(TW: flashback contains themes of sexual assault. Please be aware! If you're experiencing issues call the number 1-800-656-4673 for help. You're never alone.)
THREE YEARS AGO...
JANUARY 13th, 2018.
(MYRA'S POV)
"Myra!"
I snap my head around, eyes focusing on Bruce.
The leader of my wolf pack.
He smiles at me and I shudder.
"What is it, Bruce? I have to go now before it's too late. It's the harvest."
He strokes my cheek and I frown.
"I sent a few other girls out to hunt Myra, I'm afraid there was something we didn't finish?"
My heart stops in my chest as I stare at him.
I can't let that happen again.
I shake my head.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
I then slide out of his reach, turning back to tying a knot in my boot laces.
Bruce bends over, taking my face and whispering in my ear.
"Two days ago, naughty little wolf. Remember now?"
His hand caresses my bare arm and I stare blankly ahead, before looking back down at my shoes.
"You said you'd forget it happened. I wasn't thinking straight."
He grins.
"It sure seemed like you were, Myra. One more night with me and I'll make sure you're the leader of this pack. That's what you've always wanted, right? To be the leader? Or you don't have to sleep with me if it's "against your morals" but you'll just have to become my wife. Refuse both and you're going back to the bottom of the food chain, honey. You certainly look like the perfect little girl to torture and eat."
I glare at him from the corner of my eye.
"I'm only sixteen. Not fit to be anyone's wife yet. I don't want to sleep with you. It was a mistake."
"But you see, Myra, the age a female wolf has to be mated is sixteen, why not be mine?"
I stand up, pulling myself away.
"Because you're disgusting, Bruce! No one should have to go through what I do on a daily basis! All you do is torment me, you—"
I let out a gasp when he pins me against the wall, slowly pulling down my shirt.
"Stop! Get off of me!"
"So if I did this you'd still say you don't want me, Myra?"
"I don't like this—I'll marry you, I'll do anything! Please stop it!"
I push at his hands and waist, only for him to be too strong.
He starts laughing, and I struggle to pull myself away.
"Only after I start doing something you'll give in. Good to know."
I start crying, attempting to kick and punch him.
"Stop crying, Myra. No one's gonna hear you. You know you're too weak, right? You're just a little girl..." he sighs. "That makes you all the more attractive."
He begins kissing my neck, and I struggle to move away from him.
I start crying again when he begins to remove my skirt, letting out a scream when I hear another voice.
"Hey! Get off of her!"
Bruce immediately stands up, turning around to face a fair man with dark eyes.
"Who're you? This girl is my property. You don't need to be here."
I tremble behind him, and the man's eyes narrow slightly.
"She's branded with the belladonna. That means she's a hunter...properties are branded with a red X."
He holds up a gun, cocking his head to the side.
"Give her to me or I'll shoot you. You'll die a nice painful death with these silver bullets."
Bruce grumbles under his breath, narrowing his eyes at me.
"You'll pay for this little girl."
He morphs into a wolf and disappears back into the forest, leaving me standing there, half naked, and absolutely mortified.
My eyes shoot to the man, and my face blanches as I realize how much I'm showing.
"I-I'm sorry...that was very indecent of me." I sigh. "No man should see a wolf's body bare unless they're each other's mate."
I grab my shirt off the floor, pulling my skirt back up.
I get dressed, and the man still stares at me.
"What's your name?"
"I'm not supposed to say."
"The man told you that, no? You can trust me. Come back with me. My pack will treat you better."
I rub my arms, and he makes a face.
"Are you cold?"
"No. That's just how I comfort myself. It makes me feel like my mom's hugging me."
He cocks his head to the side.
"How old are you, dear?"
"Sixteen. And...my name's Myra. Don't tell anyone I told you."
"My name is Dax. I'll take you back with me only if you take this deal."
I nod quickly, and he takes my arm.
"You have to stay loyal to me no matter what, and if you don't I'm going to have to kill you. Got it?"
I nod, and he begins to pull me away from the small opening and back into the forest.
"Got it."
********
PRESENT.
(MYRA'S POV)
"Remember that deal, Myra?"
I frown.
"What does this have to do with Theia? With anything? What's going on?"
My eyebrows furrow.
"How the fuck are you here?"
"Let me explain, Myra."
Dax crouches in front of me, and Theia's bright eyes still pierce through me in the darkness.
"You're friends, Hazel and Alaric I believe their names were? They tried to kill me. The little fuckers even got a bit of my blood. Probably to escape this horrid forest. But I got woken up when a certain someone healed my beastly wounds..."
He motions at Theia who smiles at me.
I make a face.
"Theia...why did you—"
"Listen to him, my dearest. He'll explain every little detail."
Dax turns my head to face him, smiling.
"I want ultimate power, Myra, and so does Theia. With you as our pawn everything would go to plan. Brainwash you, talk control of your mind, then use you like a little marionette."
"What is your plan?! You aren't doing anything!"
Dax gives me a bored look.
"It's simple, really. Use you to manipulate your brain dead friends into giving you their powers. You'll give them to me...so I can—"
He lets out a breathy laugh.
"So I can be a titan myself, Myra. Me and Theia can be together and take over the world."
My heart starts thumping in my chest as he stands up, pulling out that same gun he did three years ago when we first met.
Pure silver bullets.
He's insane.
"You just met her, Dax! What's going on?"
"You betrayed my trust, little wolf. I told you you'd pay with your life...and I think I can find a better puppet than you."
He points the gun at me, and I snap out of whatever trance I was stuck in, standing up and swinging the chair at his head.
It hits Dax's head with a crack, and I shoot him with the gun twice before pointing it at Theia.
"You're going back underground you crazy bitch!"
I shoot her three times, in the neck, heart, and left eye before she can say anything, watching as she turns to ask and seeps back into the floor.
Holy shit.
The gun falls out of my shaking hands, and I watch Dax's deep violet blood pool across the ground.
Oh my god.
I let out a small yelp when I lurch forward, the ground beginning to rumble underneath me.
I have to go.
I run out of the building, seeing the vast amount of trees ahead of me.
Here we go again.
*******
(ALEC'S POV)
I sit there, frozen in shock as I gaze at his body.
Ryder panics slightly, coming into my sight.
"Don't worry! I can heal him—he's still breathing, Alec. Alec?!"
I stare at my slightly shaking hands, coated in my father's blood.
"Alec?!"
I hear Aiden's voice then feel her hand on my shoulder, their voices getting quieter and quieter.
My eyes flicker between green and brown, and I pass out on the ground.
********
MAY 9th, 2011.
I follow him through our neighbor's garden, and frown.
"Dad? You sure this isn't illegal? You didn't ask if we could go into the garden to get flowers for mom."
Thanatos looks over his shoulder with a grin.
"Sometimes you have to live on edge, son. Learn to be more like me. Now come a little closer, I don't want you to get lost in here. Avery and John will probably find a little ten year olds body."
My eyes widen and his do too.
"I don't mean that you're going to die—just—"
"Look! Roses!"
Thanatos turns around, seeing a rose bush with a bunch of scarlet roses.
He pats my head.
"Good eye, son. These will be perfect for your mother. She said to give her something from my heart, and stealing roses from this bee-infested garden seems like the perfect way. Luckily if someone comes out I can just say I was looking for you. You're pretty damn short."
Thanatos reaches out to grab the rose when he yanks his hand back, letting out a stream of curses.
"Fuck!"
"What happened?"
I look up at him, seeing ruby red dripping from a cut in his finger.
"Did the rose prick you, dad?"
He looks back at me.
"It did. But some friendly advice for you...don't ever show that you're in pain. It'll haunt you."
********
I feel someone shaking me, my eyes shooting open to see Oakley and Aiden.
"See? You didn't have to keep bitching. I told you the kid would wake up."
I look at Aiden wide eyed.
"What time is it?!"
"Uhh..." she looks sideways at her watch, frowning. "One in the morning. I don't know how accurate time is in the underworld though."
My face pales.
"Time's up."
*******
(CARDEN'S POV)
We all stare at Hecate wide eyed, and she makes a face.
"What the hell are you looking at? I know I'm not tall like the other gods but you don't have to stare and me feel awkward."
"It's not that...it's just—"
Hecate wags her finger at me.
"No, Carden, no! Stupid children you are! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I thought you were better than this! We have to get to the heart of this damn thing to stop more of these giants from coming out."
Rylan makes a face.
"My, my, Hecate. What kind of shit are we doing now?"
Hecate glares at him.
"Shut your big mouth! No one asked you, Rylan."
Rylan looks away and she then smiles.
"Well, children. We have things to do. Comes a little closer, I won't bite your head off. Yet."
We all inch a little closer, and Hecate sighs.
"Here we go."
*******
We get teleported to a large ass sinkhole type thing in the ground, with a vortex of dirt and lightning swirling around in it.
Davina grimaces.
"Well...we certainly have a shit ton of work to do..."
"But thankfully I'm here."
A voice cuts in, and we all turn around to see—wait a minute.
It's the damn witch.
"Tempest?"
*********
(HAZEL'S POV)
I let out a small screech when we get dropped back in the heart of the forest, landing with a smack on top of Alaric.
He wheezes, and I grimace.
"Sorry!"
"Why do all of you pigs always land on me! Can you at least find another place to land? I know I'll cushion your fall but cut me some slack! There's only so much bone crushing I can take from your fatasses."
He rolls me off of him, snorting when I land with a thud in the dirt.
Pandora lifts her head up, holding the bow and arrow.
"Althea? Do you know how to use this?"
I watch as Althea stands up, brushing off herself.
"Of course, Pandora. My mom's Athena. I know how to use everything."
Pandora grimaces.
"Right. I don't know how this shit works."
Alaric stares at her blankly.
"It's a bow and arrow, dumbass. How hard can it be?"
She rolls her eyes.
"Right. Should I test it out on you then?"
"Guys!"
They all turn to look at me slowly sinking in the dirt, and freeze.
"I'm kind of sinking! Help!"
The human eating dirt swallows me up to my waist, and Alaric makes a face.
"What the fuck is this?! Quick dirt?"
"I guess so! Now help! I can't get out!"
"Is it bad that I want to leave you there, Hazel? I want to watch you get swallowed. I'd certainly get a good laugh out of it."
I grumble under my breath.
"Please Alaric! Get me the fuck out! Pandora and Althea are too weak!"
"Hey!"
Alaric steps closer, looking down at me with his head cocked to the side.
He holds his hand out and I attempt to take it, hissing when he yanks it back and starts laughing.
"What the hell?! Stop being an ass!"
"Fine, fine!"
He grabs my arm and pulls me out of the man eating dirt, watching as I flop onto the floor like a dead fish.
"My legs feel like jelly. Help!"
The three of them look over me, and Pandora grimaces.
"What the fuck."
"This is so weird."
Althea says, and Alaric continues laughing.
"What're you laughing at, huh?"
I glare at him, and he grins.
"I can't take you seriously. Get off the ground, hon."
"I actually can't."
He steps away, shuddering.
"I'm certainly not picking you up covered in that shit, honey. You're gonna have to drag yourself across the ground like an earthworm."
Althea and Pandora pull me up off the ground, and I wobble slightly on my feet.
"I feel like my legs and back are broken."
Alaric smirks at me and I immediately know what he's gonna say.
"I can break your back, Hazel. Once we're out of this mess."
Pandora and Althea look at each other, then us with small smiles.
"How cute!" Pandora exclaims, and Althea grins.
"Two sisters with two brothers! Alec and Aiden and Hazel and Alaric!"
I grimace.
"I'm not hooking up with a guy who almost left me for the dead. Now come on, you irritating little fuckers. We have some stuff to do."
I grab my bow and arrows off the ground, dragging myself and my limp legs with the three of them further into the woods.
We have to stop the rest of the Titans from arising.
********
(STELLA'S POV)
I stare blankly at Alec, then turn around immediately when I hear a grunt.
"Thanatos?"
His red eyes scan all of us, then Alec who looks completely out of it against the wall with Aiden next to him.
"The moon nymph. Fire girl. Tree boy. What the fuck is going on? Why does my son look like he's dying?"
"He thought you died, Thanatos. Mind talking to him, though? Aiden doesn't seem to be getting anything out of him. Even though that girl seems to be able to do everything."
Thanatos coughs and looks at Ryder who stares at him blankly.
"It was you who revived me right? I killed that son of a bitch Crius though."
Ryder nods.
"That was me."
"Good for you, firecracker. I wish I stayed dead honestly. But what do you know? I'm back in this hellhole again. Time to talk to one of my many sons."
He stands up easily, walking over to Alec and Aiden.
"Hello? Son?"
Alec looks up, eyes widening.
"Thanatos?"
"Hey. I heard you were having a little breakdown. No need! Your old man is back! Ugh. The goth is here too."
Aiden makes a face.
"I'm not even goth!"
Thanatos crouches down, grabbing Alec's face.
"What's wrong with your eyes?"
"What do you mean?"
Thanatos stares at him, cocking his head to the side.
"They're purple."
Alec gazes back at him.
"Time's up, Thanatos."
"Are you okay, Alec? You aren't acting normal. Usually I wouldn't give a shit about you but something's off."
He looks at Aiden.
"He's talking to you like this too?"
"Yeah. He keeps saying times up."
We all pause when a loud think is heard, and Thanatos nods.
"I get it. The strongest titan is arising."
"The what—?"
I stand up, and all of us, but Alec, who still sits there stilly, go outside to see the swirling vortex over a large sinkhole like thing in the ground.
Thanatos turns back to look at us.
"Cronus is here."
********
(MYRA'S POV)
I continue running through the woods, ignoring the small amounts of pain in my arms and legs as they get scratched by branches.
I stop for a breath as I hear voices, and four people emerge from the trees.
One lets out a small scream, running towards me when they stop.
"Myra?"
My eyes move to Hazel before I let out a scream, and everything goes black.