Title- Persephone
Series- Daughters of Zeus Book #1
By- Kaitlin Bevis
Genre-YA Paranormal
There are worse things than death, worse people too.
The "talk" was bad enough, but how many teens get
told that they're a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her
mother has lost her mind. It isn't until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to
abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues
her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as
his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her
growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm.
Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.
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The branch crashed in front of me, scraping my legs. I ran for
the parking lot as fast as I could. The frost closed in, surrounding me. I’d
never been claustrophobic, but as the frost cut off my escape path with a solid
white wall, I panicked.
Fog rolled in,
like cold death, cutting off my view of the park. It curled around me, brushing
against my face, arms, and legs. I turned back to the tree and ran faster, my
dress tangling between my legs as the fog and icy wind blew against my skin.
The parking lot is the other way! my
mind screamed. The other way was cut off by a mountain of ice. I felt as if I
was being herded. By ice?
I slipped on the
icy ground, falling face first into the frost. Ice crept up my toes and along
my legs. I thrashed and screamed. I felt the fog becoming a solid mass above
me, pinning me to the ground. The ice piled around me. Am I going to be buried alive?
I dug my nails
into the frigid snow in front of me and tried to claw my way out of the frosted
death trap. I was so panicked I didn’t feel it when my nails broke against the
impenetrable wall of ice, leaving red crescents of blood welling up on
sensitive skin. An hysterical sob worked its way out of my throat as I gouged
red lines into the ice. The ice was above my knees, snaking its way up my
thighs. I shivered.
Shivering’s good, I reminded myself. It
means your body hasn’t given up…yet. The cold was painful, like a thousand
little knives pricking my skin. A violent tremor went up my spine, sending
waves of pain through me.
“Help me!” I
screamed, knowing it was futile. I was going to die here.
Except I couldn’t
die. Could I? Mom said I was immortal, but was that all-inclusive? Did I have a
weakness? Was snow my Kryptonite? If I got hurt, would I heal or would I be trapped
in an injured body in pain forever?
I suddenly didn’t
know if immortality was a good thing or a bad thing. The cold hurt. I was
kicking, screaming, and clawing my way out of the frost, but for every inch I
gained a mountain piled around me. I thought I heard a man’s laughter on the
wind, the sound somehow colder than the ice freezing me into place.
The ground before
my outstretched hand trembled. The shaking increased. The earth lurched beneath
me. The surface cracked and the sound was so loud that for a moment all I could
hear was high-pitched ringing in my ears. The ground split into an impossibly
deep crevice. My voice went hoarse from screaming as I peered into the endless
abyss, trapped and unable to move away from the vertigo-inducing edge.
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Title- Daughter of the Earth and Sky
Series- Daughters of Zeus Book # 2
By-Kaitlin Bevis
Genre-YA Paranormal
Some vows can never be broken.
Persephone thought she could go back to her normal life
after returning from the Underworld. She was wrong.
The goddess Aphrodite is born among the waves with more
charm than she can control. Zeus is stalking Persephone and her loved ones, and
Thanatos is no longer content with Persephone's silence.
He wants her soul.
Persephone can't tell anyone about Thanatos' betrayal, and
it drives a wedge between her and Hades. Her mother is still keeping secrets,
and Melissa's jealousy of Aphrodite threatens to tear their friendship apart.
Alone, Persephone turns to a human boy for comfort. But will
their relationship put him in danger?
Sacrifices must be made, and Persephone must choose between
her human life and her responsibilities as a goddess. If she doesn't, she could
lose them both.
But will either life be worth choosing once Zeus is through
with her?
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I'd been
here before. My bare feet glided over the leaf-strewn path, unharmed by the
rocks and twigs crunching beneath me. Massive live oaks draped with Spanish
moss created a canopy above me, transforming the forest path into a tunnel of
speckled sunlight. The air was heavy with humidity. The moist heat pressed
against my skin and stole the breath from my lungs. By the time I reached the
path’s end, my Eeyore nightshirt clung to my skin.
"Dungeoness."
I came to a halt when I recognized the sprawling ruins of the ancient
ivy-covered brick and stone manor.
Athens Academy
took my class on a week-long trip to Georgia's coastal islands freshmen year.
Cumberland Island was a major highlight because of the sea turtles, wild
horses, and these ruins.
"Good job, Persephone,”
I muttered, kicking at a branch. “You’ve figured out where you are, but how did
you get here?" I knelt to pick up a smooth, white stone, tucking damp
tendrils of hair behind my ears so I could see better. The rock looked and felt
real. I ran my hand over the smooth stone, turning it over and tracing the
shape. The weight of it in my hand reassured me.
I turned, hoping
the path held some answers, but it was no longer there. I stood on the
grass-covered shoreline looking out to sea. In the distance, a girl stood thigh
high in the ocean, clad in a gown of strategically placed sea foam. Although
her back was to me, I could tell she was perfect. The curly ringlets of hair
cascading down her flawless cream skin matched the intense orange of the sky as
the sun sank in the sea.
I glanced down at
my sun-kissed skin, self-conscious. She was really pretty. A movement caught my
attention and I glanced up as she looked over her shoulder, aquamarine eyes
meeting mine. Then she spoke. I was shocked to hear Boreas' cold voice roll off
her tongue. "Zeus lives."
I stumbled
backward. Boreas, the god of winter. My mind flashed back to that horrible day
in the clearing last winter. Boreas’ cold laughter. His fingers digging in my
hair as he pulled me across the frozen ground. Melissa’s eyes widening as she
choked on her last breath. The rush of power that gave me the strength to put
Death himself, and Boreas, under my control.
A soul for a
soul. I’d bargained with Thanatos, the god of death, and killed Boreas without
a second thought, saving my best friend.
Now images shoved
their way through my thoughts: Cumberland Island, two sunsets, lightning
cracking in the sky. My mind screamed against the onslaught. I gritted my teeth
and forced myself to think the word that would make it all stop.
I bolted up in
bed with a gasp. A weight in my hand made me look down. I unclenched my fist,
revealing the white stone from Dungeoness.
Title- The Iron Queen
Series- The Daughters of Zeus Book # 3
By- Kaitlin Bevis
Genre- YA Paranormal
Life is hell for Persephone. Zeus will stop at nothing to
gain access to the living realm and the Underworld, and as the only living god
with a right to both, Persephone’s in trouble. Captured and tortured beyond the
limits of her resolve, Persephone must find the power to stand against Zeus.
But will she be strong enough?
Meanwhile, Hades contemplates desperate measures to rescue
his queen. Persephone never thought of herself as dangerous, but there’s a
reason gods never marry for love. A being with the power to destroy all of
creation shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the rest of the
planet. But Hades...Hades would break the world for her.
To save the world and stop both Hades and Zeus, Persephone
must make a difficult choice. One that may cost her everything.
Hades
Watching my wife chase after a human boy
was hell. The heavy rain drenched the thin fabric of her clothes in seconds,
plastering them to her body in a way that would be appealing…if he wasn’t going
to see her, too. I clenched my jaw. She
just doesn’t want him to get hurt. It wasn’t as though I wanted any mortals
caught in the crossfire when we faced Zeus either. Persephone was just going to
charm the boy into leaving the park.
Tearing my gaze away from her as she
scurried up the hill, I searched the parking lot for Aphrodite, or Zeus, or
whoever he, she, it may be. I had the layout of Memorial Park memorized,
anyway. Who was I kidding? The entire city of Athens, Georgia was embedded in
my mind. The precaution was reasonable. Persephone spent most of her time here,
and she was a magnet for trouble.
I followed her up the dirt-packed path
in my mind’s eye. She’d be rounding the corner now well above the park,
oblivious to the way the plants she passed leaned toward her. Persephone was
beautiful. Vibrant. Light and vitality pulsed from her that like the first warm
gust of a spring breeze promised everything would soon be new and alive again,
that winter would thaw into life. Everything was drawn to her. Unfortunately.
My thoughts returned to the human boy
she was following. I scowled. Rain fell, pinging against the transparent shield
that kept me out of sight while I sat dry atop a metal picnic table. My fingers
worried a spot of rust. I tried not to think too hard about whatever else might
have touched the shining surface.
This realm was disgusting. Insects
swarmed the park, and birds flew through the air, dropping waste
indiscriminately onto the world below. I couldn’t wait to return to the
Underworld. The surface had its charms, but I had no desire to stay for long.
Joel!
Persephone’s voice rang through my mind,
and I tossed up a mental wall. It wasn’t just good manners preventing me from
listening in. This boy had been in her thoughts every night. I’d seen the way
he looked at her like she was something to be consumed, the way he touched her
like her body was his for the taking, the way her heart raced when she felt his
breath upon her neck. I clenched my jaw and studied the parking lot like it
might change shape any moment.
She’d probably think less of me if I
ripped him apart.
Not that her opinion was all that
stopped me. It wasn’t my habit to go around killing mortal children, and not
just because I’d have to deal with them in the Underworld. I liked humans. Just
not when they groped my wife.
My heart thudded at an uncomfortable
speed, filling my body with adrenaline. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. My
hands gripped the edge of the picnic table, and I leaned forward, muscles
tensed. That was strange. I had no reason to be this anxious. He was just a
kid, and Persephone was Persephone; she had no idea what effect she had. I
couldn’t really fault him for being interested, and I had encouraged her to see
other people. A spectacularly stupid move on my part. Not only was it condescending
as hell to tell Persephone what she should and shouldn’t feel toward me, but
I’d managed to push her into the arms of another man. It had taken all of two
seconds for me to realize I really didn’t want her to be with other men.
Apparently on top of all my other
charming flaws I’m over-possessive. Who knew?
I took a deep breath to force myself to
calm down, but it didn’t seem to work. What was the matter with me? Channeling
Persephone’s power away every night had given me a very unwanted front row seat
to her developing relationship with Joel. I’d seen every kiss, everything, and
not felt this before. It hadn’t been pleasant, but—
Cold dread filled the pit of my stomach,
and I frowned. This didn’t even feel like rage. My heart was still beating a
mile a minute, like it might burst free from my chest at the slightest
provocation. I felt strange, no…terrified.
That was it. Fear. But why was I—? It
wasn’t mine.
My thoughts flew to Persephone, crashing
through the mental wall. Her abject terror flooded my thoughts with such
paralyzing force that for a second I lost the ability to move or breathe. All
that existed was her fear. The boy spoke in a harsh voice, grip tight on her
arm. I rose from the picnic table, ready to relieve him of that limb, when his words
filtered through her thoughts.
…Hades.
I blinked. How would he know my name?
A red sports car squealed into the
parking lot, and I swore. Hate to
interrupt, I directed the thought to Persephone. The boy locked gazes with
Persephone and seemed to look through her to me.
I knew those eyes. Images and thought
fragments flashed from Persephone’s mind to catch me up, but I already knew
everything I needed to.
Persephone,
run! I tore through the parking lot to reach the path.
Hades,
it’s Joel! He’s Zeus! The whole story passed through my mind accompanied by
waves of fear and guilt. Persephone gripping Joel’s arm to teleport but nothing
happening, followed by her realization that Joel wasn’t from this realm. Her
shock and horror when his glamour melted away. Why wasn’t she running?
Get
out of there, now! I couldn’t keep the panic out of my thoughts. If Zeus
hurt her…
Our
plan, she protested.
She wouldn’t. Only a fool would risk
going through with our plan now. We’d intended to trap Zeus by having him stand
on an entrance to the Underworld so we could bring some of my realm up and
around him. A little slice of Tartarus. It had worked to imprison some of the
Titans before, and it could work with him. But not like this. Not with her
alone and hopelessly overpowered.
But this was Persephone. The girl who
fled the safety of the Underworld to confront Boreas with nothing but righteous
indignation on her side. It was foolish of me to expect her to do anything
else.
I swore and scrambled up the hill. Just teleport. Leave!
I
can get him to the entrance. Hades, this is our best chance.Her
determination pounded through me coupled with her desperate need for this to be
over. She wouldn’t run. If I couldn’t reach her in time… A bright light seared
my vision as I rounded the corner. She screamed, intense pain flashing through
her and reverberating to me. I stumbled, blinded by her white-hot agony.
Another flash. Pain flared through her, exploding within my mind in a cacophony
of anguish. My vision cleared for a split second, and I saw the ground rush
toward me. Then everything went black.
Chapter II
Aphrodite
Persephone’s anguished scream echoed
through the park. I’d rushed over as soon as she called me for help, but knew I
was too late. The air hummed with energy, setting my hair on end as I jumped
out of the cherry red convertible I’d “borrowed” from some random guy.
I sloshed onto the wet pavement,
twisting my ankle in my haste, and made a mental note not to wear heels next
time Persephone needed me.
Not that she made a habit of calling me
when she needed something. She must really be desperate. I hurried up the
wooded running path and almost tripped over a crumpled shape. Hades. What could
knock Hades out?
“Aphrodite.” A voice as smooth as silk
sent shivers up my spine.
I cast a shield and jumped in front of
Hades. Zeus emerged from a grove of trees holding Persephone like he was some
knight out of a painting. Her limp, dangling arms swayed as he walked. Golden
hair, so bright against her corpse- pale skin that it didn’t look real,
cascaded in waves toward the ground. He strode toward me, strong and radiant.
Like the sun had reached through him just to get a little closer to earth. The
scene would have been breathtaking, like something out of a storybook, if it
wasn’t for the sinister expression on his face.
Damn it, I’d hoped it would never come
to this. She was my sister and my friend, and I’d stabbed her in the back by
pretending “Joel” was anyone other than Zeus. Yes, he’d forced me to help him,
but that was no excuse. I never wanted Zeus to win. But now he had Persephone
and, with her, access to the Underworld and the living realm. We were all
doomed.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt her.” I’d
meant to sound defiant, angry, but it came out petulant and scared.
“I said I didn’t have to. There’s a
difference.”
I closed my eyes. Of course there was.
“You’re leaving me here, aren’t you?” Zeus grinned. “I’m sure you’ll make
yourself useful.”
I was surprised it still hurt. I’d known from the beginning I was no more
than
a pawn to Zeus. He’d created me from the remains of Uranus to give me
unprecedented levels of charisma and then abandoned me in the world without the
knowledge to control the charm.
Charisma, or charm, is kind of like mind
control if you know how to use it. I can smile at pretty much any human and
make him do what I want, but uncontrolled it’s dangerous. Like, Trojan War
dangerous. Used without direction, it steers humans toward their baser
instincts. They become obsessed. Anything could have happened to me, but either
way, it served Zeus’ purposes. He had backup plans for his backup plans.
Now he was leaving me with two very
pissed off deities who would move heaven and earth to find Persephone. No
telling what they’d do to me.
Did Persephone even know how lucky she
was? I’d sell my soul for just one of the following she collected anywhere she
went. To be someone worthy of worship instead of the obedient abomination Zeus
created, stripped of my free will and forced into servitude.
Zeus shifted and grabbed the necklace
Persephone wore. “Tell Hades”— he cast a knowing glance at the shield behind me
with a smirk—“and Demeter I’ll take their realms in exchange for the girl.” The
silver chain snapped, and he tossed the necklace toward me. “Give him that.”
Before I could answer, he vanished.
Plucking the necklace out of a puddle, I
shook water off the small green plant that sat anchored in a wire basket and
dried the pomegranate charm on my shirt. Oh yeah. Hades was definitely going to
kill me when he came to.
I’d run, but it wasn’t like I had a
choice. Zeus created me with an extra special tweak. I was loyal to family.
Loyal to the point of obedience if they outranked me enough. That was why I was
almost glad I was still “useful” to him; I had a feeling the minute he didn’t
need me anymore, he’d ask me to swear fealty and give him all my power. Suicide
by devotion. And I’d have no choice but to oblige.
If I swore over everything to him, would
he release my soul to the Underworld? Would I finally be free? Or would he keep
me, my thoughts and memories, and everything about me that was me locked in his
head in case he ever found it useful?
I sat beside Hades and pulled my knees
to my chest. Hollow. I felt hollow inside, like Zeus had carved out everything
that mattered, everything I cared about, and left me empty. Hopeless. The rain
dripped down my face, mimicking the tears I didn’t dare cry.
Chapter III
Persephone
Getting struck by lightning hurts. A
lot. Most people die long before they fully process the pain of a storm’s worth
of voltage passing through their body in the blink of an eye. I don’t have that
luxury. Instead, I discovered something that hurt far worse than becoming a
sadistic deity’s living electrical conduit. Healing from a lightning strike at
godspeed.
When I came to, my body felt like it was
pulsing molten lava through my veins with each heartbeat. Gods! An inhuman moan tore from my throat. What happened? It wasn’t until the bed shifted that I realized I
wasn’t alone.
Hades.
I let myself relax. Relief calmed me enough for unconsciousness to threaten to
pull me back under, so I forced myself to take steady breaths. It was too soon
to open my eyes. I knew how to stay conscious through horrific pain. Thanatos
taught me that.
I breathed in too deeply, and a bolt of
pain lanced through me. When I shifted positions to get comfortable, a low moan
worked its way up my throat. There was no comfortable. The lightning had seared
every single nerve ending in my body. Healing from this didn’t feel good at
all.
His hand brushed the hair out of my
face.
“Hades?” I croaked, struggling to open
my eyes.
He shushed me, stroking my arm. I leaned
into his touch as the memories rushed back—Hades finding out about Thanatos and
killing him, destroying his soul, planning to trap Zeus, waiting at the park
for Aphrodite, and realizing Joel was there. What happened to Joel?
The voice shushed me again, and the hand
on my shoulder didn’t feel comforting anymore. His touch felt…wrong. My eyes
flew open, and I bolted upright.
With a horrible certainty I turned to
see who sat next to me on the bed.
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Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book, and
a pen. If the ending didn't agree with her, she rewrote it. She's always wanted
to be a writer, and spent high school and college learning everything she could
so that one day she could achieve that goal. She graduated college with my BFA
in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and is pursuing her
masters at the University of Georgia.
Her young adult series "Daughters of Zeus" is available wherever
ebooks are sold. She also writes for truuconfessions.com and Athens Parent
Magazine.
Webpage: www.kaitlinbevis.com
Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150699.Kaitlin_Bevis
Authorgraph: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/KaitlinBevis
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