~ Chapter Eight - Two Months Later - Part 1 ~

Katalina and Damien had been living together for the last two months. So it hadn't taken long for Katalina to set up her dance studio and crafts room. They were beautiful, and Damien had found that one of his favorite things to do was watch her dance.

Damien had introduced Katalina to the pack as their Luna a month after they had moved in together. Everyone loved her. She was a natural-born leader and cared for everyone. Also, during that first month, Evelyn had given birth to a healthy son. Katalina was absolutely in love with him.

Everything had been perfect. Damien and Katalina's relationship grew stronger every single day. They hadn't finished the mating process yet, but Damien was willing to wait as long as he needed to. He would never push her to do something if he knew she wasn't ready. However, when Damien saw her holding Evelyn and Ryan's son, Mason, it ignited a yearning deep in his soul that Damien couldn't ignore anymore. He vowed to talk to Katalina about it as soon as possible.

Atlas was the titan who had led the rebellion against Zeus and the newer gods eons ago. He had dark brown hair and dead grey eyes. He was cruel and seeking revenge against the gods who had condemned him to his prison underneath Uranus. He was pretty much holding up the celestial heavens for the rest of his days, and the only way for him to get out was if someone voluntarily took his place, which no one would ever willingly do. Or so he thought.

Atlas was in his usual place underneath Uranus. It was deep in the African mountains, where not many people traveled. It looked as if his luck was changing, though. One day a young demigod wandered into the mountainous cave where the gods had left him. "Oh," she said in surprise. "Are you trapped in here?" She asked quietly from the entrance.

Atlas nodded as he tried his best to sound tired and pathetic. "I have been here so long. I can't leave this spot unless someone else takes my place," he explained.

The demigod frowned. "You're Atlas, aren't you?" She questioned quietly.

Atlas mentally groaned. He had been hoping that she didn't know who he was. "I promise I'm not as bad as everyone says I am. Could you just hold this up for just a minute, and then I promise I will just rest for a minute."

The girl bit her lip as she took a small step toward him. Her mother had always taught her to help others when she could. She also led her not to believe everything that others said. She sighed as she looked up at him. "You promise it's just going to be for a minute or two?" She questioned.

Atlas nodded slightly. "Yes. I promise. Just for a minute or two. I just need to rest a bit."

She sighed heavily. "Okay," she moved to stand underneath Uranus and didn't realize until it was too late that it was a mistake to trust Atlas.

As soon as she had placed her hands on Uranus, Atlas moved out of the way. He chuckled as she struggled to hold up Uranus. She groaned as she looked at him but frowned when he started walking away. "Wait!" she shouted. "Where are you going?!" She called as he left the mountain.

Atlas let out another dark laugh. "I will destroy the gods and take over the world."

Without saying anything else, Atlas left the mountain that had been his prison for as long as he could remember. He quickly made his way to a secret hideout his allies had set up for him and smirked when he saw a warlock waiting for him. "Take me to my palace," he ordered him.

The warlock nodded, and within seconds they were in his palace. Atlas smirked as he looked around. Everything was as he had left it. But then, there was a knock on his office door at that very moment. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Come in," he ordered.

A vampire walked in with his hands behind his back. "My lord. We have already started to assemble your army. We should be prepared to wipe out the gods within the next few months."

Atlas smirked. "Perfect. Continue with your business and keep me updated."

The vampire left the office, sat down, and relaxed in his chair. He spun around in his chair and looked outside of his window. He chuckled as he watched his army training. He would decimate the gods before bringing the world to its knees.

Apollo was the god of the sun, prophecy, music, healing, plague, and the arts. He was relatively strong, and his sister was Amarinthia. She was the moon goddess. She created the wolf shifters and was also the goddess of hunting and nursing.

As it turned out, the young demigod that Atlas had tricked into taking Atlas' place was Apollo's daughter. He was sitting with Artemiswhen he heard it. 'Please, father. I'm afraid that I messed up. I desperately need your help.'

Artemis frowned as he jumped to his feet. "What is it, adelfós (brother)?" She asked as she stood up next to him.

Apollo shook his head. "I'm not sure. Anna is praying to me about needing my help," he said in confusion.

Artemis sighed heavily. "You know that we're forbidden to speak with our half-mortal children. Father has made that clear many times."

Apollo shook his head with a frown. "I don't care. She sounded desperate and like she was in pain. I'm going to see what's wrong."

Artemis clicked her tongue. "Alright. I'm coming with you."

"You don't have to, Artemis," he said as he looked at her.

She scoffed. "Anna is my niece. I am coming with you."

Apollo shrugged and took Artemis's hand as they disappeared. They appeared in the mountain where Atlas was supposed to hold up Uranus. Apollo frowned as he looked around. He practically fell to his knees when he saw his daughter stuck underneath Uranus.

Artemis stared at Anna in shock. "Oh, young one, how did this happen?" She asked as she moved closer to her.

Anna looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I should have believed the stories. I shouldn't have thought that he was different. I should have listened to you, daddy," she said as she looked at him with tears streaming down her face.

Apollo walked closer to her and shushed her. "It's alright, baby girl. I promise that we are going to get Atlas back here. We are going to get you out of here. I just need you to hold on as long as you can. Can you do that? Can you hold on for a bit until I can find someone to at least take your place? Please."

Anna took a deep breath. "I can do it, daddy. I will hold on for as long as I can."

Apollo pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I will find someone as quickly as possible. I promise that you'll be free soon."

Anna gave him a nod. "Thank you, daddy. I'll hold on as long as I can."

Apollo pressed another kiss to her forehead before looking at Artemis. She gave him a nod, and they disappeared to the meadow where she usually was. "What are we going to do, Artemis? I don't know anyone who will willingly take her place," Apollo said as he paced in front of her.

Artemis sighed. "You're forgetting something Apollo," she said quietly.

Apollo frowned as he looked at her. "What could I possibly be forgetting, Artemis?" He questioned, using his nickname for her.

Artemis sighed. "It's the prophecy," she said as she ran a hand through her hair.

Apollo's eyes went wide. "Of course," he mumbled. "Quick, check on your runt wolf and see if she's found her mate."

Artemis let out a slow breath as she closed her eyes. She focused on Katalina and watched for a few minutes. Finally, she saw all she needed when Katalina snuggled into Damien. "I'm sorry, Apollo," she said as she opened her eyes. "The prophecy has begun. Katalina has been with Damien for two months now."

Apollo paced back and forth furiously as he muttered curses under his breath. "How am I supposed to help my daughter if there's a war?" he asked with a troubled look.

Artemis shrugged. "Have Katalina help," she bit her lip as she started thinking and pacing. "Yes. Aphrodite told me that her daughter, Adrestia, went into hiding so she'd be safe until the war started. Then, she'd be willing to take Anna's place until the war ends."

Apollo shook his head. "How will Katalina be able to find her if she's hiding, Artemis?" he demanded in exasperation.

"Have faith in Katalina, adelfós (brother). She is the one that will lead us to victory," she reassured him.

Apollo took a deep breath and nodded. "Call her here and bring her up to speed. Give her her wolf and get her started. Anna has a week at most before the weight of Uranus becomes too much and crushes her."

Artemis nodded. "Will you be staying to meet her?" She questioned as she sat in the middle of the meadow with her legs folded.

Apollo sighed heavily. "Yeah, I'll stay. I'd like to meet the little wolf with my daughter's life in her hands."

Artemis gave him a nod. "I'm going to bring her parents here. I'm hoping it'll make it easier for her."

"Do what you have to. Hurry it up, though," Apollo said impatiently.

Artemis rolled her eyes but quickly summoned Isabella and Jake to the meadow. She quickly explained to them what was happening. Once she was sure they understood, it was time to call Katalina.