Galen

Galen
Lucifer

“Excuse me?” I gritted my teeth, feeling the burn in the back of my throat.

“I didn’t link you because I can’t, Lucifer. There is a ward keeping all communications inside the Celestial Palace. I’m not sure who is doing it, but I need you to get a message to Ares. Both Ares and Mariah haven’t slept, and I need to get a message to him.” My father paced away from me, rubbing his stubbled chin.

“I want them to check Tartarus,” father paused, glancing over his shoulder. “To see if Kronos is still locked away.” My mouth hung open at his words.

“You don’t think?” Father’s jaw ticked, shaking his head. “I think he’s out. I’m almost sure of it. This power, this evil someone is using, is stifling.”  

Stepping back to the bed, I pushed Uriel’s hair away from her face. I can’t let her get caught. I can’t go up there. “She can’t leave here,” I muttered. “I won’t let anyone have her.”

Father’s careful steps to the bed had my back stiffen. “And we won’t. She is family. She will be protected once the twelve arrive to overpower this. If you don’t willingly take her, I’m worried about what Zeus will do to get her there.” Father sat at the end of the bed, even with my glare. “It isn’t just us, the humans and supernaturals could be at risk.”

“Zeus is doing this?” Father shook his head, rubbing his mating mark.

“It is the body of Zeus, at least I think it is. Or it is Kronos impersonating him?” I sighed heavily, looking at Uriel.

“Get the message to Ares.” Father spoke firmly. I hummed in agreement as he left the bed. Before I knew what was happening, I was laying in the tub with Uriel on my chest.

My eyes blinked, only seeing torches dimming in the bathroom. Night must have fallen, and we had spent the entire afternoon in the tub. The water, still warm from my body, I sat up with Uriel who continued to sleep soundly.

Drying her and putting her to bed, I tucked her in and gave a chaste kiss on her forehead. Her body leaned into me, ready for me to slip beside her, but I had work to do. Placing one of my shirts over a pillow, she grabbed it instantly and hugged it closed. Chuckling, I left the room, locking it and using a magical ward to keep her safe. I’ll know if anyone comes in or out of that room.

Going cross the hallway, I find Loki, still with the door open with a headset on and playing a game. He’s yelling and throwing curse words loud enough for the entire hallway to hear.

Pulling the head set off, he growled as his horns and feathers sprouted from his head. “Come on feather brain, father has given us work to do.” Loki groaned in annoyance but knew never to mess with father and the duties he gives us.

As we walked down the hall, feathers spilled on the floor as he shook out his arms. “Dumb, stupid feather shit,” he grumbled as we went to find Silas.

Silas’ tentacles could be heard popping through the main entryway. The floral arrangement filled with bright flowers and sponges was being arranged. His hand movements were smooth and slow, like he was actually underwater.

Approaching, Silas turned and gave a fanged smile. It then faded once he saw our determined faces.

“Silas, we need your help.”

 



Uriel

I hugged Luci’s smell again, only to find it super squishy. I mean, really squishy, and my Luci was not supposed to be. Looking at the black covered pillow with Luci’s shirt, I huffed, throwing it to the ground.

He left me here after we just ‘did it.’ The sheets flew over the bed. I was clean, and my hair slightly damp, I realized I was clean from our ‘activities.’ I giggled, running to the closet bum naked to change into a long yellow dress. It had capped sleeves and fell just above my knee. I was really loving the dresses that Parisa had picked out for me.

Prancing to the door, I opened it, only to find it extremely heavy. Grunting, I could pull it open just enough to slip through, and it slammed shut as soon as I got out. That was super heavy.

Dusting off my hands, I went exploring, since Luci wasn’t around. I mean, seriously, he left me in that room and didn’t cuddle me at all. I should be super mad right now, but the enormous light blue halls and deep green squishy carpet were something else to behold.

My toes squished into the sea sponge material so much I could almost bounce around the hallway. Taking the opposite direction from which we came, I stumbled upon a hallway full of doors with laughter on the other side of one of them.

Being one for laughter, I cracked the door open to see a ton of creatures just like Silas and that crazy spider guy. This time there are centaurs, a minotaur, and a satyr. I thought they were all made-up stories, but here they were.

My wide eyes caught the sight of the big Minotaur who was drinking out of a large bucket because his hands were too large to hold on to the a glass.

“Well, there she is, the woman we have been talking about.” I squeaked, shutting the door and tried to run back to my room. Pulling on the door handle, the pounding of feet, hooves and slithers on the carpet had me panicking as I tried to pull the door again.

“We will not hurt you,” the little satyr, the half goat half human, put his hand on my arm. His eyes looked that of a goat with the funny slits in them.

“He’s right, we’re not,” the Minotaur’s gruff voice was muffled by the huge nose ring in his nose. His eyes narrowed, looking me up and down. “She’s quite small. Do you think Silas was right and we are to have one of these as a mate? I think I would break one.”

“Oh flower,” I whispered. “I,..I have mated already!” The hisses from the snakes and the loud goat neigh from the satyr had me nervously chuckling.

“Not you,” the Minotaur boomed.

“Silas found out what mates were and once we are allowed to go to the surface, we will find ours!” The satyr said hurriedly. The Minotaur said he was friendly, but he looked absolutely terrifying.

Those poor women had to be mated to these monsters.

“Come now, we are celebrating. Why don’t you join us?” I gulped as the Satyr pulled my hand. “I’m Rhos,” he gave a fanged smile.

Why does everyone need fangs?!

“I’m Uriel,” I muttered as they pulled me down the hall. Everyone was so excited to see me, their names came to me in a blur. The Minotaur said little, he just clopped his hooves against the ground while the snakes stayed near him. The rest of the creatures, the nicer-looking ones, stayed near me trying to comfort my beating heart.

“Thanks to you, we get to leave this place. Not that it isn’t terrible. We love working here, but we always felt like something was missing.” The monsters hummed in agreement as they brought me into the room I peeked in earlier.

It had televisions, pool tables, a food buffet, and games spread out on the tables. “We were celebrating!” Rhos pulled me to the couch and had me sit down. The snakes used their own massive tails to sit on themselves as a make-shift chair. Their slitted eyes looked at me up and down, the tongue slinking out of their mouths.

I’m going to puke. Putting my hand over my mouth, Rhos only laughed, bringing a plate of food to me. Raw meat and grass were on either side.

“Not sure what you would like, so I got a little of everything.” I stared at the plate, taking much too long to take it from him, causing awkward silence.

“T-thank you?” I questioned, and put it back down on the table. “I just ate though, I’m very full,” I lied, rubbing my stomach. It rumbled at the right time and the Minotaur chucked in the corner with his bulging arms crossing his body.

“She eats like master, not like us.” The spider we saw earlier squeezed his legs through the door. His dark exoskeleton clicked as six of his legs hit the floor, two of the shorter legs were couched near his body and his arms were almost as long as his legs.

I froze, watching the sharp fangs that clasped in the front of his face horizontally. He could open and close them like pitchers. “Flowers,” I whimpered.

Rhos sat close to me, and at that moment, I really wanted Luci here. I knew they would not hurt me, but they gave me the heebie jeebies!

“Goddess Uriel?” the spider came closer, and I leaned back into the couch as best I could. “Uh, huh?” I hummed, barely.

“Master has yet to give me a name, and with the new information about gaining a mate, I would like to have a name that would attract one.” His claspers pinched together, his mouth barely moving, but the hint of teeth on the inside of his mouth made me think he was smiling. “Will you give me a name?” Monsters in the room went quiet. One even dropped the bucket he was eating out of in the corner.

“A name?” The spider lowered himself to my level, leaning over the table. He was certainly different and gave no ill-intent as he rubbed his hands together.

“Please?” he twilled.

“That isn’t fair,” one centaur said. “He will get the upper hand with a better name!” He threw his hands out. The monsters growled for him to hush as the room went silent again.

A name so special it makes his mate want him? I don’t know one woman alive that would want to be mated to this creature. My mom hated spiders; in fact, she had a special ward cast around our house to keep the creepy crawlies out.

As they all patiently waited, I ran through names in my head. Something that a woman would find attractive and it’s all on me. My hands went to my face, feeling the burn as everyone watched.

“Little goddess, I will not blame you if my mate rejects me.” His long arm went out to touch my shoulder. He pulled it back, using his finger to test my skin. “So soft,” he muttered until the door burst open with my flaming mate.

His wings extended from his body and there was a fire in his footsteps as he walked in. The room grew dark and Loki stood at the doorway in awe. “Look at all, you guys! You are outstanding!” Loki raised his fists in triumph. “Anyone wanna play some video games!?” A feather flew out of his mouth as he coughed in excitement.

Luci wasn’t scared of the big spider guy. He pulled me up and gripped me around his waist. “Listen here spider, she’s mine,” he growled. His heavy pants pushed my hair in front of my face as I spat it away.

“Anansi,” I whispered. The spider clicked his pinchers. Luci’s eyes caught mine. “They are called Anansi and his name is Galen.” I smiled up at the not-so-scary spider. He leaned backward, sitting back on his abdomen. The noise in his throat chittered and squealed as he backed away.

“It means ‘calm,’ in Greek. I think you mate would appreciate that.” I hummed, pulling Luci back to me. Now that he was here, I felt safer in his arms.

Luci sighed heavily, pushing his hair back. “Why do you even put shirts on?” I question him. “You always rip them off. What does your mom say when you do it all the time?” He chuckled, pulling me into a kiss.

“You’re something else, you know that?” Shaking his head. “And I guess since we are bonded now my wards don’t work on you.” Luci’s attention was drawn to Loki trying to take Rhos out the door to play games. His loud hooves against the granite did nothing to conceal themselves.

“Loki,” Luci barked, waving him back in. “We have a mission, now isn’t the time.” Loki rolled his eyes, walking back in.

“Well, can we at least take these guys?” Loki’s thumb pointed outward, waving it around the monsters behind him.

Luci cocked a smile and nodded. “I don’t think it would be a bad idea at all.”

“No,” Poseidon strolled in, wearing his god-like attire. A sheeted white cloth, with a triton in hand. His belt holding the fabric to his body was of thick eel leather and a ball of water in his hand.