The Titan War God Returns

The Return

Iron was still waiting on the Titans when the sound sneaked into his eardrums.

Melodious and soothing to the soul.

“Where is the coming from?” Iron asked.

“From the blind girl,” he was told.

“What blind girl?” Iron asked, confused.

It was not until the question had already gone out of his mouth that he realized that they were talking about Jane.

“Her name is Jane,” Iron corrected them tightly.

“Yes, Lord Dante.”

Iron got up and followed the sound and it led him to the room that she had been given, and where he had spoken to her the last time.

When Iron entered the room, she didn’t stop. She kept playing.

She was gazing out through the windows as though she could see what was going on outside or what nature held out there, and the way her delicate fingers strung the strings of her guitar, matching the rhythm of the song she was playing to warmed Iron’s heart.

Not only that, it also made Iron to remember just how he and Hera had met.

It happened in the most unusual way.

As the king of the Titans, Iron had already dedicated himself to serving his clan. He was not interested in anything else. He understood the calling that was upon him and what he must do, until a certain girl arrived at their camp.

Iron could barely remember what exactly she had come for, but she had been among those that had been hired to serve the king. Iron had insisted that he hadn’t needed anyone, but when she walked in and greeted Iron, her voice had been melodious and soothing.

Nothing like Iron had ever heard before.

“I heard that you don’t want anyone at your service, but I wanted to confirm if that was true, and if you meant it,” Hera had said.

Something about her had struck Iron to speechlessness, which was something that had never happened before. While he was supposed to have ordered her out of his presence, he had been struck down by her irresistible beauty and the melodious sound of her voice.

So much so that sending her away had been the last thing on Iron’s mind…at just the first meeting.

“Why do you need this?” Iron had asked her.

“First of all, the pay is attractive, and my family could make good use of the money. Secondly, you could not possibly be able to do everything all by yourself while handling the responsibility of your position,” Hera had responded.

Two other qualities had instantly been added; blunt and smart.

She hadn’t pretended not to be enticed by the money, which was something that Iron had appreciated. A lot of people wanted to come off as modest and simple so badly that they stripped off their true identities in the process.

“Do you sing?” Iron had asked, unable to hold himself.

He had never wanted anyone who could. As a matter of fact, he had never fancied it much, so he couldn’t care less, but her voice just kept calling out to him. Iron had felt that even if he had stubbornly sent her away, he would have heard her voice in his head day and night.

“Not exactly, but I can try,” Hera had responded. “Do you have a child that you would want that service for?” Hera had asked, her voice softening even more when she spoke of a child.

“Is it only a child that needs to be sung to?” Iron had asked.

“No, but most people require it,” Hera had answered. “My younger sister is more skilled in that area, actually,” she had added.

Iron hadn’t wanted anyone else aside from the damsel standing in front of him.

“I don’t have a child. I was asking for myself,” Iron had admitted.

“Then I can manage something,” Hera had said.

When she had begun working, they had argued mostly, and Iron had found himself drawn to her in ways that he never thought possible.

The more time she spent in his presence, the deeper he fell.

By the time Iron had confessed his feelings to Hera, she had also been in love with him, and Iron had sworn that it would be just Hera for the rest of his existence. It was a long time, and that even made it more thrilling. When Iron had heard that men had sold their hearts for love, Iron had termed it as lies and exaggerations.

But when he met Hera, he had been ready to sell his heart for even the cheapest thing. 

He would have gladly taken it out and handed it to his enemies if they would have kept Hera alive, and now, standing and watching her sister, Iron couldn’t help but feel that pang in his chest. Hera had always talked about her sister, but Iron never paid attention.

As a matter of fact, Iron never concerned himself with any other woman. Hera had been everything to him.

Iron didn’t bother to say a word. He simply stood there and allowed himself to enjoy what Jane was playing. If Jane knew that he was there, she didn’t say a word.

Iron felt someone close to him, and he knew instantly that it was Hades.

“The Titans are back,” Hades told Iron.

Iron walked away instantly as he followed Hades to meet the Titans. Thankfully, they all returned in one piece, but they looked like they had gone through the bloodiest battle.

“What happened?” Iron asked.

Hades was present, as well as Eric and Diana, and Athena.

“We did as you instructed, but by the time we were almost there, we realized that they had been waiting for us,” one of them reported.

“It is a miracle that they hadn’t killed any of us, because none of us would have survived it if they had because we walked right into their den,” another one said.

“And no one was hurt?” Hades asked.

“Surprisingly,” one answered, clearly shaken.

While they spoke, Iron thought deeply about the report they gave.

“Someone from the inside has sold us out to them. We have a traitor in our midst,” Iron declared through clenched teeth.