by Linsey Hall
“You’re a dragon!” Bree whispered.
“That’s so cool!” Ana said. “A freaking dragon!”
“Only if I can learn to fly and shoot fire and actually be a dragon.” Most of my little speech to Lavender had been bravado.
“Oh, you’ll get the hang of it.” Ana waved her hand to indicate it was nothing.
“Yeah, you’ll learn in no time,” Bree said.
“I sure hope you’re right.” I looked at Bree. “Did you get the power source in Thailand? The one that the Titans were after to power their bind-breaking device?”
Bree’s expression turned grim. “No. They beat me to it. By an hour, no more.”
“Oh damn.” That burned. And made my skin chill with nerves.
The Titans were one step closer to their goal. We’d known going after the power source was a longshot, but still, I’d hoped we’d succeed. The clock was really ticking down now.
“Don’t worry.” Ana patted Bree’s arm. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah, we will.” The scent of bacon caught my nose, and my gaze zeroed in on the steps that led down to the kitchen. My stomach grumbled. “I’ll catch up with you in the Round Room.”
I glanced at Maximus, and he nodded as if he’d read my mind. Together, we raced down the kitchen stairs. Hans turned from his position at the stove and grinned, his mustache twitching.
“You’re in a hurry!” He’d always been good about noticing those things.
I’d barely stepped into the kitchen itself when he grabbed two juice boxes and chucked them at us. We each snagged one out of the air. He then grabbed two paper-wrapped sandwiches and threw them in a perfect arc.
I grabbed mine, delighted to feel that it was still warm, and smiled at him. “Thanks, Hans. You’re the best.”
“Thank you,” Maximus said.
Hans grinned and waved his hands. “Go, go! Save the world.”
“We’ll try.” I turned and raced up the stairs, Maximus behind me.
We sprinted toward the round room, and I did my best to ignore the scent of bacon that wafted from the sandwich.
We slipped into the Round Room just as the last person was taking their seat. We found two free spots at the table and sat. Quickly, I unwrapped my sandwich and took a bite, nearly groaning at the salty-savory taste of the bacon. The sandwich was huge, and I said a quick prayer of thanks to Hans.
“All right,” Jude said. “Clearly, Rowan has made some progress in her transition.”
“Just a bit of practice to go,” I said, trying to sound confident. Memories of flopping to my butt flashed through my head.
“Then let’s get the bad news out of the way first.” Jude clapped her hands together. “We failed to retrieve the power source that will power the Titans’ bind-breaking device. It was impossible—they were ahead of us all along, so there was nothing we could do.”
I liked that she didn’t blame Bree. And how could she? Bree was one of the most powerful supernaturals in existence. If she couldn’t do it, then it couldn’t be done. Simple as that.
“So,” Jude said. “That means they are moving ahead with their plan. But don’t worry. We’re moving ahead with ours.”
Okay, it was hard not to worry, but I liked Jude’s no-nonsense, forge-ahead attitude.
“We’ve located the Titans’ fortress using your directions, Rowan,” Jude said. “We’ve had recon teams out there looking for a way to get our army in. They haven’t had any luck, but we’re getting closer.”
Cade, Bree’s boyfriend, leaned forward. He was a jack-of-all-trades at the Protectorate and always took the most dangerous jobs. “As for the army, we’re working on that. Our numbers are growing, but we need more.”
“I think I have a few to add to the mix.” I told them about the Centaurs and the Cyclopes.
Cade nodded, a pleased expression on his face. “That will be immensely helpful. When it comes time for battle, we’ll get a message to them.”
“They’ll enjoy that.”
“That leaves our biggest problem—figuring out how to get the Titans back into Tartarus.”
“I believe we can help with that.” The familiar voice sounded from behind me, near the door.
I turned, spotting Queens Penthesilea and Hippolyta. This was only their second visit to the Protectorate.
“Impressive timing,” Jude said.
“We planned it that way.” Queen Penthesilea grinned.
“No we didn’t.” Queen Hippolyta nudged her sister with her shoulder. “We just got lucky.”
Queen Penthesilea chuckled. “Fine, that is the truth of it.”
They strode into the room. Before I could stand to give my seats to them, a couple of guys from the Demon Hunters Unit had vacated theirs. They looked at the queens with starry eyes. I couldn’t blame them. The Amazons were all strong and smart and hot. Pretty irresistible, really.
The queens sat gracefully, then turned to look from Jude to me.
“We’ve discovered that there is a way to put the Titans back into Tartarus, but it won’t be easy,” Queen Penthesilea said.
I leaned forward. “How?”
Queen Hippolyta met my gaze. “You must visit Hera and hear it from her directly. We’ve gained her permission to give you her location. And if you are worthy, you will leave with the way to trap the Titans.”
Always with the worthiness. It was enough to give a girl a complex. But I just nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“I suggest you bring backup,” Queen Hippolyta said. “Quite a bit of it.”
Immediately, I looked at both my sisters. Sometime in the past couple weeks, it’d become a given that Maximus would come with me. But they also always had my back whenever I asked.
Both of them nodded immediately.
“A couple more wouldn’t hurt,” Queen Penthesilea said.
“I volunteer,” Cade said at the same time Lachlan raised his hand.
“That settles it,” Jude said. “The six of you will go to Hera. The rest of us will continue to build the army and plan our ambush. When you’ve returned, we’ll attack.”
My lips tugged up in a grim smile, and I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
Queen Hippolyta gave us the directions to reach Hera—who apparently no longer lived with Zeus on his mountain—and Lachlan created a portal for us to use.
I stepped into the ether, gasping as the magic sucked me in and spun me around. It spat me out on a tropical beach. Warm wind blew through my hair, and the scent of the sea caressed my skin. I raised my face to the sun and sighed, closing my eyes.
“I think I need a margarita,” I murmured.
“I need a week here,” Bree said.
I opened my eyes and looked around. The place was gorgeous—white sands, blue water lapping at the shore, the sound of tropical birds. The sun sparkled on the surface, creating thousands of diamonds that nearly blinded me.
I didn’t care though. I could stare at it for hours. Preferably from a hammock. With that margarita and a good book. Hell, I wouldn’t even care if it was a bad book at this point.
I needed a vacation.
We all did.
Everyone I knew looked like they’d just finished the tax season while working at an accounting firm.
“Hera sure knows how to live,” Maximus said.
“This is better than Olympus.” I checked out the palm trees that drooped over the water, looking like a postcard. “And she never had a great relationship with Zeus anyway.”
“Whoa,” Ana said. “Look at that.”
I turned around to follow her voice and spotted the gleaming white house peeking out from the trees. I hadn’t noticed it before—I’d been too caught up in dreams of cocktails and beach naps—but now that I spotted it, my jaw dropped.
It was beautiful.
“Talk about a dream home.” My gaze traveled over the huge windows that were open to the breeze and the massive white porch fitted with turquoise couches that were positioned to perfectly take i
n the view of the ocean. “Let’s go meet the lady of the manor.”
“And maybe make best friends with her,” Bree said. “You know, so we can come back for weekends and girls’ nights.”
I nodded, liking that idea.
As we approached the house, the six of us began to walk more heavily. Normally, we were light-footed. But the last thing we wanted to do was sneak up on a god.
“Hello?” I called. “Hera? It’s Rowan Blackwood. Queen Hippolyta and Queen Penthesilea sent me here.”
“Hang on!” A frazzled voice came from inside the house, and it sounded nothing like what I would expect from one of the most powerful goddesses in the Greek pantheon.
A moment later, a woman ran out of the front door. Her blonde hair was tied in a messy knot on her head, and her face was streaked with blue paint. Unlike all the other gods I’d seen, she wore modern clothes. Blue yoga pants complemented a flowered tank top, and she grinned when she spotted us.
“Rowan. Glad you made it.” She gestured for us to come forward. “Would you like some lemonade?”
“Sure.” I glanced at my friends, and they were equally surprised.
We approached. Up close, Hera appeared to be in her late forties or early fifties, and she looked spectacular. She had a glow that I rarely saw on people in the city.
It appeared that divorce was treating her well.
She turned and led us into her kitchen. It was a gorgeous, modern space. Not super-space modern, with tons of chrome and metal. More like beachy modern, where everything was new and worked well and gleamed with a bright white sheen.
I’d crap this place up with potions in a heartbeat, but I liked looking at it.
“Take a seat.” She gestured to the large island counter, and we each sat on one of the barstools while she poured some lemonade.
I wanted to tell her that we needed to get a move on—the Titans waited for no woman—but I didn’t want to piss her off before she helped us. We could afford a few minutes, and I prayed this wouldn’t go over that.
She finished filling the glasses and brought the tray to the island. “Made it myself.”
“Thanks.” I took a glass and sipped, wincing at the sour bite. I tried to give her my best smile, and I could feel my friends doing the same. Cade coughed low in his throat, nearly choking.
Hera took a sip, then spat it out. “Crap, that’s shit, isn’t it?”
“Um…” I nodded. “Yeah.”
She set down her glass. “Well, you win some, you lose some.” She leaned forward. “I’ve been taking up hobbies, you see. Now that I’m a free woman and all. So far I’ve knitted three ugly scarves, baked some flat soufflés, and made shitty lemonade. The painting isn’t half bad, though.” She touched her cheek where the paint sliced across it.
“Doesn’t sound like a bad life though,” Maximus said.
She grinned. “Indeed, it is not. I cut that lying philanderer loose, and I’ve never been happier.”
I liked Hera. She’d surely done some terrible things in her past—all the gods had—but she seemed all right now. As long as I didn’t look too closely under the surface.
“Queen Penthesilea and Queen Hippolyta said that you could tell me how to get the Titans into Tartarus,” I said. “We’re planning to attack their fortress, but we don’t know what to do once we’ve got them. They’re too powerful for a prison on earth.”
Hera nodded. “Only Tartarus can hold them. But it won’t be easy.”
“What do we need to do?”
“You must go to the Cave of Treasures to retrieve a vessel that is capable of holding the Titans’ souls. It is small and gold—you’ll know it when you see it. Once you have that and you’ve put their souls into the vessel, I will take it to Tartarus. You can do whatever you want with their bodies.” She grinned evilly. “I suggest upholstering some couches.”
“Um, that’s not a bad idea.” I nodded slowly, trying to process how she’d gotten from disposing of dead Titans to upholstered couches. She was probably more of a sociopath than I’d realized.
“How do we get their souls into the vessel?” Maximus asked.
Hera pointed at me. “That is up to her.”
Ah, shit. “I don’t know how.”
“Figure it out. It’s your fated task, after all.”
Double shit. “No hints?”
“Where is the fun in that?” She raised her brows, an incredulous look on her face.
“Well, it would be fun to rid the earth of a threat that will destroy it. I think that’s really fun.” I realized that my words were kind of snarky, so I smiled, trying to look nice. Or dumb. Whatever expression would make her not be pissed at me.
Didn’t work.
She scowled. “It’s your job, Rowan. Do it.”
“I can do it.” But her words made me wonder… “Why are the gods not more interested in defeating the Titans themselves? You were once great enemies.”
“And surely you have a stake in it if the world goes to hell?” Bree asked.
“In fact, we don’t have much stake.” Hera swept out her arms, gesturing to her house. “I live in Annatlia, the godly realm. All of the gods live here, except for Zeus, who is crouched up on his mountain like some monster.” Her eyes darkened at the sound of his name. “If the world goes to hell, it won’t affect us.”
“What about all the people who will die?” Maximus asked.
She shrugged. “They no longer worship us.”
So, screw ‘em, yeah?
That was clearly her thought process. The gods were all about worship. Even the Titans wanted it. I looked around the room, catching the eyes of my sisters and Cade and Lachlan. They looked as unimpressed as I felt, but were clearly trying to hide it.
“Anyway,” Hera said. “The gods are all busy with their own hobbies. It’s been millennia since we’ve worked together. We’d probably get our asses kicked.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
She nodded. “Not that seriously. We’ve got some powerful magic, after all, but those Titans are intense. It’s just not worth the risk to us. They can’t bother us in our realm and we no longer leave it, so it’s really the perfect solution.” She leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “As are you, Rowan. We felt a little guilty leaving the earth to the whims of the Titans, so we chose you as the Greek Dragon God. Our champion, in the spirit of old.”
I nodded, carefully slipping my hand free of hers. Fantastic. She wanted me to fight a battle that even the gods themselves felt was too dangerous.
Just our luck.
“And really,” she added. “It’s a huge deal that I would leave here to take the Titans’ souls to Tartarus. So you should be grateful.”
“I am. Of course. Thank you. And I’ll do my best.” There was nothing else I could say, really. This was not a woman who was going to budge from her beach house or her hobbies. “Is there anything else you can tell us about finding the vessel?”
“I’ll transport you to a place that is nearby. Search for the Cave of Treasure by following the setting sun. It will be a dangerous journey, meant to test your mettle, but that’s the only kind of journey worth taking.”
Easy for her to say. It looked like the only journey she took these days was to the yoga studio and juice bar.
“And Rowan,” Hera added. “When you face the Titans, you’ll need to be strong. They’re going to hit you with something you won’t expect. Something that will test your mettle in ways you’ve never been tested. Fight it. With all your might, fight it.”
I nodded, about to open my mouth to ask more questions. Did she mean the darkness that the dragons had mentioned?
Before I could ask, she waved her hands. “Now go, the lot of you. There’s a treasure you must find, and you don’t have much time.”
Magic pulled at me, the ether sucking me into a massive portal that Hera had created in her kitchen. I gasped as it yanked me through space, spinning me around until my head buzzed.
When I appeared on
a rocky stretch of ground, I staggered, nearly going to my knees. Maximus grabbed me. He was wobbly himself, and we kept each other upright.
I panted, catching my breath, and turned to do a count. Bree and Ana stood next to each other, both of them windblown and a bit woozy-looking. Cade and Lachlan stood next to them, their feet planted widely as they got their bearings.
“Well, that was something,” Ana said.
“She was a trip.” Bree shook her head. “I’m not so sure about those girls’ nights. I don’t think I want to sit on her couches.”
I chuckled and turned, taking in my surroundings in more detail. We stood on a strange flat plain that was dotted with odd stone sculptures. They looked as if they’d been carved by thousands of years of wind and rain. Most of the sculptures were about my size, but they weren’t shaped like humans. They were more abstract than that.
In the distance, the sound of waves crashed against the shore. I turned toward it, spotting a gray sea that broke against the beach. A massive gray sea monster leapt into the air and splashed down into the water with the force of a train going off a bridge. I’d only had a moment to catch sight of its fangs, but it was enough to be sure I didn’t want to go in that direction.
Fortunately, the sun was setting in the other direction. I turned toward it. “Ready?”
“Let’s get this over with,” Ana said. “This place gives me the creeps.”
She was right. There was something in the air here that was really unpleasant. Dark magic, yes. But something else.
We began to walk, following the sun as we cut between the rock formations that silently guarded the desert that seemed empty of life.
“I’m going to try to figure out how far away we are.” Bree’s wings flared from her back, and she leapt into the air.
Her silver feathers glinted in the sun, and she did a quick circle overhead, checking out our surroundings. She landed gracefully next to us.
“I didn’t spot any caves, but there are some strange shadows moving on the ground.” Worry creased her brow.
I nodded. “We’ll keep an eye out.”
We continued walking, and I kept my senses alert. If something was going to sneak up on us, I wanted to know about it. Thank fates for Artemis’s gift.