The trembling subsided, but it didn’t matter. The battle raged above us, and we didn’t have any time to waste. “I need a whiteboard and a marker,” I said, and several of them stared at me blankly. “A blackboard and a piece of chalk then.”
Nine of them appeared around me. Illusion or not, being dead had its advantages.
I sketched the layout of Calliope’s castle as best I could, marking each important location—Nicholas’s cell, the nursery, Calliope’s room—as accurately as I could. In three minutes, we had a plan. Whether it worked or not, at least it would give the others a chance.
Getting them up to the surface would be tricky, but the gaping hole in the cavern where Cronus had escaped the first time was still there. He was trapped on the island, but I tested the exit twice. I could get in and out without any trouble.
“You first,” I said to Persephone. She looked at my offered hand like it was made of acid.
“How can I possibly be sure you know how to control it? You trampled my tulips.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed her wrist. The Underworld dissolved, replaced by the stark white walls of my room in Calliope’s castle. “Happy now? Stay here.”
Persephone glared at me, but I disappeared before she could insult me further.
I took two girls at once, and within a minute, we all clustered together in the room. The girls fidgeted, and more than a few pairs of eyes widened in terror as a tidal wave crashed against the cliffs protecting the castle.
“Just stick to the plan,” I said. “And whatever you do, don’t forget that no one can hurt you. Not Calliope, not Cronus, no one.”
“Can they hurt you?” piped Emmy’s voice.
“If we do this, I’ll be fine,” I lied. No one could promise anyone anything, but they needed to hear it, and it wasn’t my job to tell them the truth right now. “We don’t have any more time. Trust me. Trust yourselves.”
I pushed the door open and sneaked into the hallway, followed by several pairs of hesitant footsteps. I didn’t look back to make sure everyone was following us. They had come; the best I could hope for now was that their courage didn’t fail them.
The hallway between my room and Nicholas’s was suspiciously empty. Did Calliope believe that no one could break into the castle, or did she foolishly not care? I crept forward, prepared for any sort of traps she or Cronus might have set, but we made it to Nicholas’s room without interruption. The door, however, was locked. “I have to go in there and get the weapons myself,” I said, but Emmy elbowed her way through the group of girls.
“Let me.”
Pulling a pin from her hair, she knelt beside the doorknob. I listened for any sign someone was coming, but five seconds later, the lock clicked open.
“Piece of cake,” said Emmy with a grin, and I shot her a grateful smile. Pushing the door open, I burst into the room, fully expecting Calliope to be waiting for me. Instead Nicholas sat chained to the chair, surrounded by his workshop of weapons.
“Kate?” he said, squinting through two black eyes. Blood dripped down the side of his face from a nasty gash on his forehead. Calliope must’ve been here recently. “Persephone?”
“Hello to you, too, brother,” said Persephone. Behind her, the others poured into the workshop, their eyes widening at the sight of Nicholas and the array of weapons.
I knelt beside his chair and inspected the glowing chains. “I can’t touch them,” I said apologetically.
“I know,” he said. “Don’t worry about me. Go on and get Cronus.”
“I’m not leaving you behind. Emmy, can you undo this lock?”
Emmy separated from the others and joined me, Persephone hot on her heels. “That’s more complicated,” she said. “But I think I can do it.”
“Try.”
“She’ll get it,” said Persephone. “Go ahead without us. We’ll get Nicholas out of here.”
“Thanks,” I said, and Persephone waved off my gratitude.
“They’re my family, too. Now go.”
A clash of metal against metal shook the very air around us, and the other girls quieted. I took a deep breath. Time to be a leader. “You all know what you’re supposed to do,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. “Grab a weapon infused with fog, and go give them hell.”
Anna let out a whoop and, clutching a mace, she streaked out of the room and up the narrow staircase that led to the rest of the castle. One by one, the other girls followed, clutching swords and staffs and other weapons I couldn’t identify. I waited by the door until their cries diminished. The chances of them succeeding were slim, but as long as their distraction gave me enough time to rescue Milo and Henry, then at least our efforts wouldn’t be wasted.
“Seems like they’re enjoying themselves,” said Nicholas heavily. He grinned. Several of his teeth were missing. “Get that lock undone. I want to join them.”
“Yeah, right,” I said, and I swiped a glowing knife with wicked hooked teeth from the remaining weapons. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
Persephone gave me a look. “He has a right to fight for his family, just like you do. Now stop dictating and go get your son.”
Biting back a response, I nodded, and a second later Milo’s nursery replaced the workshop around me. Thunder echoed through the air. The council had to be close.
“Milo,” I gasped, rushing toward the cradle. It was empty. Of course Henry wouldn’t let him out of his sight during the battle, but something inside me withered. I’d hoped to get Milo out of there and safe with Adonis before finding Henry, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen.
I turned to leave on foot, but instead I crashed face-first into a warm body and stumbled to the ground. My heart damn near stopped. Had Calliope expected this? Was she lying here in wait while Cronus distracted everyone else? I gripped the knife with hooked teeth, fully prepared to use it.
“Kate?”
Not Calliope. Ava. “Where is he?” I said, scrambling to my feet. She blocked my way out, her cheeks pale and her eyes round. Clearly she hadn’t expected me. Good. That meant Calliope likely didn’t either.
“Milo?” she said. “He’s with Henry.”
“And where exactly is that?”
Ava bit her lip. “I can’t tell you. Calliope will kill you.”
“Not if I get them away from her before she knows I’m there,” I said. “Unless you decide to tell her.”