“Jupiter!” Eris’s voice, closer than the others. “Jupiter, you need to pull it back. The bane is gone. It’s dead. You can stop now.”
I tried to focus on his words, to regain control, but the magic had a mind of its own now. It wanted out, all of it, even if it meant destroying its vessel.
Strong arms suddenly wrapped around me, and I felt Percy’s magic surge against mine, not fighting it, but containing it as much as he could manage though I knew he had to be burning.
“I’ve got you,” he growled in my ear, his voice tight with pain as my starlight burned against his skin. “Pull it back, Jupiter. Pull it back now.”
I latched onto his voice like an anchor, forcing myself to breathe through the agony. Slowly, agonizingly, I began to draw the magic back into myself, sealing the fissures one by one.
I was hurting Percy. Burning him. If I didn’t stop, my magic would kill him here and now. I screamed as I pulled on my magic, trying to tame the inferno.
“That’s it,” Percy gritted out, his grip never loosening despite what it must be costing him. “Come back to us. Come back, honey…”
The light dimmed gradually as I pulled and pulled harder. My limbs were heavy as lead, and my eyes felt like they were full of sand. All I wanted to do was sleep. Slowly, gradually the magicbegan to fade until it was only a small white glow, the fissures of light under my skin starting to close up.
“Healer,” Aiden said urgently into his communication device. “We need emergency extraction. Ophis magic burnout.”
“Burnout?” I croaked, my throat raw from screaming. “No, I’m fine, I just—“ Another spasm rocked through me, and I bit back a scream as fresh cracks of light appeared along my forearms.
“You’re not fine,” Draco said, his face pale. “Your magic is consuming you from the inside.”
“Thisis why Ophis designations need a shield,” Eris said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “Without an axis bond to regulate it, power like yours?—”
“We need to move,” Percy interrupted, adjusting his hold on me. “Can you walk?”
I tried to stand but my legs buckled immediately. The pain was receding to a dull roar, but in its place came a bone-deep exhaustion that made my limbs feel leaden.
“I’ll carry you,” Percy decided, and before I could protest, he’d lifted me into his arms.
“Watch her magic, it might keep flaring,” Aiden warned, eyeing the faint silver glow still emanating from my skin.
“I’ve got her,” Percy insisted, though I could feel him wince as my magic continued to spark against his arms.
They moved quickly through the cavern system, retracing our steps toward the exit. I drifted in and out of awareness, the pain coming in waves that left me gasping. Through half-closed eyes, I saw the concern on their faces.
“Why the fuck did you do that?” Aiden asked suddenly as they navigated a narrow passage. “Throw yourself in front of that thing?”
“It was going to kill you,” I mumbled, my words slurring slightly.
“You don’t even like me,” he noted.
I managed a weak laugh that turned into a groan as another fissure opened across my collarbone. “Doesn’t mean I want you dead, dumbass.”
Percy’s arms tightened around me. “Save your strength,” he ordered, with no room for arguments.
“The extraction team is meeting us at the entrance,” Eris reported, checking his device. “They’re bringing a magic suppression chamber.”
“No,” I protested weakly. “No suppression. I just need to rest.”
“Your magic is literally tearing you apart,” Draco argued. “You need more than rest.”
“Listen to him,” Percy said. “For once, don’t argue.”
I wanted to snap back at him, but another wave of pain crashed over me, worse than before. This time when I screamed, my magic flared outward in a violent burst, knocking all four men back several feet. I collapsed to the ground, convulsing as the starlight ripped new channels through my body.
“Jupiter!” They scrambled back to me, their own magic flaring defensively.
“Don’t touch her,” Draco warned again. “Her magic is in full revolt.”
