Page 128 of Until the End of Ever
“If I were weak, you would have already fried me!" I screamed back, earning three bolts I barely managed to dodge.
We were in the main atrium now, and it amused me to realize it was his own turf he was destroying. The last bolt exploded right next to the shrine to himself.
I used the clouds of dirt to slide behind the next shrine's altar as silently as I could.
“But I will," Zeus swore, eyes flashing as he strolled past me. "You’re tiring yourself out, little mortal. I sense it.”
Damn him, he was right on that score. It was a struggle to avoid panting like a short snouted pug as he passed, scared he'd hear me.
This game of cat and mouse wasn't going to end well for the mice—Zazel and me, and by extension, Lucian.
I couldn't,wouldn'trisk my life when it meant he'd only follow me in death.
Think, think, think.
A new goddess shall stand or descend by the grace of the one who judges all.
At first, I’d assumed the one who judged all was Zeus, but it stopped making sense the moment we realized he was behind it all. And then, Ma’at came to mind as the goddess of justice, but the rest of the sentence made it weird.
It clicked suddenly as my eyes took inthe larger-than-life statue before me. I felt incredibly dumb; this time, at least, it hadn't been a student coming up with the answer.
Hadn’t one of the Night Academy kids called toherwhen she got over-singed after naming too many gods?Bless Hera, queen of the heavens!And all of a sudden, all of the theatrics stopped, the other gods chastened by her mere mention.
I couldn’t make sense of the entire prophecy. I had no clue what seven it referred to. But so far almost everything had come to pass, and now, stuck between an all-powerful god who wanted to kill me and the statue of his wife, I knew there was only one thing to do.
"There you are," the god called.
There was still too much destruction to see him clearly, but I couldn't miss the stormy eyes or the lightning in his grasp.
I could try to think my prayer like I had for Apollo and Poseidon, but with everything going on, and Zeus right in front of me, I wasn’t sure it would be heard.
The lightning hit right where I'd stood second later as I jumped.
“Bless Hera, queen of the heavens!” I screamed desperately, throwing myself at the statue, speaking as fast as I dared. “I humbly beg for your assistance. Because your husband is a fuckingdick!”
Maybe this was how I was going to die. Talking shit about Zeus. And if I didn’t suspect my demise could also kill Lucian, I’d say there were worse ways to go.
I didn’t want to go at all. I wanted to live.Desperately.
The god pulled back another bolt, throwing it, not directly at me, but at the statue I was racing to.
I could see his purpose right away. Yes, I’d managed to dance around his blows so far, but avoiding the dozens of huge stonescomposing a fifteen-foot-tall statue? That wasn’t warfare. That was impossible.
Fuck.
I only had time to roll and fling a shield on top of me, hoping for the best, all while knowing that Zeus would destroy the puny shield like it was made of sandpaper. I braced for the multiple impacts, wondering how much agony I’d feel in the end. Hoping against all hope that Lucian wouldn’t follow me into death.
And then time stopped.
No, that wasn’t right. I could still hear the scream, feel the magic all around us. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed my eyes, but when I made myself open them, I saw the stones halted in their tracks, on top of me. It made no sense whatsoever. Until the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen appeared, draped in purple and gold, her dark tresses thrown over one shoulder.
She offered me her hand.
Stunned, robbed of speech, I could only take it.
Hera.
Hera had come for me. She’d saved me. After I insulted her husband.
