“Well, thanks,” I mumble, hiding my face.
“Kylie?” Pandia calls. “My mother would like to talk to you. She wants to try negotiating with Achlys again, and she wants you to be there with her.”
I sigh. “Alright, I’ll be right there.” Pandia’s steps get farther away, and I turn to Kaven. He looks much better since he took my blood, and I feel better about leaving him alone for a while. “Will you be ok here by yourself?”
He frowns. “I’ll be just fine. It’s you I’m worried about, Kylie. I don’t want you anywhere near those goddesses, even with Selene as protection. You could get seriously hurt. I mean, what’s to stop Achlys from agreeing to meet with Selene just so she can get a shot at you?”
“I’m not gonna let her go by herself. Don’t worry, Kaven, I’ll be fine.” I kiss his forehead and leave the tent. Pandia is waiting a few steps away, and I follow her back to Selene’s tent.
Selene is buckling a sword to her belt, and she looks at me. “Are you ready to go? Achlys has agreed to meet with me, and I’m hoping that after seeing how much death and destruction she caused today, she might be willing to listen to reason.”
“She won’t.” I’m surprised Selene thinks this will work.
“I have to try, Kylie. I’m sure Achlys will laugh at my ideas, but I have to try. I can’t just sit back and watch another day of fighting like this. Look outside. Look at all the creatures and Protectors that gave their lives for us today. If there’s even the slightest chance that I can stop this, I have to try.”
“Selene–”
“You don’t have to go, but I would like you to be there with me.”
I sigh. “Alright, I’ll go with you. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Achlys meets us in the middle of the battlefield. Behind her are Achelois, Bendis, and an uncertain looking Artemis. She looks at the bloody ground, and I think I see tears in her eyes. Hmm, maybe war this up close and personal isn’t what she’s used to. Maybe she regrets getting involved with Achlys.
Achlys is the first to speak. “Why have you called us here, Selene? I hope it’s to concede defeat.”
Pandia bristles next to me, and I step closer to her. Achlys’ black eyes watch me like a hawk, and I feel a shiver run down my spine, and I fight to keep her from knowing it. I don’t want this goddess to know that she still scares me a little, because she’ll find a way to use it against me I’m sure.
Hecate is on Selene’s other side, and she frowns. “You know that’s not why we’re here, Achlys. This senseless bloodshed has got to stop. No more creatures have to die in order to satisfy your power-hungry struggle for the moon.”
Achlys laughs, managing to sound maniacal and pleased at the same time. “Is that the best you can do? Maybe you wanna add a ‘please’ on there. I might be more inclined to listen to what you have to say!”
Artemis fidgets. “Maybe we should listen to them, Achlys. Look around. So many creatures died today. If we’d just taken their offer back at the cave, we could have avoided all of this.”
Achlys glares at the much younger goddess, who cowers. “I will not rest until the moon is mine!” Achlys hisses.
Artemis looks terrified, but continues anyways. “What about us? You won’t share the moon with Selene and Hecate, why should we believe you’ll do the same with us?”
“That’s different!” she snaps unconvincingly. “The four of us have been in this together from the start. I wouldn’t cut any of you out of the rewards. You’ll get your share of the moon when all of this fighting is over.”
“What if there’s nobody left to worship the moon?” Artemis asks. “If there’s nobody left alive on Earth, it kind of defeats the purpose of winning the moon, doesn’t it?” Artemis asks snidely. “Or do you just not care so long as you’ve taken the moon from Selene?”
Achlys turns on her. “How dare you question me? Do you have any idea what I could do to you right this instance? I could destroy you!”
Artemis squares her shoulders. “Could you? I seem to remember a certain vampire holding her own back at the cave. She outsmarted Hades as well. If she can do battle with the gods, why can’t I? I’m more powerful than her–I think I’d stand a chance against you. Especially if I had help,” she says, looking at Bendis and Achelois.
The two other warring moon goddesses don’t look as concerned as Artemis, and move a step closer to Achlys.
“Artemis, join us,” Selene says, surprising me. “You don’t have to do this. You can rule the moon in turns with us,” she says, motioning to Hecate and her daughter. “I am worshipped as a goddess of the moon in general, Hecate is the goddess of the dark and waning moons, and my daughter is the goddess of the full moon. You could be worshipped as the goddess of the waxing moon.”
Artemis chews her lip, thinking about Selene’s offer. “Really?” She sounds almost awed by the idea of being a minor moon goddess. “I could be a moon goddess like you?”
Selene nods, and I get the distinct impression that she’s talking to Artemis like she would a spoiled child. “Yes. All you have to do is leave Achlys’ group, and come and fight for us. I can guarantee that if you stay and fight for Achlys, you won’t get a single piece of the moon. Achlys will turn on you the second she has what she wants. That’s what she did to the young girl that opened the portal that allowed her to cross over today.”
Artemis looks at Achlys. “Would you really turn on me?”
“Of course not!” Achlys snaps. “We have a deal, and I never go back on my deals.”
Selene shakes her head. “That’s not true, Artemis, and you know it. Do the right thing. Join us, and help save a lot more people from dying in this pointless war.”
Artemis thinks to herself for a minute, and nobody rushes her. This is an important decision. I can see Achlys trembling in anger, and I know she’s trying to restrain herself from leaping at the younger goddess, but if she does, it’ll just prove that Selene’s telling the truth.
Finally, Artemis makes her decision, and she takes five quick steps forward. She stops beside Hecate and folds her arms across her chest. “I’ve made my decision. I won’t end up like that girl you used to cross over. I won’t end up with my throat cut, bleeding to death alone in some graveyard. You’re a manipulative monster, and I never should have listened to you in the first place.”
I’m a little concerned about how easily Artemis reached her decision, and I can’t help but glance suspiciously at her. Is this a trick or something? Is she going to turn on us the second our backs are turned and slit our throats? If she switched sides now, will she do it again if things take a turn for the worse?
Achlys narrows her black, soulless eyes at Artemis. “You traitor.”
“I don’t want to die, Achlys, and if I stay with you, that’s exactly what’ll happen. Look around! This is not what you promised me. What I see right now is dead creatures that you tricked into fighting for our cause. But it’s not our cause, it’s yours! This is wrong,” she says, motioning to the dead that still cover the field.
“Selene took her dead away and treated them with respect. You’ve left ours here to rot like trash! It doesn’t matter how many of us die during this fight so long as you get what you want.”
“Achlys,” Selene begins. “You’re outnumbered and outmatched now. You’ve got two minor moon goddesses behind you, and I have two major ones and now Artemis as well. Even with a larger number of warriors, you cannot win this war. Retreat now and you won’t be destroyed.”
Achlys clenches her fists. “I will never retreat!” she shrieks. “I will have the moon!” She glares at me with such hatred and ferocity that it scares me, and I immediately take a step back. I’m going to pay for this meeting.
She turns and storms away, and an uncertain Bendis and Achelois follow after her. Selene looks at me. “That went better than I thought it would. At least we have one less enemy to fight,” she says, looking at Artemis. “You have a lot to make up for right
now.”
She hangs her head in shame. “I know, and I’m sorry for what I’ve done. It was wrong. I know that now. But I can start to repay you by helping you now. I know the attack formations she’ll use tomorrow,” she offers. “I can help you, and I will.”
Selene nods. “We’ll see about that. For now, I think Hecate will be keeping a close eye on you. I hope you understand.”
Artemis bows her head slightly. “I do.”
“Then let us return to our camp.”
The others immediately jump to their feet and ask us what happened. Selene explains everything to everyone listening, and they all look at Artemis with hatred and suspicion. Austin even suggests kicking her out and giving her back to Achlys. Everyone else in the tent agrees with him, and I almost feel bad for Artemis.
People are openly despising her, and that can’t feel good. She just defected to our side and offered to help us, and this is how she’s repaid. Maybe she should have made better choices. If she had, she wouldn’t be in this position right now…
Artemis takes all the criticism and complaints with grace, and bows out of the tent, leaving us alone to plan. Hecate follows her, nodding to Selene on her way out. That leaves me and the group with Selene, Pandia, Jillian, and Carlos. We spend the next hour plotting our next move, until Selene commands us to get some rest while the goddesses keep watch over the camp.
Pandia is going back to the Immortal Realms to see if the merfolk have reached their decision. I walk back to the medical tents, thinking about tomorrow. Their numbers would be greatly beneficial. I just hope I impressed them enough to warrant their help.
I find Kaven asleep in the same tent as earlier, and I curl up next to him and close my eyes. Achlys is going to be pissed, and she’ll be looking for revenge, probably against me. I bet I see her tomorrow, and I bet it doesn’t end well.
In the morning, everyone eats a quick, cold breakfast while Selene and the other goddesses on our side keep an eye on the enemy camp. There’s been little movement since last night when Artemis defected to our side, and none of her fighters have switched sides with her. But having even one more goddesses on our side is a good thing, even if we can’t fully trust her yet.
Kaven wraps his arm around my waist and kisses me quickly. “I’m going with Carlos and Tara today. I’ll help keep an eye on her for you. Chloe’s gonna stay in the medical tents, and Austin’s staying with her. He’s gonna help bandage the people that don’t need her to heal them, and Kita is gonna be up in the skies. She’ll be on the lookout for sirens.”
“How much damage did they cause yesterday? I didn’t see any Protectors acting strange like you and Austin did. Did we get rid of them in time?”
“A few were drowned before the goddesses and the women could save them, but our losses could have been much worse,” he says tiredly.
“Did you know any of them?” I ask gently. Some of the Protectors fighting for Selene are from our Daray Hall, so Kaven must know some of them. He might even be friends with them.
He nods. “A couple. Not anybody that I knew real well though.”
“How many people died yesterday?” I haven’t been told the losses yet, and I’m a little nervous to hear them.
He sighs. “Too many. A few dozen Protectors, plus many, many griffins and pegasus’. They got shot out of the sky by the ogres with bows. Those basilisks were a problem for us yesterday. Thankfully Selene managed to kill them all. Hopefully today goes better without them to fight.”
“I’m really worried about today.”
“Because of Achlys?”
“Yeah, I think she’s gonna have it out for me today. I’m scared,” I admit quietly.
“Only a fool wouldn’t be. Maybe I should stay close to you.”
“No. I can take care of myself. Tara can’t. I want you with her. Plus, after you got hurt yesterday, I don’t want you anywhere near a goddess, especially this one. Just, stay safe, okay?”
He nods. “Fine. But you have to be careful, too. Don’t bait her, don’t underestimate her, and don’t do anything stupid. If I lose you…”
“You won’t.”
He kisses me just as the tent flaps open. Pandia sticks her head in. “The enemy forces are starting to gather. Get ready if you’re fighting. It could start any minute.” She ducks back out, leaving us alone again.
Kaven hugs me one more time. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I say, getting up. “Come on. We should get ready.”
I strap my bow across my back and buckle my sword to my belt. Morgan is waiting outside the tent for me, and she’s dressed the same way I am. “Hey, did you know that Kita is here? How strange is that? She was one of Tricia’s friends and she’s here fighting with us. Anyway, I’m staying with you.”
“Just stay close. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
She moves into step behind me, and we make our way out to the battlefield. There’s a double row of Protectors beside me, and they’re all ready for the fight to come. Some of them look more serious and hardened than they did yesterday, probably because they all lost friends.
A horn blows in the distance and everyone on both sides charges. Rushing forward with my sword drawn, I chop at the first enemy that crosses my path. It’s a minotaur, and he tumbles past me into the dirt with a long gash across his muscular human chest. He gets to his feet and kicks up dirt with his black hooves and he charges at me with his head down.
I shove Morgan out of the way and jump to the side, bringing my sword down on the back of his neck. It bites in deep, and there’s a crack that can only be his spine. The minotaur drops face first into the dirt, bleeding profusely from the wound in the back of his neck. His powerful arms brace his weight, and he begins to rise.
Gripping my sword with both hands, I bring my arms up, and plunge the sword down into the beasts’ back. It bellows, shudders, and goes still beneath my blade. I rip the sword free, and look at Morgan, who is staring at me with a mixture of awe and surprise. “Wow. I knew you were ferocious, but really, that was amazing.”
Something shouts, and every single being on the battlefield freezes, waiting to see what’ll happen next. The ogres are in a frenzy, and they’ve started to slaughter fighters on both sides. As I watch, they use their clubs to hammer chimeras, other ogres, and hell-hounds.
Seconds after the ogres rebel, another horn sounds out, much louder and different from the first, and I crane my head around to look for the source. At first, I don’t understand what I’m seeing, but it finally dawns on me.
“The merfolk are here!”
Pandia steps through a portal, followed by hundreds of green-skinned men armed from head-to-toe. Their bottom half is no longer a long scaly tail, but instead powerful looking legs. They walk on legs, carrying their squished faces high with pride, and their wild, unruly hair is pulled back in tight ponytails to keep it out of their faces.
They waste no time, and jump right into the fight, throwing themselves at the nearest enemies. A few dozen dive into the lake, ferreting out the few remaining sirens that are hiding there, and the rest set to work on the chimeras and the ogres. They swarm the larger creatures like ants, taking them down and killing them.
“Wow,” Morgan says. “Those merfolk sure know what they’re–” Morgan cuts off with a wet gurgle, and when I turn around, I see Achlys standing behind her with a sword lodged through Morgan’s chest.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Achlys rips her sword from Morgan’s chest, and Morgan collapses to her knees, holding her hands to her bleeding chest. In seconds, her entire shirt is soaked in blood, and it begins to dribble from her mouth. Before I can even move, Achlys smiles at me and brandishes her bloody sword, trying to taunt me with it.
I just stare and stare at Morgan’s motionless body, and several things run through my mind. Never again will I see Morgan’s hesitant but friendly smile. I’ll never hear her words of praise telling me that I can d
o anything I put my mind to. She’ll never laugh again, or tell me secrets about her home life. She’ll just be rotting in a grave somewhere for the rest of eternity.
Staring at her lifeless body gets my blood boiling and I start to see red, which I have no doubt is Achlys’ plan. But at this moment, I can’t bring myself to care about playing into her hands. All I care about is avenging Morgan, and making sure that her killer doesn’t get away without paying.
My tear filled eyes lift to Achlys’ dark, heartless ones, and she smiles. “Ready?”
I nod, because I can’t trust my voice right now. I just tighten my grip on my sword and, even though I know blindly attacking a much stronger opponent is always a stupid move, I lunge at her. She jumps to the side, and slaps the my back with the flat edge of her sword. My back stings where the blade hit, but it doesn’t really hurt. She’s playing with me, and that only angers me more.
I whirl around, slashing blindly at Achlys’ midsection, and she knocks my sword away with little effort. She reaches out and backhands me, cracking my jaw, and sending me spinning away and into the dirt. She cackles, and I groan and force myself to get to my feet.
My jaw aches, and I massage it, making sure to keep eye contact with her. “You’re going to die,” she says gleefully. “And I’m going to enjoy watching you suffer.”
“Don’t count on it,” I warn her.
I lunge forward, feigning for her stomach. When she goes to block, I twist my hand and swing my sword up and around in a wide arc. It lodges in her left shoulder, and she begins to scream in pain. I rip my sword free and slash her stomach. The middle part of her long dress slowly turns red, and she glares at me.
“You are going to pay for that.”
She raises her arms up and brings her sword down with a powerful stroke. I bring mine up and the two slam together with a metallic clang, and she uses her extra godlike strength to force me down. I hold her off, but my knees threaten to buckle, and sweat breaks out across my forehead. It drips into my eyes, and I try and blink them away.
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