“No.” I stretched for her—fingers missing her invisible body as she flung herself off me and back up the mountain toward the monsters.
I slowed, waiting for Nyx.
A few seconds later, marks appeared on the Titan’s neck, and it grunted and slapped at its body with its claws.
Nyx shouted as the Titan stumbled around in confusion.
“Nyx,” I called as I stopped moving. “Get back here!”
“RUN!” she yelled.
“Not without you!”
I glanced back. The rest of the class had disappeared. In the other direction, Leo was sprawled dead.
Shaking from cold, adrenaline, and abject fear, I vibrated in place.
All I wanted to do was turn and run.
But I couldn’t.
“I’m not leaving without you,” I called out, praying she was close. The Titan kept stumbling around, like her venom had weakened it.
Cold scales wrapped around my ankle, and I sighed with relief. “What are you doing?” Nyx screamed as she climbed up to my neck.
The Titan stopped stumbling.
My breath caught.
It turned toward me and stared—teeth parted like a wild animal, eyes impossibly wide. Leo’s blood coated the bottom half of its face.
The Titan was twenty feet away.
In a blur, it lunged forward.
There was no time to turn and run.
It would catch me.
Shrieking between gritted teeth, I bent down and picked up a heavy ice-covered rock.
With trembling arms, I held it above my head and waited. Every cell in my body screamed at me to run for my life, but I shrieked and ignored the instinct.
Ten feet away.
I widened my stance.
Frick, this is going to hurt. Frick. Frick. Frick. Frick.
Five feet away.
You can do this.
Chucking the rock into the Titan’s face, I leaned back and turned as its claws swiped. The razor-sharp points grazed lightly across my shoulder.
Hot pain exploded.
I ignored it.
