Before Cyrus could think on it any longer, Oceanus spoke.
“Come to me,” he crooned. His booming voice resonated around them, brushing against Cyrus’s skin and warming his blood. He found himself shifting through the leaves, desperate to draw nearer to the magnificent beast before him. Prue and Mona did the same, scrambling over one another to get closer.
Oceanus laughed at their response. “Such feeble, malleable minds,” he taunted. “This will be far too easy.”
Cyrus blinked, shaking his head violently to clear the fog in his mind. Oceanus’s siren call was far stronger than the others. Cyrus grabbed Prue and Mona by the arms, halting them before they dived for Oceanus. Their eyes were vacant and hazy, drawn in by the lure of the siren call.
“Bow before me,” Oceanus commanded.
Cyrus’s back bowed obediently, his body responding without his permission. He gritted his teeth, trying to resist, but it felt like an invisible hand was pushing on his spine, forcing him to bow.
He grunted, warring with himself, trying to gain control. “You…coward,” he spat, gasping for breath.
Oceanus’s dark eyes glittered. “Coward? I think not. I’m stronger thananyof you pathetic little gods.”
“Prove it,” Cyrus snarled. “Stop hiding behind your siren lure. Make this a fair fight, and let’s see how strong you are.”
Oceanus hesitated, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he hissed, launching forward and pinning Mona to the ground with his talons. Only then did Cyrus notice the vines that had been snaking toward the Titan in an attempt to wrap around him.
Mona had been trying to attack him from behind with her magic.
She yelped and struggled, shoving against Oceanus. But her attempts were futile. His massive form crushed her, and his talons dug into her flesh. Mona’s scream filled the air.
“Mona!” Prue surged forward, but Oceanus’s head snapped up, his eyes flaring.
“Kill him,” he hissed with his siren call. “The death god did this to your sister. Kill him now.”
Prue stiffened, her body freezing in place. Her arms locked at her sides, and her back was rigid. Slowly, she turned to glare at Cyrus, her lavender eyes milky and unfocused.
“Prue,” Cyrus said slowly, raising his hands. “Listen to me…”
Prue bared her teeth, then spread her arms wide. The earth cracked, and thorny brambles shot forward, wrapping around Cyrus’s legs.
“No!” he bellowed before crashing to his knees. He severed the vines with his lightning but halted when Prue drew closer. He didn’t want to strike her.
Her face was contorted with fury, making her unrecognizable. She had never looked at him like this before.
“Prue,” he begged. “It’sme.You can fight this. I know you’re strong enough.”
Prue kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling. She aimed to kick him again, but he grabbed her ankle and twisted. With a yelp, she fell to the ground. Cyrus jumped to his feet, climbing atop her and pinning her with his knees. He grabbed her wrists before she could strike him again.
“Look at me!” he cried. “Prue, fight it!”
She snarled and hissed like a feral animal, her eyes still clouded from Oceanus’s influence.
She was fully entranced. There was no reaching her. This was not his wife. This was someone else—a vessel of Oceanus.
With a roar, Cyrus reached toward Oceanus, flinging a bolt of lightning straight into the Titan. Oceanus shrieked, toppling from the force of it. The smell of burned feathers filled the air.
But Prue took advantage of Cyrus’s distraction. One of her branches lashed his arm, drawing blood. Vines coiled around his arms, tugging him violently until he crashed tothe earth, his head slamming into the hard ground. Stars danced in his vision, and darkness crept toward him, threatening to drag him to unconsciousness.
Prue stalked toward him, her face as impassive as ever. More vines encircled Cyrus, tethering his wrists and ankles to the ground. He tugged fruitlessly against them, struggling in vain to free himself.
“Prue,” he rasped. “Please.”
Prue said nothing as she hovered over him. In her hand, she conjured a long, jagged branch with a tip as sharp as a spear.
Cyrus felt the blood drain from his face. Oh, gods. She was going to kill him. “Prue!” he bellowed.
