SWNOVELS Chapter ~ Chapter Eighteen ~
Cayden and Liliana sat in his office for a few minutes before going to the training grounds. Then, they walked up to the man who trained everyone. “Hey, Alex,” Cayden said as they stopped next to him.
Alex turned to them and grinned as he bowed his head. “Good morning, Alpha,” he turned to Liliana and bowed slightly. “Good morning, Luna.”
Liliana smiled brightly. “Good morning. How are you doing today?” she asked joyfully.
Alex chuckled. “I’m good. Just trying to get these new kids to focus.”
Liliana giggled. “You have to bribe them, silly,” she shook her head and took a step toward the kids. However, she turned around before she got too far and asked Alex. “Oh, how’s little Serena doing?”
Alex smiled in adoration. “She’s doing much better. Thank you, Luna. I’m sure she would be excited to get a visit from you.”
Liliana nodded with a bright smile. “I can stop by later today.”
Alex grinned. “Thank you, Luna.”
Liliana gave him that same bright smile before walking toward the kids. She stopped before them and cleared her throat before shouting to get their attention. “Excuse me, children!”
Everyone stopped and turned to face her. Liliana gave them a bright smile. “Thank you,” she sighed. “Now, I’m sure none of you want to be up this early training. I’m sure most of you have never even trained before,” she shook her head. “I know that none of you know why we’re asking you to train. We’re going to have a pack meeting tonight so that we can explain. But, for now, know that we’re telling you to train for your protection.”
“Is something bad going to happen?” A young girl asked from the back of the crowd.
Liliana cleared her throat. “No, nothing bad is happening. However, we think it would be a good idea for everyone to know how to protect themselves just in case,” she said reassuringly. She didn’t want to frighten the kids with the war that was coming. “So please listen to Alex and train as hard as you can. If he reports to us that you are doing well, we will throw you guys a party. How does that sound?” She asked as she folded her arms over her chest.
They all cheered and quickly returned to work, going through the drills that Alex had already shown them.
Liliana turned to the boys with a triumphant smile. “And that is how you talk a group of teenagers into training even when they don’t want to.”
Cayden grinned in pride while Alex stared at her in awe. “You are amazing, little dove,” Cayden said happily. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked at Alex. “We’ll see you later, Alex,” he said before leading Liliana toward the packhouse.
They went inside, and he led her to the gym. “Training first. Then you can talk to Kaine,” Cayden said as he picked up two vests covered in daggers. “Today, we’re working on throwing daggers and arrows. So how good is your aim?” he asked as he handed a vest to her.
Liliana quickly slipped it on and sighed. “Um, I don’t know. I’ve never really played sports or done anything that involved aiming.”
Cayden chuckled as she rambled on. “It’s okay, little dove. I’ll teach you everything that you need to know.”
With that being said, Cayden got started on her training for the day.
Jacques groaned as he slowly blinked his eyes open. Once his vision cleared, he looked around. Jacques swore to himself as he got to his feet. He was in a cell that seemed somewhat familiar to him. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” a croaky voice said from the shadows on the other side of the bars.
Jacques frowned as he took a step toward them. “Who are you?” He demanded. “Why am I here?”
An older warlock came out of the shadows with a smirk. “I’m Samson. As for why you’re here,” Samson shrugged. “Well, I think you’re smart enough to figure that out yourself.”
Jacques tilted his head to the side slightly as he studied the warlock. It took him a minute before he swore in every language he knew and started pacing back and forth. “Fucking Atlas,” Jacques swore. He glared at the warlock. “What does he want?” He demanded.
Samson shrugged. “My guess would be your head on a platter.”
Jacques swore again as he ran a hand through his hair. “Shit,” he looked around again. “Where are we?” He questioned.
Samson shrugged. “Atlas’s fortress, but I don’t think you will be here too long.”
Jacques rolled his eyes. “Never trust an old warlock to make any sense,” he shook his head. “Why don’t you be a good lapdog and go fetch Atlas?”
Samson scoffed but left him alone.
Jacques waited only a few minutes before Atlas came in with Martin and Samson. “I hear you’ve been asking about what’s going to happen to you,” Atlas said with a wide smirk as he stopped in front of his cell.
Jacques glared at him. “I can only assume that you want me dead for betraying you the last time you attempted this war,” he said as he folded his arms over his chest.
Atlas chuckled darkly. “Oh. I do want you dead. Very much so,” he sighed as he leaned against the wall across from Jacques’s cell. “I need you for something else, though.”
Jacques looked at him in confusion and anger. “You already know that I would never help you. So whatever it is, you can forget about it,” he said in agitation.
Atlas waved him off. “Trust me. You don’t have to be willing to do it,” he scoffed. “Hell, I could have you unconscious the entire time if I wanted to.”
Jacques frowned as he thought about what Atlas could want with him so that he wouldn’t even have to be conscious. Then, as the realization struck him, he stared at Atlas in horror. “I will never let you use me to get to her,” he got out through his gritted teeth.
Atlas threw his head back and laughed loudly. “You don’t have a choice,” Atlas nodded his head towards a leucrocotta, a creature with the body of a stag, the neck of a lion, cloven hooves, and a wide mouth with a sharp, bony ridge in place of teeth. It could imitate the voices of men to lure prey. He looked at Jacques with a cruel smirk. “As I said. I don’t need you to put my plan into action.”
Jacques growled as he tried to reach the leucrocotta.
Just as he felt the tail in the palm of his hand, a blast of air hit him hard in the chest. He groaned as he crashed against the wall.
Atlas stood in front of his cell with a dark smile. “I’m sure your little Liliana will see you again,” he paused for a minute before chuckling. “In Tartarus.”
Jacques’s eyes went wide as he tried to get to his feet. He reached out and touched the cell bars before Samson said a quick spell, and his world again turned black.
Atlas smirked as he looked at Samson. “Send him to Tartarus and get the leucrocotta set up in my office. We have a critical call to make.”
Atlas left the warlock to do as he had commanded with a wicked smirk on his lips. The war was finally going to go his way.
Artemis frowned as Hades appeared in her meadow. “Hades?” She questioned in confusion as she got to her feet.
Hades met her halfway as he gently grabbed her arms. “We have a problem,” he said with a frown.
Artemis looked into his eyes and studied him. “What are you talking about?” She asked as she gripped his arms.
“Atlas sent Jacques to the most dangerous part of Tartarus. He had a powerful witch or warlock cast some spell, and I couldn’t get in. Only Atlas, his warlock, or Liliana can get in,” Hades explained quietly.
Artemis released a small gasp as she put a hand over her heart. “I’m going to assume that it’ll let her in but definitely won’t let her out.”
Hades shrugged. “Even if it does, she’ll still be in Tartarus. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get out of Tartarus without help?” He asked in exasperation.
Artemis stared a. “Then you have to help her,” she pleaded.
Hades shook his head. “I can’t. I won’t be able to even get to her.”
Artemis started pacing in front of him. Then she snapped her fingers. “We can summon Liliana here, and you can explain to her how to get out. Then we can even send her parents back with her, so she has someone to help her if she needs it.”
Hades nodded. “We can try and just hope that it works.”
Artemis took a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll bring Liliana here.”
Hades sighed as they both sat down in the middle of the meadow and waited for Liliana to arrive.
Liliana sighed as she sat in her usual window seat in Cayden’s office. She leaned against the wall with her legs up in front of her. She had her sketchpad resting against her legs as she started drawing a beautiful image of her wolf sleeping with Cayden’s wolf. Cayden’s wolf, Ranger, was wrapped protectively around hers as they snuggled together in a gorgeous meadow. There was a crystal clear lake behind them and beautiful flowers of all types surrounding the Babylonian weeping willow tree they were lying under, snuggled together.
It was a gorgeous picture that had a smile permanently glued to her face. Then, Liliana decided to add a small wolf pup that was playfully chasing a baby fox close to the tree where they were resting. It was a beautiful mix of both of them. She looked it over with a joyful smile and a soul pounding with the sudden longing to have a child in her arms.
Liliana carefully tore the image out of her book before standing and walking over to Cayden. She shyly held the drawing out to him before nervously playing with her hair as he looked it over. “Oh, little dove,” Cayden whispered in awe. Liliana blushed as he took her hand and gently pulled her onto his lap. “This is such a beautiful picture, my little dove,” he pressed a kiss to her temple before holding her close. “I hope our child is a perfect combination of the two of us like that.”
Liliana took a deep breath and looked at the picture she had drawn. “I don’t know what it is,” she whispered. “As soon as I finished drawing I felt what I can only imagine is what you have been feeling,” she looked into his eyes with desire, want, hope, and love in her own eyes. “I want a child with you, my beloved. I can only guess this is how you have been feeling,” she rested her forehead against his. “I know I said I was ready, and believe me, I truly am ready, but now I want it even more than I did before.”
Cayden gently set the picture Liliana had drawn onto his desk and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re going to be an amazing mother, my dove. I already know it,” he said softly.
Liliana looked up at him with a bright smile. “You’re going to be an amazing father, my beloved,” she whispered.
Cayden grinned as he pressed a loving kiss to her lips. “How about we take a break and go upstairs to make that baby, huh?” He asked quietly against her lips with a mischievous grin.
Liliana giggled and quickly climbed off of his lap. “You’re going to have to catch me first,” she said playfully before taking off into the hallway.
Cayden chuckled before Ranger let out a playful growl, and they ran after her.
Cayden chased her into their bedroom and lifted her in the air. “Mm. Got you,” he said huskily against her neck.
Liliana let out a breathy laugh as he gently tossed her onto their bed. He laid over her and started pressing kisses over her neck and chest. She arched her back to give him better access to her neck and breasts. They quickly grew impatient as they started kissing each other furiously and tearing at each other’s clothes. It didn’t take them long to be completely naked. After another couple minutes of teasing touches and kisses, Cayden smoothly slipped into her wet entrance. He loved how she was always so ready for him.
Cayden slid in and out of her with ease as he pressed loving kisses to her face and neck. Then, even though she proudly wore his mark on her neck, he proceeded to leave hickeys on the other side of her neck and her breasts.
Liliana dug nails into his back as his thrusts grew more profound. Their lower bodies slapped together as they both met each other thrust for thrust.
They were sweating and panting as they got closer and closer to their orgasms. Finally, Cayden looked into Liliana’s eyes. He smirked as he adjusted himself to hit that one spot that made Liliana’s eyes roll into the back of her head, and her climax instantly hit her.
Cayden continued to pound into her even as she came down from her orgasmic high. She moaned as she clenched hard around his throbbing erection. He groaned as that was all he needed for his mind-blowing orgasm to hit him as hard as hers had hit her.
They both lay still as they tried to catch their breath. Cayden rested his forehead against hers after pressing a featherlight kiss to her lips. “I love you, little dove,” he whispered against her lips.
Liliana smiled. “I love you too,” she whispered lovingly.
Cayden kissed her once more before getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth and wet it with warm water before returning to the bedroom. He knelt on the bed by Liliana’s feet and gently cleaned her up. “All clean, my dove,” he said softly after pressing a kiss to her belly.
Liliana giggled as she sat up. “Thank you, beloved.”
They got dressed and went back downstairs. Liliana went to the kitchen to make them lunch, and Cayden went to his office to get some work done.
Liliana made a simple pasta and made it fairly quickly. When the food was ready, she made two plates. She picked them up and started walking towards Cayden’s office when it happened.
Liliana’s world spun around her as she fell to the floor. Then, her world turned to darkness as she was sure Artemis had summoned her.
Liliana sighed as she blinked her eyes open to find herself in Artemis’s meadow. She turned to face Artemis as she got to her feet. A tall man with black hair and silver eyes, who she guessed was Hades because he looked a lot like Roman, was standing next to her. She folded her arms over her chest and pouted. “You made me drop my pasta,” she whined.
Artemis let out a small laugh. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We have a serious problem, though.”
Liliana frowned. “What is it?” She questioned in confusion.
Artemis sighed as she moved to stand in front of Liliana. “Hades has just learned that Atlas has somehow managed to trap Jacques in Tartarus, the lowest point in the underworld,” she explained softly.
Liliana looked at her with wide, horrified eyes. “Wait. Tartarus is where you guys put the worst monsters. Your enemies. People who go against you guys or prove to be dangerous to you or humanity,” she rambled on as she tangled her fingers together. “Why would Atlas send him there? Why would he do that?” She questioned with tears gathering in her eyes.
Artemis quickly summoned Isabella and Jake to help calm her down. Isabella quickly pulled Liliana into her arms. “Sh. It’s okay, baby girl,” he whispered soothingly.
Liliana took a few deep breaths before looking at Artemis and Hades. “Do you know why Atlas sent Jacques to Tartarus?” She questioned.
Artemis sighed heavily. “We think he’s going to use Jacques to get you to Tartarus,” she explained.
Liliana let out a shaky breath as she closed her eyes. “He wants me trapped and tormented in Tartarus because he believes he’ll be unstoppable if I’m not the one leading.”
Artemis nodded. “Exactly,” she said sadly.
Liliana felt the tears rush down her face as she leaned into Jake for support. “Okay,” she slowly exhaled as she repeatedly ran her hands through her hair. “All I have to do is think. Then, I can figure this out,” she muttered.
As Liliana was muttering to herself, Artemis and Hades received a summons to a meeting with the other gods. Artemis sighed and softly asked. “Liliana, would you like to join us for this meeting? You can tell everyone else about what’s going on better than we can.”
Liliana shrugged as she took a few deep breaths. “Sure.”
Artemis nodded. “It’s time to say goodbye. I’m sure you’ll be able to see each other again.”
As Isabella and Jake disappeared, Artemis grabbed Liliana’s hand and teleported them to where everyone was meeting. Artemis looked at her and softly said. “Okay. All of the other gods and goddesses are going to be here. Don’t be scared. No one will harm you. Be honest and direct. Zeus always prefers for people to get straight to the point.”
Liliana nodded along with what she was saying. “Okay. I can do this.”
Artemis giggled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’ll be just fine, sweetheart.”
Liliana took a calming breath and nodded. “I’m ready.”
A man chuckled from behind them. “Of course, she brought her little wolf here. She could never keep anything from her chosen wolf warrior,” he said as he shook his head.
Liliana frowned as she walked out of the field in front of the lake. “Well, I think her chosen warrior has a right to know what’s going on, don’t you?” She asked as she walked in a small circle, trying to find the source of the voices.
The same man laughed darkly. “I don’t think so, but then again,” he said as he suddenly appeared in front of her. “I don’t think much of her wolves,” he growled.
Liliana rolled her eyes. “Have you ever tried to get to know any of her wolves?” she folded her arms across her chest. “Most of us are very nice people,” she shook her head as she said. “You wouldn’t know that, though. Would you?” She demanded as she tilted her head in curiosity.
“Watch who you’re talking to, little wolf,” he growled.
Liliana scoffed. “I don’t care who you are. You do not insult Artemis or wolves like that in front of me without me talking back to you,” she said in a sassy tone.
Ares lifted his arms like he was going to grab her, and lightning lit up the sky as another man put his hand on his shoulder. “Now, now, Ares,” Zeus said as he pulled his arm back. “There is no need to get so furious.”
Ares grunted and backed away. “You should know by now that I am usually angry,” he smirked. “It’s part of my charm.”
Zeus shook his head as Artemis appeared next to Liliana. “Will you two knock it off? You’re going to upset my young Liliana.”
Liliana smiled as she wrapped her arms around Artemis. “Where are we?” Liliana asked as she looked around again.
Artemis smiled. “This is where the council of the gods has their meetings.”
“It’s amazing,” Liliana said in awe.
The goddess nodded with a wide grin on her face. “Yeah, it is.”
“Where is everyone else?” Liliana questioned as she looked around.
“Oh, they’ll be here soon enough. Some are busy with their duties and whatnot. Others, like my brother Apollo, are lazy and take their own sweet time,” Artemis scoffed as she sat down close to the lake.
“I’m offended that you think of me as lazy, big sister,” Apollo said as he appeared next to them.
Artemis laughed. “You are lazy, Apollo, and everyone knows it.”
Apollo shrugged and turned to Liliana. “Well, who is this gorgeous young woman?” he asked with a smirk.
Artemis smacked him upside the head. “Don’t even think about it, Apollo. She is one of my wolves and has a mate.”
Apollo groaned. “The hot ones are always taken,” he grumbled.
Artemis laughed. “What about that nymph Kyrene? The mother of your son Aristaios.”
Apollo groaned and threw his head back. “Don’t even bring her up. She has been hounding me lately.”
Artemis laughed. “Why not just talk to her? She is the mother of one of your children.”
“Yeah, and so are quite a few other women, but you don’t see them trying to hunt me down,” Apollo whined as he folded his arms across his chest and pouted.
Artemis laughed. “You should have done what I did and not gotten involved with so many women.”
Apollo glared at her. “I’m sorry, big sister, that we all can’t go so long without the touch of a lover.”
Artemis just shook her head. “If you say so, little brother.”
Apollo left Artemis with Liliana as he went to pray on the poor nymphs that he spotted in the river. “My brother. He never could keep it in his pants. No matter how many times we warned him.”
Liliana giggled and sighed. “So which god is which?” She asked as she looked around.
“Well, there’s me and, of course, my brother over there,” Artemis said as she pointed to her brother. “Then there’s Achelois. She’s one of my minor goddesses,” she said as she gestured to a young-looking woman with black hair and beautiful green eyes. “The guy over there,” she pointed to a man on the shorter side with a frown on his face. “That’s Eolus. He’s the god of air and the winds. So he thinks,” she laughed. Next, she pointed to a woman with golden hair and icy blue eyes. “That gorgeous specimen over there is Aphrodite. Goddess of love and beauty,” she gestured to the man who had threatened Liliana when they first arrived. “You’ve met Ares already. God of chaos and war.”
“Oh yeah. Ares was amiable,” Liliana sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes.
Artemis went off to name the rest of the gods and goddesses that had gathered. In total, there were thirty-six gods and goddesses among them, including Artemis herself. There was Achelois, one of the moon goddesses. Eolus, god of air and the winds. Aphrodite, goddess of sexual love and beauty. Apollo, god of the sun, prophecy, music, healing, plague, and the arts. Ares, god of chaos and war. Artemis, goddess of the moon, hunting, and nursing. Asklepios, god of health and medicine. Ate, goddess of mischief. Athena, goddess of wisdom and the strategy side of war. Keto, sea monster goddess, mother of other sea monsters. Cybele, goddess of caverns, mountains, nature, and wild animals. Erebus, god of darkness. Amor, god of love, procreation, and sexual desire. Ceres, goddess of the harvest. Dionysus, god of wine and pleasure. Hades, god of the dead, king of the underworld. Hecate, goddess of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, and the undead. Hephaestus, god of fire and blacksmithing. Created the weapons of the gods. Hera, queen of goddesses, women, and marriage. Hermes is the god of commerce and travel. Messenger of the gods. Hypnos, god of sleep. Kratos is a god of strength and power. Mania, goddess of insanity and the dead. Nyx, goddess of the night. Pan, god of woods, fields, and flocks. Also, a satyr. Persephone, goddess of the spring. She lives off-season in the underworld. Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes. Thanatos, the god of death. Zeus was, the leader of the Olympian gods and the god of lightning, thunder, and the heavens. Then there were the three fates as well. Aisa, Nona, and Deama; past, present, and future.
Liliana took all of the gods in as a thought occurred to her. “Artemis. What am I doing here if this is a council for the gods and goddesses?”
Artemis smiled brightly. “I’m glad you asked Liliana,” she sighed and pulled Liliana in for a hug. “This meeting concerns you, dear. I thought you should be here because it was all about you and your friends. We would love your input on a couple of things as well.”
Liliana nodded in shock. She didn’t understand why but she wasn’t going to argue with a goddess.
“Alright, everyone,” Zeus said in a booming voice like thunder. “Finally, everyone is here. So let’s start the meeting.”
As everyone sat down, a long table appeared in front of them. The table had a map of the world covering the entirety of it, along with drinks and small snacks for everyone.
“Where are we with this war, Artemis? You seem to be behind this wolf’s success,” Zeus said, gesturing to Liliana.
Artemis smiled. “I’ll let Liliana tell everyone what’s happening down on earth now. After all, she is the leader of our side of the war.”
Artemis gave Liliana an encouraging smile as she stood up. Liliana cleared her throat. “Um. Well, we managed to save the demigod Anna from Uranus. We almost didn’t make it because of a witch and chimera. My beloved and I managed to take out the Chimera by me shifting into a pegasus and flying him above it. Then we turned to help our friends with the witch. She had managed to summon seven hellhounds from the underworld. Thankfully, I could tame the hounds once we had killed the witch. They are now with me, patrolling the border of my territory.”
“Thank you for saving my daughter,” Apollo said from his seat next to Artemis. “I was utterly concerned for her. She’s quite the daughter if I say so myself,” he said proudly.
Liliana gave a small smile. “She is quite an amazing girl from what I have seen. She is courageous.”
Apollo grinned proudly. “Thank you.”
“How were you able to change into a pegasus if you’re a wolf?” Poseidon demanded with a glare.
Liliana looked to Artemis for help.
“Hades and I gave her the gift. I thought that it could help her succeed in leading our army to victory,” Artemis stated as she glared right back at him.
“That was not your gift to give Artemis!” Poseidon shouted as he stood up.
Artemis stood her ground as she crossed her arms. “We are at war here, Poseidon. So I didn’t think it would be such a bad idea to give her every tool she could get to win. After all, if Atlas destroys everything on Earth, we’re next. And you know that he will have an army that we will not be able to defeat. Unless we have the help of demigods and wolves like Liliana.”
Poseidon grumbled. “Fine. She can keep the gift. But once she gets old and dies,” he paused as he considered his words. “If she lives through this war, the gift ends with her and returns to me. It is for me to give to my children. Not you.”
Artemis waved him off. “Okay, whatever. The gift ends with her. Once she passes away, it will return to you.”
Hecate stood up. “I sense magic in this one’s bloodline,” she said as she looked at Liliana. “Potent magic.”
Liliana frowned. “My parents were both wolves. They had no magic,” she stated.
Hecate shrugged. “Whether your parents had magic or not, it runs through your veins as much as your blood does. You will need a wizard to train you.”
“I already have a wizard who can help,” Liliana said.
“Okay. Is there anything else we should know?” Ares asked, wanting the meeting to be over.
Liliana gulped past the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “Adrestia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, has taken Anna’s place underneath Uranus.”
Aphrodite gasped as tears sprang to her eyes. Ares gripped the edge of the table, trying to control his anger. After a minute, he couldn’t hold it in. Ares shouted in rage as he threw the long table into the lake. “That wasn’t necessary,” Apollo grumbled as he folded his arms over his stomach.
Ares growled and appeared in front of Liliana. He wrapped his hand around her slim throat and squeezed tightly. “What did you say to get her to trade places with that demigod?” He demanded furiously.
Liliana gripped his wrist with both of her hands. “I didn’t say anything,” she gasped with wide eyes. “She was waiting for me. Daedalus and Prometheus led us there, and Adrestia was ready to do it. I asked her several times if she was sure, and she almost hit me. She volunteered.” Liliana choked out with tears in her eyes.
Artemis pulled an arrow out of her quiver and aimed it at Ares. “Let her go, Ares. None of this is her fault. Your daughter volunteered to trade places with that demigod. It was her decision.”
Ares squeezed Liliana’s throat tighter. She gasped as he said. “If she hadn’t gone looking for her, then she wouldn’t have had to trade places with that girl,” Ares said with gritted teeth.
Aphrodite gently placed her hand on his arm. “Let her go, Ares. It was Adrestia’s choice. She would not want us to harm this young woman just because of something that she chose to do. She decided to trade places with young Anna because she knew she could save that girl’s life. Honor her for that by letting Liliana go.”
Ares growled and looked at Liliana. Her face had turned red, and she was barely getting air into her lungs. He released her and let her fall to the ground. Apollo was quick to catch her before she hit the ground. He held her and called over his son Asklepios.
Asklepios looked her over and sighed. “She’s going to be fine. She needs to drink a lot of water. Her throat is going to be sore and bruised. Even when she wakes up, they will be there for everyone to see.”
“Great,” Artemis groaned. “Now I’m going to have her beloved get all pissed off because you decided to strangle his mate for something that your daughter chose to do,” she said to Ares as she put the arrow away.
Ares glowered at her. “I’m sure you would have done the same, Artemis. Don’t even start with me.”
“Please,” Artemis said. “You’re so irrational all of the time. You don’t stop to think before you do something violent.”
A sword appeared in his hands. “Shall we see just how good you are with that bow Artemis?” Ares growled out.
Artemis set up another arrow and aimed it at his chest. “Try me, Ares. Let’s see who gets hit first,” she said in a deathly calm voice.
Zeus’s voice thundered over them. “Enough! You are all acting like children.”
Artemis looked over at him for a minute. “You should tell Ares to learn how to control his temper. He just caused a huge problem that I always hate dealing with,” she growled in agitation.
Zeus sighed. “Ares, sit down. Adrestia chose her path. You know that as well as we do,” he looked at Artemis. “We need to talk with Liliana about what’s going to happen next. Then she can go back to her beloved.”
Artemis groaned as she looked at Asklepios. “Could you heal those bruises around her neck?”
Asklepios shook his head with a frown. “No. I can’t. It’s strange. Usually, I have no problem healing bruises like these, but it’s like her body won’t let me heal her.”
Hecate shook her head. “It’s the magic in her veins. It’s so powerful her body repels other types of magic, even if someone is trying to heal her. She could walk into a wizard’s fire and come out of the other side unscathed” she shrugged. “With her wolf, though, I’m sure she’ll heal in no time.”
Artemis sighed. “Cayden is going to be pissed. That’s just fantastic,” she muttered.
Zeus ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. “Okay. What are we going to have Liliana and her army do next?”
“Well, as far as I know, she has several vampire covens and most of the wolves coming to her aid. Some refuse to participate in the war and are hiding. Others are siding with Atlas.” Artemis explained.
Zeus nodded. “Atlas will have more than vampires and wolves on his side, Artemis. You should know that.”
“I do,” Artemis nodded as she sat down with Liliana’s head in her lap. “I put all the information into Liliana’s head, where she can find them and how she can get them to side with her. I’ve also told her which ones are already on Atlas’s side. So she has all of the information and has already made a plan.”
“What is her oh-so-clever plan?” Ares asked with a scowl on his face.
“Once the other wolves and vampires make it to her camp, she will be sending out small parties to go to each different location. Once there, they will find the necessary creatures and ask them to join their side,” Artemis said.
“If they refuse?” Ares demanded.
“Then the wolves will talk to one of the alphas and alert them on what is happening. After that, they will tell Liliana, and she will teleport there to talk to them personally.”
“That’s a pretty big risk, isn’t it?” Aphrodite asked as she wiped her tears away.
“Liliana is willing to take it,” Artemis said as she glared at Ares. “She doesn’t think her life is above any of the others. She will do what is required to save the world as we know it.”
Zeus grinned. “I like this one. You were smart to pick her for this.”
“I didn’t pick her. It just happened,” Artemis hissed out through clenched teeth. “This prophecy wasn’t supposed to happen for another hundred years or so.”
“Whatever. Let’s send Liliana home. This meeting is over,” Zeus said as he stood up.