And, just like Pandora, Trivia would destroy him, too.
While Atlas leered at Sol—clearly relishing the way the sun god’s face paled, his eyes wide with fear—Trivia closed her eyes and summoned her mental construct. Just like Midas had taught, she envisioned the beach in Elysium where she and Sol had gone swimming. The waves lapping. The sun beating down on her. The warm sand between her toes.
Within the safety of her mental construct, Trivia drew on her power. It burst forth, eager and ready. She spread her hands, and vines coiled around her wrists and forearms, climbing up her body. The ground trembled, and roots and branches sprang forth. She pulled more power, more energy from the earth, calling on every drop of magic. Bushes and shrubs appeared. Thick and sturdy tree trunks rose, climbing higher and higher until they provided a canopy of shade above her. Their branches stretched on and on.
When Trivia was surrounded by a lush jungle, the evidence of her power, she blinked, bringing herself back to reality. Atlas turned to face her, clearly sensing the magic emanating from her. Her hands glowed white, and with a shout, she thrust them toward the Titan.
Power slammed into him, sending him careening backward. The ground trembled when he fell, but Trivia didn’t stop there. She conjured vines as thick as ropes that slitheredaround Atlas like snakes. They coiled tightly around his wrists and ankles.
He roared, thrashing against the restraints. They snapped easily, but Trivia was relentless. Vine after vine encircled him. When one broke, three more tightened around him.
Atlas’s single eye was blazing with fury as he snarled. A jet of gold light speared directly into his face, blinding him. Atlas howled, his eye closing, tears leaking from it.
Trivia glanced at Sol, who stood next to her, wielding his own magic. He nodded at her, his jaw tense and his face determined. He was still pale, the fear in his eyes evident. But he was here with her, and he was fighting.
Just like they promised.
“We don’t stop,” Trivia vowed to him. “Not until this is over.”
“Together,” he agreed.
They closed in on Atlas, assaulting him with their magic. His shrieks of pain rang in the air, echoing around them. Trivia pushed and pushed, drawing more of her power. The ground split. Roots climbed forward. One of them impaled Atlas’s shoulder, the tree growing straight through his body. Black blood oozed, spilling onto the ground like ink.
Trivia gritted her teeth, feeling the strain of pushing too far. She wasn’t accustomed to so much magic flooding through her so quickly. She was going to burn out soon.
But it wasn’t enough. Atlas needed todie.This wouldn’t be over until he was destroyed.
“Do you have enough power to fully blind him?” Trivia asked Sol, pausing to wipe sweat from her brow.
“I—I don’t know,” he panted. “Hold him down, I’ll get closer.”
“Be careful!” she called as he inched around the massive body tied to the ground, still struggling against the vines.
He was too strong. And Trivia couldn’t keep conjuring vines forever.
Atlas shifted, making the ground tremble. Sol cried out, and Trivia’s heart seized in her chest. She flexed her hands, calling on more power, thickening the vines and wrapping several around Atlas’s throat.
“Sol?” she called, squinting through the fog that lingered in the air. Atlas’s body was so large that she couldn’t see his head. After a moment, she made out Sol’s brilliant magic, piercing through the fog.
“I’m all right,” Sol answered, voice echoing. “The bastard tried to bite me.” More light flooded through, and Atlas roared. “Trivia, shut your eyes.”
Trivia obeyed, turning to bury her face into her shoulder. Streams of light shot through the air, burning against her skin. She groaned as the heat scorched her, causing sweat to pour down her body in rivulets.
Atlas’s scream was devastating. It filled the air, shrill and resonant, making Trivia’s ears numb. The sound rattled through her, making her bones quiver. It seemed to ring forever, an endless echo of torment. She wouldn’t be surprised if it even reached Elysium and the Underworld.
It was never-ending. She would hear that sound for the rest of her existence.
With a groan, Trivia sank to her knees, slamming her hands over her ears. Gods, she would never hear again afterthis. Atlas might be blind, but she was deaf. Even after his scream faded, her own ears continued ringing with the sound. It haunted her, forever imprinting on her brain.
Warm hands grasped her arms, and she shrieked, the sound muffled as she struggled against her assailant. When her eyes opened, she found Sol before her, saying something she couldn’t understand. It sounded like he was underwater, his voice mangled and distorted.
She shook her head, not understanding. Sol jerked his thumb toward Atlas, then covered his own eyes. “Blind,” he mouthed with a sure nod.
Trivia managed a grin, despite her still ringing ears.
Something heavy slammed into her, sending her flying. Her stomach dropped, her body weightless for a moment before she crashed to the ground, arms scraping and shoulder colliding with the hard earth. Her head struck rocks, making her vision darken. She slumped over, pain ricocheting through her body in sickening waves. She tried to move, to shake her head and climb to her feet, but her body was broken. Her foot was jutting at an odd angle, and when she tried to move it, fresh pain shot up her leg.
“Trivia!” Sol bellowed, his voice distant. Gods, how far had she fallen? And what had struck her?
