The Iron Queen (Daughters of Zeus)

  Voice restored, I shouted “Stop!” Quick as a thought, I teleported in front of Hades. I didn’t know what that thing was in his left hand, but every instinct screamed to me that it was dangerous.

  Zeus froze, mid-slash. Shoving him into the wall, I gritted my teeth against the pain of the spike slicing into my arm.

  I took his soul in my hand, and his eyes widened in shock. “I surrender.”

  It didn’t matter. “Then tell me the absolute truth. No hedging, no double speak. What will you do now that you’re sworn to me? Now that you’ve surrendered?”

  Zeus’ jaw tightened. “Plot every minute of the rest of my existence to put an end to you and take my powers back, you miserable little bitch.” He smiled. “I won’t have to wait long.”

  “Yeah, I thought so.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re not going to kill me. You don’t have it in you.” His lips twisted in a smirk. “I know you. I’ve seen everything that goes on in that empty head of yours. You’re not strong enough.”

  It didn’t take strength to kill someone. It took fear. Fear and the knowledge he would come back, that nothing and no one in my life would be safe so long as he walked the earth. I finally understood why Hades kept saying I was brave, kept claiming I was strong. He’d misinterpreted my naiveté for bravado.

  His eyes turned cunning. “You’re different than the rest of us. And that’s okay. You’re…you’re…”

  “A novelty?” I supplied, quoting back his earlier words.

  “More than that. So much more. You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to be like us. You’re different.”

  I was. And maybe I always would be. But this wasn’t just about me and what I wanted, because it wasn’t just me who would be in danger if I let him go. The other gods had given me everything they had so I would end this. Mom had died for this. Her realm was my responsibility now, as much as the Underworld. Maybe this would make me a monster, but everyone has to grow up sometime.

  I looked Zeus straight in the eye. “Drop dead.”

  The spike clattered to the floor, and the rest of Zeus’ power slammed into me. Hades snatched the spike, swearing as recognition dawned in his eyes.

  I stumbled backward, clutching at my arm. The pain from the scratch lanced up to my elbow, spreading like wildfire. Hades steadied me, and I felt a pulse of power pass through me.

  My heart stopped beating. I gasped, sinking to my knees. Hades held onto me, lowering me to the floor. He grabbed my arm just above the elbow. “Where does it hurt?” When I didn’t answer right away, he shouted the question over and over again in my face, panic evident in his eyes.

  “Elbow.” Though the pain was creeping higher.

  “Okay.” He nodded like he’d just made some decision. “Okay, it’ll grow back.”

  Grow back? What the hell was he talking about, grow back?

  I followed his train of thought and shook my head, trying desperately to scramble out of his iron grip. No, stop!

  His hand tightened around my upper arm like a vise. Agony spread from my fingers, and my screams echoed from the rafters. Hades’ other hand went to my forehead, and then blissful darkness washed over me.

  Chapter XLVII

  Hades

  I teleported to Demeter’s backyard, then to the throne room in the Underworld. Persephone hung limp in my arms, face drained of all color. Her dress was saturated with blood.

  “Take her!” I demanded to a startled Charon. He opened his mouth, no doubt about to ask what happened. I didn’t give him the chance. Depositing Persephone into his arms, I teleported back to Zeus’ palace, grabbed the Olympian Dagger, and teleported to Demeter’s living room.

  There were gasps and exclamations of surprise from the gods, and for a second I wondered what I must look like. I was no doubt covered in her blood. But before they could bombard me with questions, I grabbed Hephaestus by the shirt collar and yanked him toward me. Brandishing the Olympian Steele, I held it to his throat, careful not to so much as scratch his skin.

  “You swore there were none left!” I shouted. I didn’t need to be this rattled, this emotional, this angry, not in this room with these gods, but there was no help for it.

  Hephaestus blanched. “I… But…there’s no way—”

  “You swore you’d melted down the very last of these abominations and taken their power into yourself. You swore!” I shook him like a rag doll.

  Long ago, Hephaestus discovered some way to forge metal that could take down any god. The metal was infused with power that could kill in a matter of heartbeats. These weapons weren’t picky. A simple scratch or nick, anything that drew blood, and you were done for unless you acted fast.

  “I did!”

  “Then how the hell did Zeus have this?” Please gods, let me have been fast enough. Let her wake up. I’d done everything, hadn’t I? Stopping her heart stopped her circulation, and then I removed the infected area. She’d healed. That had to be a good sign, right? Crippling uncertainty gripped me like a vise. I wasn’t used to feeling uncertain. Once I told Persephone I’d never felt fear before I’d met her.

  Now I was making up for lost time.

  “I don’t know! But it’s not mine! I didn’t make this one, I swear.”

  The words took a minute to sink in. If Hephaestus didn’t make this, then who did?

  Luckily I knew who to ask.

  Releasing Hephaestus so fast he stumbled backward, I was suddenly aware of everyone else in the room. The gods all had their eyes fixated on the Olympian Dagger. I clutched death in the palm of my hand.

  No one fears death more than immortals. Humans adjust to their lot in life little bits at a time. They’re introduced to the concept with goldfish, then move up to puppies, ancient relatives and reckless friends, each victim closer to them than the last. Death follows them through life, making itself known. Numbing them bit by bit until there is nothing left in them but resignation. We had no such preparation. We were never meant to die.

  “Is she dead?” Melissa’s shaky question shattered the silence of the room. It swelled and exploded into a million questions coming so fast and loud they blended together in an indistinct cacophony of chaos.

  “Did she kill Zeus?”

  “—our power!”

  “—that weapon!”

  “—break fealty.”

  “—Olympian Steele! We need to—”

  “She’s alive.” Please stay that way. “He’s dead. And I’m going back to the Underworld.”

  “You swore she would break the bonds of fealty.” Athena’s eyes glittered with impatience.

  My hand itched to slash the dagger across her throat. Persephone had gone through hell, sheer hell, while Athena sat on Demeter’s couch.

  “Where’s my son?” Poseidon’s question made me wince. I’d forgotten about Triton.

  I didn’t say anything, didn’t have to. Poseidon read the answer on my face. His knees buckled under him, face going blank with shock.

  “I’m sorry,” I managed. And I was, for the kid.

  “I didn’t deserve him.” Poseidon’s voice was raw.

  No one argued. There are no shades of gray to gods. Without the ability to lie and make justifications, it’s difficult not to have a strong sense of justice. Poseidon was worse than most of us, but that any of us were able to look in the mirror every morning after the things we’d done was no small miracle.

  None of us deserved to be happy, and we knew it. We didn’t deserve to have anything or anyone good in our lives. Gods, they’d known it. The Titans knew the abominations we would become. The horrific deeds we would commit. All the ways we would go on to abuse our creations. They’d tried to end our existence, to stop us, and in return we orchestrated their murder. We’d killed our parents. And then we created a species in our image, acting surprised when they spent every waking moment improving upon their methods of murder and mass destruction. We did that. We made them sadistic and twisted and broken. We were gods. Every bad thing
that had ever happened lay at our feet. There was no one else to blame.

  Every good thing, every happy moment filled me with dread because we didn’t deserve it. I’d spent my whole life with baited breath waiting for the day I’d have to answer for what I’d done. Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, they’d all paid the price for their sins. I was the only one left.

  The thought had a prophetic ring to it, and my thoughts leapt to Persephone, unconscious and soaked in her own blood. Please, please don’t let her be my price.

  I must have teleported. Suddenly I was in the Underworld, in Persephone’s room, standing beside her. She lay on top of the covers, arms folded over a bouquet of flowers on her chest like she was laid out in a casket. I made a strangled sound at the sight, startling Cassandra who was curled up in a papasan chair by Persephone’s bed.

  “Hades!” She put a hand to her chest, like she could feel her heart beating faster in fear. Ridiculous, of course. Souls are heartless creatures. “Hypnos said it would help. The flowers I mean. Something about the energy?” She motioned around the room, and I noticed flower pots and vases filled with a variety of plant life for the first time. “Hades, what happened? Why isn’t she waking up?”

  “Like you don’t know.”

  Cassandra flinched at my voice. “I’ll um…just…” She climbed out of the chair and edged toward the door. “I’ll check on you in a bit.”

  The door closed with a click. I sank onto the bed, fumbling for Persephone’s hand and knocking aside the flowers. Her hands were cold. I’d broken her. I’d always known I would.

  “Please,” I whispered, touching my forehead to hers. “Wake up.” Why was she so cold? I shifted my grip on her hand and touched two fingers to her wrist.

  No pulse.

  “Oh.” Well, now I felt really stupid. I touched my lips to hers, sending a ping of power through her to start her heart and repair the damage done in its absence. She gasped, eyes fluttering open.

  It was a fairy tale moment. My kiss bringing her back to life. Or it would have been had it not been my stupidity that kept her under in the first place. Of course she couldn’t regain consciousness until I restored her heartbeat.

  “Hades,” she whispered. A smile touched her lips, and nothing else mattered.

  Chapter XLVIII

  Aphrodite

  I opened my eyes in a panic. Were they stupid? How could they let me wake up? Zeus ordered me to charm them into swearing fealty. That wasn’t going to go away unless…

  Unless…

  Blinking, I took in my surroundings. I lay on Demeter’s white couch in her cheerful living room with dozens of gods milling around, looking distressed. Craning my neck, I sought out Ares. His grin sent a rush of relief coursing through me. No overwhelming desire to charm him. Zeus must be dead.

  I was free.

  “Good nap?” Melissa’s sarcastic voice was music to my ears.

  “It worked?” I demanded, swinging my legs off the couch and turning to face her.

  “More or less. Zeus is dead, but so are Demeter and Triton. Persephone is MIA, and Hades seemed…” Melissa chewed her bottom lip. “Well…”

  “Worried?”

  “Unhinged.” She looked down. “He was also covered in blood.”

  I raised an eyebrow and was about to comment when Persephone and Hades appeared in the middle of the living room. “Speak of the devil.”

  Melissa’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, and I motioned behind her. She turned and gasped when she saw Persephone. Everyone else was closer, but Melissa shoved through them to reach Persephone first and yanked her into an embrace.

  I studied Persephone, half afraid she would be different. With everything she’d been through, she should have been marked by some kind of a physical change. But she looked exactly the same. Leaning into Hades, she didn’t seem nearly happy enough to finally be done with this whole horrible situation. But in a way, the horror of Zeus’ capture was only just starting. Soon she’d have to deal with the fallout of her victory. Of Demeter’s death. Her eyes were filled with the weight of that sadness and fatigue.

  Which was understandable given the circumstances.

  Persephone clung to Melissa for a moment then pulled away. Hades stood behind her, hand drifting from her shoulder, to the small of her back, to her hand. He didn’t seem to be able to stop touching her. Happiness would be out of place here, but he looked like the worry and stress had melted away from him.

  “It’s nice to see you in person.” Athena smiled at Persephone and held out her hand.

  Persephone’s eyes narrowed. “You’re the one who wanted me to die.”

  Athena’s smile froze on her face. “It’s nothing personal—”

  “Right.” Persephone grabbed Athena’s hand and slammed Athena’s power back into her, breaking the bond of fealty. “Nothing personal.”

  Athena stumbled backward, gasping for breath.

  I smiled. It was about time Persephone grew a backbone. I watched Athena, speculating on how it must feel to have made such a powerful enemy. Persephone was kind of a big deal now. Since Triton had sworn to Zeus, and he had sworn to Persephone, she had access to every realm in creation, and the power to pretty much blow up every god in this room.

  “Aphrodite!” To my surprise, Persephone pulled me into a hug. She drew back, locking gazes with me, and what I saw there brought tears to my eyes. Persephone understood.

  We’d both been manipulated and abused by Zeus, and we’d both fought to overcome him in the end. Sure, her success had been more dramatic, but I’d played a part. And that was a pretty big deal for someone who’d been programmed to be loyal to Zeus.

  “This is yours.” She pushed my power back into me, and I held up a hand before she broke the bond of fealty.

  “Don’t. Mine wasn’t conditional. After everything I did to you, it’s the least I can do for you.”

  She looked surprised but didn’t argue. “If you ever change your mind—”

  “I won’t.” Zeus may be dead, but I still had to obey everyone in his bloodline who outranked me. That left only Persephone. I wanted my loyalty and my obedience to be my choice, not something forced upon me.

  She nodded, then moved on to the rest of the gods, restoring power and breaking fealty bonds, not pausing until she came to Poseidon. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, almost too low for me to hear. “He was incredible. It isn’t right that he—” Tears overwhelmed her voice.

  Poseidon clutched her hands in his, looking devastated. “Thank you for being there for him.” His voice was gruff. “For making his last memories better than what Zeus left him with.” He cleared his throat. “Can you restore his soul?”

  She nodded. “Not enough to bring him back to life, but I should be able to put him back together. He’ll be able to dreamwalk, so you’ll see him again.”

  Well, that was enough reunion crap for me. I reached down and grabbed my purse, reaching for my sunglasses and car keys.

  “Where are you going?” Melissa asked.

  “Are you kidding? I’m out of here. I was thinking of heading back to Florida. What can I say? I miss the beach.” I looked at Melissa for a minute, knowing the answer before I asked and hating it. “Want to come? I could charm your teachers for you.”

  Melissa shook her head. “I’m staying here, but maybe I’ll visit over spring break.”

  “Suit yourself.” I slid on my sunglasses.

  “I think you’re forgetting something,” Melissa said.

  “Hmm?”

  She reached out and snatched the keys from my hands. “Those are my car keys.”

  “Need a ride?” Ares asked, flashing me a grin.

  I glanced between him, Adonis, and Hephaestus, all suddenly holding car keys.

  Choices, choices. I took a moment to relish the freedom to make my own decisions. A grin broke out on my face. Choices were fun and all, but why pick one when you can have all three?

  “Road trip?” I suggested.
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  Chapter XLIX

  Hades

  She’d woken up screaming again.

  But it hadn’t taken long for her to return to sleep. I leaned against the headboard, one hand rhythmically stroking her hair. Power flowed through my fingertips, keeping her nightmares at bay.

  I could deal with nightmares. And really, after everything she’d been through, if sleepless nights were the only noticeable change, we were lucky. She had her moments during the day—if something reminded her of her mother, or whenever she saw Triton in a crowd of souls—but for the most part she was coping well. She was stronger than I’d ever given her credit for. I could handle emotional breakdowns.

  What I couldn’t handle, what set my heart beating in rage, was the fear in her eyes when she woke from her nightmares and saw me. The second when she wasn’t sure whether I was myself, or Zeus in disguise.

  But I’d discovered a nice outlet for my anger. When I was certain she wouldn’t wake again, I shifted the covers to the side, climbed out of bed, and teleported to the deepest, darkest dimension of Tartarus.

  A white room with a single metal chair.

  “Back again?” Zeus sounded amused. He looked comfortable, no small accomplishment given that he was strapped to the chair and only half-healed from the Prometheus treatment. I didn’t always keep him in here of course. There was an entire realm full of all the tortures Zeus had inflicted on us over the millennia.

  I summoned all the equipment I’d need. Knives today. Perhaps a table. I’d wanted to torch his soul the moment it entered the Underworld, but I had questions that needed answers. The missing demigods were not in the Underworld. We needed to locate them and find out how he’d gotten ahold of Olympian Steele.

  Plus, torturing Zeus was kind of fun.

  “So, how’s the wife?”

  I stiffened, but said nothing.

  Zeus grinned. “I’m sure she’s adjusting well. She’s quite the trooper. Fastest recovery times I’ve ever seen. Did I tell you about the time I ripped out one of her lungs?” He laughed. “You should have seen her flopping around like—”