The shock of seeing Poseidon eaten alive made me wary, and it did the same for the others as we all adjusted to the horror and reality that Poseidon was gone. My concern died quickly, knowing Poseidon still could be saved. They just had to beat Cronus and have him regurgitate Poseidon. But the thought of Poseidon inside Cronus’s body sickened me. I hoped he wasn’t suffering.
“I’m going to eat you one by one. You cannot defeat the elders.” Cronus’s tone sounded like a promise. His eyes blazed with determined fury.
“Hermes, Tara, where are you?” Zara muttered under breath. She had been trying to protect us by creating a bubble of shield whenever one of us needed it, but we were scattered, and the arena was too big for her to pinpoint exactly where we were hiding, dodging, or running.
A bright light glowed between two boulders and then blinked out. Hermes’s and Tara’s heads came into view. Zara and I ducked behind a titan as dust clouds came and went, depending on the Titans’ footing.
“Do you have it?” Zara asked.
“Yes.” Hermes placed the trident and helm in front. “How’s it going? From the looks of it, not well.”
“One titan is down for now,” Zara said. “You know how the history went. It took years to finally defeat the Titans. It seems as though this battle might end from exhaustion. We could go on fighting forever. We’re not repeating history.”
“Where’s Poseidon?” Hermes asked, gazing at the trident.
We ducked when rock debris flew at us.
“Cronus swallowed him,” I said nonchalantly, surprised at myself for not panicking.
Hermes rubbed his chin, frowning. “I see. And how will this plan work without Poseidon?”
Zara grabbed the trident and helm from Hermes. “This plan doesn’t include the gods.”
We ducked again as another rock sliced the boulder we hid behind in half.
“Sky!”
“I’m fine, Ma—” Before I could finish, Mason was beside me. “Stay close to me.” He did a double take when he saw Tara and Hermes.
“It’s good to have you back, Mason.” Hermes tipped his head as a way of greeting.
Mason gave a heartfelt grin. “Thank you. It’s good to see you too. Listen. I know you already have a plan, but Cronus will know what the gods will do with the gifts, so I suggest we—”
Zara’s eyes brightened. Before Mason could finish, she interrupted, “That’s brilliant, but I had already thought of it. Give the helm to Sky. Nick takes the trident.” She handed the helm to me. “Mason, you give Cronus all you have with Zeus’s staff. Make this work. Now go.”
“We have to hurry. The humans need us.” Hermes’s words stopped us. He continued. “The earth is rumbling. The sky is falling. Eris is causing all sorts of chaos.”
“Eris planned this all along. She wants to take over the world. In order to do so, she had to distract us.” Zara’s eyes never looked so cold and dark and full of hate as they did that day.
Chapter 23
Mason
To stop the war on Earth, we had to first defeat Cronus. The Titans were immortal, so it was impossible to kill them; however, we could lock them away for good. But only if we could defeat Cronus, their leader, the one they answered to. The helm, trident, and staff worked last time, but could it work again?
Nick and Sky were in position and so was I. We didn’t need to say much since the plan was simple. We briefly strategized, and then I borrowed Zeus’s staff, leaving him a little vulnerable, but Hermes and Zara protected him.
“Ready?” I inhaled. “We can do this.”
Sky and Nick gave me thumbs-up to confirm, ducking to dodge a titan’s hand swinging at us.
“Go,” I said. “Be careful.”
When Sky lowered the helm over her head, she became invisible. I smiled when I felt a peck on my cheek, knowing it was Sky. Nick tightened his grip on the trident and inched closer to Cronus while I distracted him by sending bolts through the staff. I had to admit, I felt powerful holding Zeus’s staff, but Cronus wouldn’t be put down easily.
“Mason, I’m going to step on you like I should have done the first time we met,” Cronus roared. “Nobody that sides with Zeus will live. I will kill all of you.”
Cronus lifted his legs one by one, pounding the ground, trying to crush me. The cement shattered and pieces fell all around as I ran in zig-zags, wishing Sky would hurry. I felt like a tiny bug, running away from a human’s steps.
“I’m here, you big pathetic giant piece of shit. Move faster, grandpa. Come get me. I—”
I had no alternative but to curl myself into a ball to escape a rock that rolled toward me. In that instant, I slipped and Cronus’s foot fell directly at me. I tried to scurry away, but another broken boulder tumbled my way. I had just reunited with Sky. No way in hell would I die by Cronus’s foot. But it was out of my hands. I was trapped, nowhere to run. From a distance, Hades’s eyes rounded in horror. Even running at god’s speed he wouldn’t reach me in time, but he ran to me anyway. A thought occurred to me. I could fly—or I could point the staff up, hoping its pointy end would stop Cronus, but it was too late. I should have felt the pain of Cronus’s feet squashing me, but it never came.
Sizzling light glowed from Cronus’s head. Sky was able to get to his head without being detected. He threw his head back, shrieking in pain, and slapped his head as if he could stop the bolts. I cringed, knowing Sky was still up there. She had to be in order to produce that much light. Then from the corner of my eyes, just as planned, Nick flew, with Tara’s help, aiming the trident at Cronus’s chest. It plunged between his ribs. I would have preferred it through his heart, which was our target, but it was better than nothing. The impact caused the lighting still blistering his head to spread down to the trident. Cronus’s body convulsed as his eyes rolled back. Now, it was my turn.
“Need a hand, little one?” Hades smirked. “It’s good to see you.”
As much as Hades annoyed me at times, I hated to admit it, but I was growing a soft spot for him.
I smirked back. “No thanks, grandpa. I’ve got this.”
Calling all my will, the thunder boomed and lightning crackled from the sky, twirling around me, covering me, raising me to Cronus as the wind pushed me up and away from everyone. I pointed the staff to his heart, ready to put him down. It wouldn’t kill him, but he would fall unconscious. He would become immobile. Then we could carry him back to New Olympus, to a stronger, modernized prison, where Hephaestus was also locked up.
Everyone stood still, watching, even the other Titans. The Titans did nothing to evade the inevitable. They knew they had been beaten. They knew it was over just as we did. And here it came. I lunged forward as the power carried me. The staff vibrated, as if it knew what it needed to do. It had done it before, and it would do it again. Put down Cronus once and for all.
But as I reached Cronus, the staff never penetrated his heart. It didn’t even touch his skin. Something like dust swirled around him. Then I heard the familiar, annoying voice above his head. What the hell? Cronus shrank right in front of my eyes. It took three heartbeats for the giant beast to reach the size of a rat.
“No, no, no, Mason.” Eris clicked her tongue in a scolding manner, keeping her distance from me. “You shall not have my toy.”
Speechless and shocked beyond words, I gawked at her and Cronus. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. He was as tiny as I was before, and a part of me feared beyond words that she would shrink me too and take me prisoner again. Instead, she picked Cronus up as fire, light, and icicles darted toward her from my team.
“Enjoy the rest of the day. Die well, my sweet almost-husband. Don’t let the bugs bite you.” Every word spat out of her like venom.
What did she freakin’ mean by that? With a poof, she was gone. A red apple dropped and rolled by my feet. I wanted to laugh, but there was no time. I turned to face my family and friends. We failed! No, I failed. I had one simple task to end this and Eris… ERIS! I growled at the top o
f my lungs, imagining myself twisting her neck to break.
“I’m going to kill her,” I hollered. Wringing a fist full of my hair, too enraged to think, I kicked the apple out of the arena. Turning back, I composed myself. My beloved Sky trembled, and she stared in disbelief.
“I thought she was going to take you away.” Her lips quivered.
“Sky.” I embraced her, making sure she was real. We had both been traumatized by my disappearance. The fear in her eyes gutted me.
As I continued to hold Sky, I assessed our surroundings. Amid the damage, the former arena reminded me of the time of the Greeks, crumbled and broken behind repair, but it didn’t matter. I reminded myself the arena sat inside a Labyrinth. It was an imposter, fake. Wait. Where were the Titans?
“They’re gone, too,” Nick said, answering my question before I asked as he dusted his shirt. “They all shrank while we were trying to get Cronus. Eris took them or saved them or whatever.” Nick’s jaw clenched.
“He has Poseidon.” Zeus dipped his head down, his eyes filled with concern. “He’s shrunken too.” Raising his head, he glanced at me, as if he remembered something. “That’s mine. I’ll take it back. Thank you.” His tone was polite but possessive as he took his staff back.
“Mine, too.” Hades gently took his helm from Sky. “How I miss this gift.” His eyes roamed the helm, greedily. “We’ll get our brother back,” Hades assured us, sounding determined.
“Is he in pain?” Ares asked, dropping his shield.
“No, but he’s asleep. That’s what I remember it to be like,” Zeus replied.
“We have to be careful with Cronus then,” Athena added, her sword to her side.
“We need to get out of here.” Hermes shook pebbles off his hair and then his wings.
“Do we even know how to get out?” Amanda snarled.
Amanda’s shirt was torn at the bottom and the black spots on her pants looked like she might have been zapped with lightning a few times. Everett and Noah looked as bad. The gods and the Oracles, on the other hand, looked almost perfect.
“I know the way,” Skylar announced. “Zara gave me a magic pen. It will guide us out of—”
Skylar never finished, because the ground shook violently and burst open. We leaped and moved in gods’ speed, avoiding what had become massive craters everywhere. Then out of the ground appeared enormous bugs. Giant ants, spiders, flies, earthworms, and other crawling things. Enjoy the rest of the day. Die well, my sweet almost-husband. Don’t let the bugs bite you. I realized she’d meant that literally.
“This is just great. I hate spiders,” Nick grumbled.
“Oh, come on.” Everett dropped his shoulders and let out a sigh.
“Of all the things, it had to be bugs. I hate bugs.” Amanda puffed out air, blowing her hair out of her face.
I sympathized with Everett and Amanda. Though they were descendants and had the gods’ blood in them. They weren’t as strong. They didn’t have the power like Nick and I had.
“Stay right here.” I shoved Everett and Amanda toward a dome, a protective barrier created by all the rocks and debris that had piled on top. “Noah, stay with them. Guard and protect them.”
“Where are you going?” Everett spat.
I spread my lips into a confident smirk. “We’ve got this. We’re going to fry, zap, and turn some bugs into ice. They’re brainless. This should be a piece of cake.” I took off to the others already doing what I said we were going to do.
It should have been a walk in the park, only there were too many of them. Hades and Sky torched the ants, while Zeus, Nick, and I fired our lightning powers and stung the flies. The Oracles and Hermes took care of the earthworms and other bugs I had no name for.
“Watch out!” Nick bellowed.
A massive gut spurted out from a fly’s belly. The impact from Nick’s bolt blasted the fly in half. Yellow, brown, reddish liquid dropped to the ground and some splashed on Everett and Amanda. They would have been submerged had it not been for Noah’s ice barrier, but it was a little bit too late.
“Sorry.” Noah shrugged.
Knowing they were safe, I attended to the spiders. I never studied spiders, but I knew enough to know when their fangs stuck out, they were ready to sting prey. I froze one of the fly’s wings flying close by. It dropped in front of me just as the spider scurried toward me. The spider turned its attention on the fly and started to do its instinctive thing. Absolutely gross. Venom squirted out from the spider. I sprinted away.
More spiders came at me. My image reflected against their giant, black, marble-like eyes. Their enormous long legs like sharp knives stabbed around me as they missed me by hair’s breadth. I gutted one with my power. It split in half and greenish bile dropped like buckets of rain. I hit another one as I ran, and then I dodged and hid. When I got a clear view, I sent my bolt of electricity to zap it extra crispy.
Ares and Athena swung their shields like boomerangs; they decapitated bugs and came back while they fought off the others with their swords. Graceful and skilled, they were awesome to watch, like an action-packed movie.
Hades and Sky lit the bugs on fire and the arena with them. The blazing bugs squealed in pain. I held my breath at the pungent odor of dead burning bugs. Smoke filled the air and so did the webs. If we didn’t leave soon, we too would become the spiders’ meals.
The Oracles raised their hands, lifted a humongous worm and aimed it at the spider webs. They did it again and again, until most of them were tangled and stuck. The spiders scrambled like mad, stomping over one another, and now they were fighting each other.
“We can’t let them escape the Labyrinth, and we need to get out,” I said as we re-grouped toward the entrance, where Noah, Everett, and Amanda stayed hidden.
“I have a plan.” Sky’s eyes lit up. “Zara and Tara will have to use their magic and keep us together in a bubble. Noah and—” She paused. Sky was about to say Poseidon. Sadness filled her eyes, but she pushed her shoulders back and continued. My brave girl. “Noah can do this. Zeus, Nick, and Mason will zap their power all around the arena. And Hades and I will burn everything in sight. This might cause an earthquake and the fire will spread throughout the Labyrinth, but this will ensure that no one will be placed here ever again. Sound like a plan?”
Everyone nodded.
I mouthed, my eyes sparkling with love. “I love you.”
Sly blushed. “I love you,” she said back. Then she shifted her attention to everyone else. “Let’s do this.”
Fire and smoke reached to the sky, burning everything in its path. I had no sympathy for Eris’s creations, even though they were innocent, as screeching painful sounds vibrated in my ears from the insects. Die suckers, die!
Chapter 24
Skylar
We decided to head to New Olympus and strategize, but before we began, we gave Mason a proper welcome home greeting. In the Labyrinth, we fought for our lives; once we were safe, grateful smiles spread over our lips, tears were shed, and long hugs were exchanged with Mason.
Colin, Sarah, and Aaron dashed in, struck with panic. Interrupting the peaceful moment, they rambled on and on about what we had missed.
“We need to save the humans,” Sarah said frantically. “Giants are crushing the towns.” She paused to take in the scene. “Oh, Mason. It’s good to see you.”
“Thank you. It’s good to be back.”
“I’m glad you’re all right.” Colin shook Mason’s hand and continued. “That’s not all. Hurricanes and tornadoes are everywhere. It’s not only hailing icicles but fire balls too.”
Aaron tapped Mason on the shoulder with a quick smile, but his expression changed to all business-like. “It’s like the end of the world. You haven’t seen it?” He stared at us with wide eyes, as if unable to grasp our ignorance.
Amanda sneered. Her eyes glowed angrily. “Do we look like we’ve been partying? Look at us.” She shook her head, looking at the gods, who hadn’t worked up a sweat. “Look at m
e and Everett. We’ve been through hell, so don’t look at us like we’re idiots.” Then she smiled unexpectedly. “However, it was worth it all. We got Mason back.”
Noah placed his hands on Amanda’s shoulders from behind. “He’s just sacred. Let’s all try to calm down.”
“It’s good to have you back, Mason.” Cara smiled, walking in. Her long dress swayed as she came forth.
“Thank you.” Mason dipped his head.
“But Aaron is right,” Cara continued, and her tone rose in horror. “I’m sorry to cut Mason’s reunion so short, but humans are being slaughtered. Homes, businesses, and whatever those monsters can get their hands and feet on are being smashed to the ground.”
Cara rarely spoke. I didn’t know if she had nothing to say or allowed Zara to be the leader. Had it always been that way? Ever since her sisters had forgiven her, she dove into her role as one of the Oracles—prim and proper and respectful. Once upon a time, I loathed her, but she became someone to admire. She had changed for the better. I guessed anyone could change when given circumstances played in their favor, if they were willing.
“Where are they?” Mason rolled back his shoulders as if to ease the muscles and tension, but his hand on my waist never left. “Do you have their location?”
Colin gazed at the grand window, as if he could see what he had described. “Its origin point is Kayla’s hometown, but it’s slowly spreading. We have to hurry.”
I gasped. Thoughts of the diner, my aunt, Kayla, Mona, and Jack came to mind. The rush of adrenaline spiked. I had to know they were safe. We had to get there fast. As expected, Nick took out his cell and called Kayla.
Hades stretched and flexed his arms as if he was getting ready to fight. “At least we know where they are.”