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Bracken’s spell hit the other one. It froze for a moment, disappeared from sight, then shot past us on a screech, its sharp metal feathers hitting Stheno and me. I was hit in my forearm, my calf, and the top of my head. They hurt like hell as I tore out the thin metal-bladed feathers and flung them off the edge of Coco’s wing. All three wounds were bleeding badly, especially my head. I couldn’t ignore the blood loss, but I also couldn’t ignore the metallic missiles aiming at us.

Stheno was only hit once, but she looked freaked out about it. She threw a hand over her shoulder and shouted, “Stay away from me. It’s my left side.”

Bracken pulled me close to him, using his healing spells on me while scanning the air for more birds. “The blood from the left side of a gorgon is poison,” he explained.

“What the hell? How have I never heard that before?” I kept wiping at the blood dribbling down my forehead and into my eye.

“I’m not a healer,” Bracken told me. “I’m trying my best, but these wounds are deep.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate whatever you can do.” I kept an eye out for that bird to swing back around. We were all hanging on to whatever we could grab, not wanting to fall off Coco as she flew evasive maneuvers, trying to get us out of this alive.

Shit! Coco had metal feathers sticking out of her wings. She was bleeding too. I grabbed Bracken’s hand. “You have to get rid of Stheno’s blood before it hits Coco’s wounds!”

His hand shot out in her direction and the blood running down Stheno’s arm disappeared. Confused, I watched Stheno use the sharp feather to cut herself on the right side and then smear that blood over her wounded shoulder.

Bracken must have felt me flinch because he looked over at Stheno and said, “The right side is healing. She’s healing herself like she did me when Scylla tried to eat me.”

I saw a glint of metal out of the corner of my eye. Coco’s wing was moving up, so I only saw it for a moment, but I was positive I saw three Stymphalian birds bearing down on us.

Bracken murmured, “I saw them too.” His grip on me increased.

“Incoming!” I shouted.

Coco swooped low. As her wing came down, we saw three birds drilling through the air, straight at each of us.

This was it. I had no defense against these things. I guess it wasn’t going to matter that I’d lost my obol. Gaze fixed on the bird coming for me, all I could think was, I’m so sorry, Clive.

Ear-shattering screams echoed off the wall as we watched between wing flaps the birds knocked off course. My heart raced as I frantically scanned the air, trying to figure out what was happening.

And then I saw them. Meg and two other women were flying beside Coco. All three had scourges—long leather whips with metal spikes at the end of each thong—in their taloned hands. Meg looked over her shoulder at me for a moment before returning her focus to the birds, who were swinging back around for another run at us.

“Enough!” she boomed. “You know these are guests. Hades has forbidden you.”

The birds slowed, almost hovering in front of the Furies. They seemed to be torn, desperately wanting to kill us but not wanting to anger Hades.

“Return to your nest now or we have been ordered to destroy you.” Meg’s hand moved, her scourge rotating in a circle so fast, it would have ripped apart anything it came in contact with, including metal birds.

The Stymphalian birds understood the warning and dropped through the darkness, arrowing toward a distant tunnel.

Once they were out of sight, Meg and the other two women turned, their wings flapping to keep them steady in the air. “You may land now.”

Coco’s wings went up as she glided down, landing with a thump. Her body went low so we could slide off her wings. I gently retrieved as many metal feathers as I could reach, hoping Coco’s arms wouldn’t be covered in slashes when she shifted back.

Bracken helped me off Coco, his eyes filled with concern. I was still bleeding, though it had slowed, thankfully. Now that imminent death was off the table, I was hoping the lightheadedness would fade too.

Meg looked me over and shook her head. “You’re a mess.”

“But in a good way, right?” I grinned, but it was probably a ghastly sight with all the blood smeared on my face.

There was a pop of flame behind me, and I knew that Coco had shifted.

Bracken kept his eyes downcast as he tossed her bag and sword back to her. “Thank you, Coco. Your evasive maneuvers were impressive, especially inside a cavern.”

“Yes, thank you, Coco,” I chimed in. “Did the feathers cut you up?”

There was a pause and then Coco said, “If they did, I’m healed now. I just have some scratches on the backs of my arms. Nothing deep.”

“That’s good.” I was talking to Coco but was watching Meg and Stheno size each other up. This could get ugly fast.