Page 11 of Dead End

“What’s your plan when I’m on the throne? To shock me every time I disobey one of your evil orders?”

“Melinoe, I know I speak for all of us when I say it pains me that you continue to paint us with an evil brush,” Feng Po said. “How can we convince you that we are, in fact, the good guys?”

“I think a key feature of the good guys is that they don’t enslave others and kill to get their way. Your only interests are power and control.”

“Think of us as superheroes defending the weak,” Skanda said. “We serve as the last line of defense in a delicate world.”

“Except you aren’t defending the weak; you’re defendingyourselves. You only want to amass more power in order to keep the power you already have.”

“And why should we give away what is ours by right?” Skanda asked in a frustratingly reasonable tone. “Most of us don’t share your self-loathing, Melinoe.”

I bit my tongue. I refused to let him bait me. While it was true that I’d spent most of my life uncomfortable with my identity, this past year had changed me—and I had Fairhaven to thank for that, not a bunch of power-mad deities.

“Hestia will never let me take the throne if she knows I’m acting under duress.”

“Then don’t tell her,” Skanda said.

I folded my arms. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Skanda leaned forward, teeth bared. “Because if you don’t sit your ass on that throne and do our bidding, you can kiss your precious town of Fairhaven goodbye. We’ll simply wipe it off the map—permanently.”

The ground trembled. I noticed a look of confusion on Skanda’s face.

“No earthquakes on the schedule today?” I asked.

He quickly rearranged his features to reflect a calm composure. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

The moment the words left his mouth, alarm bells clanged.

Ademir sprinted to the lanai, pausing to catch his breath.

“Is this a drill?” Fuchi asked.

His head shook like a wet dog’s. “It’s Apep. He and his army breached the west entrance. They’re demanding the return of Anubis.”

Epona jumped to her feet. “How long?”

“Not sure, ma’am. They’re moving swiftly.” He shuddered. “There are reports of venomous snakes.”

Feng Po grunted. “I eat venomous snakes for breakfast.”

“Then I hope you’re hungry, sir, because there are a lot of them.”

Skanda nodded at me. “Take her to the barracks. Stay there until the all-clear.”

“Yes, sir.” Ademir yanked me to my feet and pushed me toward a golf cart.

More alarm bells sounded. I wished I knew where Anubis was; I’d lead Apep to him myself.

“We need to take a shortcut.” Ademir shifted gears so that the golf cart was no longer automatic. He steered the cart off the path and across a bumpy stretch of grass.

An explosion rocked the cart, tipping it on its side. I flew out of my seat, wincing in pain as my shoulder slammed against the hard ground. I crawled to the cart to check on Ademir. His eyes were closed, and the side of his face was bloody, but he was alive. It would have to be enough.

I ripped off the lanyard and tossed it on the ground. The calvary was here, and they’d brought my ticket home with them.

“Melinoe, thank goodness I found you.” Kami stumbled toward me. “I took this from the box in HR with your name on it.” She handed over my phone. Unsurprisingly, the battery was dead.

“Thanks, Kami.” I shoved it in my pocket. “When you told me, “they’re coming,” is this who you meant?”

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