At the end of the clearing we tumbled into an alley between two buildings, and I sprinted through the narrow aisle with Leon chasing close behind me. After every few steps he turned, aimed swiftly, and sent another body crashing to the ground. Forced to fly low to follow us, they lined themselves up for easy shots one by one. I was right to do this. I was right—he’d just needed a chance.
We were nearly through now, and I heard no more screeches behind us. The end of the channel was in sight, and I ran for it, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. With a burst of fearful energy I tumbled straight out the other side…only to be blindsided by the monster that had flown around to meet us. The collision knocked my breath away, and before I could even react, I was on the ground and its talons had found their purchase.
For a moment all I felt was a rapidly growing wetness. Then a scream tore through my throat, and wrenching pain seized me so completely that tremors stole control of my limbs. I could see movement above me—Leon tugging the talons of a wounded harpy out of my stomach and chest—but the image was blurred by the effects of my shock and tears. From the skies above came another animalistic cry: more enemies were on their way.
“Go on,” I croaked, coughing out the words through the taste of iron in my mouth. “You can do it.”
I heard the sounds of Leon’s reply, but his speech was unintelligible through my rapidly descending haze. A labored heartbeat later, I registered the sound of retreating footsteps as Apollo’s lost son sprinted away toward his destiny.
I hoped he could do it. I hoped hewoulddo it, but I knew then that I would never find out. My vision was going dark. Even the pain was dulling now, leaving only the eerie feeling of my gushing blood as it spilled out across the stones.
Dark, resentful sadness washed over me when I knew it was certain. Why was I—why werewegiven such little time? I would have cursed the Fates for their cruelty, but I had no voice left to speak. This was the end. My last moments were to be spent alone, in hurt and bitter sorrow, hating it more with every gasping, gurgling breath.
But I was not afraid, for Death was a friend of mine. And if I had to go, at least I knew I would see his face one last time.
17
Somewhere above me, someone was screaming. It was all I could hear, all I could evenperceive. There was only darkness around me, and I’d lost the sensations of my heartbeat and the air against my skin. I could no longer feel anything at all.
And yet, I could still hear the screaming, and I couldn’t make it stop. I would have panicked, except I was still caged in the void, left without the body to contain such an emotion. I didn’t understand what was happening until the wailing broke into a series of heavy sobs and I heard his voice for the first time.
“Why did you go?” Thanatos cried. “Cyrie, why did you go?Why did you go?”
I very nearly felt panic through the nothingness then. I wanted so desperately to answer, to reach for him and touch him, but the darkness was impenetrable. I could only listen as he screamed my name through another guttural sob. “I won’t do it.I won’t do it!”
Oh, I took it back, I took it back! How could I have done this to him? Why had I cared about Leon’s fate, or the fate of my city, when I knew the road might lead to this? I didn’t care anymore—nothing could ever be worth this nightmare! There could be no purer torture than hearing Thanatos cry.
I’d thought this would be our agonizing goodbye, but no, it was so much worse. My body was broken, yet Death refused to take me from it. Trapped in a prison of oppressive nothingness, all I could do was listen to his sorrow as he tried to hold metogether, hearing his pain with the last sense that still tethered my soul to my flesh.
“No!No, you STAY!”
Feeling flooded back into my body at his word, but it was only excruciating pain.
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
Someone else was screaming now. Oh, it was probably me.
But just as suddenly as its onset, the pain vanished and I could feel nothing once again. Nothing.Nothing. My body was gone, not a single sensation remaining, save for my cursed hearing. I almost wished for the return of the pain, for at least this was familiar to me.
Thanatos wailed. I heard the sound of his wings against the wind, and the clamor of the city around us dropped away. Soon afterward, every sound of nature went silent all at once. Somehow this made everything even worse, for now I could more clearly hear his weeping. What had I done? My dead heart shattered again.
The ugly sounds of his sorrow persisted until the beating of his wings was replaced by echoing footfalls. Thanatos struggled to stifle his tears as his steps slowed to a halt. When he’d managed to regain a semblance of control, I heard the sound of his quivering voice.
“Hades, please help me,” he begged in a whisper.
Fuck.Hades?
“Thanatos?” a man replied in a deep, unfamiliar voice. “What are you doing? Isn’t that my oracle?”
“Hades, please,” Thanatos cried, his words separated by broken sobs. “Please let me have her! Please give her to me…”
“What? You want…” Hades’ voice dropped away in a torturous pause. When he spoke again, it was with cold,collected fury. “Are youserious, Thanatos? That is exactly what started all of this in the first place. Why should I judge differently now?”
“Because Apollo did not have the bargain that I do,” Thanatos insisted with more strength than before. “Without me, you will lose many more subjects than one. You will lose and lose, for I swear I will not fly until my grief is sated. Do you think it will be quickly? Look at me!”
