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“I won’t need to, but I’ll pay attention because you asked me to.”
It felt so foolish in hindsight, but at least I’d been sensible enough to listen to his instructions, even when I thought I wouldn’t need them. Even when I was naïve enough to believe that nothing in this world or any other could have separated us.
Blowing out a shaky breath, I tossed the broken bits of shell onto the second fire and lowered my hands toward the ground, spreading my arms wide and keeping my palms up, the way Bullet had done that day.
“Usually, I would lift my hands to the sky for an Olympian, but as we know they’re in Tartarus, I’m going to keep them lowered towards the ground like I would for an underworld deity.”
Sinking into that feeling ofother, of a world bigger than myself and gods who listened, I spoke. “I make this offering to you, Athena, Goddess of War, that it might strengthen you in preparation for your return, and grant us the wisdom and cunning we need to win this fight with as few casualties as possible on both sides.”
The Spartoi had bowed his head during my offering, but raised it the moment I was done to pass me a handful of white meat.
“It’s just like lobster,” I chanted quietly under my breath, accepting half of it with a grateful smile because I wasstarvingand indicating that he should have the rest. “Just like lobster. Claws, tail, all the same. They’re just lobsters of the earth. This is fine.”
I nibbled on a small bit of the meat, glad that it was at least fairly bland in flavor. And it was a good source of protein, right? Right. Eating for fuel.
Hopefully, Wild would be able to have some. Daimons were vegetarians because Nyx favored animals, but the scorpions were Gaia’s hell bugs so I was hoping the rules didn’t apply. In the brief time I’d spent with him, even beneath the Spartoi armor he was wearing, it was clear from his face that Wild hadn’t been getting enough food.
The moment I’d eaten, I got myself back into position, repeating the process but this time offering my prayers to Ares, requesting his guidance in battle, then used another scorpion carcass to request Zeus’ guidance and leadership.
The battle raged on, and the Spartoi took turns falling back from the ranks to rest for a moment, eat some meat, and drink from water bottles they’d left back here. They must have been collecting up bits and pieces as they’d traveled because there were some metal pots too. I contemplated asking T to fill them with rain water, but he seemed pretty busy pelting the plateau with a very concentrated storm, forcing Gaia and the agathos to hole up in a more defensive structure, rock walls bursting out of the ground to protect them. The sun was setting now, and in the low light, the action on both sides was dying down.
“There are no more scorpions,” Wild announced, appearing through the back ranks, covered in dirt and dried blood, but looking oddly invigorated. “It might just be a pause for the night—the way battles were fought in the old days—or perhaps Gaia realized you were using her weapons as tools to bolster her enemy. Both the divine and the mortal ones.”
He grinned, a more carefree expression than I’d ever seen on his face, and it took my breath away. “You’re quite the strategist, my darling Grace.”
“I’m going to swoon if you keep that up,” I laughed. And I wasn’t exaggerating—I was so tired that I was swaying on my feet already. “Want some scorpion meat?”
Wild grimaced. “Not particularly, but an army can’t run on an empty stomach and beggars can’t be choosers. Thank you for feeding us, Grace. You’ve been incredible today.”
I beamed at the compliment, handing him some freshly cooked scorpion while he conversed with Theras about keeping the bonfires going for the night so most of the army could stay here and be comfortable, but they’d take turns to go somewhere else for proper rest, though I couldn’t figure out where they meant. Considering how stilted the conversations had been between us and the Spartoi when I’d last seen them, it wasamazingto see how well they were communicating using a combination of English, Ancient Greek, and ASL.
“Come on,” Wild said to me, handing his spear and shield to one of the Spartoi hanging back, but sheathing the sword at his hip. “We scouted a place nearby to stay. We’ll sleep there tonight, and the Spartoi will take it in shifts to get a couple of hours rest. They don’t sleep as much as we do.”
Impressed at what a well-oiled machine they were, I let Wild take my hand and guide me away from the field the battle had taken place on. Past the stone ruins of whatever this place had once been. I hoped nothing historically significant had been destroyed in the line of fire, but I was almost certain it would have been.
A few Spartoi fell into step behind us, watching our back, and I looked at T over my shoulder where he was resting before the front line. He tilted his head, giving me the barest hint of a nod that seemed to sayit’s okay. I’ll keep watch. Or maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see.
I was surprised to see that we were heading back toward the cube-shaped building I’d been camped out on with T the night before, though instead of heading right toward it, we veered left into what appeared to have once been a campsite.
“Were you here last night?” I asked. “I was so close, up there on that roof.”
I pointed out the building as we passed it. Wild shook his head.
“We stayed on the battlefield. I sent Lycus to scout for somewhere we could use as a base during the fight today. Gaia won’t be creating a comfortable resting spot for us for the night,” he added wryly.
I was so distracted by the low rumble of hisvoicethat I barely registered what he’d said. I’d heard Wild speak in the dreamscape, but it wasn’t quite the same. The dreamscape smoothed over rough edges, made everything seem a little bit prettier and glowier andnicerthan it was in reality. I’d take the natural roughness of his real voice over the glossy dreamscape version any day.
“Wild, how did you get here? We’re so far from Ephesus.” I swallowed thickly. “From Dare…”
“Thanatos brought me here to the Spartoi. Where is Dare? How did you get separated? Where is Riot?”
I blew out an unsteady breath, squeezing Wild’s hand with one of my own, and periodically running my free hand over every inch of him I could reach. He’d never been the most tactile of my bonded, but he was doing the same to me, both of us reassuring each other that we were here. As we walked, I told him about everything that had happened since the bloodlust hit after Thanatos collected Bullet. I told him about the pit, which he’d apparently never seen, about Typhoeus’ emergence, Dare knocking me out so he could go to the pit in my place—that didn’t go down particularly well—T snatching me away and the things we’d seen, all of it.
“And you haven’t seen Dare since?” Wild asked, frowning. “I’d like to think he’s not the kind of guy to abandon you all alone, but I didn’t expect him to knock you out and restrain you either…”
I gave him an affronted look. “I don’t doubt Dare, just like I never doubted you.” Wild looked appropriately shamefaced at that. “All I know from Sophia is that Dare is fine, but he didn’t make it to Tartarus. T snatched me up right after he left, and while we’ve flown around the coast a lot, I don’tthinkwe’ve gotten close to Ephesus.” I sighed heavily.
“You’re right; I shouldn’t be so hard on him,” Wild murmured. “There is a visceral wrongness to the idea of any of us incapacitating you, but I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing in his shoes. There’s no fucking way I’d have let you dive into the mystery pit.”
