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He came closer, his dark face softening. You might not be my child, Halwen, but your soul is entwined with the souls of my descendants, which makes you mine to protect. And letting you stay here isn't protecting you.
I couldn't look at Wane, bleeding and sobbing on the ground. Erebus swept his hand, and the ground was empty, the bastard who mutilated my mate erased too.
And yet Cronus remained on his vile throne, staring at his hand where—where shadows pooled in his palm. The shadows he stole from Wane. My heart skipped, rage filling my chest again.
I'm scared to go back, I admitted to Busty. Living hurts, and mostly it fucking sucks. There's no pain here.
Isn't there? he asked softly, guiding my face to the marble wall above Cronus's throne.
I froze, blood roaring in my ears. Two black wings were stretched wide on display, blood running down the pale stone from the places they'd been hacked off. Like Wane's wounds still bled even now, years upon years later.
I know it hurts you to see this, daughter, Erebus breathed, pressing his shoulders to mine, offering comfort in our shared pain. Had he watched it as it happened? Was this moment a replay of a scene in the mortal world—or was it his memory? How much did it kill Erebus to watch all this play out to his family and be unable to stop it?
Are you dead, or just trapped? I asked, slanting a look at him, my … friend? He wasn't really here, like I wasn't really here. This was just his magic letting us speak and share the same vision. I didn't know where he really was, or even where I was. Still on Olympus? Or did Cronus eat my dead body?
I'm not truly sure, he replied, his eyes fixed on the bleeding wings on the wall. I've been here so long, I'm not sure I'd know how to be alive.
So you don't want me to kick down the doors of your prison and get you out? I asked seriously.
His grim mouth flicked up in a shocking smile. I stared in unabashed surprise. You know what I want, Halwen, and you know what you need to do.
Kill Cronus, yeah, I knew. And … I was ready. To leave. To fight the bastard. To find a way to finally kill him. If some loony prophet said I could, who was I to argue? I was already dead; I might as well go back and risk my life, see if I couldn't take Cronus with me next time.
Cronus wants Wane's shadows, Busty said without prompting, because it's original, true power in its rawest form. He could use it to unmake the whole world—and reshape it in his image.
Shit, I breathed, trying to imagine what a world would look like ruled by Cronus. How many people would kneel, bleeding, before him? How many wings would be severed and displayed as an eternal taunt?
Wane could use it to the same end, Erebus added casually. And so could any descendant.
Wait, so all your children are running around with the ability to change the world? My eyes were wide, panic making my breathing fast. What if they were all insane? Would that be worse than Cronus's world?
That's not quite what I said, he replied with a mysterious smile.
He blinked and Cronus and the throne vanished, Wane's wings disappearing with him.
With all the love in my heart, I hope I never see you again, Halwen.
Rude. I narrowed my eyes, my heart aching. But panic struck as I felt myself fading, my limbs less solid. I couldn't feel my chest anymore. What if I need to talk to you, or I need your help?
Erebus smiled, a true, deep smile. You have everything you needed from me. You're going to be just fine. You can find me in every shadow in every realm, but you won’t hear my voice again. You won’t see my face again.
I shook my head, panic clawing through me. I couldn't feel my legs. Shit, did I even have legs?
What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to kill Cronus.
Use your power, Halwen. All of it, every kind that lives inside you. You have more than he could ever dream to possess, even devouring most of Olympus. You have true, unbridled power, untainted by misery and pain. That's more powerful than any god he's swallowed.
That makes no sense!
I tried to reach for him, but I didn't have hands. Oh fuck, I didn't have hands.
Trust yourself, and don't be afraid of your power. It won't hurt you; it will only do as you bid it. You have the strength to do this, I promise you. If you need advice, I believe the most appropriate counsel is a modern term: give 'em hell, Halwen.
What the fuck was I supposed to do with that?
I opened my mouth to demand an answer because there was no way he was leaving me with that and only that to help me kill a titan, but I no longer had a mouth and—
I sucked in a sharp breath, pain erupting through every part of my body.
