Adrastia (The God Chronicles Book 4) (21 page)

“No,” Helios frowned. “But then, the war isn’t over yet, is it?”

He moved towards us, undeterred by our weapons and nodded at Avalon.

“So this is her?” he drawled. “The daughter of Typhon. I have to say, you’re much prettier than he is.”

He reached a hand out and touched the side of her face, causing everything within me to want to jump out and attack him. It took every muscle in my body not to obey, to let him touch her and look her over. She did a good enough job of showing her revulsion herself, recoiling from him sharply.

“I’m assuming you want something for her?” he asked, grinning wickedly at me. “Perhaps your uncle’s helmet? But that would be silly. Why would the Titans trade you anything for something they don’t want?”

It was like the air was sucked from my sails, all of the mental psyching up I’d done in preparation for this exact moment falling flat.

“What?” I asked lamely.

“We don’t want her,” he said slowly. “Oh no. Why would we want something that is so obviously wanting to help the Olympians? We don’t need dissention on our home turf, you see. And, as you know, we don’t take prisoners.”

It suddenly made sense, his lone appearance. Where were the rest of the Titans? I’d been sure they would all be here to fight for her, to take their family back from me.

“I’ve been attacked by enough Titans to prove you’ve been trying to take me,” Avalon said boldly.

“No, my dear,” Helios said, turning from us as he shined a piece of his armor with his glove. “But you were attacked by enough to make everyone think we wanted you.”

My head was spinning, trying to come up with what the plan might be now, since I’d been so obviously wrong. My stomach felt sick at having brought Avalon into this for nothing, for putting her in needless danger again. Whatever happened here today was going to be my fault and mine alone.

Suddenly, the air around us crackled and filled with a great light, and the other gods of Olympus began to appear around us, each of them armed to the teeth and ready for a fight.

“Kronos!” Zeus’s voice rang out as he appeared, lightning in hand. His eyes were crazy with wrath, falling confused on our little group as he searched for his villainous father.

“Oh dear,” Helios laughed, a touch of madness in his eyes. “It appears I sent the wrong message to you as well. Or was it exactly the right one?”

His laughter grew as the smoke closed in around him, his voice echoing off the walls around us.

“Let The Purge begin!” he shouted as he vanished, leaving the whole of Olympus in the heart of the volcano.

Just as suddenly as the gods had appeared, the ground shook, a mighty explosion from above rocking the earth and all within it. In my heart, I felt the sudden death of millions of mortals, their cries pounding against my ears for help.

“To the surface!” Zeus called, flashing out to see what was happening, the gods around him following suit.

“Come on,” I said to Avalon, untying her hands and pulling her back towards the door we’d come through. Arsenio followed after, his expression matching the terror of what I was feeling.

When we reached the surface, I stopped cold in my tracks, the explosion from the nuclear bomb that had been dropped still rising into the air, the shock cloud pushing out in every direction. I could tell the other gods could hear the prayers of the mortals as well, their expressions falling, some even covering their ears or hearts as the pleas for help flooded into our heads, different languages screaming for aid.

“Oh my—”

Avalon’s hand clapped to her mouth as she looked out in horror, tears filling her eyes at the site.

“It’s more than just here,” I croaked, grasping her hand tightly. “I can hear them, the prayers of people from across the planet.”

“The Purge,” she whispered. “It’s the mortals. They’re wiping them off the face of the planet.”

“Olympus will lose power,” I continued, trying to explain it to myself just as much as her. “We are lost.”

The other gods began to flash away and I pulled Avalon close to me again, intending to follow them.

“Close your eyes,” I told her. “And hold on tight.”

Glancing over at Arsenio, I saw him nod and place a hand on my shoulder, closing his own eyes. Then, gathering the strength I’d used so little, I flashed us to Olympus, following my family back to their home to see what was going to be done.

We came into an argument of the ages, each god clamoring to be heard and offer their ideas on what could be done before we were completely wiped out of existence.

“It was the helmet, no doubt,” Poseidon was saying over all of them. “The Titans would not attack with such weapons. They’ve feared men into doing their will.”

“It doesn’t matter if it was the helmet or not,” Athena countered. “Something needs to be done to stop it. Even know, the cries of the mortals echo through these halls as they die.”

I could feel eyes on me, staring from his throne at the head of the great oval room, the sky matching his dark, brooding mood. Straightening, ready to accept whatever he had to say, I turned to face my father.

“Cristos.”

His voice was calm, but the second the sound left his lips the room fell silent, as if he’d called down lightning to hush them all. Faces turned to look at the three of us, Avalon still wrapped in my embrace as she looked on in awe at the marble throne room, eyes resting on the king and his massive chair, designed to look like a gathering of lightning melting into the floor.

My mother was standing behind him, one hand on his right shoulder as she watched on, too, worry on her face. Her golden armor matched that of Zeus’s, a lightning bolt etched into the chest plate.

I tightened my hold on Avalon for a millisecond before releasing her and walking towards the throne, ready to hear whatever it was the king had to say to me.

“Is it true you have located a demi-Titan?” Zeus asked slowly, every syllable enunciated so all in the room would hear.

“Yes.”

I could hear some shift in movement behind me as the gods took this news in, staying silent as they waited to see what Zeus would say.

“You did not deliver the beast to Tartarus?”

“No.”

His face twitched some as he looked past me, at Avalon and Arsenio I assumed. It was too quick for me to decipher, so I remained silent, knowing I would be given the chance to argue if I wanted.

“Why not?”

“I intended to take her to Mount Etna and draw out the Titans to us,” I confessed, not missing several mummers behind me. “I believed they wanted her for their side and that I’d found a bargaining chip that could help us in the war.”

I clenched my jaw after answering, never looking away from his face, well aware of the fact I was on trial. 

“You know Titans do not bargain,” Karly said softly, only to fall silent as Zeus held up a hand.

“Why did you not tell any of the other gods of this plan?”

I frowned then, struggling with how I wanted to answer because it had changed so many times.

“Pride, to begin with. I wanted to say I had done it myself. Anger, secondly.”

“Anger at whom?”

Each question was crisp and clear, uttered without any emotional inflection.

“The Graeae,” I answered calmly.

For the first time, Zeus’s face showed surprise and curiosity he didn’t bother to mask.

“They cursed me with my fate,” I continued, not waiting for him to ask. “Which directly involves Aval—the demi-Titan. I wanted to prove them wrong.”

“And did you?” he asked, an eyebrow raised.

I stared at him, knowing I would have to tell him what they’d said if he asked. I didn’t want to reveal to him my fate, my certain betrayal of him and the fact that he would cast me out. Not like this.

“No.”

With a sigh, he fell back into his routine of interrogation, the emotion fleeing from his face.

“Were you aware your plans were made known to Olympus and that is why the gods appeared at Mount Etna with you?”

“No, I was not. I wasn’t aware anyone knew of them except for the three of us and the Titans.”

“A Titan revealed to us your plan after he was caught. We assumed it to be the truth, that all of the monsters were gathering and planned accordingly. It appears, though, we were all conned.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “I take full responsibility for the loss of mortal life today. If I had been more forthcoming it could have been prevented.”

“This is right,” Zeus agreed.

Looking over my shoulder again, his eyes narrowed, lips frowning at what he saw.

“Why did you bring the demi-Titan here?”

Taking a deep breath, I resisted the urge to look back at her, to tell her it was going to be okay.

“She doesn’t want to help the Titans,” I explained. “She’s one of us. Being half mortal, her belief helps fuel our power as well.”

“Being half Titan makes her dangerous,” Zeus countered. “And not welcome here.”

“She can control it,” I added quickly. “She doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Be that as it may,” he said grimly. “I can’t allow a potential threat to stay in our home. The Titans could have been bluffing again and still want her. What happened just now is surely only the beginning. I won’t bring them into our home trying to find her.”

Panic flooded my chest as I watched him motion to someone behind me, making the signal to bring her forward.

“Father,” I said, breaking my calm interrogation façade. “She’s safe, I swear it. Don’t send her to Tartarus, she won’t survive.”

“I’m not sending her to Tartarus,” he replied, surprised by my sudden outburst of nervousness.

I relaxed immediately, relieved she wouldn’t be locked away where I couldn’t protect her.

“She is an unknown,” he continued. “We don’t know what power she possesses or how it could be used against us.”

“No, Dad, no!” I said, the panic returning instantly as I realized where he was going. “I know you’re trying to do what you think is best, but you can’t!”

I scrambled towards him, stopped by two guards who grabbed me by either arm, forcing me to my knees, as was customary with anyone who tried to rush the throne.

“I’m sorry,” he said sadly. “Her death is the only way to ensure our safety and survival, especially after what’s happened today. I have to do what’s best for all of us, no matter what. It’s the only way we will survive.”

He said something to one of the gods in the front row and I heard them flash out, the room roaring in my ears at his words. When the god returned I could see they’d gathered some of the lava from Mount Etna, pouring it over the lightning bolt that lay in wait for Avalon.

In desperation, I looked back at her, the color draining from her face as she was marched forward to meet her death. My heart was pounding at frantic levels, my body trying to escape the hands that held it with all the strength I had. More gods joined in holding me down, locking me away from being able to help or shield her at all.

“I love her,” I screamed, the terror finally ripping from me as tears streamed down my face. “Please, Dad, I love her!”

I could see him flinching, my mother crying behind him as she looked away.

Avalon was silent, staring at me, fear in her eyes as she watched me struggle, not able to come to her like I’d promised I would.

Picking up the thunderbolt, Zeus motioned for her to be brought before him, her back facing me now, his own face contorted with sadness. For a moment, his eyes met mine and I could see the tears in them.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

Raising the bolt, decision made, he let his breath out and stabbed downward.

My world exploded in a fury of light around me.

Chapter Twenty Three

I could feel the lightning running through my veins, breaking past the wall inside of me it’d been hidden behind my whole life, bouncing off my body, blowing back those who held me down. With all the strength of my father, I rushed forward, a battle cry on my lips as I knocked Avalon back from the bolt that had almost pierced her chest, the lava mere inches away from finishing her as the electricity reached for her body. She fell to the floor, scrambling out of the way. All I could think was that I needed to stop Zeus.

Caught off guard, he stumbled backwards as my own lightning arched towards him, beating him down and back against the wall. The other gods in the room took cover at the display, lightning lashing out and threatening to eat anyone who got in the way. The marble floor and pillars shined in the brightness blindingly, washing out all others to me as I advanced towards my father.

Catching his footing, Zeus returned the attack, light versus light, drawing the sword he’d been using ever since he gave his original one to me. Knowing his style, I’d already grabbed for my own, the two metals meeting against each other with an ear splitting ring.

I was younger than he, stronger, too, it seemed, but I knew in the end I would not win. Knocking him back once more, I turned to Avalon, her fearful face sticking out to me in the crowd.

“Run!” I screamed. “Down the third hall and out the door at the end!”

I grabbed her axe from my bag and threw it towards her, turning just in time to miss a swipe by Zeus’s sword.

“Enough!” Zeus roared, channeling all of his strength into one bolt. It shot towards me, striking me in the chest and I fell to the ground, landing flat on my back. In an instant, I was seized upon by several gods who hauled me to my feet, holding me by my arms and legs and the hair of my head. Try as I might, I couldn’t bring the source of my newly revealed powers back to the surface. Agonized, I screamed out as I watched Avalon caught again.

“Please,” I groaned, struggling against those holding me. “Don’t.”

The whisper left my lips, breaking my heart as I begged for the life of the one I loved.

Breathing heavily, Zeus picked up the lightning bolt meant for my
zoi mou
once more and strode across the room to her, determination in every step. Before my very eyes, he slammed it down into her chest, the lightning lighting up her entire body.