“I don’t think it’s safe right now. The fire was just put out. The structure isn’t sound,” Cross says.
“If the structure isn’t sound, then they aren’t safe in the dungeon. We need to figure who needs to be moved to the gods’ detention facility and who we need to help with mind control.” I step around Cross who grabs my arm.
Jayden growls, “Let go of her, Professor. We aren’t without our own resources much stronger than you.”
Shadows pulse and writhe around Jayden as he stares the professor down until he takes his hand off me.
“Apollo gave me a way to tell for sure who is under control and who is actually on their side and then save them from the control.” I shrug and stalk past Cross with Jayden at my side.
As we walk into the building, I’m immediately assaulted with the scent of smoke. It’s mostly cleared out, but the scent lingers. The stone groans closer to the site of the fire, but we veer to the left toward the entrance to the dungeons.
“Do you know how many demigods were knocked out and tossed down here?” I take the steps tentatively.
“Not a clue. I sent maybe five myself. But I couldn’t take my focus off the biggest monsters that most of the students haven’t faced before.” Jayden opens the door to the dank dark dungeon and a chorus of groans fill the space.
“How the fuck did she get here?” I snarl as a certain blond bitch comes into view.
“What? You’re supposed to be dead.” Mia shrieks in the cell farthest from the door. “Mother promised you wouldn’t leave that mountain.”
“You all are too arrogant for your own good. I mean, look at you in a cell again because you thought you could fight. Your mom thought she could fight me too and she was the one who ran when shit got real.” I flip my hair over my shoulder and turn to the other prisoners.
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll be dead soon enough. Hera has a trick up her sleeve that none of the gods on your side will survive.”
21
Iclench my hands in fists at my sides as I turn away from Mia. “She couldn’t possibly have that type of weapon, right?”
“I don’t know. Just ignore Mia and let’s do what we need to and assess who is here by choice or not.” Jayden squeezes my hip.
None of the demigods in the cells are all that familiar to me since they all left pretty quickly once lines were drawn in the sand. I glance over at a girl who is vaguely familiar as one of the Hermes students from that first mission.
“You left because you were scared to fight. What happened?” I ask.
“I changed my mind.” She flips her hair. “I can fight for something I actually believe in.”
“She’s being controlled. She wouldn’t even go to the wards to keep everyone safe because she was too much of a coward. There’s no way she came to this battle of her own free will.” I hold up the charm Apollo gifted to me and use my magic to knock her out. “She will wake up confused but normal.”
I wave someone over to remove her from her cell and an automaton steps up to the cell, opening it and lifting the girl easily.
“Take her to the dorm building. The Hermes floor should have a bed for her since that’s her parent.” I wave a hand.
A chorus of shouts fill the room, people trying to be released by saying they are being controlled. I laugh as Mia tries the same.
“Jayden, you know I love you. I would never willingly take the opposite side of the war as you. You have to believe me; I was controlled by the queen too.”
“You aren’t going anywhere.” I laugh at her. “You’ve done too much damage for me to believe for one second it wasn’t because of your delusion or desperation. Probably both.”
“Shut the fuck up. You are nothing but Zeus’ puppet and Hera will clip your strings. Just wait. When the gods are defeated, you will die, and then Jayden will be mine,” Mia screams.
“The only way that will ever happen is if the queen controls me and takes away my free will, but you know what? That’s not possible now because of Apollo’s help.” Jayden’s shadows pulse up and down his arms.
“Calm down, baby. She can’t hurt us.” I wrap my arms around Jayden and Mia screams.
I use the charm and swing it around the room in a wide arc, using my magic to guide the charm to those who have actually been controlled. More than half the people in the cells are under mind control and pass out from the power. Mia, unsurprisingly, doesn’t stop screeching.
“Pull anyone who passed out on contact with my magic, and we’ll figure out where to put them later. The ones faking or still awake can stay here until the gods can come get them.” I wave over the half dozen automatons waiting for instruction.
“Put them in the first-floor common room for now. It’s a sort of a triage for the injured and healers,” Jayden says.
