Zeus roars and stalks toward me, only to come up against an adamantine sword. He stops, and I look to the right and find Gatlin standing there. A spear made of Imperial Gold appears on my left, and I turn to see Hawthorne wielding it. Spinningaround, Jamison holds a golden bow and arrow that looks suspiciously similar to Artemis’. Mathias stands next to him, looking fierce, with two short swords crafted of adamantine. Add that to the blades in my hands, and we’re all brandishing god killers.
38
PHAEDRA
Lightning fills the sky, and chaos reigns until Hera calls for order. In an imperious tone, she looks at Athena. “Finish.”
“Gods need followers. Phaedra has them,” she tells the two of them, moving between us and Zeus to get his attention. “Sixty-ish supernaturals who have worked as tirelessly as her to keep humans safe. Those followers, along with the immortality we gave her when we assigned herpunishment, qualified her to become a demigoddess,” she explains. “It felt like the Fates were offering us a solution.”
Zeus protests. “Fates. We don’t need her to hold the gates. I have power.”
“Not enough,” she carefully responds.
Athena looks around at all of them. “With fewer and fewer followers each year, our powers are dwindling. If our first obligation is to this world and the humans who live in it, how will we defend them if we continue to use all of our reserves to hold the gates?”
She points to the panels. “Hephaestus crafted a box that will hold and amplify a small portion of our powers. Combined with her own, Phaedra will have enough power to hold the gates. By herself.”
My sister… “Will I be able to open and close them?”
Her brow wrinkles. “In theory. Although it will take a lot of power. Why?”
“My sister,” I reply with the first kernel of hope I’ve felt in a long time. Then I look at Mathias. “His daughter. There are many here who were torn from their worlds and thrust into this one through no fault of their own. I’d like to give them a chance to see their families and return.”
A sad expression crosses Demeter’s face. “You can never leave this world to see your sister. It’s imperative you remain on this side. But I don’t see why the others can’t go.”
“She can visit, though?” I ask, refusing to give up hope.
Demeter and Athena exchange glances.
“Maybe. We can discuss this later,” Athena says, giving a Zeus a sideways glance.
Demeter turns toward me. “It’s time.”
I walk over to Ares and hold out the blades. “Thank you. These were instrumental in destroying the enemy.” And quite frankly, now that I’m a demigoddess, holding them scares the hell out of me.
He stares at them for a minute, then studies me. “The Blades of War have never answered to anyone but me. The fact that you, and Mathias, were able to wield them makes you worthy of our gift.” With a sweep of his hand, the final panel appears beside the other five.
Walking over to it, I set the blades down and suck in a breath at the sight that greets me. The bottom panel has five figures standing in a circle around a gold and blue box. Me, Jamison,Mathias, Gatlin, Hawthorne. I look up at him with a question in my eyes.
“Once word gets out that you’re the guardian of the gates, you’ll need protectors,” he remarks nonchalantly. “They’ve proven themselves worthy of that role.”
I look at Jamison, then return my gaze to Ares. “I need all four of them.”
Ares glances around at the other gods, and five of them dip their chins.
Zeus rolls his eyes but doesn’t protest. Hera’s completely silent for once.
“That can be arranged.” Ares snaps his fingers, and a glass appears in front of Jamison.
“What’s going on?” Jamison asks, his brow furrowed.
“Immortality, if you want it,” I tell him, pointing to the glass.
Shocked, he stares at me. “And you, what do you want?”
“A future with you. One where I don’t have to watch you leave me because of old age or illness or death,” I state softly, biting my lip.
My words make his steel-blue eyes burn with emotion. “I’ll take forever with you.” Taking the glass, he drinks it down. As soon as he finishes, the glass disappears.
