Page 113 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

‘It was my hand that performed the apotheosis,’ Zeus said at last, his voice low. ‘Your thread was severed. Only this would restore you.’

It all came crashing down—it hadn’t been a dream. I had died. I had stood in the asphodel fields, I had heard Sephy call my name, and now—now I sat breathing, my senses burning too bright, my body coursing with impossible energy; no injuries blemishing my flesh.

I was alive. Too alive.

A whisper coiled through me, part wonder, part terror: What have they made me?

‘Cordelia…’

My head snapped towards Si. The mask he’d been holding shattered—raw relief flooded his features, followed by a darkness that made my breath catch. In two strides, he was at my side, dropping to his knees, his hands trembling as they cupped my face. His voice broke, thick with anguish and rage.

‘Kardia mou. I thought I’d lost you.’

His forehead pressed to mine, but beneath the tenderness a storm raged. His grip tightened, possessive and unyielding. ‘They dared to take you from me,’ he whispered, venom threading through the words. ‘Whoever spilled your blood will wish for the mercy of the sea before I’m done with them.’

Tears burned my eyes, and this time I couldn’t fight them.

‘What… What am I?’ My voice trembled, the question tearing out of me before I could stop it. The shock of it mingling with elation and a creeping edge of fear.

‘You are remade,’ Hades said, his voice steady, grave. ‘You are now one of us. A god.’

The word punched the air from my lungs. A god. Immortal. My body resonated with life, and yet my heart faltered under the weight of it. I had begged for more time, for life—but this? This was forever.

My thoughts scrambled, snagging on the one tether I couldn’t lose. ‘Guinn,’ I whispered, my throat raw. ‘What about my sister?’

Sephy stepped closer, warmth steadying me as her hand covered mine. ‘She is safe, Cordelia.’

Zeus shifted, clearly uncomfortable. He said nothing until Sephy’s glare sliced towards him like a scythe. At last, he spoke, his voice begrudging.

‘When Guinn comes of age, she may choose. The Golden Apples of the Hesperides grant immortality to those who are deemed worthy. If she desires it, the choice will be hers.’

The words rang in my ears, dizzying me further. Relief warred with fear—Guinn would not be left behind, but the thought of her stepping into this eternal storm made my heart twist.

The doors slammed open.

‘Cordie!’

Guinn hurtled across the chamber, colliding with me in a fierce embrace that nearly knocked me from the bed. I wrapped my arms around her, clutching her like the anchor she was, breathing in her familiar scent as tears burned my eyes.

‘I thought I’d lost you,’ she sobbed into my shoulder, her voice breaking.

‘Never,’ I choked out, pressing my face into her hair. ‘I’m here, Guinny. I’m here.’

Her relief poured into me, fierce and trembling, banishing the ghost of the asphodel fields.

CHAPTER 38

CORDELIA

Later, after a shower to rid myself of the stench of Ixion’s lair, the others left us in peace. Si and I were alone.

Silence stretched between us, heavy with everything unsaid. He reached for me, his hand rough and trembling as it closed around mine, his grip unyielding.

‘Kardia mou,’ he whispered, his voice raw with both love and fury. His forehead pressed against mine again, his breath unsteady. ‘They took you from me once. I will tear the world apart before I let it happen again.’ He hesitated. ‘Are you okay?’ My laugh sounded almost broken as I pressed my forehead to his chest.

‘Tell me what happened, Si.’

‘Ajax… ‘ He swallowed, seemingly unable to say the words. Ajax had killed me. He’d be burning in the fires of Tartarus now, of that I had no doubt. ‘Persephone made Zeus perform the apotheosis,’ he said quietly, his eyes burning into mine. ‘I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have lifted a finger without her.’