Chapter 66 : Proposal

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Happy 1st Anniversary to Pandora's Successor! 

This book has been through a lot the past year. To be honest, I nearly gave up on it. But all your votes and comments had pushed me through.

I really cherish you all.💜

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

To keep the other gods from getting jealous,

Zeus married Aphrodite off to Hephaestus,

Mainly because he was deformed and unattractive.

In the end, Aphrodite had an affair with Ares.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hooves pounded against the pebbled ground as the horse drew nearer. For a moment, I half-expected its weak frame to break down during its pursuit.

But it didn't. I guess it's way stronger than it looked.

Liam released his fingers, sending three arrows through the air. One struck its eye, partially blinding it. The other two impaled its chest.

It brayed in pain before crumpling to the ground. The rider fell with it but dissipated into a thick cloud of dark smoke seconds before hitting the dirt. It swept along the earth like a huge slithering snake. Its speed matched a fighter jet.

Liam didn't see it coming.

It whizzed towards him, morphing back into its hideous form in an instant. Wet skinny hands held out a sword, ready to impale him.

The sky rumbled and a line of thunder tore out from the converging clouds, hitting the creature on the spot.

It shrieked and writhed as electricity coursed through it, scorching its clothes until it singed with smoke.

Liam stumbled and fell on his back, his eyes wide with shock.

A few feet away, Zion knelt on one knee, his palms pressed against the ground. When he lifted his head, white glowing irises stared back.

They cracked with electricity and power. The only guarantee he was still conscious instead of Zeus. The god of thunder mostly had his entire eye glow.

A cold wind rushed through the place, violently shaking trees and anything beneath the storm clouds.

Zion was doing this.

The hideous creature crawled to its hands and feet. Its gaze swept towards us before lunging on its four limbs. A mouth tore opened to reveal tiny prickly teeth.

It fell short when Liam grabbed its frail clothes, tugging it back. He twisted its arm, sending it down with a thud.

"Get out of here!"

His cry pulled me out of my trance. A curse from behind meant Pedro had also jolted to his senses. Zion's exhuming power was...shocking.

Pedro's arm tightened around me, then the scenery changed. One minute I was witnessing a battle, and in the next, we had arrived at a secluded part of the cemetery.

Pedro had used his speed.

Storm clouds gathered a few miles away to our left, indicating Zion and Liam's current location.

"You okay, Pickles?" Pedro said after discerning my stunned expression.

I nodded numbly. Zion's training had paid off, but how could he accomplish all that in a basement?

"Zion was pretty awesome." Pedro took a seat against a burial vault. A hand placed casually on his knee. "I wish I could do more than levitate a bubble."

For the first time, he looked troubled. I moved beside him. My hand rubbed his shoulder. "Your time will come."

He nodded and managed a smile. I hope Liam and Zion get out of this without being seriously injured.

Liam's words about the creature still bothered me.

It's neither a monster nor a god.

Then what exactly is it?

"So how are we finding Hephaestus' chamber?" Pedro's temple creased in deep thought.

I turned to the mausoleum behind me and used my flashlight, searching for its engravings. I found it almost immediately.

Our beloved daughter, sister & wife,
Selene Oyinlola.

I scrunched my eyebrows and moved to the next monument. The sky rumbled on, reminding me of the ongoing battle. The sooner we get The Shackles, the quicker we could help Zion and Liam.

I caught the next epitaph.

Your smile, love & heart will be missed forever,
Jane Oyinlola.

"What are you doing?" Pedro asked from his fixed location, an eyebrow raised in puzzlement.

"Just observing something." I moved to the next mausoleum and read its bold lettering.

Your memory lives on,
Gerald Ozersoo.

Then it clicked. "The surnames are arranged in alphabetical order." I turned to him. He hasn't moved, just merely watching.

Guess I'll have to convince him. "The first two monuments have the same surname beginning with 'O' and 'Y'. But this one starts with 'O' and 'Z'. It can't be a coincidence."

He pushed to his feet and drew closer,  reading the engravings as he went. He stopped by me and rubbed his chin. "You may be right, Chips. So how is that going to help us?"

I tried not to grimace. "Does Hephaestus have a surname?"

Pedro placed a hand over his mouth, stifling a laugh.

I punched his arm. "Pedro!"

"Okay. Okay." He forced a serious face. "So you want us to search the H column?"

I nodded.

With no other lead in mind, we did exactly that. Somehow, it drew us closer to the ongoing battle, but not too close to get noticed.

"Pedro?"

"Yeah." He walked ahead, his hands in his pocket as he kept glancing around. Probably expecting a monster to jump us any moment now.

"The creature is a servant of Zeus, right? Can't Zion just command it?"

"Uh..." Pedro bit his lip in thought. "...I don't think so, otherwise, Liam would've known. Besides, Zion doesn't sound like Zeus. And neither do they have the same interests."

He might be right. I quickly caught up with him. "Can I ask you something about Emily?"

"I like her as a friend." He answered before I could get a word out.

"You didn't even listen."

He looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "Really?"

"Okay, you got it right." Am I that readable?

Pedro kept his pace. "I know she wants to get close to us. Probably to gain the perks that come with it. But no one can replace you." He ruffled my hair and hugged me to his side.

"That's very touching." I couldn't control my smile. "Do you like Gwen?"

He looked down at me and smirked. "She's cool."

That's all he got to say?

"Did you know that Gwen lied when you asked about her recent 'fit'?"

I shrugged. "I had my doubts."

"Well, she did have another prophetic mumbo jumbo, but it's the same one. Something about killing someone."

I remembered that statement like the back of my hand.

For he will kill his beloved,
Never to be saved.

"Yeah, that's it!" Pedro said.

Did I say it out loud?

Using his torch, Pedro read the engravings on each tombstone. And it seemed we were getting close.

"Um, Penny..." He stopped in his tracks and faced me. " I know this is out of the blue, but I just need to ask...do you have a crush on me?"

My eyebrows shot up. Well, that's unexpected. His brown eyes searched mine, trying to interpret my reactions.

"No."

He released an exhausted breath and touched his chest. "Thank goodness. I was scared there for a minute. Gwen's prophecy could be for Zion, Liam, or I. And I'll hate to kill you."

"But neither of you have a beloved." I glanced at him.

Worry pulled over his features. "You don't know that, Chips. For now, we should be careful until we find a way around it."

Could Pedro be avoiding Gwen because he's trying to protect her?

It didn't take long till we reached a small clearing. Standing right at its center was a huge old mausoleum. Its front was decorated with giant alabaster pillars. The symbol of Hephaestus was carved at the very top.

This is his so-called chamber?

Pedro walked towards it and I hesitantly followed. Since the metallic door had no handle, Pedro used his shoulder and shoved it. A bone cracked. "Ouch! Son of a--"

"Can't we use the medallion?"

He rubbed his shoulder and for a moment, his eyes flashed bright blue. "I don't think it works that way, Chips. There's nothing to fix a medallion to!"

I rose my hands. "Okay then. How are we gonna breakthrough?"

Pedro scoffed. "My godly strength of course." He shoved again, creating a dent in the hard material. He tried again. A tiny gap formed, but it wasn't enough.

"That's it." He faced me and rubbed his palms against his face. I guess his shoulder had healed in seconds. "Just in case we don't make it out alive..."

"This is not the time to be extra, Pedro."

"...I need to speak something out." Before I could give a comeback, he grabbed my hand in his. He cracked his neck and hopped on the balls of his feet, trying to hold back his adrenaline. "Okay so, I've been bottling this for quite some time now..."

"Pedro."

"...And if I don't come out with this. I may never get the chance."

My eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

His lips tugged into an intoxicating smile. "It's a proposal."

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