Page 99 of The Queen & the King

I hover nearby and see that the three brothers are slowly getting a handle on Typhon, or at least, they have more of a handle on him than when Hades was battling the beast solo. I turn my attention to the direction of the cells. There are Titans fucking everywhere.

I look back at Hades and his brothers. They are consumed with their current battle, and I steel myself, ready to take on as many Titans as I can alone. I land heavily into a crouch and look up, my gaze hard.

“Bring it on, fuckers,” I growl, and though I’m about fifty feet away, many of them snap their heads in my direction and snarl. With a sharp whistle, I summon Cerberus, who has grown in size, his red eyes glowing menacingly. He stands at my side and snarls, his claws extending and sinking into the mud beneath us.

“Ready, boy?” I ask him, summoning my sword.

He barks in answer, his paws kicking at the mud, ready for me to say the word, ready to maul some Titan ass.

“Let’s fucking do this. Charge!” I exclaim and launch into the air, flying alongside him. We meet the line of Titans at the same time. They’re brandishing whatever they could find, some holding bits of their cell, some holding bricks, a few holding bones of fellow perished Titans. I snarl the first time my blade pierces flesh, and I have to work not to react, feeling a shiver travel over my skin. I’m not sure the feeling of steel piercing flesh will ever be something I grow used to or enjoy, but it is necessary.

Cerberus throws a Titan into the air, catching it again in his mouth and shaking him before ripping him into multiple pieces. I smile at my boy. He looks like he’s having the best time, doingwhat he was made to do. Cerberus was born to protect the realm. Fuck, he really is something to behold.

My distraction costs me, and I’m caught around the ankle and thrown hard against a tree. I groan as I sag to the ground, but the pain only fuels my anger. My power flares inside me, and I send vines back at the Titan. They wrap him up and drag him into the ground. He screams as he is stabbed with thousands of spikes, and I use my vines to wrap around his mouth and eyes, piercing them, too.

My head snaps up when I hear Cerberus snarl. A Titan has climbed onto his back and plunged a knife into him. I launch myself toward him and cut the Titan’s head clean off. I yank the blade free for Cerberus and cover the wound with one of my golden leaves to protect it.

I look around. There is one kill that is the most important on this day. Kronos must know his time is coming, and as much as I understand that Zeus is desperate for the kill, it probably belongs to Hades. If I get the chance, I am ending this now. I can feel his presence in the Underworld, and I know he’s watching, but I’d be willing to bet his attention will be on his three sons. I will be the farthest thing from his mind.

A bone-brandishing Titan swings at me, and I quickly dodge it. Cerberus comes out of nowhere, slicing him with his claws and splitting him into three equal pieces. I glance at him and wink, lifting my sword at the last possible moment to parry an attack. My sword slams against a dark brown brick, and it turns to dust in the Titan’s hand. I smirk as he looks at his now empty hand, confused.

“Any last words?” I ask, tilting my head. I don’t give him a chance to answer before I stab him through the abdomen. My vines wrap around him, and I throw him into what looks like a black hole. I watch it gulp him down and decide to stay far away from that fucking thing.

“Berry, go check on Daddy and come back,” I call to Cerberus, who has the large intestine of a Titan hanging from his mouth. He tilts his head and then turns, barrelling toward Hades.

I look around. There is some fighting going on between the Titans, which is helping a little, but I’m scarily outnumbered.

Fuck.

I worry my lower lip, trying to think of a plan. While I consider, I’m stuck in the most frustrating melee with a female Titan. She’d managed to find some sort of sword and is actually fairly proficient. She slashes unexpectedly, and I snarl as the rusted steel embeds in my arm. I growl at her, sending a large spike up from the ground to pierce and hold her there.

“Whatever happened to women supporting women, hm?” I ask her uselessly as she stands there, barely conscious.

I push off the ground again, killing as many of them as I can, but more appear, and these are bigger and stronger. We need help. Fast.1

1 The Nightmare & The Daydream Chapter 40

Fifty-Eight

Persephone

I’M SLAMMED INTO THE GROUND BY A TITAN I DIDN'T SEE COMING.Fuck. They’re getting faster. How are they getting faster? I groan, pushing up from the ground to face my assailant. But all the air whooshes out of my lungs as I’m kicked in the stomach. I roll away, trying to escape the danger. A sharpened rusty pipe pierces the ground next to my head, almost stabbing me and slicing my cheek. I hiss and sit up, grabbing the pipe and launching it. It spears the Titan between the eyes, and he falls to his knees, confused.

“Fucking asshole,” I snarl.

I take a quick glance around and notice that the number of Titans has increased tenfold. I look toward Typhon, hoping to see that Hades and his brothers have made headway, but alas, Typhon is swiping his large hand and clearing the ground of his attackers.

I curse again, looking at the Titans who are charging at me. No longer do they seem distracted by each other. They all have their eye on the prize, and that prize is my head on a silver platter. I shift into a battle stance, readying myself. I whisper to Hades, needing him to know I love him, and if this is the end, Ihave no regrets about our time together. He is the great love of my life and always will be.

I prepare for the onslaught, weighing my odds and accepting that they are anything but in my favor. Suddenly, the Titans seem to hit an invisible force field around ten feet away from me. My brows draw in confusion, and I look around, trying to find the one responsible, but there’s no one here. Titans surround me completely, and I hear them snarl as they try to pierce the barrier, but they can’t.

“What the fuck?” I look around, waiting for an answer. The Underworld shifts, and Mellie appears beside me in the bubble. Her hair is in two French braids, and she’s wearing similar battle leathers to me, except hers are already stained with old blood. I blink at her, confused.

“What? You thought you’d be taking on these cretins without me?” She smirks wickedly.

I blink again, searching her eyes for even a scrap of insanity, but they seem clear.

“It doesn’t make sense to clean the leathers. The blood makes me look even more terrifying.”

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