"So, uh, what happened with you?" he asked.
I did my best not to cringe. "There was an … accident. Sabine gave me her body."
"What kind of…" he started curiously.
"This is Morgan," I interrupted. "Our newest Hero. With the power to control time."
My distraction worked.
"Chronokinesis?" Darren marvelled. "Staggering implications for quantum physics. But not altogether surprising when you consider..."
"Spare us," I said. "I told her you'd tell her which parts of Ares needed to be frozen in time to let the rest of him catch up on healing."
"Sure, that's a breeze," Darren said.
He stopped at a room and ushered us inside. Then he closed the door.
Jason stood as he saw us.
"Who are they?" he demanded.
It might have been my imagination, but I almost felt a prickle along my skin, like there was a great invisible force around me, a giant hand ready to grab me and toss me out into the hall.
"Morgan," I said, "this is Jason. He moves things with his mind. You move time with yours. There. Lots in common. Now, let's get down to business."
"Hera?" Jason asked, blinking.
"Yes?" I replied.
"What…" he began.
"It's a long story," I interrupted. "Go find Demeter and Carson at the hospital entrance. If Ekhidna comes, they'll need you."
Jason hesitated, but then he nodded and left.
"You know, if Morgan can control time, there are other options," Darren said, once Jason had gone. "She could actually reverse the damage by moving his cells back to a point in time where they weren't injured."
"That was hours ago," I said. "She doesn't have that kind of power or control."
"It's worth a shot," he argued. "What harm could it do?"
"A lot," I snapped. "Ares isn't a guinea pig. We do it my way. The safest way."
I strode over to where Ares lay. I couldn't possibly understand the nest of tubes going into and out of him. He was heavily bandaged. Unrecognizable. I'd never seen him so fragile. It was sickening.
"Do it now," I ordered, fighting to keep my voice under control.
"Morgan, if I'm right, and I'm virtually certain that I am, the most serious damage to Ares is internal. Around his abdomen," Darren explained. "If you could freeze that, his powers should be able to heal the rest of him, and then tackle the tough part."
Morgan didn't say anything. She stared at Ares, her face registering no emotion at all.
"You'll do fine," I assured her.
"Let's try," she said.
Darren placed one hand on top of Ares' chest and another at his waist. "Stop time in this area."
Morgan nodded. She lifted her hands. I held my breath. I couldn't help it. There was a ripple in the air, almost invisible, like a wave of heat.
"Did it work?" I demanded.
Morgan didn't say anything. Her big, unblinking eyes were locked on Ares. Her lip began to quiver. Her power was draining her. Fast. She was doing something. I just hoped it was the right thing.
When Darren didn't offer any confirmation, I looked at him. He was completely motionless, his face still turned expectantly to Morgan. She had frozen him.
"Morgan, you froze Darren," I said. "I think you're going to have to try..."
But movement caught my eye, and I cut myself off. At first, I thought it was just my imagination. Then, I thought it might be Darren breaking free as Morgan's power drained away.
But then it happened again. And again. It was Ares! As I watched, all over his body, bruises disappeared and lacerations sealed themselves.
"Release some of Ares," I urged.
"How..." Morgan said through gritted teeth, "much...?"
A tear slipped down her cheek. The strain of controlling time, even in so small an area, was agonizing.
"I don't know. Half?" I guessed. "Hurry!"
From the way she was shaking, Morgan couldn't keep using her powers for much longer. But if she released too much of Ares all at once, his body might still be too overwhelmed to heal itself. Then this would all have been for nothing.
Morgan screamed, a cry ripped from the depth of her being. I knew that cry. I'd made it before, when I was pushing myself beyond my limits, past my breaking point.
I looked back to Ares.
His eyes were moving rapidly beneath his eyelids. Then, his eyes suddenly opened.
"Don't move. Don't speak," I told him quickly. "Give your powers a chance to catch up before you decide to do anything stupid."
I heard another cry from Morgan. But this time, it was weak. When I turned, she collapsed to the ground.
"What happened?" Darren demanded.
He was staring blankly at where Morgan had been.
"Morgan froze you," I said. "But she did it. She froze Ares too. She saved his life. Make sure she's okay."
My eyes never left Ares. I was so glad to see him well again. Watching him heal was only a small victory in the scheme of things, but I needed every victory I could get.
"How is she?" I asked.
"She'll be fine," Darren said, as he took Morgan's pulse. "She just fainted. I'll take her for some fresh air and something to eat and drink."
"You did it," I told Morgan, as Darren helped her up. "You saved him."
I didn't know what else to say. I just beamed at her as she left with Darren.
When they'd gone, Ares started pulling tubes out of his body.
"Are you sure you should be doing that?" I demanded.
"Very sure," he answered.
He gave me his cockiest grin. But his face was still tired, his eyes haunted. Ares had fought in countless battles, probably every major battle that'd ever been fought in the mortal world. But he'd never really been hurt before. He'd never faced death.
"Are you alright?" I asked, as he sat up.
He didn't meet my eyes as he began unpeeling the bandages around him. He didn't say anything. Finally, he sighed. He was searching for the right words. I forced myself to be patient. But then Jason burst in.
"You need to..." Jason started.
He spun around quickly.
I turned. Ares was standing, pulling off the last of the bandages. He was completely naked.
"Put some clothes on," I ordered witheringly.
I turned back to Jason. "What is it?"
"You need to come with me," Jason said, staring intently straight ahead.
"Monsters?" I asked.
He nodded.
I turned back to Ares.
"I thought I told you to put some clothes on!" I said.
"There aren't any," he replied.
I turned back to Jason. "Go raid the Lost and Found. Get something for Ares. I'll find Demeter. When he's fully dressed, come find us."
I left. Just one crisis after another. Never a moment's peace. But that was Ekhidna's strategy. She was trying to wear us down. She had an army of expendable minions; we didn't. In a war of attrition, she'd win. We had to start bringing the war to her.
Just as I was about to reach the waiting room, I felt it. Nausea. Dizziness. Monsters.
I risked a look around the corner. No sign of Demeter. She must've taken the Heroes someplace safe so we could meet up and decide what to do.
I turned to go back to Ares' room and almost collided with him.
"They're in there," I whispered. "Demeter and the others already left."
"More fun for us," Ares said grimly.
He had one thing on his mind. Revenge. The dahaka had made him feel weak, mortal. Ares needed to feel strong again. He needed to prove he was still a god. But that made him reckless. We had to be smart.
"You're not fully recovered," I reminded him. "And there's only the three of us."
"Why'd they come inside?" Jason asked. "They can't turn into their true forms."
"Hostages?" Ares guessed.
"Or they're going the mundane route," I said. "They can always just stab us or shoot us to death."
> I sighed. "We don't want to force their hand. If the monsters panic, there'll be a lot of casualties."
"So what do we do?" Jason asked.
I closed my eyes. I had a plan. I just had to see if it'd work.
"We go outside," I told him, opening my eyes. "But we stay calm. We don't give away that we know they're there. They'll follow us."
"And then?" Jason pressed.
"Then we take them somewhere private…" I started.
"And kill them all," Ares finished. He grinned. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "This is going to be fun."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Demeter did her best to stay calm, but her smile was forced, her eyes worried, her usual warmth gone. This wasn't Demeter. This was a Demeter mannequin. But the real tell was her fingers. Twitching. Aching. She longed to have a weapon in her hands. But she couldn't give us away. Not yet.
I knew I'd find them at the van. They were waiting for us. But they'd thought we'd be alone. Demeter had assumed I'd elude the monsters and take a back exit. She hadn't thought I'd bring them back with me.
But even at this distance, we could read each other. We'd known each other for thousands of years. She knew what my plan was, and she whispered it to the Heroes with her.
The monsters trailed a dozen or so yards behind us. They were scanning the area. They wanted to make sure it was clear of mortals, or maybe they were just waiting for Ekhidna to raise a cloak so they could attack in their true forms.
As I walked towards the van, flanked by Jason and Ares, I blinked constantly, testing the future. But so far, nothing. I didn't know how much warning I'd have before they attacked.
It didn't take long.
As soon as we were out of the sight of the hospital entrance, they jumped us. They wanted this to be quick and lethal. We'd beaten other monsters before. They knew that. So, when they came for us, they came all at once, shifting into their true forms. Dahaka. Oni. Cachars. Pishacha. Lacrima. Not just the group behind us either: monsters poured from the shadows around the hospital and the trees lining the parking lot.
A cloak was up. The battle was on.
The dahaka shot out their barbs. I spun out of the way, guided by images that arrived precious seconds before the barbs did. The others reacted on instinct.
Ares dove in front of Carson, taking a chest full of spines.
Jason raised a hand at the barbs flying for him and Darren. The spines flew backwards towards the dahaka with the force of bullets, smashing into their faces and launching them backwards.
Morgan flinched, and a barrage of barbs heading for her stopped in midair. But they wouldn't stay that way for long. Demeter yanked her out of the way, and together, they disappeared into trees surrounding the parking lot.
Several oni and cachars followed them.
I smiled. That'd be the last mistake those monsters would ever make. Outdoors, Demeter had her own army, growing all around her. Even the invincible oni would never be seen again. Demeter was creative, and there were worse things than death. Much worse. Unfortunately, not everyone could run into the trees with her. Demeter had limits in mortal form, and it'd be far easier for her to protect herself and Morgan without having to worry about the rest of us.
The monsters kept coming.
Ares and Darren pummelled the pishacha. No easy task. If it had even a second to concentrate, it would paralyze them and take over one of their bodies. That left Ares and Darren with only one option: to brutalize the pishacha so constantly that it never got the second it needed.
But Ares and Darren couldn't keep it up forever. The constant brawling was exhausting, and they had cachars and lacrima to deal with too. All it took was one mistake, and the pishacha would turn one of our greatest warriors against us.
"Carson, the oni!" I warned, dodging a cachar that tried to wind its arms around me.
Three oni were barrelling toward her.
"There are too many of them!" she cried.
"Just do it!" I yelled back.
I couldn't help her. I was getting swarmed by lacrima. It was all I could do to keep them off of me. I punched. I kicked. I spun. But mostly, I just dodged the ooze that sprayed everywhere when they exploded. I was spinning through a minefield of glue.
With a gesture, Jason seized one of the oni rushing at Carson and lifted it into the air. He held it there, suspended.
He was trying to distract the oni from Carson. And it worked.
The other two oni whirled away from Carson and bolted for Jason, fists raised to crush him. One blow was all that it'd take. Oni could crush concrete. They would tear through Jason like paper.
"Carson!" I yelled again.
With a shuddering breath, Carson fixed her gaze on the rushing oni.
But there was no indigo flash. Her powers weren't flowing. She was too frightened.
"Breathe!" I shouted.
But I wasn't paying enough attention to myself, and two of the lacrima exploded before I could get out of range of their goo. I was cemented in place.
Two cachars spotted me and veered away from Ares and Darren, heading straight for me.
I struggled. I thrashed. But I couldn't break free of the lacrima's ooze, and without being able to move, my powers would be useless.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw an indigo flash.
One of the oni had been turned into stone, but the other had reached Jason. It raised its fists and brought them down. Inches from smashing his face, the fists froze. Stone flowed from the oni's fingers through its arms into its body and down its legs until it was just another stone statue.
My pride was short-lived. The cachars were around me, one on each side. With my powers, I could see what they'd do, but stuck in place, there was nothing I could do about it. When they were in position, they'd both come at me from either side.
"Everyone, close your eyes!" Carson cried.
Her voice was haggard. Distant. I almost didn't recognize it. Something had changed. It wasn't her speaking anymore. Not the old her anyway. It was someone else. Someone powerful.
I shut my eyes just as the cachars rushed in for the kill. I braced myself.
But nothing hit. All I felt was a rush of air against my face.
I opened my eyes.
The cachar's stone hand was an inch from my face. Carson had saved me. Again.
I looked around. All around. A forest of statues. Cachars. Lacrima. Oni. Pishacha. All turned to stone. The parking lot was an eerie gallery full of sculptures, their faces twisted in surprise and fear.
Carson was on the ground. Darren quickly skidded to her side and began to check her.
"Is she alright?" I asked tightly, afraid of the answer.
"I think so," Darren murmured.
"You think so?" I asked. "I need you to know!"
"Well, I don't," he snapped. "It doesn't look like she has any injuries."
"Any physical ones," Ares corrected. "Let's get her into the car."
"Are you sure we should move her?" Jason worried.
"Like I said, it's not physical," Darren replied. "Moving her won't hurt her."
"Go find Demeter and Morgan," I told Jason.
He broke off and headed into the park, disappearing out of sight.
Ares and Darren lifted Carson, heading toward the car.
"Keys are in my left pocket," Darren said, as I walked beside them.
I slipped my hand inside and grabbed them.
"Not my keys," Darren said dryly.
Ares chuckled. I levelled a scorching look at him. I pulled out the keys and unlocked the car. They slid Carson onto the back seat.
"Hera!" Demeter called from behind.
I turned and saw her, Morgan, and Jason.
A cloud was speeding away from them. No. Not a cloud. A swarm of insects. A yokai.
Jason closed his fist, and the fog of chittering bugs formed into the shape of a person.
"I can't keep it together long," Jason warned, breathing heavily.
/> "This won't take long," I assured him.
I turned to the yokai. "Where is Ekhidna taking the orisha?"
No answer. Just the whine of insects. The yokai wasn't going to cooperate.
"Ares," I said.
He grinned and walked over to where the yokai hung suspended in the air. He reached into the mass of insects and pulled out a handful of the bugs. He crushed them in his massive hand.
"Again," I ordered.
Another handful.
"Again," I repeated.
Again. And again. And again.
"Enough!" the yokai screamed.
A chorus of pain. The sound seemed to come from all the tiny insects at once.
"Again," I commanded.
Ares reached in with both hands.
"Stop!" the yokai screamed again. "I'll tell you."
"I'm listening," I replied. Ares looked at me. "I didn't say stop."
He reached in again.
More screams. "Spirit! Spirit is the gateway!"
"Cryptic," I murmured. "And not nearly good enough. Ares."
Another chorus of tiny screams, weaker than the first. Fewer.
"I don't know any more!" the yokai swore.
"Pity," I said. I paused. "We're going to need some gas. Jason, could you..."
Before I even finished, the gas flap of a nearby car opened, the cover unscrewed itself, and a stream of gas snaked out of the tank. It splattered all over the yokai.
Ares pulled a lighter from his pocket.
"Make sure they're all burned," I told him, as I headed to the car.
"But I helped you!" the yokai screamed.
"Yes," I replied. "You did."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Carson lay in bed. She hadn't woken up since we'd left the hospital and returned to Darren's house. She'd drained herself with an explosion of power that had surprised even me. In a way, it was a good sign. If Carson could do something like that, so could the others. Their powers had matured.
But what remained to be seen was the cost. If all my Heroes wound up comatose from drawing that deeply on their powers, then they might as well not bother. A conscious, weak Hero was better than an unconscious, powerful one.
I shut the door, leaving Carson alone with Demeter. What Carson needed was time to recover. Demeter would make sure she stayed safe while she got it.
Hera, Queen of Mortals (Goddess Unbound) Page 19