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Chapter 26
Elyse
It was amazing to be with everyone. Together. I’d never had all five of the gods in one room, let alone getting along. But somehow, between all the fighting and dying, the guys managed to become friends. They’d forgiven each other and it looked like they not only tolerated one another, but they liked each other. The complete opposite of how it’d been the past few months.
I couldn’t be happier, and a lightness in my chest left me breathless as I enjoyed their company, their energy, their attention.
When I carried a tray of cups and glasses into the living room, Apollo jumped up to take it from me. He walked to the coffee table and set down the tray and the guys all flocked together to take what was theirs.
Heracles was with us too, but he hadn’t ordered anything from the kitchen.
Instead, he came to me.
“So, your holiness,” he said, nudging me and grinning, cheekiness in his expression.
“Stop,” I said, shrugging. “It’s still just me.”
“But with power and authority,” he added.
He was right. I did have power and authority now. I felt better than I ever had before about who I was and what I was here to do. But deep inside, I was still the same Elyse from before I met the gods. I still had the same drive and desire to protect innocents, to follow in my family’s footsteps.
“Thanks,” I said, lifting myself on my tippy toes before embracing him. “For everything you’ve done for my family, for me.”
He nodded, wrapping an arm around my back, holding me like my dad had done when he’d been proud of me. “Of course. Not only because it was my job, but because I care for you and your family very much. I miss everyone who went before you every passing day, and it would have killed me to lose you.” Despite his words, his voice wasn’t monotone but filled with hope—maybe because I’d somehow survived the madness that had been my life for months.
I nodded, pulling out of his arms as a sudden wave of sadness washed over me. I thought back to the time when I’d chosen between my family at the Elysian Fields and a life on Earth where I’d be able to defeat X. Of course, I’d made the right choice and fully stepped into who I was supposed to be because I’d chosen to try again. But I was also very aware of what I’d sacrificed. I didn’t know how I’d known, but I’d suspected I’d never end up at the Elysian Fields. It wasn’t the type of place a god or goddess went, only the humans whom divinity wanted to honor.
I was on the other side of the line now.
That meant I’d never see my family again. Through everything and knowing my final date would eventually come, it had been a consolation of sorts to know I’d be with my parents and my brothers again. I missed them so dearly. Their laughs, their jokes, their training. So much time had passed since they lost their fights, but to me, it felt like yesterday because I’d always miss them.
Who knew what was going to happen to me after death or where I belonged? Or if I could even die, considering I was a goddess.
“Hey,” Heracles said, picking up on my mood. “You did good.”
“True.” Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’d done incredibly.
“I have to get going,” he declared, not just to me, but to everyone in the room.
“So soon?”
He nodded. “With this, with you realizing your full potential and stepping into your role as a goddess, my work here is done. I don’t have to train any Lowes anymore. You’re now a fighter, more skilled than anyone I’ve ever worked out with, and I’m immensely proud of you. But it’s time for me to live my life.”
“Where will you go?” I grabbed his hand, not ready to part. My chest tightened because I’d known Heracles most of my life, and I couldn’t bear to have him leave.
He patted my hand in a reassuring way that told me he’d always be there for me. “Where I’m needed. There are people everywhere who need help. And I have to make some friends, maybe even find love again.”
My jaw dropped, and I blinked at Heracles. “Are you being serious? You think you could?”
Heracles smiled widely and released my hand. “At first I didn’t think it was possible. But I’ve watched you with the gods, and I think it’s something I want again, too. And who says you can’t love again? There’s some kind of statistic on Earth that there are six soulmates out there for every person.”
I laughed, loving this new side of him. He may not have jumped into my physical battles, but he’d stood alongside me during the wild fight, seeing and experiencing it all. So, it didn’t surprise me that he’d been affected by it all as well. “Where are you even getting this from?”
Heracles rounded his shoulders. “I read it in some magazine. If humans can have six of them, how many more can I have, being an immortal? I think it’s time I start looking again. Megara would want me to.”
“Are you going to come visit at least?” I asked as a reminder I had no intention of letting him leave my life entirely.
A gleam shone in his eyes, and he offered me a playful grin. “Of course. And you know, I’ll see you up there as well.” He pointed to the sky as if it were where Mount Olympus was.
