Page 195 of A Touch of Chaos

“I am nothing but concerned for your well-being,” replied the demigod.

It was then Persephone’s gaze caught on something in the distance—the gleam of steel. It was an army of foot soldiers—of hundreds of mortals.

It was also a distraction. A series of low gasps sounded, and Persephone’s and Hecate’s magic flared to life, freezing the demigods’ hands, but it was too late. Their blades had landed, and blood was already spilled.

A strange sound followed, like the air was being sucked out of the world, and the demigods broke the hold Persephone and Hecate had on them, dropping the priestesses to the ground.

The air flooded with magic, thick and heavy—a dizzying mix of all the gods. Debris began to rise. Persephone couldn’t tell who was responsible. Maybe they all were—their power collectively reacting to the horror before them.

The demigods drew their weapons, Hades summoned his bident, Hephaestus his fiery whip, and Artemis her bow. Persephone and Hecate remained weaponless. As she eyed the sharp tips of the demigods’ blades, anxiety swirled in her chest.

Magic did not matter if that poisoned end met her flesh.

She started to consider her first move, glancing to her left and right. She was flanked by Hecate and Hades—Hades, who looked magnificent, towering in black armor. In some ways, she wished she was as battle honed as he was, but she would not be a liability.

Then Hecate vanished.

Persephone’s heart raced, and the demigods raised their weapons.

Theseus chuckled.

“It appears your Titaness has abandoned you. Perhaps you should get used to the feeling.”

But Persephone knew that wasn’t true. She could still taste the metallic tang of Hecate’s magic on the back of her tongue.

Then Theseus looked down, scraping his shoe against the pavement.

“Oh, now isn’t that unfortunate?” he said. “There is blood on my shoes.”

Persephone gritted her teeth, and her nails bit into her palms. Her magic raged inside her. She knew Theseus had said it to provoke, that he liked jabbing an already-raw wound, and as much as she wanted to attack, she didn’t make the first move. Artemis did.

The Goddess of the Hunt gave an angry cry as she darted toward Theseus, grief fueling her rage, and as their blades clashed, the demigods who had murdered the priestesses attacked.

Persephone had expected Sandros to challenge her first, given that she had buried him under a pile of adamant outside the labyrinth, but she was surprised when Kai appeared before her. Looking at him was likelooking into the face of Poseidon and Theseus, his eyes the same sparkling aqua.

She had come to despise them.

He had a spear, and he jabbed at her throat. Persephone summoned a wall of thick thorns that shattered beneath the power of his thrust. She managed to dodge the blow but was hit by a blast of power straight to her chest. She felt the impact of the ground as she was thrown back, the earth exploding around her.

Despite the strength of the blow, she rose quickly, rising from the fissure her landing had made. As she did, she realized she had come within a few feet of the mortal army. Their cries of hatred were accompanied by the sound of their swords clashing against their shields, the whir of arrows, and the explosion of bullets—one of which grazed her shoulder. The burn shocked her and instantly made her nauseous.

She summoned a wall of thorns to block their approach, though she knew it was only a matter of time before the mortals managed to scale them or hack their way through, but then they went up in ethereal flames. The magic belonged to Hephaestus, and while the fire would not burn her thorns, it would incinerate any mortal who touched it, preventing the army from advancing.

Before she could move, she was slammed with another blast of energy. It felt like being hit by a powerful wave and stole her breath like she was drowning. It sent her to her knees, and as she worked to fill her lungs with air, she looked up to see Kai approaching, a horrible grin across his face.

He lifted his spear parallel with the ground and aimed,only to be thrown back and pinned to the ground by the impact of Hades’s bident in his chest. Then suddenly, Hades was in front of her, helping her to her feet, his hands framing her face, eyes searching and a little frantic.

“I’m okay,” she said.

He said nothing, but he kissed her hard on the mouth, and she thought she might burst into tears, but the hair on her arms rose, and she knew that something else was coming. They tore away from each other just as lightning struck Athena’s temple. The blow came from Theseus and was directed at the only part that would burn, its wooden doors.

“No,” Persephone breathed.

“Go,” Hades said.

He moved past her, breaking into a run as he plucked his bident from Kai’s chest and charged after Theseus.

Persephone teleported to the porch of the temple where Theseus’s divine fire raged. The flames put off heat and smoke, but they were not destroying the wood—it was like Hephaestus’s fire. From the other side, she could hear desperate screams. Panic rose inside her as she thought about how many people might be trapped within.

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