“Everyone? Even Olivier?” To his own ears, Lucifer understood the raspy fear in the back of his throat.
Puck’s head tilted to the side at an awkward angle; the tip of his middle finger tapped against his chin. “Hmm. I lost sight of Olivier during the melee. But I didn’t witness his death, so it’s possible he survived. But if he did, where is he?”
“Where are all the bodies, if everyone is dead?” Tears welled in Diana’s eyes. Lucifer felt her pain as if it was his own. Or was she radiating back his own agony?
“Damned if I know.” Puck threw up his hands. “One moment I’m hiding out from above, looking down on Armageddon. The next... well, I blinked, and they were all gone. Just the blood and stench of death left to prove they were ever here.”
THEY DECIDED AGAINST tarrying on Methuselah any longer. They might never know what fate had befallen Lucifer’s comrades, but they were going home... back to Mount Olympus.
Diana had already determined to relay only the most vital facts to her father. There was no need for him to know about her galivanting around the universe through liminalities and portals. And he didn’t need to know about what she’d been doing when alone with Lucifer. That was their personal business, as long as Puck kept his mouth shut. He’d never betrayed her confidence before. Now if she could just convince Lucifer to wipe that smitten look off his face. One glance at him, and everyone would know.
In truth, it made her smile all the way to the tips of her flaming hair to see his expression whenever he glanced her way.
They’d taken an expedited route back to Mount Olympus. Thank the gods! The liminality led to another solar system closer to home. From there, Lucifer had wrapped them in his divine bubble of protection, and they had raced through the stars. He’d told her how he hadn’t expected her to be able to tolerate portals... being only a goddess and not an angel. She’d proven him wrong, so he’d deemed the shorter path acceptable.
Too bad Puck wasn’t made of the same strength. He’d puked nasty smelling black blood when they’d come out of the first portal and hadn’t fared much better after a couple more.
The entire time they’d flown through space, he’d curled into a ball in the far corner, moaning incessantly. “Never. Never again.”
Diana and Lucifer had spent the time cuddled in each other’s arms. He whispered of his devotion to her and his plans for them to be together. It had all been so glorious... beyond Diana’s wildest dreams.
Even once they landed outside the palace she’d called home for centuries, she longed to leave again just so they could be alone. She begged Lucifer to drop off Puck, who could update her father while they flew away to the stars... to anywhere, as long as they were together.
“No, I intend to do this the right way,” he argued with a smile.
“And what exactly is that?” Diana shook her head.
What was he expecting? That Zeus would organize a grand wedding ceremony and pronounce them forever joined in the bonds of love? That was comical since Zeus had himself broken his own marriage oaths repeatedly, making a mockery of the institution. How many wives had he gone through, anyway?
That wouldn’t happen to her. She and Lucifer would be eternally bound by their love. No hiccups. No distractions. No meddling gods and goddesses interfering and plotting against their union.
Lucifer clasped her hand to his heart on the cusp of stepping onto the grounds of the palace. “I will plead for your hand in marriage, sanctioned by the Creator himself.”
Diana’s eyebrows rose at that. “But I thought...”
“We all did, but the truth is—”
The words were cut off when Diana’s golden-haired twin, Apollo, shoved him aside and swept her up in his arms. “Sister! Thank the gods! You’re all right! We feared the worst.”
She was overjoyed to be reunited with him. They had so much to talk about, to share. But a sliver of sadness cut through her heart. If all went as planned, she would be leaving Olympus soon with Lucifer. Depending on how well her father took the news, or didn’t, would determine if she’d see much of her brother afterward.
Giggles burst from her lips. Apollo continued to twirl her around like a ragdoll. “I’m fine. Please... please, put me down before I puke all over your beautifully polished armor!”
He did as requested, but didn’t loosen his grip around her waist.
“You are never to pull a stunt like that again! No, you must never leave home! I forbid it!”
His words were spoken with apt seriousness. Diana opened her mouth to reprimand him for trying to tell her what she could and couldn’t do—an argument they’d had often as children.
His wide smile stopped her intended tirade. “Dear sister, I learned long ago no one can tell you what to do. You are in full command of yourself, despite whatever I might say.” His lips drew into a thin, stern line. “However, Father may be another matter.”
On cue, Zeus’s voice thundered from behind her. “Daughter!”
She pivoted, almost tripping in her haste. A large, warm hand braced at her lower back. Goosebumps raced along her arms, raising the tiny hairs to stand straight like stalks of dandelions. That was not the face of a father happy to see his beloved daughter that greeted her. Zeus’s expression was the epitome of his godly gift of lightning. His face was flushed, his nostrils flaring with deep inhales and exhales of breath. Rage poured forth from his aura in waves that crashed into her with the force of a hurricane.
Lucifer made to step in front of her, only to have the tip of Apollo’s sword piercing the tender skin of his jugular notch. He raised his hands, bent at the elbows, to show submission but fury filled his features with a renewed sharpness.
“Father, what the bloody—”
