“We are all monsters here.”
Cassandra stepped forward. If Alecto wanted to join Megaera, then so be it. What was one more Fury? Thanatos was there. He would move when she did. Alecto didn’t look that much more terrible than Megaera had. Cassandra didn’t know what they’d been so afraid of.
“A little girl who presumes to kill gods.” Alecto grinned. “Who kills them with her hands. And with her heart.”
“What are you talking about?” Cassandra asked.
“I’m talking about your … Aidan,” the Fury said. Her eyes lit up when she said the name, and Cassandra grimaced. It felt as if Alecto had reached into her head and torn his name out with clawed fingers. “Your Aidan, whom you killed.”
“I didn’t kill him.” Her hands burned. “But I’ll kill who did.”
“You killed him as sure as you stand before me.”
“No.”
“He died for you. Because of you. He never would have been there. Never would have fought. And one mortal girl lives, while a god lies dead.”
Cassandra’s vision swam and ran hot. Everything blurred around the edges, whether from tears or rage she couldn’t tell.
“Cassandra, don’t listen.” That was Thanatos’ voice. Far away and unimportant.
“He died a mortal’s death. Demeaned on the side of a road.” Alecto burrowed into Cassandra’s mind again and pulled the memory out by the root. “A branch shoved through his chest. Sputtering about love on a cloudy day.”
“Shut up!”
“You made him nothing. Made him fallible.”
“I didn’t ask for any of that!”
“But it’s your fault. He died for you. Because of you.”
“I never asked him to,” Cassandra screamed. “He never listened to anything I wanted. He was a god! A stupid, stupid god!” Fire licked up and down her arms. Pure, clean hate. “He didn’t die for me. To save me. He died to clear his own conscience, and he got what he deserved!” Tears rolled down her cheek. “For what he did. For what they all did.”
“Cassandra,” Calypso said, her soothing voice, like music, pale as an echo. Everything spun and burned before Cassandra’s eyes, ready to explode. To send glass and disease flying.
“And now Athena returns,” Alecto whispered. “Alive and well. With Aphrodite and Ares by her side. Friends. Allies. Your Aidan forgotten.”
“Athena?” Calypso asked. “Alive? But how?” She stepped closer to Alecto, looking for a miracle, but Cassandra couldn’t see her. Her world had turned red. Athena was with Aphrodite. She was with Ares.
I always knew it. I always knew she’d go to them.
Cassandra’s palms bled where her nails dug in.
“Cassandra, we have to go! We have to see.” Calypso was in her ear, imploring and so damn hopeful. “We have to—”
“You want to help them!” Cassandra whirled and grabbed Calypso by the shoulders. Thanatos screamed for her to stop, but it was too late. Angry as she was, it only took a touch.
And Alecto laughed, and disappeared.
PART II
TWO WARS
17
STAIRS UP, ALL TOGETHER NOW
Hermes led Andie and Henry deeper and deeper into the belly of Hephaestus’ house. The only sounds were their footsteps and rapidly huffing breath. He held the Shield of Achilles ahead of them at chest level. What must they look like? What would Hades think when they burst into the underworld, a scrappy army of three?
Doesn’t matter. Just get them down. He looked back. And be ready to catch them if they stumble.
They had run over two hundred stairs and still saw no sign of the bottom. If they took a fall, it wouldn’t be pretty.
“Slower,” he said. “We’ve gone far enough now. We can take it easy.” He thought of his friend above, Hephaestus in the grip of the Moirae. But when Hephaestus had told them to go, he’d meant it, knowing what it would cost.
“How much farther?” Andie asked.