28. Athena
28
ATHENA
I t's quiet in the evening as I work on cleaning all the blades that Uriel has finished up. He doesn't quite trust me to help him still - since he knows I might mess up the runes just to spite him.
Not that I've been thwarting him too much lately. I've been far too confused about where we stand with each other to want to push boundaries. I can't even find where they lie anymore.
I'm so lost in my head that I don't hear anyone approaching, not until the door slams open and my head whips up at the sound of my name.
"Athena!" Astrid bursts through first, her raven hair wild around her face, twin daggers gripped in her hands. Her demon, V, towers behind her, his eyes blazing a violent crimson that bathes the room in an eerie glow.
Oh, gods. They've come to save me. And I don't want to go anywhere.
My throat closes. "Astrid?—"
She crosses the room in three swift strides and wraps her arms around me, the daggers still clutched in her grip. The metal is cold against my back. "Are you hurt? Did they touch you?"
I push back, my hands against her shoulders. "No, Astrid. I'm okay."
"Father didn't even—" Astrid's face twists into a snarl. "I came to see you and you weren't there. No one knew where you were. How could he not tell me you were taken?"
I gulp hard, not sure how to answer that. "Astrid, it's not?—"
"We need to get out of here," V warns. "Before someone finds us."
"He's right." She turns back to me. "Let's get you out of here."
Panic starts to rise in my throat. How do I explain this to her?
"Wait—"
The workshop door crashes open again, this time splintering off its hinges as Uriel storms in. His massive wings spread wide, blocking the exit, and his golden eyes blaze with fury. The perfect features of his face twist into something dark and deadly.
V spins, his hands already crackling with blue energy. "Step aside."
"You dare break into my home?" Uriel's voice drops to a dangerous growl.
V hurls a bolt of magic, but Uriel's already moving. He drops and rolls, coming up with a blade in each hand. The magic blast leaves a smoking hole in the wall behind him.
My sister's grip tightens. "Athena, run!"
But I wrench away from her, stumbling back. "No, you don't understand?—"
"What are you doing?" Astrid's green-gold eyes widen in confusion.
V and Uriel clash in a blur of steel and magic. V's spells light up the workshop in brilliant flashes, but Uriel moves like liquid death between them, his blades singing through the air. He may not use magic often, but centuries of combat experience show in every precise movement, enhanced by his weapons that sing with his magic.
"Stop!" I grab for the nearest weapon - one of the shortswords I'd just finished cleaning. "V, don't hurt him!"
Astrid's face contorts in rage. "V, get him away from her!"
"No!" I dash toward the fighting, my heart pounding. I pray all my training with Raven amounts to something. "V, please! I'm not being held captive!"
The confusion in Astrid's scream tears at my heart. "What are you talking about? Athena, get back here!"
But I keep moving toward Uriel, toward the deadly dance of demon and blade, praying I can stop this before someone gets hurt. Before my sister's rescue attempt ruins everything.
I plant my feet between them, arms spread wide. My hands shake but my voice rings clear through the workshop. "Stop this right now!"
V's magic crackles inches from my face, casting an electric blue glow across my skin. The air feels charged, making my hair stand on end. Behind me, I hear Uriel's sharp intake of breath.
"Get out of the way, little demon." His voice holds none of its usual teasing warmth. But I hear the concern in his voice.
I shake my head. "I won't let either of you hurt each other. I choose to be here." I don't add that I was kidnapped because it feels irrelevant now.
"Choose?" Astrid's voice cracks. "What do you mean choose?"
"I mean I'm staying here because I want to. Not because anyone's holding me prisoner." The words tumble out faster now. "I've been helping in the workshop, learning about weapons and?—"
A blast of magic sizzles past my ear. V's eyes shift from gray to a crimson. "Step aside."
Strong hands grab my waist and suddenly I'm airborne. Uriel tosses me behind him like I weigh nothing, his massive wings creating a barrier between me and the others.
He whirls on me, golden eyes blazing. "Don't you ever throw yourself into a fight again." His perfect features contort with rage, but there's fear there too - raw and unexpected. "You could have been killed."
"I won't let them hurt you," I say, chin lifted.
His laugh is harsh. "Little demon, I don't need your protection."
"Well, you have it anyway." I step around his wing, facing my sister again. "Astrid, please. Let me explain."
But before I can say more, Uriel's arm bands around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. Away from another crackling bolt of magic. His wings arch higher, defensive. Protective.
The gesture says more than words ever could.
"I've found something here." My hands tremble, but my voice stays steady. "Friends. Freedom. A place where I can actually be myself."
"Freedom?" Astrid darts forward, gripping V's arm. He pauses, looking down at her. "What are you talking about? You were safe with us."
The laugh that bursts from my throat is bitter, alien. "Safe? I was suffocating. You and Father wrapped me in silk and locked me away like some precious treasure that might break."
V's magic dims, his eyes shifting to a confused violet. Uriel's arm stays firm around my waist, but he doesn't interrupt.
"We protected you!" Astrid's voice cracks.
"You imprisoned me!" The words explode out, years of frustration finally breaking free. "I couldn't train, couldn't learn to defend myself, couldn't even walk through the fucking gardens without an escort. Do you know what Raven taught me yesterday? How to throw a proper punch. Something so basic, and I never knew because you were all too worried I might hurt myself."
Astrid flinches like I've struck her. "We just wanted?—"
"To keep me safe. I know." My fingers dig into Uriel's arm, anchoring myself. "But I'm not made of glass. Here, they let me help in the workshop. They trust me with weapons. Raven's teaching me to fight. For the first time in my life, someone's looking at me and seeing strength instead of weakness."
"Father will never?—"
"Father doesn't get a say anymore." The words come out sharp as steel. "Uriel didn't kidnap me or trap me. He just showed me what it feels like to breathe. To make my own choices. To fail and learn and grow stronger."
Astrid's green-gold eyes fill with tears. "I didn't know you felt this way."
"How could you? You were too busy protecting me to ever actually see me."
Astrid's eyes search my face, and something in her expression shifts. Her gaze darts between me and Uriel, understanding dawning in those green-gold depths we share, and that alone scares me. She takes a hesitant step forward.
V's hand shoots out to catch her arm, his pale blue skin almost luminescent in the workshop's light. At the same time, Uriel's wings tense, curling tighter around me.
"Let me go," Astrid murmurs, not taking her eyes off me. Her fingers brush V's hand until he releases her.
Uriel's grip loosens when I squeeze his forearm. "It's okay."
The distance between us closes, and Astrid's arms come up around me in a tight squeeze. Her daggers are gone, tucked away somewhere in her vest. "I never meant to cage you. None of us did."
"I know." The words catch in my throat. "But intentions don't change what happened. Here, I'm learning who I am without everyone's expectations weighing me down."
She shakes her head against me. "I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. You're my little sister - I should have known better than anyone how much you were hurting."
"You were trying to protect me." I wrap my arms around her waist. "But I need room to grow, to make mistakes, to figure things out on my own."
V clears his throat, his eyes shifting to a calmer blue-violet. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation another time." His gaze slides to Uriel, who still stands battle-ready. "We'll stay in the city for a while. Visit when the timing is... better."
Astrid pulls back, wiping at her eyes. "He's right. We should go."
"I'd like that." I glance at Uriel, whose perfect features have softened slightly. "I need to talk to Uriel anyway."
V's lips quirk up at one corner as he extends his hand to Astrid. "Come, little rebel. Let's leave them to sort things out."