscular man stood at the cliff’s edge, arms raised high as he speared his magic toward the sun in the sky.
No, he wasn’t feeding magic into the sun. He was siphoning magic from the sun. Jets of white light curled in the air, slithering toward him like serpents. The more he took, the brighter his form became, until an ethereal glow surrounded him.
Behind him, Gaia lay stretched out on a blanket, her head propped up on one arm as she munched on a piece of toasted bread. Her blue eyes lazily appraised Janus with mild interest.
“Janus,” she said again.
With a sigh, Janus dropped his arms, panting. His dark eyes roiled with intensity, coils of light drifting in and out as if his vision had taken the sun’s energy as well.
“Incredible,” he murmured, staring at his hands and turning them over slowly. “I never knew the mortal realm held such power.”
“I still think it’s rather dreary compared to home.” Gaia wrinkled her nose.
Janus scoffed. “Dreary? You created it, love.”
Gaia waved a hand. “I could have done so much better. If I had waited until my powers had grown, this place would be as magnificent as Elysium.”
“The mortals do not need anything grand like Elysium. They will be content with this.”
“Perhaps.” Gaia took another bite of bread as Janus sauntered over to her and sprawled on the blanket alongside her.
“What shall we do once we return home?” Janus mused, fiddling with a strand of Gaia’s black hair.
“You know what I want.” Gaia’s voice had turned solemn.
Janus groaned, dropping her hair and throwing his head back in exasperation. “Dearest, I have told you before. We cannot be married until I take the throne.”
“And how long will that take?” Gaia whirled toward him, eyes flashing. “Jupiter is still alive and well, and his brother Neptune is in line after him. I will not wait an eternity for you, Janus.”
“It won’t be an eternity,” Janus promised, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. “I promise.” His eyes glinted.
