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This was the power of the imperial heirs.
“I’m sorry,” Alex bellowed. “Stop attacking and I won’t have to hurt you! Just let me get Sirena.”
“Now!” Kosma’s shout pierced the air.
Hellstones flew in an arch over my head, heading straight for Alex’s, Calix’s, and Ajax’s backs. Calix’s admirers threw themselves in their path, catching all but—
“Ahh!” Calix dropped amid the clutch of bodies.
“Cal!” Tycho was gone like a shot, running to help Calix.
His harem lost their minds, torn between helping Calix and attacking anyone and everyone they thought hurt him.
I tried running to Alex and was knocked aside, crashing into Sebastian and Jason. A wave of hellstone-armed Sisypheans surged from behind us—trampling Daciana, Nitsa, Theron, and Ionna in their lust to take out the Titans. They were ready for this fight. They wanted it.
“Guys, are you okay?” I screamed. “I don’t understand this? Is there another child of Eris in our group? Why has everyone gone mad!”
“It’s the hellstones!” Sebastian and Jason put me back on my feet, then Jason ran to help Nitsa, Daciana, and Ionna—stepping on Theron and kicking him away in the process. “They punish the target, but amplify the viciousness and sadism in the holder,” Sebastian said. “It’s so those condemned to Tartarus don’t even have the comfort of making friends or allies. Everything and everyone down there want to rip you apart.”
“No wonder they call it hell.”
Ajax turned to face the onslaught. Hands to the sky, a ten—fifteen—thirty-foot wave rose behind him, capturing the sun in shifting, fractured light.
“Ajax, no!” A guy ran out in front of the Sisypheans, reaching for him. “Don’t do this, please.”
“Mother?”
Mother?
Ajax gaped at the young male novice. “Mother, what—? What are you doing here—?”
Roaring, hismothersnapped and threw something in his face, soaking him head to toe.
Ajax blinked at him, tipping his head. The wave surging behind him evaporated into vapor. “Who are you— Wait? Who am I?”
“They have Lethe water too?” Sebastian’s rage was a palpable thing. “How much?”
Dimitri shrugged. “Five thousand drachmas’ worth. Why the fuck are you glaring at us like that? You told us to sell and sell hard. We need the coin.”
“Idiots! No one needs nine thousand drachmas’ worth of hellstones and Lethe water unless they’re planning something bad for all of us.” They looked at him uncaringly. “We’re being set up!”
Understanding bled into their eyes.
“Set up?” Dimitri said. “We are?”
“Of course we are. Don’t you remember the last time Sisypheans went to battle with the Titans? That son of Eris was kicked out of the academy and sentenced to hard labor. Someone wants us to go down for this, and it won’t be Drakos who comes for our heads, it’ll be the council. It’ll behim. If anyone dies, we’re done. We’re out of the academy. We’re dead!”
Cold understanding bled into me too. “You did this,” I hissed at the bracelet.
Selene’s laughter rang in my ears.
It was mayhem. Everywhere I looked, Sisypheans attacked, jumped on, used their power, and flung hellstones at any Titanin their path. Titans still on their feet fought back just as hard, with equally devastating effect.
“Your hair are snakes. Kill them,” Cora ordered. “That stone is the sweetest apple. Eat it.”
Marika went nuts—tearing and pounding her scalp. The hellstone she brought was snatched up by Zale, who cracked his teeth chomping down. Choking, his strangled screams tore from his blistered, ruined throat.
Standing back-to-back with Cora was Penelope. She was surrounded by a ring of olive trees.
