There had been a point, when Alexander first came to him, that Dimitris did not wish to fight, would not risk his safety and peace for others. No longer—he would make them all burn. Not just the creatures that prowled these lands, but any that sided with the torturous Olympi, Hades. He would bring the fight to their shores and show them what it meant to fight for something good in this world.
At some point, his fellow soldiers had made their way down from the wall and followed in his wake as they fought the line of the dead back toward the forest. A hound barreled toward him and Dimitris shifted into his wolf form, launching himself at the creature and latching on to its neck with his teeth, driving his claws into its flesh until the hound fell. Dimitris’s eyes dilated as he licked the blood from his maw and his heart pounded, mind going black. Without thought he launched himself into the air at another hound. Although they were more than four times his size, his speed and inkling of power from the Grechi propelled him, fueling his ability to bring the creatures to their knees, writhing in pain. Again and again he flew through the air, slaughtering onedaimonafter another. With each kill, he sunk further into the black abyss of his sanity, becoming more wolf than man.
“Dimitris!” His name forced him out of the blood-thirsty trance he was in. “Dimitris!” Elias called once again as he sprinted toward him at full speed.
The general was covered in soot and splattered blood, but none of it looked to be from his own injuries. He halted in front of Dimitris, his hands dropping to his thighs as he bent over panting.
“I just…received word…” Elias managed to get out through heaving breaths. “The tunnels…through the mountain…were damaged.There was an attack…on the northern shores…I am not sure how many—”
Although Dimitris was glad his brother in arms was still standing, he did not let him finish his sentence. Faster than a snap of his fingers, Dimitris took off, fueling his body with every ounce of power that he had left. Thalia would not die. Not today.
On the battlefield or in the gardens of Elysium—I will find you.
Dimitris raced toward that promise, toward the bloodshed in the north, hoping he was not too late.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Thalia
Athick black liquid stained the rocks that lined the exit from the passage onto the fields. There was still a half-mile across the grassy plain until they reached the docks. There was no possible way they would make it. Not without bloodshed of their own or some miracle from the Grechi above.
In the distance, sails still clung wrapped around a fleet of ships’ masts, an eerie quiet filling the air. There was no motion coming from the docks, no horses tied by the port from when each crew arrived.
“Something is out there,”Mykonos hissed, her lips peeling back to reveal glistening sharp teeth, the two fangs curling over herbottom lip.“There are no other humans at the dock. I cannot scent them—only death.”
Thalia clutched her sister’s hand in an attempt to still her own. If the crews had not arrived—or worse, if they had and that rancid stench of burnt flesh was theirs—there truly would be no hope for the sick, young, and elderly she’d shepherded this far.
“There is less than a mile to go, but we must be on guard!” Thalia shouted to those behind her. “Hug the base of the mountain until we reach the shoreline. We don’t know what we might encounter on the trail.”
It was a lie. She knew exactly what they could encounter. Images of her vision flashed in her mind. Black wings, oily onyx venom dropping from the sky, Hades’ hellfyre scorching the earth beneath them.
“Stay close to the soldiers!” Dafne echoed, exchanging a pained expression with Thalia. “We are close to the shores! We can make it!”
Worried murmurs swirled from those around them, and Thalia’s spine itched with worry. She unsheathed her sword, signaling to Dafne and the other soldiers to do the same.
“If we are attacked, I need you all to carry who you can to the docks. Has anyone here captained a ship before?” Thalia asked, searching unhopefully through the small crowd they traveled with.
“I used to sail theAnastasiatwenty years ago,” one elderly man called.
Thalia shuffled over to him, gripping his hands in her own. In a low voice she whispered, “Mypsychíhas informed me there are no crews on the docks ahead. Whether theywere blockaded, stayed behind to fortify the attack on the castle, or are dead I do not know. If…when we are attacked, you must run as best you can.”
A young soldier slipped up next to Thalia, answering her beckoning hand wave. She put a hand on the soldier's shoulder and turned back to the old man. “Go with Renault, he will lead you and as many of the others to the ships. Prepare the smallest one that will fit us all. I will be close behind and can help navigate us from the docks through the shoals.”
The man smiled a wide semi-toothless grin, and though there was a shake to his hands, his gaze remained fearless. “It would be my honor Lady Thalia. I may be well past my prime, but the sea has never left me.”
Piercing screams came from high up in the mountain, a cry akin to a feral chimera mixed with the high pitched squawk of a Nexian hawk as it spiraled to its death. Storm clouds and black mist began to roll down from the peak of the mountain, descending at an unfathomable speed.
“What is that!” several of the young children cried out, pointing their fingers to the sky.
Three onyx-winged creatures rose from the trees, sweeping down the side of the mountain toward them. Even from a distance, Thalia could see the scaled limbs that dangled along with the snake-like tail whipping side to side. Fur lined the head with horns protruding from behind the creatures’ ears. Atop each of the beings, a warrior rode, rope wrapped firmly around the horns to use as reins. Beneath, the forest rattled with the sound of stomping boots against the hardpacked winter floor. Again, the screeching wails of thedaimonsabove sounded before one let loose a small barrel. It tumbled to the ground and exploded.
Cobalt hellfyre crept through the field like snakes writhing in the grass. It had begun. There was no longer a chance for grace from the gods. There was only death.
Death for them all.
From the skies, the beasts twisted down, plucking men and women alike from the ground and flinging them to the side like dolls the children clutched closely to their chests. Around them was chaos of screams and people fleeing toward the sea.
“Run!” Dafne yelled over the howling ofdaimonsand beating of wings. Herpsychíextended her claws, releasing a threatening growl, and Mykonos matched the sound with her own warning. They each sprinted ahead to the line of the forest.
