Page 100 of The Queen & the King

I lift my eyebrows and then pull her into a hug. “I missed you, Mel.”

Mellie hugs me and then pulls back. “I brought reinforcements.”

I watch as other gods and goddesses appear, all ready for battle. They are here and ready to fight to the death to protect this realm. My realm. Mellie nods to Athena, who prepares to lower the force fields. At the signal, her blonde hair blows loose in the winds of chaos.

Ares’ voice booms from across the battlefield, “Push them back with everything you’ve got!”

Athena winks at me, and the barrier drops. There is the briefest moment of the eeriest silence I’ve ever experiencedbefore Ares’ voice sounds again. His roar sounds like he’s merely a hundred yards away, not half a mile. “Charge!”

Chaos. That’s the only way to describe what happens next. The whole line collides in a kaleidoscope of gore and disarray as the gods and goddesses plunge themself into the fray. I look on for only a moment before I charge with them, Mellie at my side, her laugh maniacal and chilling.

Is Helios here?

The thought comes and goes as an attack from my left side pulls my attention. I swing my sword, slicing the Titan’s arm clean off. Blood spurts against my face, and if I didn’t have another attacker in the next moment, I’d be horrified. I try to keep one eye on Mellie, knowing she can take care of herself but worried about her descending into depths she may not be able to return from. She swings up onto a large Titan’s shoulders, her hands cupping his chin. She swiftly yanks his head around at a worrying angle. There is a sickening crunch before his eyes go dull. He falls heavily, and Mellie gracefully leaps off him as he falls and moves on to her next victim.

“Watch out!”

I’m yanked away, and a sword -brandishing hand surges forward, piercing an oncoming Titan who was about to end me. I look at my savior, happy to see Dionysus.

“Even the Queen of the Underworld needs to pay attention.” He smirks.

I dust myself off, preparing to fight again. “I was checking on Mellie.”

He laughs, swinging his blade. “I know, but she’s doing fine. Hades will end us all if you get hurt.”

I laugh, slamming my sword into another Titan. “How are you doing, Dion? It’s been a while.”

“Yes, well, you got taken and shit.” He laughs, fighting a particularly deft Titan. “Things are… complicated in the human realm.”

I lift an eyebrow, looking at him as I relieve a Titan of his head.

Dion merely shakes his head. “A story for another time.”

I laugh and push deeper into the melee, taking whatever chance I can to look for Hades, Cerberus, or Mellie.1

1 The Nightmare & The Daydream Chapter 41

Fifty-Nine

Hades

ZEUS SLAMS TYPHON BACK WITH BOLTS, HURLING THEMrepeatedly, his arms close to a blur. Gods are flooding the field, clashing against each other. Athena, in full armor, lets out a brutal war cry as she launches into the fray. Ares is already drenched in Titan blood, his eyes glowing with battle frenzy and very much in his element.

A blinding flash of light overwhelms the battlefield, making me shield my eyes. My breath catches as my eyes adjust, seeing the newest arrival on the battlefield.

Helios.

My eyes lock on the Titan, waiting to see what he does next. In the last battle, he rode at my father’s side, but he has never declared which side he is on. Melinoë is on the field somewhere. I saw her earlier, but now Helios is alone.

He waves his hand, and flashes of sunlight illuminate the field. Titans appear, his two sisters, Selene and Eos. My eyes focus on him, even as he flashes more Titans to the field. I realize he is using the invitation I gave him to ferry his kind here.

Mellie appears at my side, a strangled sound of distress coming from her throat. Her eyes are locked on Helios as shestruggles to understand. The Titan doesn’t look regretful or even ashamed. Instead, he has the fucking gall to look at me andwink. Prick. He dares to make Melinoë fall for him and then betray her like?—

The Titan of the Sun turns his back on us, as do the Titans he brought with him. He lets out a loud shout and rushes toward the opposing Titans, turning against his own kind. He clashes with Hyperion, facing off with his own father. The conflicting light blinds those near them. Helios is a glowing yellow sun, and Hyperion is a pure white light.

Yet, even as he clashes with his father, more sunlight filters into the Underworld, delivering gods using Helios’s invitation. These are gods I never expected to see.

I freeze when I see a goddess with midnight hair cascading down her back. She looks back at me over her shoulder, her golden eyes molten even at this distance. The smile that curls her red lips makes me tense, and my apprehension increases when I recognize the being beside her. They take in the battle, their cropped black hair shining in the flashes of sunlight. They throw back their head and laugh, the sound seeming to amp up the chaos on the field.

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