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How far out of our depth were we? We were only demons, and sure archdemons were so rare most people thought we didn't exist, but we weren't gods or titans. How the fuck were we supposed to stand up to legitimatemyths?
My stomach twisted when Hera pushed open a set of high double doors, the gold-veined marble carved all over with scenes I was too stressed to interpret. Aphrodite had kidnapped my family, and if we fucked this up there wouldn't be second chances. She'd execute my mate.
What if we were too late?
I jumped when Kai knocked his shoulder into mine.
"Breathe. We've got a goddess as backup."
But Hera didn't know Haley, Em, and Wane. She didn't love them like we did. She wouldn't fight for them.
I dragged a breath down my throat when the doors opened with a creak so high pitched it was almost musical, and Hera strode into the room, her clothes somehow flowing into a deep violet dress that trailed behind her and the circlet around her temple glowing so bright I couldn't look at it.
The room was as tall as the hallways and the ceiling came to a sharp point above us, making it seem bigger and more imposing than it was. Straight forward, the far wall was cluttered with gold and silver windows that reflected a spectral pattern on the pale floor. Intentional shards of light fell around the glass throne set under the windows, and they lit the dark-skinned woman seated upon it in gleaming metallics.
Panic stopped my heart as we followed Hera deeper into the room, but it was rage that resumed pumping it, and that dark, hateful emotion spread through my whole body like flowing lava. I took a deeper breath, my back straightening, hands curling into fists. Beside me, the air shuddered with Kai's magic as he fought to keep his composure.
We weren't supposed to be here parlaying for our family's lives. We were the brash, thoughtless ones who acted first and asked questions later. We needed Emlyn and Haley to keep their cool and bargain. No one would say Kai and Harvey anddiplomacyin the same breath. We were going to screw this up.
"No violence," I breathed to Kai, whose nostrils flared as he stared at Aphrodite. "Kai."
"Fine," he bit out, but he didn't tear his eyes away from the goddess, and my stomach knotted when they glowed as red as blood.
"Hera," Aphrodite purred in greeting, sitting casually on the throne and watching us approach like a cat might watch a mouse near its claws. Cold shot through my whole body when she smiled; my beast tucked its tail and lowered its ears, pleading with me to run.
If Aphrodite, a goddess made my blood icy, what would it be like to face Cronus, a titan?
Movement caught my peripheral, a dark smear against the pale pearl of the king’s room, and a clang of warning went through my chest. I snapped my hand out and grabbed the back of Kai's shirt, stopping him from launching himself at the goddess just in time.
Aphrodite noticed. Her smile grew, like she'd justloveus to attack her.
"You brought the two strays I missed, I see," she remarked to Hera with a smile laced with arrogance—and violence. "Much obliged."
"They're here to campaign for their loved ones' freedom," Hera replied with more than a little bite. She straightened to her full height, and if I wasn't going completely mad, she grew a few inches, too. "The ones you stole and sentenced to deathwithouta trial. Curious. Was there a reason you decided to skip the judicial process?"
"Zeus was never fond of trials, and neither am I. Is there a reason you take offence with my leadership, Hera?" Aphrodite replied in the same tone, her smile unwavering.
Hera had warned us not to fight Aphrodite, but she looked more than willing to kill her herself. "I'm not here for me." She took a step back with visible effort, her tawny face carved of stone. The single glance she flicked at us ordered us to speak.
I swallowed and spoke before Kai could blow this for us.
"Halwen didn't choose to free Cronus," I said, goosebumps lifting all over my body at the hollow echo my voice made around the room. The hall was empty except for us, which struck me as strange. Wouldn't someone as vain as Aphrodite want an audience? "We were lied to, and tricked by Wynvail."
"Wynvail," Aphrodite repeated slowly, a light in her eyes that I didn't like one bit. "And why wouldhewant Cronus freed?"
"He didn't have a choice." I felt a little sick saying it out loud, but I forged on, my eyes fixed on a point on the goddess’s shoulder because I couldn’t stand to look her in the eye. If I did, I’d lose it. I’d try to kill her. "CronuscreatedWynvail from bits of me and Wane. The only reason he existed was so Cronus could use him to break his prison. I don't know how, I'm not a magic expert, but Wynvail lured us to a house in the Damned Realm on the titan's orders, and the second we left, it—it freed Cronus. And killed Wynvail."
"Haley didn't choose to do it, she had no clue," Kai added tightly, inked hands curled into fists at his sides. "Trust me, I'm fucking thrilled that bastard died, but it damn nearkilledHaley when Cronus killed Wynvail. He unmade him, turned him to dust like he'd never existed. If we’d known it would kill Wynvail and free Cronus, we'd have stayed in that house for the rest of our lives. This wasn't a choice we made. This was all Cronus tricking us. She'sinnocent."
"And Emlyn and Wane had nothing to do with it either," I added, biting back every threat I wanted to snarl at the poisoned goddess of love and beauty who sat on her thronestill smiling."We're all pawns in Cronus's game," I breathed, remembering Typhon's words. "We're demons up against a titan; we don't stand a chance."
A little laugh came through Aphrodite's nose, her round eyes flattening with annoyance. "Do you truly expect me to believe that? Out of all the people in Hell, Cronus just happened to single youout?" She shook her head, perfect brown curls swaying with the movement. "I've never heard a more ridiculous tale. What's more likely is Cronus offered you untold power, and you agreed to free him to get it. What's your next command? To kill me? I have no doubt he wants Mount Olympus, and I'm the one in his way."
"What?" Kai blurted, his magic throbbing in a dark warning. "You can’t be serious."
She didn’t believe us?
"We're not working for Cronus," I said fiercely, fighting back anger. "We certainly didn't want him free. He's going to kill our mate for her power; he threw us in the Labyrinth and almost killed all of us just so he can steal her magic."
