It felt too easy. I kicked her body to be sure, and when she flopped like a dead fish, I staggered backward. I’d killed her. I’d really, truly killed her.
I was a murderer. It was justified, but she hadn’t had her dagger. I could’ve given her a choice, and instead I’d killed her in cold blood. How did that make me better than her?
I wasn’t, not anymore.
Clenching my jaw, I turned away. I’d have time to hate myself later. Calliope might’ve been dead, but the whirling cloud of doom overhead hadn’t stopped.
“Henry!” I cried. Abandoning Calliope’s body, I dashed toward him through the violent gusts. “You need to take Milo and get out of here.”
He stared up at the sky, and at first I thought he hadn’t heard me. As I opened my mouth to repeat myself, however, he turned toward me, his moonlight eyes glowing. For a moment I thought I saw a flicker of something behind them, but it vanished. “Leave, Kate,” he said, his voice sounding like a thousand gods speaking all at the same time.
I gaped at him in horror. “Are you—are you helping Cronus?”
“You weren’t supposed to come.”
“Yeah? When has that ever stopped me?” I reached for Milo. “If you won’t take him to safety, then I will.”
He snatched the baby away from me, and a knot formed in my throat. This couldn’t be happening. Henry should have been in there somewhere, waiting for this, waiting for the moment he could finally break free. But I only saw the blank face of a powerful deity. Not Henry. Not my family.
“Ava! Whatever you’re doing to Henry, stop it!” I shouted over the deafening roar. No response. I looked over my shoulder. Ava stared at me, her mouth hanging slack-jawed and her eyes wide with fear, and it took me a moment to figure out why.
Calliope’s body was gone.
A girlish giggle echoed through the storm, mingling with the screeching wind and the crash of waves rising higher and higher. I froze. How was it possible? I’d watched her die.
“Funny thing about those weapons,” said Calliope, and I whirled around again. She stood beside Henry, his arm wrapped around her shoulders the way he always held me. Her dagger floated in the space between us. “They were discarded because they didn’t work.”
Behind me, someone screamed, and the glowing blade hurtled toward me. I scrambled backward pivoting in hopes it would fly past me, but it followed my movements without missing a beat.
My back hit something solid. The edge of the roof. The dagger pressed against my throat, and I leaned back as far as I could without falling. “Henry,” I choked. “Please.”
“Don’t listen to her, Henry,” said Calliope in a sickly sweet voice. “She’s the enemy, remember? You’re loyal to me.”
“Only because she’s using her powers against you.” I gulped in the gritty air. “Come on, Henry, you’re stronger than this.”
“Yeah, Henry,” called out a voice from the other end of the roof. Persephone. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as the other girls joined her. “I thought you were better than this.”
“Persephone?” Henry frowned. “What are you—”
“Don’t listen to her,” said Calliope. “You’ve got me now.”
Henry shook her off, and he stepped toward Persephone and the gang of girls. “What are you all doing here?”
“Rescuing your sorry ass,” said Anna, swinging her mace. “And taking down this bitch.”
She let out a war cry, and the girls took off across the roof, heading straight for Calliope and Henry—and Milo.
“Stop!” I shrieked. My cries fell on deaf ears though, and they only sped up. “Henry, get out of here! Take Milo and go!”
He ignored me and stared at the girls as if he’d never seen anything so strange in his life. Beside him, Calliope waved her hand, and the dagger flew from my neck to settle directly above my heart. The tip of the blade dug into my skin, and I winced as a drop of blood soaked into my shirt.
“Please,” I begged. “Just go.”
The sound of twisting metal drowned out my pleas, and half a dozen bewildered voices rose above the commotion. Though he was fighting a battle far above us, the fog that was Cronus had created a barrier in front of Calliope, protecting her. Persephone and the other girls pushed against it, roaring with outrage. Their weapons struck the fog again and again to no avail.
“Around,” commanded Persephone, and the others scattered. No matter where they moved though, they couldn’t get any closer.
Calliope smirked. “Here’s the deal, Henry.” She set her hand on his arm, and he flinched away. Was he back now? Had he come to his senses? “You’re going to send all of these pretty little nuisances back where they came from, and maybe I won’t kill Kate.”
The blade dug into my chest, widening the wound, and I gasped as the fire of a Titan spread through me. Henry tensed, but as soon as it had come, his fear was replaced with the mask of impassiveness he wore when he was hurting the most. He was there. Did Calliope know? Had she let him go on purpose?
“What will it be, Henry?” she said. “I wouldn’t linger too long on the options if I were you.”
Deeper now, through cartilage and bone until it was half a millimeter away from piercing my heart. Light exploded in front of me, and sweat poured down my face as the fog spread through me, securing a choke hold on what remained of my life.
I’m sorry. Henry waved his hand, and Persephone and the others disappeared, their useless weapons falling to the ground in a clatter.
Blood trickled down my chest now, and I couldn’t look away from Henry. It didn’t matter that Calliope had severed his loyalty to me; she hadn’t severed mine.
“Do it,” I snarled, summoning up the last of my strength. Martyr complex or not, maybe this would be enough for Henry to bring Milo to safety. “I dare you.”
A shriek pierced the howling wind. Nicholas came through the roof door, and Ava pounced on him, kissing his purple cheeks and capturing him in an embrace. Even if no other part of my plan had worked, at least we’d freed Nicholas. At least we gave Ava a reason to fight with us.
“How cute,” said Calliope. “A reunion before Cronus sends you all into oblivion.”
Nicholas straightened and held Ava protectively. “You’re never going to win,” he said. “Cronus could kill us all, and you would still only be second.”