“You’ve got this, Kira,” I shout to her.
“Beth, watch out.” Fire shoots from Kira’s palms straight for me and I dive to the right.
The burning lava hits the fog sizzling with power and cuts through the wraiths’ defenses. More screams of pain and rage fill the battlefield as I bring my sword down on the hag in front of me. She explodes into ash and more of the fog recedes.
“Fuck off, hag,” I spit at the mist. “Come at me. You want to end up like your friend?”
I slash and hack until the fog clears but the wraiths were only the beginning. I spin back to Kira and blow out a relieved breath when I spot her at the mouth of the cave.
“Yes, Kira, go get the hammer so we can end this.” Pumping my legs, I race up the side of the mountain with Raven and stand shoulder to shoulder with the guys blocking the entrance to the cave as a wave of lizard demons lurch forward.
“I’ve got this, Beth. We will end this and get back to the academy,” Kira says before sprinting into the cave.
“Watch out,” Raven yells, pointing to the sky.
I roll to the side, stopping myself just before I roll of the edge of the cliff. I spring to my feet but the sight before me is too fucked for words. A glowing gold net is welded to the ground all around Greyson and Draven.
I scan the area as a woman bellows in fury. “You were all supposed to be caught in the net.”
A large ball of magic sails through the air toward me as I glance at the woman who wielded the magic and dropped the net on them. She is probably the most stunning woman I’ve ever laideyes on, and I immediately recognize her as Mia’s mother. The goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite.
“Have you ever even been in a battle, Aphrodite? I’m not surprised I was able to get past your little net trick. Was that the plan? Trap me in the net and kill me like a coward? I’m surprised the queen gave you such a task when I have defeated every enemy she’s thrown at me.”
“No, the queen gave me this task so I could avenge my daughter, and I will not fail.” She throws another blast of magic at me, and I dodge to the side, keeping my body between her and the net trapping my friends.
“I can’t get out, Beth,” Draven says. “My magic won’t work on it.”
“Save your energy, Draven. You’re not getting out of it. I know exactly what this is.” I flick my whip at the nearest demon trying to get to the easy prey behind me. “It’s poetic that you would use the object of your own humiliation to try to kill me for humiliating your daughter, repeatedly.”
“Only Hephaestus can get them out and he’s not here, so what will you do, daughter of Zeus? You’re not getting out of here alive.” Aphrodite sneers.
“You really think you will be the one to succeed in killing me?” I laugh and slash a lizard demon across the throat, turning it to ash.
“I will succeed where all have failed, and the queen will reward me in the new world.” Aphrodite throws another wave of magic.
I duck the swipe of claws and kick out at the demon, pushing him right into the path of Aphrodite’s magic. The demon bursts into ash and… is that glitter?
“Did you just try to kill me with body glitter?” I cackle. “You really have no idea what the fuck you’re doing here, do you?”
“Taunting the goddess probably isn’t the best use of your energy,” Raven shouts as she defends against three demons at once.
“But it’s fun and you saw the glitter bomb she threw, right? Absolutely ridiculous.” Two demons try to grab me from each side, and I drop to the ground, swiping my sword in the belly of one and kick out at the other.
I crack my whip, and it wraps around the demon’s neck, flaring blue-white, and the demon explodes in a shower of sparks. The other demon drops to its knees, holding its gut, and I swing my blade in a wide arc, cutting the head from its body.
“No,” Aphrodite screeches. “This was supposed to be easy. You’re supposed to just die.”
“Sorry to disappoint but you’re not the first to underestimate me.” I roll to my feet.
Her magic bounces off the net, sizzling with sparkles again, and I roll my eyes. What does she think she’s going to do with that? Glitter me to death?
“Beth,” Raven screams.
Three more demons materialize in front of me as I move toward Raven who is slashing at three demons of her own. One got past her and lunges for the prone guys underneath the net. I crack my whip, and it wraps around the demon’s ankle, flaring with power and turning it to ash.
“You good, Raven?” I shout, dodging claws and ducking another blast of glitter hell from the goddess of beauty.
“Never better, but there are too many of them. We can’t keep this up indefinitely.” Raven swings her ax, beheading three demons at once.
