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“He’s the god of choice, which usually means he helps other see their choices clearly before them, but when he’s angry, he can make the consequences of a choice manifest themselves with physical pain,” Kyros murmurs, none of us able to keep our eyes off the usually smug god of fire paying for the part he played.
“He will be dealt with,” my father assures, giving a warning look to Agathon.
The white light slowly recedes from Victor’s chest and the fire god slumps over, his eyes shuttering as his consciousness slips away in the absence of pain.
“As for you, Helene. This revelation does nothing to sway your sentence,” my father declares and glances at each of the other majors. They all shake their heads in agreement and Mateo’s glare narrows on her, his hands fisting at his side like he wishes he could exact her punishment for himself.
“I’m sure your jails are overflowing at this point, so why don’t you save us both the hassle and put me on house arrest,” Helene says slyly as a last-ditch attempt at retaining some freedom.
My lips purse, but I already know what their answer will be. Although I wasn’t told what her punishment would be, I seriously doubt house arrest will cut it. She is right though. We were able to detain the rest of Romulus’ dark gods and place them in the jails under the summit before they awoke. But we can’t keep them there forever, and with this new information, that Victor was able to bypass Nyssa’s powers by only admitting to part of his involvement, the rest of his army will have to be put under even harsher scrutiny.
It will be a long process, determining who was there willingly and who was under duress, but it’s something that has to be done. We wouldn’t be any better than Romulus if we just decided to kill them all.
Helene’s punishment might just help deter some of the others from rising against us once they’ve served their time, especially with Kallen still in the wind.
“Your sentence is a life in the mortal realm.”
Gasps sound around the room as my father’s tone rings with finality. “Your powers will be stripped, and your memories wiped away. You will live your life as a human, perpetually repeating your life for the rest of eternity.”
“No, no, please,” Helene begs, her eyes glassy with terror as her face drains of color. “I swear I’ll do anything.”
Two guardians climb the stairs to take the stage, and her eyes dart between them as they take her arms.
“Don’t do this.” Her voice is shaky as she tries to wrench herself from their grip, but with the power-blocking cuff already on her wrist, she’s practically powerless. “You’re making a mistake.”
“We really aren’t,” Mateo huffs in amusement as we watch the guardians drag Helene from the stage. A string of curses spew past her lips and she drags her feet, but the guardians carry her with ease, down the stairs and back down to the jail cells.
“The cast-away ceremony will take place in the courtyard once we go through the rest of the gods and decide their fate,” my father announces, turning to the crowd. “The memorial and the burning will take place in an hour at the academy, and we invite all who are able to join us in giving their condolences and taking part in the celebration.”
Excited whispers sound around the auditorium as the rest of the gods, demigods, and guardians in attendance stand to leave.
“A life as a human? Is that really such a punishment?” I ask, frowning as I look between Adrian and Kyros. Adrian wraps an arm around my shoulders, a wide grin spreading across his lips as he looks at Kyros to explain.
“Trust me, that’s the worst sentence she could receive. For Helene, being trapped and powerless in the human world is a fate worse than death,” Kyros murmurs drily.
I quirk my lips to the side and nod in agreement. “I guess that’s true. To me it would be normal, but for someone like her who would stop at nothing to gain power, I can see how that would be a punishment. It’s a shame she won’t be able to remember though, to live with the guilt.”
“She won’t have all her memories, but she’ll always feel like something’s missing at least. And with Helene, that will eat her alive,” Kyros explains.
I silently remember just how lost I felt before Adrian found me and brought me to the academy. We share a look, and he dips his head in acknowledgement, as though he too is remembering that moment at the beach club where I mentioned trying to travel and find myself.
I really wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone … well maybe anyone except Helene. After all she’s done, her powers are not something she should be using.
“Let’s go say goodbye.” Adrian smiles softly, and Kyros places a hand under my arm, helping me to my feet like the gentleman he is.
I take a deep breath as my father and Mateo descend the stairs to join us, a mix of hope and sorrow swirling in my chest in a flurry of emotions. “Let’s go say goodbye.”
The warm afternoon sun beams down on us as we dissipate onto the academy grounds, hundreds of gods, demigods, and guardians already surrounding us, milling about as they wait for friends and family.
“On to the main event,” Adrian says, excitement in his crystal blue eyes … until he sees the disbelief written across our faces. “I’m sorry that was insensitive. I wasn’t talking about that part though.”
“I know.” I sigh, shaking my head in exasperation, but I can’t blame him. “We’ll all be relieved after today.”
“I, for one, can’t wait to see the fucker burn,” Mateo says, tugging me out of Adrian and Kyros’ grip, and twining his fingers with mine. Annoyed grumbles vibrate from my two other mates, but Mateo ignores them and leads me down the repaired hill.
“Me either,” I agree, tension radiating through my chest at the thought of his body still fully formed. I really wish he would’ve just crumbled away into dust like in the movies. That would’ve made our lives so much easier. “But we can’t let it overshadow the memorial.”
“Never, little mate,” Mateo assures, placing a kiss on the top of my head as Adrian, Kyros, and my father trail behind us.
