by Aimee Carter
He groaned, his eyeballs moving underneath his swollen lids, and Ava reached for him. Calliope stepped between them.
“I don’t think so,” she said with girlish delight. “You know what happens if you touch him.”
“I don’t care anymore.” Ava darted around Calliope and knelt beside the chair. “Nicholas? I’m here. I’m so sorry, baby.”
Nicholas tried to mumble something through his cracked lips and broken jaw, but it was unintelligible. To me, at least; Ava’s eyes filled with tears, and she gently took his hand. When her skin touched his, a hissing sound filled the tiny prison, and Ava winced. But it wasn’t until Nicholas grunted that she let go. Where she’d touched him, her palm turned scarlet, as if she’d handled hot embers.
“I will release him once I have won the war,” said Calliope. “No sooner.”
Ava’s face twisted with barely contained rage, and she shifted her stance as if she were about to throttle her. Calliope must’ve noticed, too, because in the blink of an eye, the dagger appeared in her hand, and she held it delicately to Nicholas’s throat.
“I wouldn’t if I were you, my dear,” she purred.
It was a damn shame I was insubstantial, else I would’ve happily punched her lights out. Ava clenched her fists, apparently having the same idea, but she made no further move toward Calliope. “You monster,” she hissed. “He’s your son.”
“We all make sacrifices. Surely you of all people must understand that.”
The room trembled, and like she had the night before, Ava began to glow magenta. “No wonder Daddy never loved you. There’s nothing lovable about you. All this time I thought he was in the wrong, treating you the way he did, but you deserved it. You pervert love and family until they’re unrecognizable, all for your own twisted sense of satisfaction. No one, not even Cronus, deserves to burn in Tartarus more than you do.”
“Is that so?” said Calliope in a dangerous voice. “It must be such a pity for you then, knowing we will win and you will never escape me.”
“Oh, I will,” said Ava. “First chance I get, I’m getting the hell out of here and—”
“What’s going on?”
Henry stood in the doorway, cradling Milo. I moved toward them so fast that I could’ve sworn I created a breeze, but Henry looked straight through me, his focus on Calliope.
A knife twisted in the pit of my stomach, but he couldn’t see me. He had no idea I was there. Even if he did, he’d still be looking at Calliope like she was the most beautiful thing in the world.
“Hello, darling,” said Calliope. “I was just coming to see you. How’s the baby?”
“He’s fine.” Henry gave Ava a curious look, and she averted her eyes, her hand hovering half an inch over Nicholas’s. “What’s going on?”
“Ava here seems to believe that despite his crimes against us, Nicholas is entitled to leave now,” said Calliope, and she giggled. “As if we could afford such a risk. We can’t have Nicholas rushing back with our secrets, now, can we?”
Henry eyed Nicholas the way he’d looked at Calliope after the brothers had captured her in the Underworld and tied her up in chains. My stomach lurched. The Henry I knew and loved had to be in there somewhere, but right now, this wasn’t him. No matter how badly it hurt, I had to remember that. Whether it was Ava’s influence or Calliope’s power to cut the ties of loyalty between Henry and the rest of the council, it didn’t matter. He was the enemy now.
No, not the enemy. As much of a prisoner as Nicholas and Milo.
“Of course, my dearest love,” said Henry, and I gagged. “We will do what we must to ensure victory.”
Crossing the room, he gave Calliope a sensuous kiss. I shielded my eyes and scowled. But despite my best efforts to ignore them, I couldn’t resist a glance, and that’s when I saw it.
Henry’s eyes were open, and he was staring right at Ava.
In his arms, Milo stirred and reached for me. He knew I was there. Did Henry know, as well? He wasn’t Cronus—Calliope would never kiss him like that if he was. But could he sense me?
To my astonishment, Ava nodded once, so slightly that at first I wasn’t sure if I’d seen her right. Henry closed his eyes again, however, and I was certain. Henry and Ava were working together.
Against Calliope? For Calliope? To save Milo? Or had she told Henry that I would be here and listening in on everything that happened?
I couldn’t be sure unless Ava told me, and whether or not Henry knew I was there, he was still kissing Calliope. Maybe he had to. Maybe he wanted to. I didn’t have the answers, but that didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have been kissing her if it was up to him, and I had to hold on to that.
At last Calliope pulled away and touched her swollen lips. “Perhaps we should retire to the bedroom.”
Oh, god. Were they sleeping together? Nausea overwhelmed me. Knowing he’d been with Persephone eons ago was one thing, but this was too much. He was my husband. My Henry, not hers.
“Yes,” said Henry quietly. “Allow me to take care of the baby, and then I will join you.”
With a giggle, Calliope kissed him once more and glided out of the room. For a split second, Henry deflated, his arms tightening around Milo protectively, and he met Ava’s gaze again. Neither spoke. At last Henry turned and left the room, leaving Nicholas bound to the chair.
I closed my eyes. This wasn’t him, and if we had any chance of getting through this without our relationship being irreparably damaged, I had to remember that. Just like I’d offered myself to Cronus in exchange for Milo’s safety, Henry had done the same with Calliope. I had no right to be upset with him. With Calliope and Ava and every single member of the council who’d let him do this, yes. But not Henry.
“Kate,” said Ava once he was gone. I opened my eyes. Nicholas was unconscious again, his chest rising and falling shallowly, and Ava stood beside him. “Now do you understand?”
I understood. It didn’t excuse any of this, and it didn’t fix our friendship. But I understood.
“Henry still loves you, you know. I didn’t take that away from him. I never could.”
She’d made him fall for Calliope, though. Artificial or not, it was still love, and it wouldn’t erase what happened in that bedroom.
I shuddered. I had to stop thinking about that. I’d seen enough. Ava had apologized so many times that the words were meaningless now, and I had to leave before the hurt dug so deeply inside me that I could never get it out.
I was halfway gone when Ava spoke. “Cronus is going to escape on the winter solstice.”
She’d already told the council that though, and she knew I’d been right there with them. I sank deeper into oblivion, already on the edge of ending this vision.
“And,” said Ava, her voice so distant it was little more than a whisper, “the first place he’s going to attack is New York City.”
Chapter 15
Breaking Point
I snapped back to the island so quickly that the room spun around me. Dizzy, I waited for Ava to finish, but an explanation never came. She knelt beside Nicholas again, murmuring words meant only for him, and I turned away.
There was only one reason Cronus would specifically attack New York City when so many others—London, St. Petersburg, even Beijing—had to be closer. And that reason was me.
This time when I faded from Nicholas’s torture chamber, I didn’t reappear in Olympus. Instead, when I opened my eyes, I was in Milo’s nursery again.
<
br /> Cronus stood in a dark corner, as if he were waiting for me. If I hadn’t been sure of some sort of connection between us before, I was now. He was keeping tabs on me. Watching me the way only a Titan could.
“You bastard.” I shoved him as hard as I could, but of course it didn’t do any good.
He peered down at me, his chin raised and eyes narrowed. “What have I done to deserve such harsh words? Have I not offered you everything, yet endured your lies again and again?”
I gritted my teeth. “You’re going after my home.”
“Your home is in the Underworld, and I assure you I have no intention of removing you from my path the way I will with the rest of the council. You will have eternity to remain there with the billions of souls who will die at my hand. Perhaps if you behave, I will allow you to join me on the surface for a time. Much like the arrangement you currently have with your very much alive husband.”
Cold horror settled over me. “Why are you doing this? I came to you. I was going to hold up my end of the bargain. I didn’t know—”
“You didn’t know what?” said Cronus with that dangerous neutrality that was infinitely more frightening than anger. “That your dear Henry was alive?”
“I didn’t know he followed me,” I said. “I didn’t know he had a plan. I’m sorry.”
Cronus tilted his head. “No, you are not. You are sorry you have lost that which you thought you could keep hidden. You are sorry you were not the one who was allowed to sacrifice yourself for your loved ones. You are sorry you will be forced to remain alive after I have torn apart everyone you have ever cared about. You are sorry that you have lost your son. But you are not sorry you lied.”
An invisible weight rested on my chest. “You’re right,” I said shakily. “I’m not sorry about lying. But I am sorry all of those people are going to die. And if you hadn’t pushed it to this point, I would’ve been sorry for hurting you, too.”
Cronus touched my cheek with the ghost of affection. “I thought you were different, Kate Winters. I thought you understood.”
“I do. More than you’ve ever understood me.” A lump formed in my throat, but no tears came. Begging and pleading wouldn’t do me any good, but there had to be a way to fix this somehow. To make him understand. “You don’t deserve this kind of pain, but then again, neither do I. Neither does the council. And neither do the billions of lives you’re going to destroy. The only difference between us and humans is death. Even now, with you here, there is no difference. Can you imagine it? An ending? A moment when you cease to exist? And the people who love you, what they would go through—”
“Enough,” he said. I searched his face for some flicker of emotion, but I found none. “I have made my decision. I will not show you mercy when you have shown me none. The war will continue, and I will not surrender or agree to a truce. I have tried to extend the hand of peace to the council, and they spit in my face. I confided in the one person I believed understood me, and you turned out to be the greatest liar of them all. We have nothing more to discuss.”
Before I could protest, Cronus disappeared, and my hands touched nothing but air. He was gone, along with any hope I had of preserving my family.
I stared blankly into the empty space. As soon as Cronus escaped on the solstice, this would cease to be a war. It would be a bloodbath.
There had to be something I wasn’t seeing, something I could do to get him to change his mind. But what could I give him now that he didn’t trust me? What words could I possibly say to fix this?
A soft gurgle caught my attention, and I turned in time to see Henry wander into the nursery with Milo in his arms. He’d certainly taken his time getting up here. Had he detoured? He must have. I silently prayed it wasn’t to see Calliope.
“Here we go,” said Henry gently. “You’re safe here.”
He walked past me so slowly that he seemed to be moving through molasses. No wonder he’d taken so long. A turtle could have outpaced him. Upon spotting me, Milo waved his arms, and I managed a tearful grin.
“Hi, baby. Having fun with your daddy?”
He gurgled, and Henry smiled. “I wish I could stay here, too, but I will be back before the moon disappears from your window. In the meantime, I am sure your aunt Ava will be here soon to keep you company.”
With a wave of his hand, the cradle moved a few inches, presumably into a position where Milo could see the moon. A sob caught in my throat.
Henry pressed his lips to the baby’s forehead for a long moment before straightening. “Be good,” he murmured, and he looked straight at me. “Your mother and I love you.”
I froze. Did he know? Was it a coincidence? Another trick of Cronus’s?
And I love you. Though his lips hadn’t moved, his voice whispered through my mind, and I held my breath. Just like Milo, he knew I was there. Ava hadn’t lied; she hadn’t taken that love away from him.
I know what you’re doing. I pushed the words toward him, and he turned away to stare into Milo’s cradle. And I hope you can fight what Ava’s making you feel, because once this is over, I’m never letting you go again.
It might’ve been my imagination, but I could’ve sworn he smiled.
This will end, and we will be together again. My thoughts were firm and unyielding now. Just stay with me. Don’t let Calliope convince you that you’re someone you’re not, and everything will be okay. I’ll make sure of it.
Without so much as a glance my way, Henry walked toward the nursery door. But as he moved by me, his hand passed through mine, and this time I knew it was no accident. So will I.
* * *
When I returned to Olympus, the council was waiting for me. Everyone looked exhausted and well past their breaking points, with dark smudges under their eyes and pale skin that seemed to stretch too tightly over their faces.
“Kate,” said Walter. Even he looked spent. “Do you have news?”
Now they wanted to hear what I had to say? I bit back a sharp reply. They’d gone through enough that evening without having to deal with my inflated sense of injustice, as well. “Calliope really is torturing Nicholas to keep Ava in line. She has a room full of weapons I think he made—some of them look like test weapons before she finally settled on the dagger, and enough of them are infused with Cronus’s powers that if we can get close enough, maybe there’s a chance we could use them and—”
Walter raised a weary hand, and for once I fell silent. “If we are fortunate enough to get that far past Cronus’s defenses, it means we will have already won.” The note of inevitability he’d always used whenever he spoke of winning the war had disappeared.
“What happened during the battle today?” I said, and half a dozen of them looked away.
“Cronus was more...focused than usual,” said my mother. “We were lucky no one was injured.”
“He’s fighting harder because of me,” I said, and across the circle, Dylan scoffed.
“Always because of you, isn’t it? Couldn’t possibly be because he’s getting stronger the closer we get to the winter solstice, could it?”
“Maybe,” I allowed. “But I don’t think it’s a coincidence this happened the day after he found out I’ve been lying to him about Henry.”
Dylan scowled, but he didn’t say anything else.
“How is Henry?” said Sofia. “Did you see him?”
I nodded. What would they do if they knew Calliope had somehow convinced Henry to fight for her? Would t
hey treat him like the enemy, too? He might still love me, but love wasn’t enough to convince the council that he wouldn’t fight against them if Calliope ordered him to.
“He’s fighting her,” I said. A half truth at best and a full-out lie at worst. “There’s only so much he can do without giving himself away, but he’s still in there.”
“Good,” said Sofia, settling back in her throne. “She doesn’t know him like she knows the rest of us. Gives her less of a chance to exploit his weaknesses and use them against him.”
That was exactly what she was doing, though. She knew his weaknesses—she knew he would do anything to protect me and Milo. Maybe she’d even asked Ava not to take his love for me away from him so he would remember why he was doing this. Or maybe she’d done it just so he could feel that heartbreak when he kissed her and remembered who he was really supposed to love.
Sadistic bitch.
“What did Ava want to discuss?” said Walter.
“She wanted to apologize again and try to explain.” It was the truth, for the most part. “She told me that Cronus is going to attack New York City once he’s escaped.”
A murmur rippled through the remaining members of the council, and James said to Dylan, “Need any more proof that he’s doing this because of Kate?”
“Shut it,” muttered Dylan, and James gave him a satisfied smirk. He might’ve liked rubbing his brother’s nose in it, but I would’ve given damn near anything for Dylan to be right.
“Very well, we will prepare for that outcome then,” said Walter, and I blinked.
“What if Ava was lying to me?” I said, and Walter shrugged tiredly.
“Then we are doomed.” He stood on trembling legs. “Go rest and recuperate. We will not attack tomorrow or any other day until the winter solstice.”
Dylan rose with what he must’ve intended to be indignation, but he looked more like an old man rising from an armchair that was too short for his legs. “We’re giving up?”
