“Oh, how absolutely revolting the two of you are. You can stop all of this here and now, if you simply surrender.” Hera waves a hand.
“You think I’m an idiot? You won’t ever stop. You want Zeus’ power, and the only way to have a hope at winning this war you’re hell-bent on is by getting me out of the way.” I glare at Hera.
“Well then, I guess all your friends here will die for you.” She snaps her fingers and several of the other gods we know to be on her side appear before us.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Apollo steps forward. “They aren’t without resources.”
He nods to me and stands directly in front of me, blocking me from Hera. Hermes pops in next to Draven with a wink. He grabs his caduceus and sighs with relief. The glow around himintensifies until I have to glance away, but then he’s back to normal Hermes.
“You. You dare double-cross me?” Hera screams.
“None but the fates themselves and maybe Nereus knows the burdens I bear. I have had to play the villain in my own story for millennia to stand in this spot and finally defy you. I had to hurt my twin to make sure my baby sister succeeded in saving her.” Apollo shakes his head.
“You knew this would happen and have been quietly betraying me for millennia?” Hera screeches.
“You shouldn’t be too shocked. I mean, honestly, he and Artemis are the only products of Zeus’ dalliances that you couldn’t punish because they are Olympians.” Hermes shrugs.
“I made everyone think that I craved your approval because if I hadn’t, if I had sided with my father from the beginning, we would be in a much worse place than we are today. Stop this now, Hera. Give up on this war,” Apollo says and sighs.
“Never. The girl must come with me to be punished,” Hera says maliciously.
“For the crime of being born?” I ask with an incredulous laugh. “Or for stopping the world from ending on multiple occasions and helping save the humans?”
“All of it. Your very life is in defiance of me as Zeus’ wife.” Hera steps forward and everyone tenses.
“You see, though?” Hermes says with a grin. “That’s not happening because Beth and all these young warriors are under Zeus’ protection and as such, they are untouchable to you.”
“No, stop it.” Hera lunges toward me. “You can’t do this.”
“Zeus won’t let his daughter turn herself over to you to save her friends. Anyone who has encountered you or watched you over the last few months can see that’s exactly what you were about to do before we arrived, Beth. You’re too good for all of us,” Hermes says.
“I didn’t even have to see it to know it would have happened.” Apollo taps his temple with two fingers.
I glare at them because they’re not wrong. Before Apollo turned his back on Hera, that was my plan. But they don’t have to know that. Jayden’s arm tightens around my waist and he sucks in a startled breath.
“I heard that,” he whispers in my ear. “Don’t ever even think of doing that again.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I smile at his glare.
“Stop this. She is mine to punish. Zeus never stopped me from punishing his other bastards. What makes you so different?” Ice-cold eyes narrow on me.
“Your punishment has nothing to do with her fate. It would be a detriment to what fate has in store for all these young warriors.” Apollo crosses his arms.
“I don’t care about fate. I will take over the pantheon and I will have your head. Now, surrender,” Hera screams, lifting her hands, and magic pours from them.
Jayden moves quicker than I can blink. His hands are a blur as he creates a shield of pure darkness around us before Hera’s magic can get within an inch of us.
“Time to go.” Hermes chuckles.
The world spins around us and I grip Jayden tighter as we land ungracefully in the courtyard of Halfling Academy. The sun is high in the sky and the clang of swords striking against each other blows in on the breeze.
“That wasn’t as unpleasant as usual,” I huff. “Are those battle sounds or training?”
“Training.” Chiron’s hooves stamp as he clomps toward us. “They have done exactly as you asked. They are doing exceptionally well. Most of them, anyway.”
“I was scared for a second after the confrontation we just had that she moved forward the timeline.” I sigh.
“I’m not saying you have a lot of time by any means because she’s already found the last item of power she means to steal to try to destroy the world so she can remake it.” Apollo rubs at his jaw. “She hasn’t sped up the timeline that fast, though.”
