“Well, thank you, I guess.” I shrug. “Everyone gather around. Apollo is going to transport us.”
With a flick of his wrist, we are spinning through time and space. It’s longer than I have been transported before. It must be a great distance to Olympus. After long minutes, my feet touch solid ground. The marble beneath them cracked as if the very space is breaking down due to the battle.
“Are we in the throne room?” I ask, glancing around.
The ground shakes and the light in the room flickers. Tall windows show explosions on the distant battlefield. A bellow of a battle cry can be heard that sounds suspiciously like Ares.
“Where is everyone?” Raven whispers.
I point out the tall windows. “They’re all on the battlefield, I think.”
“Who is supposed to give us our task?” Jayden frowns. “Do you know what we’re doing, Apollo?”
“I do but I must get the others to Artemis to start the hunt. If I tell you, I may reveal too much. Someone is coming to fill you in.” Apollo vanishes with the rest of the group of students.
“Okay, so what do we do now?” I ask.
“Are we even sure the right side is coming to meet us here?” Dax asks.
“Apollo has proven himself to be an ally even if he didn’t start out that way.” I glare at Dax.
“She’s right. I haven’t seen any deception from my father.” Adrian steps forward.
“Would you tell us if it had to be that way?” Dax growls.
“I’ve warned Beth about betrayal before. There is none now.”
“My daughter,” a tired Zeus calls to me. “You’re here. Thank the fates.”
“Apollo brought us. He said you have a task for us?” I ask, stepping closer.
There are dark circles under his ice-blue eyes. His shoulders slump as he sits on his throne. He looks as if he’s been in a war zone. Which is exactly where he’s been.
“I’m sorry, daughter, but I must ask one more thing of you before this ends.” My father rubs at his tired eyes.
“Father, are you okay?” I ask. “We are here to help. We don’t want the world to end either.”
“I knew you would say that. I don’t like putting the fate of everything on your young shoulders.”
“You didn’t do this, the queen did. I was going to be a part of this no matter what.” I squeeze his shoulder. “She was always going to drag me into this. It’s what I do now that decides if I live or die.”
“You are smarter and braver than the queen gives you credit for, Beth.” Zeus smiles but it’s sad.
“Thank you. She is constantly underestimating me and if I have anything to say about it, that will be her downfall.” I straighten my spine.
“Good because the task ahead of you is treacherous. Battle lines have been drawn and unfortunately for us, the one thing that can stop all of this is on the wrong side of those lines.” Zeus waves a hand, and a large wooden table appears in the middle of the throne room.
“What is this?” I peer down at the map of Olympus that spans the entire table.
“That map is the original map drawn by Hephaestus millennia ago. It is etched into the table itself, giving the impression of the actual landmarks when touched. It’s protected by magic so don’t be afraid of ruining it.” Zeus waves for us to check out the map.
“That is so cool. The mountains actually feel like they are rocky and raised up from the table.”
“Hephaestus is exceedingly talented.” Zeus nods.
“So where are the lines and what do we need to do?” I ask.
Zeus waves his hand again and lines of battle appear across the map. He points to a building just on the other side of the front lines of the battlefield.
