I was proud of her. She didn’t inch closer to me. Instead, she stood her ground and glared at him ominously.
“We know Magnus is here,” she said instead.
“Magnus is here all right,” Cade said. He turned to the side and from the ceiling a cage with Magnus in it lowered.
“Magnus,” I said, my voice harsh and worried.
“He took the ring,” Magnus cried. He held up his hand and his ring finger was missing. A bloody stump was all that remained. “I was wearing it and I swore I wouldn’t give it up. The whole point was to bring Father back. I was bringing him back for Mother. All I was trying to do was get the rings and help Cade bring Father back.”
“Bring your father back?” Cade said, laughing. “I’m not interested in your father in the slightest. Who needs a God? You two have no idea the power these rings possess. They have power over, not just the rifts, not just Typhon, but over all the monsters that have been brought to the other side of the rift. They can bring them all back. Every monster that has ever been killed.”
“Caseous,” I murmured the word softly. “Your brother.”
“Killed by Hercules,” Cade said. “You’re a little smarter than your brother.”
“You’re not bringing Typhon back?” Magnus said, his expression pained and worried. “Get Caroline out of here! He has both rings if he has her.”
I stepped in front of Caroline, knowing this was the truth and knowing I had to use everything in my power to stop it.
Vulcan, who was the father of Cade, was also the father of Caseous, who was a monster by birth. He had been defeated by Hercules millennia ago and had been banished to the other side of the rift never to return unless someone had the power of Typhon, which these rings gave them.
“You’ll never get both rings,” I said.
The witches were on the other side of the wall, unable to provide their warding and protection spells that would keep Caroline safe.
“Get out of here,” I said to her. “Laney, go with her. Use your powers. You’ll find them.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Caroline insisted.
“Now!” I cried as Cade stood up from his throne and moved forward toward us. My body transformed into the monster I was. I was built for this. I was built above all the other demigods, even the Demigod of Volcanoes.
I would handle Magnus in a different situation, but right now, my sole goal was to protect Caroline and if that meant killing another demigod, then so be it. I would be guilty of killing a demigod. After all, we were not invincible; we’re just highly unlikely to be killed easily.
Cade transformed also. He made Ratchet’s demon fire look like a candle compared to the inferno that blazed as his skin turned into molten lava and his face transformed. Horns sprouted on his head and hooves appeared on his feet. I heard Laney scream, but Caroline remained defiant.
“Get out of here now,” I growled. Cade came rushing at me.
“You demigods are all so self-centered and self-focused. You think it’s all about you and your father. You take no responsibility for the havoc you raised here.” Cade proclaimed.
“You’re a demigod yourself,” I said.
“I’m not the kind of demigod like you and Hercules were. All I want is my brother back.”
He raised his hands and molten lava sprayed from them.
“Duck!” I cried to Caroline.
“There’s no escape. All I need is the ring to make a sacrifice,” Cade said. “I don’t need her.”
He waved his hand to the side and the floor disappeared. In its stead, there was a boiling pit of molten lava standing there. Caroline was right on the edge.
“Caroline!” Laney said, reaching toward Caroline to grab her, but she missed.
With one horrific look back at me, Caroline fell backward into the pit of molten lava and disappeared beneath its fiery surface.
“May the rift be opened,” Cade said.
I screamed with every ounce of chaos within me and hurled myself at Cade, but he was gone. I found myself on the outside of the volcano on Hawaii. The rift was open. Caroline had been sacrificed and lava was beginning to erupt from the top of the volcano.