It usually did.

  Chapter Two

  The men drew lots to determine the order of our weddings. Banning won the first slot, with Torin coming next, then Declan, and, finally, Darcraxis. Darc wasn't thrilled about having to go last, but I pointed out that we were technically married already, in a way far more intimate than I'd ever have with the rest of them. We had committed ourselves to each other when we were Gods; blending our souls to consummate our union. Darcraxis consoled himself with that.

  Things went fairly quickly after the order was established and within a week, I found myself standing at the end of an aisle, staring up it at Banning. We were on Earth, in the banquet hall of Banning's country club, the Crouching Lion, and all of my non-Shining One friends and family were there. My lovers were, of course, in attendance, but they were trying to keep a low profile and allow Banning to have his special day. Beside my lovers sat Sirens, Spellsingers, Blooders, Witches, and Gods. Well, not true Gods but beneathers who are considered to be Gods by humans. The Greek Pantheon is like an extended family to me; my mother is a siren. So, several Greek Gods had showed up, but the Gods I considered to be immediate family sat in the first row, across the aisle from my lovers and mother; Persephone and Hades along with my bestie Cerberus and his date, Freya. Oh, and next to Freya sat one angel; my ex-boyfriend, Raphael.

  Unfortunately, my Aunt Alexandra couldn't make it. She had been resurrected as an asrai and couldn't stray far from water for long. But we'd been able to accommodate our other guests and their special needs. Despite the fact that Banning and his gura could withstand sunlight, we decided to have the ceremony at night so blooders from other guras could attend. The marriage of a Blooder Prince is a big deal and most of the Guras (Blooder Clans) had not only sent representatives but had also sent their Ghearas (their leaders) to show their support. There were only a few I knew personally; like Gheara Giovanni who was there with his date Ilasande and a few others from the Sofia Gura. Their presence made the absence of one particular blooder very apparent; King Sorin. We hadn't invited Banning's father to the wedding. Call me petty but once someone tries to kill me, I don't want to celebrate anything with them.

  Soft music began to drift over the crowd, and I glanced to my left to grin at my Uncle Eilener; his chin squished against a violin as expertly played it. My father held his arm out to me, and I took it with a glance at his proud face. Who would have thought that Robert Scorcher, fire witch and husband to a siren, would be proud of his daughter for marrying a blooder? Before I'd gotten with Banning, both of my parents had considered Blooders to be a parasitic subclass of Beneathers. But Banning had steadily changed their opinion of his people and of himself, in particular. Now, my parents adored him.

  I turned my stare resolutely forward. I wanted Banning to feel as if he were the only man in my life, at least for today, and so I held his gaze as I made my way down the aisle. It wasn't hard to do; Banning looked magnificent in his tuxedo. The blooder blond of his hair—a supernatural true gold—gleamed against the soft black. He'd swept it back into a sleek ponytail and the hairstyle made his features stand out sharply; the lines of his strong jaw and regal nose looking chiseled in the low lights. As I drew closer, I could finally see the ivy glow of his eyes, filled with sublime happiness.

  Everything else became a blur for me; the silk-draped room, the massive bouquets of orchids and roses, and the rows of guests to either side of me. All I saw was Banning. Something inside me stirred—the pieces of me that had been Fortune—and a profound satisfaction saturated my body from my chest outward. I had been waiting for this moment for as long as Banning had. It felt like the culmination of two lifetimes.

  I was suddenly glad for the veil; it hid the tears I had to blink away. But when I joined Banning on the little dais at the end of the aisle, his blooder-enhanced vision easily picked up the sheen over my eyes He smiled tenderly—as if my happy tears were the greatest wedding gift of all—and took my hand from my father. Dad kissed my cheek through the veil and then went to join Mom; nestling in against her folded, sable wings. I passed my bouquet to my maid of honor; my Aunt Adelaid. She took the flowers and stood quietly to the side in her emerald gown; looking magnificent as always. It didn't hurt that the gown complimented her green gaze and made her blonde hair gleam. But it was Banning's brilliant stare, not hers, that I'd been trying to match when I'd chosen the color. I'd decided to keep things simple and pick wedding colors based on my grooms' aligned jewels or, in Banning's case, on his eyes.

  Banning and I turned to Odin, who was officiating the ceremony for us. We had gone traditional with our vows; short and sweet. Frankly, the last thing I wanted to do was have to memorize lines on my wedding day... and then come up with four different versions of them. No, thank you. I'd inevitably mess them up. Or worse; mix them up. It was enough for me to vow to love Banning and hear him make me the same promise. We did have to remove the “forsaking all others” line, though. I don't think anyone noticed; I sure didn't. I was too focused on Banning.

  We exchanged rings—Banning got a standard gold band while the one he slid on my finger was ultra-thin and crimson (I had to fit three more so we'd made them slim)—and then Banning lifted my veil, removing the misty film from my vision. The world came into sharp focus, enhancing the feeling that something momentous had happened. I understood it then; the ritual and the costumes. As the Great Bard once said; The play is the thing. This play was meant to make its participants feel truly bonded. As I kissed my new husband, I did. I felt united to him in a way that no magic could have achieved. As much as I loved Gage and his apathy toward weddings, I now disagreed with him. This was necessary. And I needed it as much as Banning did.

  “I present to you; the married couple!” Odin announced.

  Odin couldn't go with the usual; Mr. and Mrs. since I wasn't taking Banning's last name but the effect was dramatic enough. The guests collectively cheered and as Banning escorted me down the aisle, they tossed flower petals over us in a sweet-smelling blessing. Banning beamed as he led me straight to the club's restaurant. The excess decor—statues, vases, potted plants, and the like—had been removed to make room for more tables and a special table for the wedding party had been placed along one wall. I smiled at the setup; it looked expensive. A small, round table sat in one corner with a three-tiered cake dominating it; a vampire couple for the cake topper as our little joke. White and green linens covered the tables and flowers arrangements that matched those in the hall decorated the room and served as centerpieces.

  Banning and I stopped at the restaurant's door and waited for our guests to join us. Adelaid, Odin, and Banning's best man, Arnold, had followed us down the aisle and took up positions beside us to form the rest of our greeting line. We thanked all of our guests for coming before they stepped into the room; a process especially important with the visiting blooder ghearas. The hall was emptying from the back to the front so my parents and lovers were at the end of the crowd with Cerberus, Freya, Persephone, Hades, and Raphael. We ended up in a jumble, hugging and exchanging pleasantries as my father grinned and my mother cried.

  And that was when they struck.

  It was perfectly timed. My lovers, friends, and parents had just stepped into the room, leaving the Lord and Lady of the Underworld to bring up the rear with Banning and me. Our numerous, powerful guests were busy finding their tables or placing drink orders at the bar, my lovers had moved along quickly to be as discreet in their presence as possible, and my father was focused on his blissfully weeping wife. The only ones paying attention to things going on outside the restaurant were the four of us who had yet to go inside.

  We were disabled in thirty seconds.

  One moment, I was smiling at Banning and the next, he lay crumpled at my feet as a cold sensation settled around my throat. The chill rapidly spread through my body; making a prime part of me go numb. I knew that feeling and horror invaded me along with the numbing sensation as I swung about to face my attacker.

  “Agata?” I asked in shock.

  My eyes went wide as her snake-hair shivered around her, little heads lifting to hiss spitefully at me. I didn't have the time or forethought to sing, and I knew I was about to bite the big one. But it turned out that I was wrong. I wasn't the one doing the biting at all.

  One of those tiny snakes shot out and bit me. Its venom raced through my veins like acid. Even with my magic repressed by the collar, I was still an immortal beneather and gorgon venom wouldn't kill me. It did, however, paralyze me completely. The only movement I could manage was a blink as a minotaur picked me up and ran out of the country club with me.

  I heard Cerberus roar, and I knew all hell was about to break loose; quite literally. But then I saw who was being carried off beside me, and I had to rethink that. Hades and Persephone wore matching magic-suppressing collars around their throats and astonished expressions on their faces.

  The Lord and Lady of the Underworld had been abducted along with me. Hell was coming with us.

  Chapter Three

  They took us to Hades. The sheer audacity of the act astounded me. They had abducted the Lord of the Underworld and his lady and took them to the place they were at their most powerful? Who did that?

  I'll tell you who; Hydra.

  Every race has their way of traveling through the Veil to other realms. The Shining Ones have their stones, or if they're powerful enough they can simply open portals, the Aaruns use stationary transports, the Angels use their wings, and the Greeks use keys. I don't have a key; I never needed one. My mother has a key; a golden, antique looking thing that's actually a highly advanced piece of technology that opens paths through the Veil. Only the most important Greeks have keys; the rest of them have to barter for rides off-planet. Hydra, it seemed, was important.

  The Gates of Hades opened to us. Not because its rulers were there or because Hydra had a key, but because Hydra was the key. She's the Guardian of the Gate—a position she took after Hades fired Cerberus—and the Gate obeyed her. If I could have, I would have gaped at Cerberus' sister as she nodded in satisfaction to her cohorts and then grinned at her boss.

  “Don't worry, Hades,” Hydra said to him. “We'll only bother you long enough to get the god orbs. Then we'll leave you and your little lady alone.” Her gaze transferred to me. “Now, you, Ellie, should worry.” She glanced at the motley group of Greek monsters who had abducted us. “Let's get them to the palace.”

  Centaurs, Satyrs, Cyclops, and Harpies filled the ranks, in addition to the Gorgons and Minotaurs. And yes, there is more than one Minotaur. I know what the myths say but, as often is the case, the myths are wrong. They are stories while the truth stood before me. An ugly, bull-headed truth.

  And the Minotaurs were the least of my worries.

  Hydra was after the orbs containing Darc's and my magic. I don't know how she had found out about them, but she had. Unless Hades had another pair of orbs imprisoning god-magic that he was hiding. And then there was the obvious threat to my person. I had a pretty good idea where this was going. Somewhere bloody. I just didn't know what they thought they could do with my god magic or which god they were trying to free.

  On the long walk to Hades' and Persephone's palace, the gorgon venom wore off, and Hades began to struggle. The centaur who'd been carrying him bucked Hades off his back and before Hades could get to his feet, a cyclops picked him up and forced him forward. Persephone and I stayed still and exchanged grim looks.

  “You have all made a horrible mistake,” Hades growled as he reached for the collar.

  “I wouldn't do that,” the cyclops holding him said smugly. “You tamper with the collar and it goes boom. You catch?”

  Hades' hands went still.

  “He's telling the truth,” I confirmed before Hades called the Cyclops' bluff. “This is the same kind of collar they used on me in the Zone.”

  “The very same.” Agata giggled. “I stole them from the Gargoyles.

  “Lovely.” I rolled my eyes. “Care to share anything else? Like who you're trying to release? I'm assuming you want to use my blood to set a god free.”

  Hydra had abducted us in her more human form; blonde, busty, and athletic with a scale pattern adorning her pale skin and a pair of hypnotic, turquoise eyes. But despite her human tongue, she hissed at us as well as she did in her more reptilian body.

  “Who do you think?” Hydra asked in a way that implied that not only should we know, but we were also somehow responsible for their captivity.

  “No,” Persephone whispered. “You can't release him without releasing all of them.”

  “Why do you think we need her goddess magic?” Hydra jerked her thumb at me. “It's going to take more than blood to open those gates.”

  “Which gates?” I asked. “What's she talking about, Persephone.”

  “The Titans,” Hades growled. “She wants to free her father.”

  “Her father,” I whispered. “And Cerberus' father. You're talking about Typhon?”

  “All he did was protect his parents,” Hydra snapped at me, “and they tossed him in that hole for it. It's about time for a new regime. Or an old one, rather. It's time for the Titans to return.”

  So, two out of the three of us were responsible. Hades and Persephone had both helped to imprison the Titans.

  “Go ahead and kill me,” Hades said boldly. “I won't help you. And as far as any orbs; I don't know what you're talking about.”

  Hydra laughed scornfully. “I thought you might say that. Which is why we grabbed Persephone too.”

  Hydra's gaze slid maliciously toward Persephone.

  Hades roared, “You will not touch her!”

  “I will fucking slice her apart!” Hydra roared back at him. “Piece by piece. I will dismantle your precious wife until you give me the orbs.”

  Hades went pale and stumbled.

  “You can't use that magic,” I said calmly. “If you destroy the orbs, the power will return to Darcraxis and me. It won't help you.”

  “Usually, yes.” Hydra went calm as well. “But I intend to toss them into the churning gates of Tartarus. The magic won't have a chance to return to you; it will be consumed by the lock. The rush of opposing magic will them destroy the barrier.”

  “Who told you that?” Persephone asked suspiciously. “Why are you so confident this will work?”

  “My grandmother told me.” Hydra smirked. “Gaia herself showed me how to free the Titans and promised that all who helped me would be given positions of honor in the new world.”

  “Positions of honor beneath her heel,” Hades spat the words at Hydra. “Don't you remember why we put them in Tartarus? They abused their power. They enslaved us.”

  “They've had awhile to think things over.” Hydra shrugged. “Stewing in the depths of Tartarus can change anyone. I have no doubt that my grandmother will be grateful.”

  “She's not your grandmother.” Persephone shook her head. “Gaia is our true goddess. She created your father; she didn't give birth to him.”

  “I won't argue semantics with you,” Hydra said. “This is really very simple; you can give me the orbs or you can die, and I'll take my chances with only the Spellsinger's blood. Maybe if I toss her in, she'll explode.”

  And they say your wedding day is supposed to be the best day of your life. Or at least the most romantic. It's a good thing I had three more shots at it. Although, I wasn't sure I'd get them.

  Chapter Four

  The Palace of Hades loomed before us in Greek glory. I'd been there several times before but it had never looked so ominous. Columns resembling prison bars lined the front, windows like dark, disapproving eyes peppered it, and its black stone walls absorbed the light and held it hostage. Even the landscape seemed darker, as if it knew its lord and lady were in jeopardy. I stared off toward the endless horizon where the shores of Oceanus lay. If Hydra got her way, we'd be heading out there soon; to Tartarus.

  The Greek Realm, originally known as the Greca Realm, is home to several planets but only two of them hosted life; Olympus and Styx. Hades ruled Styx from the continent that shared his name. He'd been the only god willing to live with the creatures of Styx; the same creatures who now held him prisoner. Hades and Persephone originally came from Olympus; the home planet of the Greek Gods. But when the “Gods” had imprisoned the real Gods—Gaia and Uranus—as well as their Titan supporters in the heart of Tartarus—the other major continent on Styx—they needed someone to play the role of warden. Someone powerful enough to stop a prison break if one should ever be attempted. And so, Hades had moved to Styx—stealing Persephone away from her mother in the process—and named a damn continent after himself. Yeah; he's even more arrogant than Slate.

  But he's still family.

  And he was also correct. I'd heard stories of Gaia and Uranus from my mother; how they had become cruel rulers who tortured their children for every imagined slight. Mom had always grouped them together with their first children, the Titans, and it never occurred to me that they had been true Gods; the creators of the Greca Realm. Now that I knew my own history, I saw the truth hidden inside the myths, and I wondered how many other such stories hid Gods and their truths.