by Amy Braun
I looked him dead in the eye. “Then tell me what you want. You never did say.”
“What I want is not yours to give, Liam Areios. But you can lead me to it.” His gaze slid to Selena again. “She is also part of the path I need laid. So, I shall grant you the ability to remove her hex and tell you the whereabouts of your captive friends.” He returned his gaze to me. “Draw the Omega Knife.”
I went still. Last time I touched the thing, I’d been compelled to fight my brother. If I never laid a hand on it again, it would be too soon.
“Why?”
“The Titan magic inside her is infecting her. If you wish to remove this particular infection, power must be drawn.”
“But it will take the rest of her abilities.”
“If you do not listen to me, yes. But I do not wish to see Cassandra of Troy falter again. The Fates have use for her abilities still, and the Titan magic is consuming all her other abilities. The Omega Knife shall only take the strongest.”
I hesitated. I didn’t like the idea of using something as powerful as this on my pseudo-sister.
Hades loomed over me. “Every second you waste, you destroy a piece of her fractured mind. You’re about to leave your friends to a terrible fate. You can either let them suffer or you can do as I say.”
Both options terrified me.
But not so much as losing a friend.
Hades must have seen my decision on my face, because he accepted the offering bowl. I turned and drew the Omega Knife with a bloody hand. I walked to Selena, trying to keep my eyes from Thea. When I knelt, so did she.
“Pierce a small patch of skin between her eyes. The power must be drawn from her very skull.”
I winced at Hades’s instruction. Looking up at Thea, I said, “Can you hold her with another sleeping spell? I don’t want her to move and cut her eye.”
Thea paled, but knelt beside me and nodded. She gently clasped the sides of her friend’s head. She winced at the feel of her skin, but magic ebbed off her in waves. She had Selena in place.
As I took another glance at Sel, I pressed the tip of the Omega Knife between her eyes.
Blood beaded out of the tiny cut, and the blade jolted in my grip as if shocked. My arm locked in place, forcing me to keep the blade pressed to Selena’s skin. White runes illuminated along the blade. It shuddered as the power fighting my locked arm. The steel began to glow white hot and erase even the runes that sparked its magic.
The electric blue veins shook under Selena’s skin. Thea held her in place, but her body jumped and twitched. Blood streamed down the bridge of her nose, smearing across her cheeks. My eyes burned with tears, watching Selena seize while I cut into her head. I’d never hated myself so much.
Then Selena wrenched, throwing Thea aside. I dragged the Knife up, scraping the tip of the blade across her eyebrow, spilling more blood across her face. Selena arched her back and screamed. Her hand shot upward as purplish energy glowing from her fingertips.
My body locked again, and suddenly my arm was moving on its own.
Hades used the compulsion spell, forcing me to grab Selena and draw more power from her head. Thea grabbed Sel’s hands, freezing them to hold her in place. I watched the electric blue veins soak into the Knife blade, dragging out the power in Selena’s head.
Each scream broke another piece of my heart.
Finally, after far too long, the shocking brightness of her veins faded. I fought the spell, but Hades kept the Knife pressed to my hands. I couldn’t move.
I looked at Thea. “Push me away.”
Thea didn’t hesitate. She pushed out a palm, and a block of ice struck me in the chest. It hit like a baseball, striking my chest and knocking me back. I coughed, wincing at the bruise and pressing a hand to my chest to heal it. Groaning, I sat up.
Thea lifted her friend into her arms and cradled her. Selena blinked, blood smeared across her forehead, her eyes dazed, but the same silver-blue I remembered.
She looked at me, hazy and uncertain. “Liam?”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.” I scrambled over and closed my arms around both her and Thea. “I didn’t know what else to do, he said it would work, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Frantic, I pressed my hand to the top of her head and healed the wound.
“Gods,” Selena sighed, “what did I do?”
Cold magic seeped from the air behind me. Hades lowered his hand. A curl of aether slipped from his fingertips and curved around the Omega Knife’s hilt. Magically lifting it, the god examined the Knife. The sharp steel continued to glow white, but the runes had shifted to a pale blue.
Hades observed the weapon with fascination, and a sinking feeling nestled in my stomach.
“You said you’d take us to Corey and Mason,” reminded Thea. I heard the edge in her voice, too. She knew something was wrong. That we might have sacrificed too much to save our friend.
“Indeed, I did,” the god assured. “And you shall have your wish.”
He twisted a wisp of smoke around the Omega Knife. When the smoke dissipated, the Knife had vanished. Gone to wherever Hades wanted it to go.
I stood up. “Where did you send it?”
Hades took another step toward me. “That is not part of our arrangement, Liam Areios.” He grinned coldly. “Nor is it relevant where exactly I take you.”
Thick tendrils of aether snapped out of Hades’s back, as if he’d grown an extra set of limbs. They moved like lightning and snapped around the three of us, crushing our bodies in icy grips. Dark power seeped into my skin, biting it like a hundred angry mouths. My stomach flipped, and I was suddenly swallowed in by shadows.
I tumbled through darkness and space, and in a blink, I was dropped onto hard concrete floor.
Thea and Selena landed beside me, scrambling to their feet only to be yanked back down by the tendrils.
I cracked my eyes open. A warehouse ceiling filled with catwalks and dusty glass loomed over me. Then a familiar face peered down.
Ares grinned. “At last. The final bits of bait are here.”
The sole of his boot was the last thing I saw.
DEREK
ARTEMIS’S HAND CLOSED around my throat and lifted me from the ground. My boots scuffed hard earth.
I stared into the angry eyes of Artemis, wincing at the cruel tilt of her lips. Gold blood smeared her fingertips, forehead, and jawline, smelling like rotten fruit to me. Dust coated her torn clothing and her hair was filled with snarls and knots.
She had clawed her way through stone to get to me.
“I do not doubt the Furies.” She squeezed, digging her fingers into my windpipe. Stars danced in my eyes. “But I have lost my patience.”
Her grip was iron, double the strength of mine. I couldn’t fight her and win, even with my weapons. I had to––
She placed a hand on top of my head, fingers digging into my skull, pulling––
I flicked Ki̱demónas, shortening the spear and slamming it into Artemis’s face. Her head rocked back, her fingers slipping enough for me to grab her pinky fingers and twist them away. I slid from her grasp and staggered from the wall, recalling Ki̱demónas. The spear whipped into my hand. I flicked my wrist and lengthened it. Artemis stormed forward as I swung up, the iron blade pressing against her neck. She halted, scowling.
I had to be fast.
“I want to make a deal with you.” Speaking through a crushed throat hurt, but I kept my voice calm. Gods only knew how long I had before the Furies were set on me again.
And if it were up to those same gods, it wouldn’t be long.
Artemis sneered. “There is nothing you can give me that I will except, save for your death.” The skin on her neck turned ashy, hardening to stone. She pushed forward, Ki̱demónas’s tip knocking away. I stepped back, flicking the spear toward her eye, stopping her again. She scowled, her anger sharper than before.
“You want revenge for Apollo,” I declared, drawing focus back to me. “I get that. Better
than you think. You should have it.”
“If you will not grant me death, you have nothing to entice me with, Derek Areios. Do not drag this out and hope Persephone will save you.”
“Artemis––”
“Tell me the truth, heir of Ares. The one who ran from the beach, leaving pieces of my brother scattered on sand as though he were nothing. As though he had not done so much for unworthy humans. As if he were not loved and adored and––”
Her voice rose with emotion and rage. Understanding and reason were beyond her.
But I could be loud, too.
“I can prove it––”
Another break in my hand. Ki̱demónas slipped from my grip. I’d expected the pain, but it was still enough to rip my focus away. Artemis fell silent, watching me. I could have healed the damage, but anything I did would be pointless.
I could handle many hurts. What I needed was for Artemis to listen to me. I gathered my breath again.
“I can prove it was––”
Agony swelled in my fingers, splinters of bone driving into my nerves.
I grit my teeth and spoke once more.
“I can prove it was Ares!”
Pain exploded in my hand, sharp as a dozen knives. My vision snapped black, and when I opened my eyes again, I was staring at the night sky and shadowy treetops.
Gods above and below. I didn’t even know what city I was in.
Artemis studied me, her gaze fixed on my hand. I looked down.
My stomach roiled.
Shards of finger bones poked through the tips of my fingers and awkward spots on my palm. Shattered bones pierced it like a pincushion. The skin had swollen and painted with blood, and it was… glowing.
On the back of my hand, Ares’s circle-arrow mark burned like a fresh brand. Its edges swelled and glowed like fire burning under my skin.
It hadn’t been there before.
I just can’t stop making things worse.
But since Artemis wasn’t trying to snap my neck again, I considered that to be progress. Slowly, I curved my good hand under my damaged one. I pressed as lightly as I could to heal the wound, but even a feathery light touch sent fire down my arm.
I forgot how far nerves reach, I thought, numbed by the ache.
Slowly, the searing pain began to fade. I watched with morbid fascination as my bones pulled back into my skin. I winced at each tug and pull along my skin. Bumps and ridges formed under my flesh as the bones reknit, crawling like bugs.
Even after healing, Ares’s brand remained as the flesh around it ached.
“That is the gravebrand,” Artemis whispered. “I have not seen one used in ages.”
“What does it do?”
“It gives the caster control of the Furies.” She looked in my eyes. “I recall Ares speaking firmly of your duplicity. He pushed for them to be used against you.”
I tested my hand against the grass. Even that stung, but I still had enough strength to push to my feet. “They would have found me anyway. They never miss their mark.”
“Yes, but it was meant to be our choice, not solely Ares’s. If he controls the Furies, he could turn them on us.” She frowned. “I do not like the idea of him holding such power. His ambition is cold and cunning.”
“Well, he’s had it out for me ever since I took his spear.” I picked up Ki̱demónas and flicked it to its short length, then commanded it into the sheath on my back.
She glowered. “If you expect this to draw sympathy for me––”
“Honestly, I don’t give a fuck what you think.” My temper had finally frayed. “My brother and my friend are missing. I need to find them, then figure out how to get the Olympians out of my life. I could do that without you, but I’m learning that I can’t do everything by myself. It’s slow and I hate it because it means that the people I love are out on their own facing gods know what, and I’m not there to protect them. But I will protect them. So, if you really want to kill me, fine. Do it. I can’t stop you. But it won’t keep the Shards and Weapons out of greedy hands, and it sure as shit won’t bring your brother back.”
I hadn’t realized I’d been shouting until I heard the silence that followed. My heart beat quickly and my hands shook.
Artemis stared at me, her lips pressed together and her eyes storms of emotion.
I sucked in a deep breath. Prayed for calm.
“I am sorry for your loss, Lady Artemis. I know what it’s like to lose a family member. I watched my father murder my mother and have nearly watched my brother die countless times. But I am not responsible for your pain. All I’m trying to do is end this and be free from the gods.”
There. It was done. My greatest desire laid bare, because I was tired. Emotionally drained from the chaos the Olympians had thrown into my life and the lives of my family, physically scraping past death by teeth and nails. I should have walked away months ago and told myself that I wasn’t responsible. I became involved because Ares threatened Liam, and I stayed because I became friends with Selena, Mason, and Thea, and had given my oath to Athena. According to Cassandra’s Prophecy, I was locked into the fate of the Titans. I couldn’t escape until it was done with.
But gods above and below, I wanted it to be over.
Artemis’ eyes lowered to my left hand. “You say Ares did it. And you can prove it.”
I just looked at her. I wasn’t keen on my hand breaking again.
“I want to disbelieve you. More than anything I want you to be wrong. Ares has… he has looked me in the face and laid the blame at your feet. It is a blame I want to be true, because if it is not—if my brother’s mind broke before he took the Eye… that is not a truth I want to face.” She looked up. “I must have vengeance. But it must be on the right person.”
“Then work with me.”
“It cannot be so simple. I must have assurance. An oath.”
Oh, for the love of––
“No. Absolutely not. I have made too many promises to the Olympians. I am sick of being branded. Either you trust me, or you kill me.”
She stared at me, eyes intrigued, brows raised. “You are quite the dramatic one, aren’t you?”
“I’ve heard gods enjoy that,” I grumbled.
“Perhaps.” She paused, considering me again. “Very well. Follow me, Derek Areios, and I shall take you to your wayward friends.” Pressure swelled through the room, her aura stirring with intent. “And you shall take me to my brother’s killer.”
Her magic cloaked us and teleported us at great speeds. That was the only reason the Furies didn’t instantly find us.
I worried about leaving Persephone, Athena, and the sorrow scions against Zeus and the Furies, but Artemis promised me that they would remain alive.
“Zeus has no care for those mortal lives. He will not harm Persephone against fear of Demeter and Hades retaliating, and Athena is his favorite daughter. Her punishment will not be death.”
None of that reassured me.
Artemis transported us through stone, using her magic on a trail I couldn’t hope to follow or understand. I spent all my energy focused on keeping my stomach contents—little as there were—inside.
Everything lurched when we came to Thea’s boat shop.
My heart pounded fiercely. From the outside, it just looked like a modest blue shack. Nothing sinister or foreboding on the outside.
But something felt wrong here. And it only got worse when Artemis prodded the door open with her magic.
I switched the lights on, and found a summoning circle scrawled on the floor, next to an upturned offering bowl and splatters of blood. The air was cold and smelled like smoke.
“Aether,” Artemis said. “Hades was here.”
“Why would he be summoned?”
She looked at me, almost hesitating. “I worry he has taken interest in your brother.”
“What? Why?”
“I cannot be certain. Hades enjoys collecting things. Your brother, the Farseer, and the new goddess all possess i
tems or abilities that are exceedingly rare. He will go to extraordinary lengths to take and keep things he wants.”
My mind clicked.
“Zeus came looking for the Heart of Cronus. Do you think Hades took it?”
Artemis glanced at me, her strong features growing more and more concerned. “I worry that we are all being blindsided by the truth.” Her eyes went to the blood. “And we may already be too late.”
She closed her eyes, causing a heady pressure to fill the shop. I stayed still, letting her magic spread as she captured Hades’s trail.
All I could think about were my friends.
Liam had been given a magic knife.
Thea carried the Trident of Poseidon.
Selena was the rarest and most powerful Seer in the world.
And if Hades had them, along with the Heart of Cronus... he’d hit the jackpot.
And I’m running straight to him.
With the Furies at my back, this would be a sure death trap.
Unless....
Artemis opened her eyes and held out her hand to me.
“You know where Hades is?”
“Yes. He is far, but nowhere I cannot reach.”
“Do you know if anyone else is with him?”
Her eyes darkened. “My magic does not work that way. But I know he is back in Zeus’s region, where he is not supposed to be. They do not get along and typically only meet in the Clouds for Council sessions.”
“How hard is it for Zeus to track us?”
She frowned. “If he follows the Furies, not very. They know your gravebrand. They hunger for your blood.”
I brought my spear out and cut a thin line on my palm. “Then let’s make it easier for him to find me, and everyone else.”
LIAM
I FOUGHT THE gag in my mouth, wondering where it had come from and if it had been cleaned before it was knotted around my head.
Stupid thoughts, but with my hands tied behind my back, a blindfold over my eyes, ankles shackled in chains, and my knees pressed against hard concrete, I didn’t have any other plans.
