But she couldn’t. Mona had said the wards would only be dismantled for a moment. As soon as they were back up, the Titans would overpower her. And they would know what Mona had done.
She had to pretend she was still powerless.
With a groan, Prue hunched over as if injured, massaging her throat and staggering away from the approaching Titans.
“She doesn’t need all her limbs,” said one, licking his lips hungrily. “Perhaps she could lose a few fingers. Or even a hand. Cyrus wouldn’t mind, would he?”
Prue didn’t have to pretend to shudder. But she adopted a horrified expression, cowering away from the Titans.
Hyperion chuckled. “As long as her heart still beats, I don’t care what you do with her.”
“The left hand is mine,” said Atlas with a grin.
“I’ll saw off her pretty little feet,” said another.
The Titan closest to her lunged, and Prue dropped the pretense and kicked him hard in the face. He cried out, stumbling backward. Another Titan reached for her, but she scrambled out of the way, rolling along the floor. She hit something hard—a table perhaps—and overturned it, not caring when it hit the floor with a loudcrash.
Her goddess blood granted her strength and agility, and she had to use that to her advantage. At least until Mona had completed the spell.
After that, she was in deep shit.
One step at a time,she told herself, ducking to avoid Atlas’s swinging fist. She lifted a wooden stool to block his next strike. With a roar, he jerked the stool out of her grasp and flung it against the wall. The wood splintered and cracked, leaving the stool broken.
Something heavy slammed into the back of her head, and she screamed, darkness momentarily clouding her mind as she threatened to black out.
Then a Titan grabbed Prue from behind, one meaty arm covering her chest. She wriggled, trying to break free, but his arm was so thick and large it covered both of hers. She stomped on his toes, and he groaned, but his grip remained firm.
The other Titans cackled as they drew closer, a dark and hungry look gleaming in their eyes.
“I think you’ve caused us enough trouble, little goddess,” said Hyperion. He lifted a jagged blade from the counter behind him and drew closer to her. “Maybe we should start with cutting out that tongue of yours. I think we’d all appreciate the silence, wouldn’t we?”
The Titans laughed. Prue’s stomach churned as she struggled anew, her legs flailing uselessly.
Shit, this was not good.
A deafeningboomsounded from outside, and everyone went still, eyes going to the door.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
One after another, explosions split through the air, crackling like thunder.
Prue’s heart seized in her chest. Whatwasthat?
“Prometheus,” Hyperion said, “Go and see?—”
His words cut off as another Titan burst through the front door, panting. “Fire,” he gasped. “There’s fire in the sky.”
Cold horror washed over Prue.No.Mona’s spell wasn’t supposed to be like this. The Titans weren’t supposed to know.
Slowly, Hyperion fixed a murderous gaze on Prue, hiseyes narrowing into slits. “Go and check on the other little goddess, would you, Prometheus?”
The Titan who had threatened to saw off Prue’s feet lumbered toward the stairs, his heavy footfalls echoing. Hyperion, still wielding the knife, drew closer to Prue.
In a low voice, he said, “Now, you’re going to tell me exactly what you two have been up to.” He pressed the blade against her cheek. “Or I’ll slice off your tongue and force it down your throat.”
IMPASSE
CYRUS
