Wrath of Love (Olympus Syndicate #1)

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

APHRODITE

B linking my eyes open, the sound of an ear-splitting screech drowned out all other noise. Acidic smoke permeated the room. The impact of the explosion had forced me to the ground. I coughed as the odor heightened my anxiety and cost me my breath.

For a moment, I lay there, utterly paralyzed, stunned beyond comprehension. Blood trickled down my face from shards of broken glass that had cut my forehead. I lifted myself using my upper body and a dull ache spread down to my legs.

Rolling onto my side, I pressed my hands against the cool porcelain tiles, slowly pushing myself up, my body aching with every movement. My shoes had flown off during the explosion, and I struggled to steady myself on the debris-strewn floor. I scanned the room, desperately searching for familiar faces amidst the chaos. Everyone was rushing to escape, and the library was filled with the sounds of panicked footsteps and screams.

I located Titan immediately. My head throbbed, and I couldn't hear what he was saying as he hurried over to me .

“Oh my God!” Titan pressed his hands to my face. “Aphrodite, are you okay?” He pushed my curls aside.

“I’ll be fine.” I breathed. “What happened?” I whimpered, feeling hot tears suddenly begin streaming down my cheeks. “What is going on?” I asked.

“You need to get out of here! Look, if something happens to me, look under the floorboard in my room.” Titan said, his voice frantic and laced with an undeniable urgency.

Despite the disarray caused by the explosion, I still nodded. “Are you in danger?” My tears clouded my vision as I trembled from shock.

“I love you, sister, always will. Run before they capture you!” His strong arms pulled me up and he pushed me away from him.

“Wait, no—what are you talking about? Who is coming? I’m not leaving you!” I reached for him, but he pulled away.

“Go!” he screamed. The library echoed with the sound of bullets. Masked men rushed through the terrace. Chaos erupted in the grand hall.

My heart pounded as I sprinted up the grand staircase, the guests’ panicked cries ringing throughout the library. I stopped on the landing when I caught a glimpse of Paris stuck underneath a fallen bookcase. While people rushed and jostled around me, I stood frozen in place. I couldn’t desert her. I descended the stairs against the crowd and rushed to her side. She was unmoving.

I shook her with all my might, my voice breaking into a mournful cry. “Paris!” I stared in horror at the lifeless body of the only friend I had in this world, helpless to do anything. My heart clenched with desperation—I had to save her. She was all I had, the one person who truly understood me, who stood by me through everything. I couldn't lose her, not now, not ever.

Tears streamed down my face. “Paris!” I tried pushing the bookcase off her. Bullets started flying everywhere as I ducked beneath the object that lay on top of my friend. I pushed as hard as I could to move the heavy furniture .

“AH!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as my feet slid along the cool porcelain floors. With another push, the heavy piece moved from Paris’s legs. The slight movement was enough for me to pull her out from under it.

A glass shard jutted from her hip. I would have to carry her out, even if it meant I had to drag her. Only armed men remained in the empty room, and they were picking off father’s henchman one by one, like flies being swatted down. I struggled to contain my fears. It was clear that if I didn’t rescue Paris and manage to escape, we would both fall into the hands of these killers.

Lying next to her, I whispered, “We are getting out of here.” My adrenaline surged as I glanced over the bookcase, trying to stay concealed from the view of the men. I didn’t know what they wanted, and I wasn’t going to find out. I had nothing to protect us with, but I noticed a small opening through the shattered window that led onto the terrace. Closing my eyes tight, I tried to take a deep breath to calm my nerves.

I had started to drag Paris toward the window when a commotion caught my attention.

“What do you want? Who sent this hit?” Titan’s voice resonated throughout the hall. I hid behind the scattered furniture; Paris lay in my arms as I tried to shake her to wake up. Her breathing was slow, almost like her life was slipping through my hands.

Turning my head to peek over the fallen bookshelf, I watched as my brother was being held upright by two men. He must have suffered a severe beating based on the blood dripping from his head.

“Listen, Titan.” The man in front had a skull mask covering his face and he wore all black. “This isn’t personal.” He pointed a gun at Titan’s temple.

He pulled the trigger.

I covered my mouth, stifling the scream that threatened to escape. My teeth clenched so tightly it hurt, but it was nothing compared to the agony tearing through my chest. The fear of them finding us was suffocating, choking me from the inside out. Desperately, I clung to Paris, praying with every fiber of my being that they wouldn’t discover us. All I could do was hold on and hope the darkness wouldn’t swallow us whole.

“Police! Drop your weapons!”

The SWAT team descended the grand staircase, ready to take down the perpetrators, but the men who had done this had already fled.

I raised my hands to the sky and shouted, “Please help me!” I felt like I had barely escaped from the depths of hell. My hands trembled, and my body grew feeble, tears eroding my strength, while I stood before the men. One officer pointed his gun at me, then lowered it.

“Please! My friend! My friend got injured! Please!” I begged.

The officer rushed towards us with urgency as he kneeled in front of me. “Are you hurt?” he asked, grounding me for a moment.

I blinked, my heart was racing, unable to focus, “I—I don’t know,” I looked down at Paris, “I can’t—everything happened so fast! My friend needs help! Please!” I managed to stammer out, my voice trembling.

“I will take care of her,” He mouthed as he reached for his walkie-talkie, “We need a medic, we have one female with a low pulse.” I listened to him for a couple more seconds before reality set in. I couldn’t stay here any longer. I needed to see my brother.

I mustered every ounce of strength left within me and rushed toward my brother's lifeless body with desperate immediacy. Titan's soul had vanished. I dropped to my knees and cradled his head in my lap. His blood soaked my dress. I shook from adrenaline, and I couldn’t control myself as my body was wracked with sobs.

I locked eyes with his ghostly gaze, my fingers trembling as I closed his eyelids. My heart hammered against my ribs, pounding with terror. Screams clawed their way from the depth of my soul, draining all my strength. The blood-curdling cries that tore from me couldn’t match the excruciating pain squeezing the life out of my heart.

As I walked out of the library, my heart pounded, and a cold sweat trickled down my back. I was conscious of the watchful eyes of the crowd as my bare feet touched the unforgiving concrete. Covered in my brother's blood, I walked away from the scene, leaving the onlookers in stunned disbelief. Some people were crying, unsure of what had happened. Hell had descended upon what was once a beautiful and vibrant library, a sanctuary of wonders was now marred by an execution that stained its hallowed halls.

Women clutched their chests, their mouths agape from my appearance while men screamed at the police over what had taken place. The explosion had been a clear indicator that it was meant for my family. The guests became unwitting casualties of a ruthless attack of violence.

My father, consumed by an overwhelming sense of anger, paced alongside the police chief. Gaia emitted a deep, animalistic howl upon hearing the news of Titan from the detective. A raindrop landed on my hand, as though even the gods were weeping.

A middle-aged paramedic with piercing blue eyes approached me.

“Where are you hurt?” His gaze seemed detached from the chaos that surrounded the building. With lights blaring and police roping off the entrance, I felt utterly closed in by the chaos around me.

Locking eyes with him, I reached up instinctively to brush my hair from my face. My fingers were wet, slickness coated my skin. I pulled my hand back in front of my face to see blood dripping down my fingers. Reality crashed into me; my head must have been cut open in the explosion.

“Come with me. Let me fix the cut on your face.” He reached for my hand, and I couldn’t stop shaking. As he guided me toward the ambulance, I looked over and saw Gaia whip her head toward me. She was enraged, and her nostrils flared outward. She looked as if she was ready to kill, and I felt like I was the target.

As we kept walking, I spotted my father talking to some detectives huddled near the ambulance. My father had no business with the police, but somehow, he embedded himself in the situation like he was in command. The paramedic cleaned my wounds, and I observed my father conversing with a man on the steps. Ouranos sought blood.

One of my father’s goliath-sized bodyguards showed up at the ambulance. “Ms. Aetos, it’s time to leave. We have word that your father wants you at the manor for protection.”

I thought about Paris, and I pleaded with the paramedic, “Please, update me on my friend’s condition.” Fear took over as I said, “I can’t lose another person.” When I rushed to my brother’s side, I had momentarily forgotten my best friend. I knew that it was terrible of me to leave her behind, but I was consumed by the fact that my brother was dead. I felt like I was being pulled in every direction.

“Listen to me, Aphrodite. Ouranos wants me to return you to the manor. He was very clear that you must leave here for your safety.” The bodyguard gripped my arm tightly, and I pulled as hard as I could, attempting to break his hold. I battled with all my might, but my lack of strength hindered me.

“Please!” His hand felt like shackles. I screamed out, andthat was when I sensed my father's presence.

“Stop making a mockery of this family,” he took hold of my chin as he spat the words. “Your brother’s dead. I don’t need any more bodies to handle. Do as you are told!” Anger filled his eyes, and I saw him as the devil himself, inches from my face. His fingernails dug into my jawline as I swallowed with fear. I nodded once before he ripped his grip off me.

I exhaled as I followed the bodyguard to the SUV nearby. I stood there, paralyzed with shock, unable to comprehend what I had just witnessed. It made little sense. Why had there been a hit on Titan ?

My lips trembled as I watched them carry him down the library steps in a body bag. I wiped the tears away that blinded my vision. This was all my father. His underworld had finally slipped to the surface. Ouranos’ empire teetered on the brink of collapse, and we were all collateral.