“You could have kept me here with you,” I said. “Why did you give me up and send me to Earth?”
“Your life is beyond this ivory tower,” she said softly. “I wanted you to have the freedom to choose the life you want.”
My heart warmed. Mom had been the true leader who led the fallen angels to war so they could gain their freedom. She’d been punished, betrayed, and cast out of heaven after she lost the war. She’d wanted me to have the same gift of freedom that she cherished more than anything.
“Most important, the Void wasn’t safe for you at that time,” she said. “I was greatly weakened from giving birth, and you weren’t like any other baby. You were the most glorious little angel, with both archangel and Titan blood. But all the gods of all the worlds wouldn’t allow the existence of a superior being like you. They decreed someone like you as an abomination because they were afraid when you came to power, you could tear any god and world apart. You alone can shatter their rules and remake the world if you so choose.”
My mouth fell open. I knew I had power, sure, but remake the world?
“But as a baby,” Mom continued, “you were defenseless and innocent, and I wasn’t powerful enough to protect you. Every thousand years, the original gods—Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon—would visit the Void to make sure the Titans were still locked up in their eternal prison. If they learned about your existence when they came to the Void, they’d have killed you, and their visit was due.”
“Did they come?”
Mom shook her head. “They were delayed for decades. I have a feeling they’ll be here any time now. I do not wish you to meet them while you’re here. You’re powerful, Daughter, but you came to power recently. You aren’t ready to battle them yet. You’ll need more training. Given more time, we can meet them head to head and take them down. When the day comes and you grow into a great power, you’ll rock their every foundation. You’ll be the queen of all the gods and all the worlds. All will fear and worship you, my Belle.”
“Uh, Mom, I don’t want to rule the worlds or gods,” I said. “It’ll be too much work to keep the pricks in check. It’s not worth my mental health.”
“I can assist you, Daughter. I know how to rule them.”
“I’m not really ambitious.” I looked at her sheepishly for being such a disappointment, but I was also stubborn to have my way. “I just want to live peacefully with my mates. But Mom, when I met you in the Dreamscape, I promised you I’d come to the Void and get you out of here. I’ll keep my vow.”
She’d come to me when I was trapped in Hell, losing every sliver of hope and myself. And she’d taught me how to feed from Hell’s inferno.
She didn’t raise me like a human mother, but she’d done her best for me.
“Dearest,” Mom said, her eyes sparkling with amusement and her smile doting. “I need no rescue. I’m at home. The Realm of the Ivory Tower has the purest energy and magic in the universe. I don’t even need to travel in space to see the worlds. The universe unfolds before me in my tower. I can easily reach the end of the galaxies with my fingertips.”
The teacup in her hand morphed to a wine glass with red liquid inside. She twirled the stem of the crystal with her delicate hand.
“I’ve lived my life to its fullest, child,” she said daintily, and there was an almost untraceable melancholy in her darkly enchanting voice. “There’s nothing new under every sun and every star in the broad universe, except you. I can call no place home save the Void. There isn’t much life for me anywhere else anymore.”
Mom had grown weary of the outside world, but I could see her point. In this realm, she was the queen of everything. Magic flowed vibrantly here, tasting like the aged wine in her glass. Reality bent to her will.
“The Void stripped our powers and siphoned my mates’ energy,” I said. “How do you manage to keep yours, Mom? We need to get our powers back to survive whatever comes our way.”
“A reward.” She smiled at me, showing all pearl-white teeth. “I gave birth to the child of the Void. The alien beings don’t have their powers in this realm, but you’re the Princess of the Void. Your power isn’t gone, but on hold. You just need to be initiated properly since your power works differently in this realm. You commanded the beasts and stopped their attack before you jumped off the cliff. That’s your power.”
I had felt the stir of variant magic in my well. And the monsters had listened to me. Mom was probably right.
“I didn’t jump,” I said. “That asswipe war god dragged me with him and I almost strained my ankle.”
“You need to stake your claim on your birthright in the Void to become more powerful, Belle,” she said. “But there’s a catch. If you become too mighty and bright and magnificent, the Void won’t let you leave. You need to manage the fine line. I’d love to have you here with me and take care of you, but I know it won’t be your heart’s desire. It’s not your path.”
“Did you see me sometimes through the spyglass?” I asked.
“All the time, daughter,” she said, her voice soft and lethal, and tears glistening in her silver eyes, “until I couldn’t bear to see you suffer. Those were the only times I felt powerless and helpless because I couldn’t go to you. I couldn’t bear your pain for you.”
“You came to my Dreamland, Mom. You helped me survive Hell when it mattered.”
“I should have done more.”
I traced my gaze to the glass walls.
“Can you show me Earth?”
A wave sailed over the glass wall, exploding into fire and smoke. And I watched the collapsing of Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the longest suspension bridge that connected Staten Island, where Half-Blood Academy was situated, and Brooklyn. Steel, concrete, and cables tore apart, plummeting into the ocean beneath. The scene changed, showing humans marching against humans with swords, guns, and missiles. War broke out in every corner of the world.
“Your demigods aren’t on Earth anymore,” Mom said. “Their absence created a power vacuum. The generals and commanders who used to serve Ares and your demigods are taking advantage of the opportunity to seize power for themselves.”