The dark magic inside me flares, pulling and clawing at the edges of my spirit. Now that I’m protected by the power of the throne room, I give it the space it’s yearning for until it is one with my spirit and Lex’s. Heat surges through my body, and for the first time, I’m aware of the crown floating above my head with colored spires glowing brightly. “Do you like our force field?” I pull the shield from my back. The action causes thin quills to grow from the harness and weave themselves around my body until they form a short protective dress made from the lightweight metal feathers of Hedone’s Stymphalian birds. Spaulders made of the Colchian dragon spread over my shoulders. As the body armor tightens to fit me, I roll my shoulders, grab the sword out of the compass rose, and take a defensive stance. A high pitched, maniacal laughter fills the echoing room as if it’s coming from a thousand mouths. Aphrodite steps back and looks around in horror. She pulls her whip from its harness

“I can’t bring her back. The Goddess Leticia Latmus wasn’t lying. The only way for Aphrodite to return from the Waiting Room is for her to concede to the Menae.” I scoot back on the bloody floor, trying to catch my breath. “How did you get inside the barrier?” “I concealed myself under my throne.” He holds the tip of the sword closer to my nose. “Now, I said, bring her back or stand against me Iokaste Latmus. I will fight for Aphrodite’s honor.” “Her honor?” I slowly rise with my hands over my head, but I don’t drop my sword. It shakes violently from the weakness spreading throughout my body, but I don’t dare drop it. I stagger my feet under me for balance, but my body sways anyway. Maybe it’s from the loss of blood or maybe it’s because deep in my mind, I know this must be the end, but I feel myself laughing in the face of one of the most violent Gods who has ever existed. “And what do you find so funny, you entitled little brat?” He grits his teeth. Excuse me. Hi, probably not t

“Marco, come on, bro.” I pull his shoulders to get him to look at me. “Come on. It’s Bronx. Talk to me, big guy.”“My name is Marco Sanchez. My wolf’s name is Clash.” Marco looks through me and continues to mumble. “I gotta beautiful wife. Her name is Musu. We got twins. Deago and Inez. There’s a thing here. It looks like a woman, but it ain’t. It’s a monster. She can’t take my memories.”“That’s right, Marco. No one can erase your family. You’re too strong for that.” I run my hand over his face. He’s cold and clammy. When I lift his eyelid, his pupil is completely dilated. Shit. I listen to his heartbeat. It seems strong and steady. Good. “Marco, I need you to listen to me. Your kids are here, bro. They’re scared and they need their dad. They need you, but I need you to snap out of it. We can’t let them see you like this. That won’t be good for anyone.”Marco leans his head on the wall and continues to babble under his breath. “He needs medical treatment.” Saint paces. “Yeah. That’

“Aphrodite, let them go.” I growl at the screen. “This is your last warning.”Aphrodite throws her head back and laughs. The sound pierces my ears like nails on a chalkboard. “You’re in no position to give me warnings, Demigod.” She snarls at the screen.There is a flicker and glitch in the feed that makes her pause. Her face darkens at the interruption. She looks beyond the screen then back into the camera, making hand motions I have seen Delilah, Leticia, and Kas use in the past. She’s using magic. Just like Kas said, she must be bad at it.“She’s using magic.” I mutter under my breath. My mind tries to connect with why it’s important, but the screaming coming from Ashley’s cell is distracting me.The feed stabilizes, and Aphrodite regains her composure. “I have control here. Iokaste and I had a deal, and she broke her promise. Now, I will destroy ALL aspects of her life and you will be participants. I’ve already sent a fun surprise to one cell. Don’t worry. There are two more surp

Ares is standing between me and Kas. I listen long enough to make sure her heart is still beating while I assess the room. Not that it matters. I’m going to destroy him, whether she’s breathing or not. His mouth is full of blood, and the inside of his knee is deeply bruised. I don’t know what Kas did to his mouth or how she could reach that high, but she was trying to take his leg out. He doesn’t seem in a hurry to come to me, so he must be in pain. That’s my girl.“Bingo.” Saint hisses at the realization that our target is already injured. He pushes forward, heightening all my senses. “Are you ready to break a kneecap?”“Give me a second.” I continue looking around. “He’s got at least seventy pounds on us. He’s definitely injured or he would have already attacked first, but I still need to check the room.”The Menae’s barrier is still in place - Ares can’t escape. Broken marble - potential weapons. A section of Aphrodite’s whip - another potential weapon. Puddles of dark blood - sli