Page 53 of Zeus' Spark
Raven and Greyson both laugh this time, and I turn around to scowl at them.
“Traitor. Raven, you are a traitor.” I huff and turn back, slumping in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest.
Yes, I am pouting, but ask me if I care. They are all being assholes.
Raven pats my shoulder. “Oh, come on, Beth. It’s funny.”
“Jayden didn’t think it was funny at the time,” I grumble, remembering how concerned he’d been.
“What the fuck is that?” Jayden says, leaning forward to look closer through the windshield at something in the sky.
“The birds circling? They’re just birds, right?” I sit up straighter, looking closer, and something glints in the sunlight.
“Those aren’t normal birds, Beth. They have bronze beaks,” Greyson says, his expression grim. “What the fuck kind of birds are made out of metal?”
Metal twists and squeals as a beak punches through the roof of the car.
“Shit. Raven, your sword.” I don’t even need to say the words before she is stabbing at the beak inside the car.
Jayden ducks his head down as another bird dive-bombs our car. “What the fuck are we going to do about this? We can’t stop or they’ll swarm us. They’re the Stymphalian birds from myth. They are man-eaters with metal feathers they can launch at their victims. This is fucking bad.”
“I can hang out the window again,” Raven offers, and both guys yell “no” at the same time.
“It worked perfectly last time,” I grumble, taking off my seat belt and rolling down my window.
Fuck this shit. If we don’t do something now, then the roof of the damn car is going to be Swiss cheese. My magic is more reliable than a sword because I can get the birds all at once.
“Beth, what are you doing?” Jayden looks like he wants to grab me and hold me down.
Well, he can’t because he’s driving.
“I’m going to barbeque the pigeons.” I shrug and prop myself up in the window.
“Hell yeah. Even better idea. I’ll cover you with my sword.” Raven grins and hops in her window.
“Do you two ever listen? This is the worst plan ever,” Greyson yells.
But I’m not paying close attention as I let my magic zip across my palm and crackle with lightning.
“Incoming,” Raven shouts.
She raises her sword and slashes at a couple of the stupid birds, but the swarm is no longer circling high above us.
I let my power build until they are only about ten feet above us. Then I let the lightning blast out of me. It arcs in the sky, and squawking cries fill the air as dust rains down on us.
I didn’t get them all though, and one dives at me. I lose my balance, swatting at it with my hands. The razor-sharp feather cuts through my palm, and I start to fall out of the car window.
“Beth,” Raven screams.
She slashes at the bird with her sword, turning it to dust with one hand. She grabs my arm with her free hand, holding me up the best she can. My feet dangle above the highway ominously.
“Don’t let go, Raven,” I say.
“I can’t hold her forever. Greyson, help. Beth fell.”
Her grip slips a bit. I scream as I drop a couple inches closer to the street that’s still speeding by.
Greyson’s head pops out of my window with a grimace. Raven loses her grip when a bird attacks her.
