Cyrus shared her confusion. How could a siren be massive enough to cause the ground to shake?
The siren in front of them uttered a loud squawk and suddenly bolted for the sky, disappearing in a haze of smoke.
“Wait!” Prue called, stretching her hand as if she could call the creature back.
“Mona,” Cyrus said stiffly, his gaze narrowing toward the sky. “Can you conjure that dome of branches again?”
In answer, a cocoon of vines and leaves formed around them, shrouding them from the mist and muffling the echoing booms that were growing closer.
It wouldn’t do much. But perhaps it could conceal them from view for long enough for them to get their bearings.
Cyrus still had no idea what was coming. And clearly, it was fearsome enough to frighten away the sirens.
He peered through the leaves, holding his breath as he waited. The heavy footsteps drew closer. The ground shuddered with each sound. The mist began to clear, parting for whatever approached.
Prue suddenly uttered a sharp gasp, then covered her mouth. Her body was trembling, and her eyes filled with tears.
“What is it?” Cyrus turned to her. She was peering through the leaves on the opposite side, away from him. She shook her head, tears spilling down her face.
Cyrus followed her gaze, his fingers brushing leaves out of the way, and his heart dropped to his stomach.
Five bodies were strewn on the ground, limbs jutting out at odd angles. Scorch marks covered their faces, making them almost unrecognizable. Each one wore a familiar suit of armor.
It was the fire witches. They lay on the ground, eyes wide and motionless, staring into nothing.
All five of them were dead. And they had only been steps away, concealed by the mist.
“No,” Mona breathed, her face as pale as death. “H-How?”
“Their bodies are burned,” Cyrus said solemnly. “If I had to guess, I would say the sirens convinced them to destroy each other.” A hard lump formed in his throat, and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe. “They—They never stood a chance. We possess god blood, and it made us strong enough to withstand their call. But the witches…” He trailed off, his eyes closing. Rage and regret swarmed in his chest, threatening to suffocate him.
He understood the sirens had been acting on the Titans’ orders. But suddenly, he wanted to wring each of those damned birds’ necks for retribution. Farah was dead. Thecoven leaderwho had trusted Cyrus enough to fight alongside him was dead.
And he hadn’t been able to stop it. He had done nothing.
Images of Lagos’s broken body flashed in his mind. Once more, the lives of good people had been lost because ofhim.He was not a brave enough or strong enough leader to protect them. Prue and Mona would likely die, too.
What was he even doing here? How could he win this battle?
“Cyrus.” Prue’s warm hands were on his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Stay with me. We can do this. We—We knew there would be casualties.” Her voice broke on the words, and her eyes sparkled with tears. But her expression was fierce as she looked at him. “Do not leave me.Stay and fight with me.” She pressed a hard kiss to his lips. A faint tendril of heat coiled in his chest from the commanding way she claimed his mouth with her own.
When she withdrew, her gaze was pleading, begging him to stay alert. To breathe. To fight.
He had to fight. For her. For his people.
Cyrus brought his forehead to hers and focused on her breaths. In and out. In and out. After a moment, his panicked breathing leveled, matching the rhythm of her inhales and exhales.
He pulled away to look her in the eyes. Before he could speak, something crashed into their dome of branches. Leaves and twigs went flying. Cyrus, Prue, and Mona collapsed in a heap of vines and foliage.
A deep, guttural roar pierced the air, making Cyrus’s ears rattle and his skull throb. He rolled, wincing when a sharpthorn pierced his skin. He found Prue’s hand and clutched it in his, relieved to feel her squeezing back.
A massive dark shape hovered over them, far bigger than the sirens they had just faced. This one was three times as tall, its inky wings spread wide. Its talons alone were nearly as long as Cyrus was tall. Instead of the face of a woman, this creature wore a face that was all too familiar. Green skin. Malicious black eyes. And a pair of white horns.
Oceanus.
Cyrus started at the creature, utterly confused. While Oceanus’s appearance was horrifying, his body wasn’t large enough to make such thundering footsteps. And even if it was… it would have justflownto them instead of walked.
So, what giant creature had made such booming footsteps? What else was out there?
