Sounds of battle erupted from outside, making my predicament so much worse. I didn’t do well not being in the thick of things with them. I heard crashes, roars, and the distinctive crack of our garden wall. I caught flashes of fighting through the window and my best friend throwing spells around. Thalia’s voice drifted up as she shouted something in ancient Greek.
"Holy shit, what was that?" Nina's voice drifted up from somewhere below. It was breathless with awe.
"Battle magic from way back when," Thalia replied. Her voice carried from the yard. "There's a reason some techniques were buried. They're too dangerous for modern sensibilities."
Something with multiple legs started skittering up the side of our house. I could hear the scratch and scrape of claws against siding. Shit, it was getting closer to our bedroom window. I wanted to get up and blow the thing to pieces. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
Tsekani’s dragon flew by with a shriek. His talon lashed out. I didn’t see what it hit, but the move was followed by the sound of chains rattling and something large hitting the ground with a wet thud. Whatever had been climbing toward our window was no longer a problem.
"Where the hell did you learn these spells?" Hades' voice carried from outside. I hadn’t felt his return this time. I hope he came with some answers.
"Watching Lyra," Thalia said from somewhere near the house. It was followed by a flash of light and the sound of something dissolving with a wet sizzle. "She wanted to understand how the old masters achieved their power. I memorized everything, thinking it might come in handy someday."
Another contraction hit me, taking my breath. This one was stronger than any of the previous ones. I bit back a scream that would have awakened the dead.
"Clio," I gasped, "please tell me you've got some magic miracle hiding up your sleeve. I need to be out there to help."
"Working on it," she replied, but her voice was tight with strain. "Her bullshit is fighting me every step of the way. I need something to counteract the energy that's still messing with your system."
"I might have an idea," Thalia called out from the yard. Her voice was punctuated by another burst of magical energy andwhat sounded like something large hitting the ground. "The purification ritual created fractures in the parasitic bonds. Try to break the connections entirely. That’ll stop the labor."
"How?" Aidon demanded as something cried out in pain.
"Controlled feedback," Thalia called back. The sound of the backdoor slamming echoed through the house and the sound of feet on the stairs preceded her racing back inside. She was out of breath when she popped into the bedroom. "We use the fractures to send overload pulses back through the connections. Should shatter them completely while stopping this magical clusterfuck."
"Should?" I screamed. My faith in theoretical solutions was running on empty.
"The alternative is dealing with this while Lyra has a direct line to the babies," Thalia pointed out, wiping blood from a cut on her cheek.
Another contraction rolled through me. That one brought pressure that meant serious business. My body was definitely gearing up for the big show, whether I wanted it or not.
"Do it," I decided. It was better than having these babies when they were completely vulnerable to Lyra.
Nodding, Thalia put her hands on the sides of my stomach and began chanting while Clio fought to keep my body from doing anything drastic. Having both of their magics working on me was disorienting. I hate to admit it, but I paid more attention to Thalia’s checking to make sure there was no subterfuge in it. It was a relief when nothing alarmed me.
I gritted my teeth through the pain and listened to the rest of the family fighting to send Lyra’s party favors back to the Underworld. I have no idea how long it took, but Thalia suddenly announced. "Got them. If I can hit them simultaneously with the right frequency..."
"Just do it already," I groaned out as another contraction made me want to punch the universe in the face.
A few seconds later, I felt Thalia's magic prowling through my body. It was moving with the predatory grace of a hunter tracking wounded prey. It slithered along pathways, searching for the connections with single-minded determination. When it found what it was looking for, the sensation changed. It became focused and intense. It was like a laser beam boring into the deepest parts of me.
For a moment that stretched like eternity, nothing happened. Then something inside me began to crack. It felt like ice fracturing under sudden heat. I wanted to pump my fists when the spider-web patterns of weakness spread through the magical structures. Lyra's parasites didn't want to go quietly. They fought back, drawing on reserves of power that felt ancient and malevolent.
"Wait," Clio said suddenly, her hands shifting to different points along my body. "I can't break the connections, but I can interrupt the signal they're sending to trigger the contractions."
"What do you mean?" I gasped as another wave of pain rolled through me.
"I’m worried that continuing along this path will cause you or the babies harm. I would rather try to stop the contractions," Clio explained.
"I would love to have that bitch out of my kids, but I am not willing to risk them. Do what you can,” I told her.
Her power wrapped around whatever pathways Lyra had carved into me, and suddenly I understood what she meant. She sent a wave of magic along the path and suddenly, it felt like I had cotton stuffed in my ears. The malevolent magic was nearly undetectable. The effect hit me like a splash of cold water. The contractions vanished completely.
"The connections are still there," Thalia said grimly, and I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "But at least Lyra can't use them to force premature labor anymore."
"For now," Clio added, and the sweat from her forehead dripped onto my arm. Stopping that had clearly taken everything she had.
CHAPTER 9
