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“He’s right. We have to keep moving.” Alex picked me up bridal-style, ignoring my protests. Daciana bound me up the best she could, but that was my shoulder, not my legs. I could walk just fine. “The only one who can help Tycho is a healer, but we have to let him rest. Don’t wake him. We can defeat the challenges on our own. We have to. He can’t do this anymore.”
None of us could disagree. Tycho said he was holding back his death. What was he doing now that he was unconscious? Hecouldn’t exert himself like this anymore, or he wouldn’t make it to the end at all.
“We’ll take him.” Jason and Theron heaved Tycho up. “Let’s go.”
We trudged through the door—a weary, ragtag, battered group, and fell into the swirling gray smoke—
—and kept falling.
Night turned to day. Stunning blue skies and fluffy white clouds gazed down upon the world, and we were falling through them.
“What the fuck is going on!” Jason both spun around and tumbled head over heels. “Do something! Someone, do something!”
We were doing something—screaming.
Alex held on to me, holding me to his chest as all around us, my friends plummeted to their deaths.
“Hera,” Selene growled. “Throwing her son, Hephaestus, to the earth didn’t kill him. But it will kill all of you.”
“How is that helpful!”
“You are not allowed to die here! My freedom is nigh. Save yourself,” she said. “Do it now!”
Also unhelpful. I had no idea how to save us. Rewinding time would do jack-shit. We’d only get the privilege of falling to our deaths twice.
A green sea lay out before us, blanketing the skin of the world. Selene ordering me not to die was all well and good, but... there was no way. I couldn’t get out of this one. Of all the gods and all their clever tricks, traps, and monsters, it was Hera who figured it out.
Simple is best.
“I’m sorry,” Alex and I said, speaking at once.
We smiled into each other’s watering, red eyes.
“I love you,” we said as one.
Always. Forever. Until the end. And after.
He pressed his lips to my ear. “See you in Elysium, my love.”
I laughed. Or I sobbed. I couldn’t tell. “See you there.”
A screech shredded the sound barrier. My eyes snapped open, making out a large, feathery mass before I smashed onto its back. The creature zipped through the air, catching my friends one by one.
Alex laughed out loud. “Yes! Praise be to the gods. You’re amazing!”
“What!” Nitsa clung to the creature’s feathers—the white of her eyes rolling in their sockets. “What the fuck!”
It was safe to say the stress of the day had gotten to her, but I was next to start freaking. It was Hera’s trap, and after dropping us out of the sky and getting us lose-control-of-our-bowels terrified, she sent a giant bird monster to pick our bones clean, and then regurgitate us into her monster babies’ gullets. What in the hell was there to laugh and smile about?
The bird landed and we tumbled off its back, rolling into our fighting positions.
Setting Tycho carefully on the ground, Theron spun and tossed me my dagger.
“Sword!” I leveled it on the beast one-handed. “You’re gonna wish you left this fight to the ground!”
The monster blinked out of existence, and a whole and familiar woman took its place. She rolled her eyes. “Put that down before you hurt yourself, you useless toova.” She kicked the hilt from my grip. “Idiot.”
Sirena beamed into our incredulous faces. “Now is the time when you thank me, Sisypheans. Of course, Mother Hera was the one to defeat you. And of course, I was the only one who could save you.”
