Jayden screams again, blood gushing from his mouth as he convulses. Hera laughs at the torment in the scene unfolding. Me breaking apart and taking the final step to the throne.
“I’m sorry,” I say and turn to sit on the throne. “Hera has won. I can’t be the hero you need me to be and sacrifice my one true love to save the world.”
29
“No,” someone screams over the ringing in my ears.
A blast of white light blurs past me and I stumble away from the throne. What the hell was that? I turn, glancing over my shoulder to find Hera getting up off the ground and Jayden scrambling away from her toward me.
“Beth, get away from there,” Jayden gasps.
“What’s happening?” I ask, shaking my head.
“I’m not forcing you to make that choice. I took it out of your hands.” Kira grins at me. “Now, let’s finish this so we can go home.”
I slam into Kira, wrapping her in a fierce hug. “Thank you.”
No one else helped. Not even Raven helped the way Kira just did. Relief floods me as Hera groans and lurches off the ground. Hope blooms in my chest as I step away from Kira and turn to the woman who has ruined my life for the last time.
Magic pulses in my gut and I raise my hands, blasting the queen with everything I’ve got. Kira stands next to me, her fire and light shooting from her hands as well.
“Jayden, are you okay?” I shout.
“I’m fine, baby. Make her pay.” Jayden presses a hand to my back.
“Planning on it.” I visualize lightning chains wrapping around Hera with my eyes squeezed tight.
Jayden straightens his shoulders and steps up next to me, golden chains shooting from his hands. “It’s not enough. She’s going to break out of this.”
“Maybe we can use something else,” I say, a thought coming to my mind.
“It won’t hold her for long,” Kira says. “It wasn’t made for her, but if you can call it the same way as the other automatons, it could give us time to get her on the throne.”
“What are you two plotting?” Jayden asks.
“Watch.” I grip the charm Hephaestus gave me and focus on the golden net.
It appears above Hera’s head, and I drop it on top of her. The goddess screams and thrashes even as the net secures itself around her.
“Now,” I scream.
Jayden’s golden shadow chain snaps into place around her body and tugs her closer to the throne. I transport to the other side of the queen and my electricity shoots out of my hands, shoving her forward.
“You children can’t defeat me,” Hera roars.
“We already have.” I shove everything I have into pushing her to the throne.
Sweat beads on my forehead as I push harder. Jayden’s magic is lagging as he yanks her closer to the chair.
“Kira, we could use your help,” I shout.
White light bursts from Kira’s hands and gives Hera the final push we need for her to fall into the chair. Hera screams and golden light flares around her as thick gold chains snap around her wrists and ankles, locking her to the chair.
“Well done, daughter.” Zeus appears in front of me.
“Not me, Father. I failed to make the right choice. Kira saved us all.” I shake my head.
“That never should have been asked of you. It was too much weight to put on one person. I’m more interested in another choice you made. You chose to surround yourself with good people who will take some of that weight off you.” He pats my shoulder.
