by Amy Braun
I couldn’t help but think they were planning something for Derek. Something horrible.
“I can try to reach out to my family,” Mason offered quietly.
I lifted my head. His eyes were warm and concerned. “They have a pretty far reach and owe me some favors.”
I looked at Mason, and realized I knew nothing about his family. I knew came from a powerful family and had spotted him in gossip columns a couple times, but he’d never spoken about those relationships.
I had not been a good friend to him or to Corey.
“I can’t ask you to do that…”
Mason shook his head. “Consider it a favor. You can be mine and Corey’s bodyguards.” He frowned a bit. “My aunt and uncle can get a little conniving at times.”
“What about your parents and siblings?”
“Parents died when I was a toddler, and I’m an only child. Grandparents raised me.”
He said all of this with indifference, as though it were a footnote in his life. I didn’t know if I believed him.
I thought back to what he said.
“Yours and Corey’s?” I looked between them, watching Corey’s cheeks and ears flush. “Wait, are you guys…?”
Mason grinned. “Yup. Little over a month ago.” He lifted a shoulder. “Figured it was time to try something steady for a change.”
His words were suave as ever, but I saw the way he looked at Corey.
With everything that had happened… Gods, I hadn’t even noticed that their flirting became something more.
I put on a bright smile for them. “I’m happy for you guys. That’s amazing.”
Mason slid to the left and wrapped an arm around Corey’s shoulder. “It has been. I definitely made a good choice.”
He kissed the side of Corey’s face, and my friend turned beet red.
But he looked happy. They both did. It seemed like forever since something truly good happened to us—something not attached to the Olympians or this task they’d placed at our feet.
It made me determined to protect them. If they were our ray of hope, I would not let it be snuffed out.
“I can play bodyguard,” I assured him. I leaned back on the chaise and swept my arms up and down my body. “I got all this muscle, so I might as well do something with it.”
Mason laughed and Corey smiled, since a newly turned nineteen-year-old with a mop of brown hair and blue eyes didn’t exactly scream menacing warrior.
Most of my enemies thought that before I laid down the hurt.
The couple decided to leave, and I promised to catch up with them later. Much later, as Mason suggested with a wink.
Once they left, I exhaled and slumped on the daybed.
Not for the first time, I thought about using the blood bond and reaching out to Derek. It only stretched about a hundred feet, but maybe, just maybe, he would be somewhere nearby.
It was a stupid thing to hope for, but I missed him. I worried about him. We’d been at each other’s sides for eighteen years, separated only when we were at school or forced apart in combat.
I wondered how he was holding together—if he even was. Derek was stubborn and slow to change, and a sudden shift like this would do him no favors. And if he slipped up, if someone arrested him for killing two gods…
I didn’t want to think about how that would end. It would only bring me more grief.
“You shouldn’t let your guard down in here.”
I jumped to my feet, hands twitching for magic or a blade. I did not appreciate it when people snuck up on me.
My eyes scanned the room and stopped when a woman slipped from behind one of the dozens of pillars lining the corridor ahead of me. I fought to hold in my fear.
Unfathomably beautiful but not relying on glamorous baubles or clothes, she wore a dark brown leather jacket, a gray tank top, green cargo pants, and steel-toed boots. A camouflage scarf draped her neck. Her thick chestnut hair lay braided along her back, resting beside the ornate silver bow and full quiver of arrows along her spine. Blazing silver eyes studied and judged me.
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, could have been any woman walking down the street, able to blend in anywhere at any time to catch her prey.
Right now, her prey was my brother.
I reacted quickly, bowing deep. “Forgive me, my lady.” When in doubt, ask the gods for forgiveness.
“Stand up.”
I obeyed. She narrowed her eyes. Artemis was the goddess I did my best to avoid. Derek had hurt her dearly, and she wanted to punish him. Hurting me would get his attention faster than anything else, but Zeus forbade it—probably why I remained alive. I wanted to stay that way, so I kept myself as far from her path as I could.
“Follow me,” Artemis said after a moment.
I didn’t ask where or why—just did as I was told. We walked through the halls, our footsteps muted against the marble floor and the vast expanse of the hall.
“You attacked Poseidon’s replacement,” she finally stated, blunt as a hammer to the face.
I stopped my frown, because I didn’t want Artemis to know she’d baited me. Thea was more than a goddess.
“I didn’t want her to hurt anyone,” I explained. “And I knew she wouldn’t want that, either.”
“Assuming again. As though you have any prerogative to declare what she would have wanted to do.”
“With all due respect, Lady Artemis, I knew Thea when she was still an heir. She wants to help people, not hurt them.”
Artemis rounded on me, halting me in my tracks and forcing me to look up. She was taller than me—broader and stronger. She may not be a goddess of combat like Ares or Athena, but no one would mistake her for being weak or useless in a fight.
“You keep making the same mistake and do not even realize it.” The hall seemed to darken—shadows swept across her face until only those burning silver eyes remained. “Your friend will become a goddess. She will be beyond you in every way. Forcing her to maintain her humanity will drive her mad, at worst. At best, she will kill you and enjoy it.” A cruel smile lit up the shadows on her face at the thought.
Artemis watched her words sink in. I tried not to show any emotion, but it was hard to hear the confidence in her voice.
I could have argued. I should have argued. Despite her loss of control, I still believed Thea would stay the girl I knew, the same one I was falling for. But power changed people. It had changed Derek and turned him into the Godslayer. Its claws were digging deeper into Thea.
I couldn’t pry Derek from the compulsion of his powers. I wasn’t sure I could do the same for Thea.
Maybe she doesn’t even want help. Maybe she wants to fight this herself.
I hadn’t asked, and suddenly felt a pull of shame in my chest. I didn’t want to see her hurt, but it also wasn’t my choice.
Whatever Artemis read on my face seemed to satisfy her. She leaned back, a smug look remained as the shadows peeled away from her skin. She stepped aside, and suddenly I was standing before a set of bright gold doors held in a thick oak frame. The doors were lavishly decorated with depictions of the gods bearing their weapons.
“Step inside,” Artemis murmured. “They’re waiting for you.”
I didn’t ask who. I didn’t ask why. I just pushed on the cold, golden handles and stepped inside.
DEREK
OUR LUCK HELD, allowing us to return to Persephone’s Haven. The goddess employed a handful of craft and wayfare-scions, both of whom had escorted us to Artemis’s region and were waiting for us at the forest’s edge to help us escape. Once we returned to Haven, they quickly strode away.
Even they knew the stakes of helping us. Persephone and Athena were simply too beloved for them not to offer aid.
We strolled through the black iron gates that surrounded the goddess’s property. Beyond those gates was a sprawling lawn of willow trees, hedge mazes, and a field of golden wheat swayed even when there was no breeze. The early morning sun scattered oranges, pinks, and re
ds across the marble pathway that lead to a large, gothic cathedral comprised of storm gray stones.
I glanced at the statues and altars lining the path. Caretakers and gardeners dutifully cleaned grit and dust from the marble and polishing the altars for worshippers who would likely arrive within a few hours. They didn’t seem to notice us. Persephone likely made sure they were well paid for their hard work and silence, neither of which calmed my nerves. Just because Persephone’s Haven was guarded against the eyes of the gods, it remained vulnerable. Only days after the fight on the beach, Artemis and her subordinates stormed into the cathedral to find us. Athena shifted Selena and I away before we could be discovered, but it had been close.
A pair of guards stood one either side of the cathedral’s heavy wood and wrought iron doors. They watched us walk up the steps and said nothing before opening the doors for us.
The goddesses were waiting.
Persephone’s cathedral was enormous, with beautifully designed pillars stretching up and curving into arches over our heads. Stained glass windows and low burning torches cast faded, rainbow lighting across the nave. Ornate wooden pews glistened with fresh polish. Alcoves on the far sides of the pews contained busts of Persephone. Small altars had been added to them so the day’s worshippers could leave tributes to the Goddess of the Underworld. Coins, pieces of wheat, pomegranates, flowers, trinkets—Persephone accepted whatever her followers were willing to give. If all they had was their devotion, she accepted that too.
I had met a fair number of gods and goddesses since Ares and Zeus had forced me into this whirlwind of a scavenger hunt, and Persephone was the only one who hadn’t demanded anything I was unwilling to give. I wasn’t so disillusioned to assume that kindness would extend forever, but I was monumentally grateful for it.
Our two Olympian guardians stood near the pulpit at the end of the nave, each as breathtaking and powerful as ever.
Tall, slender, and pale, the deep purple gown Persephone wore accentuated her beauty. A leafy gold belt wrapped around her waist and rested on her hips. Gold cuffs studded with rubies and amethysts curled around her biceps. The gold collar holding up the top halter of her dress contained an impression of her sigil, a halved pomegranate. The goddess’s black and gold hair had been spun up and off her neck, pinned in place and tucked behind a simple golden band for a crown. Her hazel blue eyes and full lips were defined by dark eyeliner and deep red lipstick. She may be a minor goddess, but her marriage to Hades made her a Queen, and she clearly understood the requirements that came with that title.
The goddess next to her was far more subtle like she did not want to be seen.
She dressed in plain blue jeans, dark grey boots, a white tank top with a pale grey coat draped over her shoulders. An owl pendant with bright blue eyes hung between her breasts. Her long brown hair was tied in a simple ponytail, and she wore no makeup to accentuate her perfect skin. Her irises changed color depending on her mood, and these days her eyes were more gray than blue.
Then again, Athena, who had renewed her status as a rogue goddess after breaking ties with her Olympian kin to help hide me, had plenty to worry about.
We approached the platform and knelt in front of the goddesses.
“You may rise.” Persephone’s voice was low and soft. “You know there is no need for that.”
Athena remained silent, looking between us.
She had helped bring Liam and I to Selena, Mason, and Thea. She helped contain the Thunderbolt when it was found. She helped me cope with the first War Pact Ares forced onto me. She became a prisoner of her family for a time. In a roundabout way, she had saved Selena’s life years ago, even though it was not what Selena wanted at the time.
She did all of this in the hopes that the Cronus Shards and Trinity Weapons would be destroyed and so the Olympians could leave the world and rest again. Perhaps permanently. She truly believed that humans and gods could not co-exist—and given the riots and outrage occurring throughout Néo Vasíleio in the wake of Apollo and Poseidon’s deaths, I was staring to agree with her.
So, to see Athena’s shoulders slump, knowing we had failed to find the Helm again… it was not easy to bear.
“It was another ruse,” Selena explained. “The Helm was not there, and we were ambushed by a Crocotta. We just need some rest and we’ll be ready to search again.”
Selena stared directly at Athena, her eyes blazing with more emotions than I could count. Since Athena started seeking refuge in Persephone’s Haven with us, things had been tense between the goddess and her heir. They’d barely spoken. While Athena was humble, she was still a goddess, and goddesses didn’t care for attitude from mortals. And I knew Selena. Equal parts stubborn and fierce, she refused to let anyone push her around. It made her stunning but invited provocation.
I was in no rush to see that volcano explode.
“Maybe we should leave off the Helm for a while.”
The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. The women turned to me, surprise and intrigue lighting their eyes.
Shit. I should not have said that.
Too late now. I took a breath and a risk.
“The Helm is important and we need it, but it might be better if we try to find a Cronus Shard. We still need to find Cronus’s Mind and Sickle. Looking for one of those might be easier, because they’ll probably give off a bigger magical signature, so Selena will See it clearer.” I glanced at her when I said this, and she gave no indication that my words affected her. Progress, maybe?
I continued, “It might be a way to keep the other Olympians and… and their soldiers off our backs for a while. If we let them think we’re still looking for the Helm, we might be able to throw us off our actual scent.”
“Or they’ll realize what you’re planning, or put their own people on both our trails,” Selena pointed out. Her silver-blue eyes were intense. “People who know you very, very well.”
Like, say, a younger brother who had spent their entire life next to my side.
“I’m not saying it’s not a risk. But we have to focus on the bigger picture. If Tartarus opens, it will be devastating. I’m not going to deny that. But if Tartarus opens and Cronus emerges with every piece of himself intact? That’s not just devastating, Selena. That is literally the end of the world.”
I should know. I had seen myself in that apocalypse—and on the wrong side of the fight.
“I will help you with your task.”
The words came from Persephone. I turned to her, my eyebrows rising with surprise. Just three months ago, I had learned she was my foremother. A secret, one-time affair between her and Ares created my bloodline and ancestors. Even though I didn’t fully understand why, Persephone’s blood was the reason I had two elemental magics rather than one.
Ever since learning that Liam and I were long lost descendants, Persephone had gone out of her way to care for us—to be the mother she’d always wanted to be. In a month, she would be forced to go back to her dark kingdom and her husband.
“We would be in your debt,” I said. I wouldn’t be able to change her mind and adding a title to her name such as “lady,” “queen,” or “goddess” would just earn me a sigh. But I couldn’t bring myself to I call her “mother.”
Persephone smiled, the expression as sad as I’d ever seen it.
“I ask nothing in return for this,” Persephone assured. “I have many spies in the Underworld. I shall press them harder to obtain information about the Helm. Perhaps there was somewhere they had not thought to look.”
Persephone knew how beloved the Helm of Darkness was to her husband. She also knew that if it were there, Hades would guard it well. Crossing into the Underworld was impossible for anyone living. I had died once, but only Persephone’s power brought me back. I didn’t remember much of my time there, but it was not the kind of place I wanted to visit again. Not for a long, long time.
“Thank you,” I said, bowing deeply on instinct.
Persephone smile
d gently.
“I suggest you rest for now,” she added. “You are welcome to join the sermons if you wish.”
But she knew we wouldn’t. Now that we were safe and standing still, the aches and pains from the fight with the Crocotta were coming back. I wanted to regain my magic and find something to eat. It had been a long day, and there was nothing more we could do until we heard back from Persephone’s spies.
With Persephone’s blessing, we left the heart of the cathedral. I watched Athena, who had been silent throughout, before following Selena’s exit. I followed a safe distance behind.
I entered the corridor on the far right of the cathedral and slipped through an employee’s only door. It opened up to a kitchen, lounge, and offices, but I passed all of those in favor of the spiraling metal staircase that led to the sleeping and living quarters. I was nearly at the top of the stairs when I heard angry voices.
“You said not a word to me,” Athena said.
“Because I want nothing to do with you,” came Selena’s biting reply.
In the five months I’d known her, I’d never heard Selena’s voice raised in anger. She was a fierce but controlled woman. It jarred me to hear that control slip. But how else do you speak to someone who failed, betrayed, and erased you?
“You cannot run from me, Selena,” Athena went on. “You are my heir. You have Seen your destiny locked with mine.”
“I don’t know that for certain. I’m hexed and you erased my memory. The Prophecy could be a lie. I can hardly tell anymore.”
“You know it is true. You just don’t want to admit who will be responsible.”
I could almost feel the temperature drop through the floor. Selena’s voice had been icy before, but now it was cold as death.
“Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare put the blame on him.”
Athena exhaled. “You are a reasonable woman, Selena. You always have been. When the choices were impossible, you still made the right ones. This Prophecy is no different. If we cannot find the Helm or the remaining Shards before the traitors, would it not be better to erase a piece of their power? One life against millions?”
