Deity

Numbness crept through me as I turned back to the two gods and lowered the sickle. “Wait.” My voice came out barely a whisper, but everyone froze.

“No!” Deacon yelled, trying to get past Solos. “I know what she’s going to do! Alex, no!”

Tears sprang to my eyes as I took in his horrified expression. “I can’t… I can’t let what happened back there happen again.”

Deacon struggled against Solos, his eyes burning a fierce silver, like his brother, so much like him. “I don’t care. It’ll kill…” He swallowed, shaking his head. “You can’t do this, Alex.”

It would kill Aiden.

Hades clapped his hands together. “See. Even she understands.”

My heart cracked.

Artemis’ eyes widened. “Alexandria, please, I understand that the mortal part of you demands that you become a martyr, but you really need to shut up.”

“People are going to continue to die. And Seth will find me.” I pressed the button on the handle, and the blades collapsed. “I saw him. He’s…” I couldn’t finish. Saying that Seth was lost was too final and, in a way, it broke my heart.

Hades turned those eyes to me. They snapped with electricity. For a moment, I missed Apollo. At least he toned down those eyes around me, making them seem normal. Hades would do no such thing. “You are doing the right thing,” he cooed softly. “And I promise you, you will not feel a thing.” He held out his hand to me. “It will be easy, luv.”

The crack in my chest spread, and I blinked back tears. This wasn’t fair, but it was right. It would hurt Aiden—and Marcus and my friends—but it would also protect them. One day I hoped they’d understand. Over the pounding of my blood, I heard Solos yell for me. Slowly, I raised my hand.

“That is it,” Hades whispered. “Take my hand.”

Our fingers were only inches apart. I could feel their strange mix of heat and bone-chilling cold. I forced my mind empty. I couldn’t afford to think about what I was doing because I’d chicken out.

“Hades,” Artemis called out.

He turned slightly. “Stay—”

Artemis released the arrow and it struck where she’d intended—smack dab between Hades’ eyes. Then he just poofed—like Grandma Piperi had poofed in the garden the day she’d given me her last prophecy. The overwhelming scent of damp walls and caverns vanished, and the arrow clattered onto the linoleum.

I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop my scream. “Is… did you kill him?”

“No.” Artemis scoffed. “I just put him out of commission for a while.” She lowered the bow and flicked her wrist. The front doors swung open. Marcus and Aiden rushed in, coming to a halt when they spied Artemis. Neither of the pures seemed to know what to do.

Artemis replaced the arrow back in her quiver and gave Aiden a sexy little grin. “They just keep getting yummier,” she purred.

Too stu

Artemis focused on me with all-white eyes. “My brother has not risked the wrath of Zeus to protect you, for you to just throw your life away.”

I tried to ignore the cyclone of fury building behind me. Dealing with Aiden was not something I was looking forward to. “I don’t get it. No one can hide me forever. Seth will find me, and then what? He’ll become the God Killer and another god is going to freak out and wipe out an entire city.”

Artemis glided toward me, her elegant movements completely at odds with her combat-princess attire. “Or you will turn the tables on the First and all those who think they can overthrow the gods.”

“What do you mean?” Marcus spoke, flushing a bright red when Artemis turned to him. He bowed deeply and then straightened. “How can Alexandria turn the tables? If Seth so much as lays a finger on her once she Awakens, he will become the God Killer.”

“Not necessarily,” she replied evenly.

I blinked rapidly. “Care to explain that?”

Artemis smiled. Impossibly, she became more beautiful… and creepier. “It is true that my brother… holds affection for you, but you are a valuable asset to us. Some wish to see you dead, it is true. Hades will be back… eventually, as will the remaining furies. But you will Awaken soon and you are strong—stronger than you realize.”

All my normal smartass responses would probably earn me an arrow in the head, so I had no idea what to say.

She stopped in front of me. When she reached out and clasped my chin with smooth, cold fingers, I wanted to flinch away. She tipped my head back. “You have a reckless sort of passion about you. It guides you. Some would see it as a weakness.”

“It’s not?” I whispered, unable to look away.

“No.” She studied me as if she could see into me, through me. “You have the eyes of a warrior.” Her hand dropped and she took a step back. “Prophecies always change, Alexandria. Nothing in our world is set in stone. And power never flows just one way. The key is finding a way to reverse it.”

Then she just disappeared.

I touched my chin. The skin tingled. Slowly, I turned to Aiden. “You should’ve seen those dogs.”

Aiden grabbed both my arms, his eyes like liquid silver. I could tell he wanted to shake me. He’d seen through the glass what I’d tried to do and Artemis had pretty much thrown me under the bus. As he stared at me, it was like he’d forgotten everyone else in the store, that my uncle was there, his brother, and Solos. He was that angry.

“Don’t you everthink about doing something so stupid again.”

I looked away. “I’m sorry—”

“I understand that you thought you were doing the right thing,” he said through clenched teeth. “But you weren’t, Alex. Sacrificing yourself was not the right thing to do. Do you understand me?”

Marcus placed a hand on his shoulder. “Aiden, this is not the place. We need to go.”

My breath caught as my eyes darted between the two. “I just don’t know how we’re going to win this.”

“No one wins if you kill yourself,” Marcus said quietly. “We must go.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Aiden dropped his hands. His look warned that there would be a later, most likely the moment we stepped back in the car. Solos waited by the door, his sharp gaze narrowed on Aiden as he took a sip of his energy drink.

“Are you okay?” Aiden asked Deacon.

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m great. Nothing like witnessing a death match between gods when I’m trying to get some Cheetos.”

My lips twitched. Poor Deacon. He clutched that bag to his chest, too.

The cashier’s soft snores were the only sound. Remembering the whole purpose of coming to this place, I hastened back to the counter.

“What are you doing?” Aiden asked.

I dropped some cash on the counter and grabbed my bag. “I’m hungry.”

Aiden stared a moment, then a slow smile crept across his face. Maybe I wouldn’t get bitched out too badly. On the way out, he picked up a package of Hostess CupCakes off the floor and caught my look. “Me, too,” he said.

“At least I paid for my stuff.”

CHAPTER 32

I DID GET BITCHED OUT—A LOT. AND I DESERVED IT. Aiden had been through the wringer when it came to me lately. He understood why—my motives—but he didn’t agree with me. But I knew what I’d been thinking, and it still made sense. I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t want to see anybody else hurt when handing myself over would stop everything.

Halfway into the second part of the trip, as the tires ate away the miles, he grabbed my hand and held onto it. He hadn’t forgiven me, but he didn’t want to shake me anymore. That was progress. I still wasn’t sure if Artemis shooting Hades in the head was a good move or not by the time we reached Athens.