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Apollo threw back his head and screamed, his body quivering with fury. Light poured from his hands, and he struck, his magic slicing through the air. The ground rumbled as his power shook the very walls. A dome of fire encased Mona and Evander, and she gasped, flinching as Apollo’s magic hammered against it. But the shield held in place, protecting her.
Relief filled her chest, but it was short-lived. In front of her—outside the shield—a familiar figure crumpled to the floor, her body taking the full impact of Apollo’s rage.
“Hestia!” Mona screamed.
The shield of fire dissipated, and she hurried to Hestia’s side. Sol joined her, his face ashen and his eyes wide. Shouts erupted from the crowd, and Apollo staggered back in shock, as if he hadn’t intended to strike her at all.
Smoke furled from a charred gash in the center of Hestia’s chest. Her face was pale, her hands cold and trembling as Mona clasped them in hers.
“Oh, Goddess, Hestia,” Mona whispered, tears filling her eyes. “What have you done?”
“Tell your mother,” Hestia choked, silver blood bubbling from her mouth, “that I am sorry I did nothing. I—I hope… this c-can atone for that.”
“Someone fetch a healer!” Sol shouted into the crowd, but Hestia placed a hand on his arm.
“My son,” she whispered. “Y-You can still do good. You have seen him for what he truly is. Do… something… about it. Rebuild this realm.”
Sol shook his head. “I—I cannot! We need you. We need your magic. This place cannot function without your fire to fuel it!”
A sad smile spread across Hestia’s lips. Her eyelids fluttered. “That is my one regret with you, Sol. I taught you… that power… was more important… than love. And for that, I am s-sorry. Please forgive me. I know you l-loved her, but I hope you can find love again… and see… for yourself… what truly matters.”
Her head slumped backward, and Sol shook her. “Mother. Mother. You must wake! We need you!”
But Hestia didn’t move.
Tears streamed down Mona’s face as she shut her eyes, saying a prayer to the Triple Goddess.
Hestia had died. For her.
A knot formed in her throat, and she couldn’t breathe. Sobs tore from her chest as if her body were ripping in two.
Then, the ground began to quake. Dust trickled from the ceiling. And a burst of energy exploded in the room, knocking everyone to the ground. Mona slid backward but caught herself before her head crashed into the marble floor. A collective cry rose from the crowd as people staggered to their feet. Mona glanced around, confusion and fear gripping her chest. What was happening?
“Trivia!” Apollo shouted, his gaze fixed on a figure in the crowd. “The wards are down. I need your death magic to craft them anew before Pandora’s magic destroys us all.”
Mona’s blood ran cold as a woman stepped forward, her dark red hair shimmering and her hard gaze fixed on Apollo.
It was her. Trivia—the one responsible for all this. The one who had dragged Evander through the portal.
Mona shot to her feet, fury boiling within her. And Trivia’s gold eyes fixed on her.
“Hello, sister,” she murmured.
Mona went rigid at that word. Sister.
What was she talking about?
She opened her mouth to speak, but Trivia said, “I invoke the terms of our bargain, Pomona. You will do nothing. You will say nothing. I call in my favor and order you to stand by and watch. When the sun rises, consider our bargain fulfilled.”
Mona stiffened, and it took her thoughts a moment to catch up. Only then did she remember—when she had come back to the Underworld, intent on finding Prue, Trivia had met her first. She had asked for one favor in exchange for revealing Prue’s location.
And she was calling in that favor.
Fire surged through Mona’s veins as the magic between them solidified. She opened her mouth to scream, to rage at Trivia for what she’d done, but no words came out. She could not speak. She could not move.
A slow smirk spread on Trivia’s face as she brushed past Mona and faced Apollo.
“Are you ready, my king?” she asked, her voice low.
