Page 67 of Hades

Persephone pulled the blade free of his flesh and turned, sweeping the sword up in a fast arc as everything she had seen Hades do with a sword flooded her mind and adrenaline burned through her blood to steady her hands. She knocked the sword of one of the other guards, but he was faster and more skilled than she was and recovered swiftly. He twisted his sword, sliding it along the length of hers, and flicked his wrist, almost disarming her.

Erastus slammed into his side, his shoulder connecting with the male’s chest, and knocked him backwards as he brought his blade up. It punched deep into the guard’s stomach and he swept it to his left, gutting the male, and then shoved him away.

When Erastus pivoted towards her, concern in his dark eyes, the battle haze lifted enough for her to realise all three guards were dead.

“There will be more on the next floor down,” he whispered. “Are you ready?”

Persephone nodded.

Together they made a break for the staircase, Persephone filing in behind him when they reached it. Her eyes widened as she heard footsteps pounding upwards towards them and her gaze darted, taking in her surroundings. The staircase wasn’t wide enough for both of them to fight, meaning Erastus would have to do it alone.

Something she had the feeling he had known when he had chosen to take the lead.

He was trying to protect her, using his body as a shield so she could escape.

Persephone readied her sword anyway as he clashed with the first male. She tried to help as best she could as they cut a path down to the next floor, jabbing the point of her blade into the heart of every fallen guard they stumbled over to continue their journey downwards. At least eight guards waited on the next floor. The noise of their battle must have drawn attention to them.

In the distance, a bell rang, confirming her suspicions.

It was going to get a lot harder from here on out.

That didn’t stop her from throwing herself into the fray as Erastus took on three of the soldiers alone. She joined him, watching his back as he watched hers, taking every opening she saw to cut down another of the men. With each strike that claimed a life, the sword seemed to grow heavier in her hands. She pushed through the fatigue that wracked her aching body and fought the growing fog in her head. Lack of food and sleep weakened her, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her from fighting.

Erastus claimed the lives of another two men while she cut down a third, leaving only two more. She broke away from him when one of the men made a dash for cover, trusting he would have her back. The guard who had been trying to gain space whirled to face her and she ducked beneath his wild swing and came up hard with her own blade, slashing across his hip to his chest, leaving a groove in his armour. She didn’t stop there. She pivoted and brought her sword back around, catching him across his unprotected throat before he could land his next blow.

Blood burst from the wound and she grimaced as it hit her before she could leap aside, staining her shoulder and chest crimson.

Persephone hurried back to Erastus, but he had already downed the male he had been fighting. He flicked another concerned glance at her as she bent over, fighting to catch her breath.

She shook her head before he could say anything. “I am fine. It is not my blood.”

“I would give you time to rest, my god-queen—”

She gave another harsh shake of her head. “No need. I am able to continue.”

She straightened, hiding a grimace as her muscles ached and strained, hoping he didn’t see how tired she was. He was already doing most of the work. She didn’t want him to suggest she hold back and let him fight alone.

Erastus swiped the back of his hand across his damp brow and nodded. “Very well.”

He pressed onwards, reaching the staircase as the next wave of enemies came up it. Again, she tried to help as best as she could, but again, it was down to Erastus to do most of the fighting until they hit the next floor. She broke out onto it behind him, immediately leaping into action, helping him take down another five guards.

Persephone drove one of the guards backwards, towards a narrow window. She glanced out of it as they clashed, her heart sinking as she saw they were still high up, which meant there were more floors of guards to clear below them before they even reached the exit of the tower. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Her hands felt numb as her blade met the guard’s, reverberations ringing up her arms. She pressed onwards, battling through the waves of tiredness that tried to slow her down, wishing she had her powers.

She denied the desire to reach for them and focused on using the one weapon at her disposal. She cut a deep groove across the male’s thigh and he shifted his weight to the other, not slowing his attacks. She barely dodged one and winced as his second caught her, cutting across her left arm. Fire streaked in the wake of his blade and the wound throbbed as warm blood spilled down her arm. She gritted her teeth and ignored the pain, refusing to give him an opening he could take.

Instead, she feinted left and brought her blade up as he tried to press his advantage, catching him off guard. Her blade plunged through his side and he stumbled a step, staggering to a halt. She tugged it free and twirled with it, cleaving his head off.

Her breath gusted from her as he fell, another wave of tiredness rolling over her, and she turned to check on Erastus.

Her eyes widened as the point of a blade came at her, her heart seizing as she realised there was no way she could dodge the blow aimed directly at her chest.

It took her mind a moment to catch up as the expected pain didn’t come and a masculine grunt filled her ears.

Her frenzied gaze leaped to Erastus as he fell, the guard’s sword lodged deep in his chest, and fear swelled into a rage so dark she couldn’t hold back the fierce cry that exploded from her lips as she attacked the guard who loomed over him. She swept her blade up, her eyes locking with his wide ones in the split second before she removed his head.

She didn’t wait for him to fall.

She spun towards Erastus and fell to her knees beside him as he pushed the blade free of his chest. He coughed, spilling crimson down his chin, and her hands fluttered over his chest, her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at the slash in his black breastplate.

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