Page 161 of Ares' Shield
That was Raven. What new horrors did she find in the temple? Is Medea in there torturing her like she did her husbands? I have to help her.
She’s my best friend; I can’t lose her.
31
“Spider,” Raven says, pointing at the ground.
Dax cracks up laughing, bent at the waist as he attempts to breathe through his laughter but is failing because his face is bright red.
“A spider?” I stomp over to Raven.
There is a tiny daddy long legs on the ground in front of her and she’s holding Ares’ shield out in front of her to ward it off. I punch Raven in the arm, hard.
“You scared the shit out of me. I thought Medea had gotten you.” I throw my hands up in the air.
Jayden steps next to me and chuckles. “You are literally one of the best warriors at the academy and have taken on the Nemean lion and you’re afraid of a tiny little spider.”
Ares appears next to Raven and pats her shoulder. “Everyone has fears; it’s how we overcome them that counts. Come, I’ll get you away from the vicious beast.”
We all chuckle including Ares as we file out of the temple. Dax finally gets his breathing under control and plops down on the stone steps.
“Ares, do you think you would be able to send us back to the academy?” I ask.
“Of course. I wanted to thank you first.” Ares bows his head. “Not only did you find my shield, but you saved my sons. They never would have forgiven themselves if they had killed you and then went to war with the academy.”
“What about the humans? Were we in time to stop the war brewing?” I shuffle on my feet.
“War may still come to pass between the humans, but on a smaller scale. Cooler heads are prevailing as we speak.” He holds out a hand for his shield.
“Good, at least we weren’t too late.” I blow out a relieved breath.
“It was close. The war I’m most worried about is the one brewing on Olympus. Did you find out who’s orchestrating all of this?” Ares stares down at me.
“No, we just keep finding the underlings that are doing their bidding.” I clench my fists.
“Whoever is behind this isn’t getting their hands dirty,” Jayden growls. “The only thing we know for sure is the Hecate stole the helm and Medea mind-controlled the students and was hiding them here with the shield.”
“Medea, that sorceress, has always been a thorn in my side. She’s the one who helped Jason with the tasks to steal the golden fleece from my grove.” Ares’ eyes burn with hatred.
“The dragon warrior,” I groan.
How had I not picked up on that.
“There was a dragon warrior here?” Ares asks.
“Yes, it’s task was apparently to kill me. It’s not very good at its job.” I shake my head.
“That’s impossible. Where is it?” Ares turns in a circle, scanning the area.
Jayden plants his hands on his hips. “It turned to ash when I hit it with my hellfire.”
“We never saw Medea, though. Her pawn within the academy spilled her identity.”
“How is she even still alive or is she just another monster brought back from the underworld?” Jayden asks, scratching his chin.
“She found a way to cheat Hades it seems. I never read an account of her death, just all the death and trickery she left in her wake.” Ares puts his shield on his back. “I’ll send the hunters after her.”
Oh great, something else Artemis is going to need help with.
