Chapter 17
“Stay low,” I whisper as we cut through the trees.
“What’s the plan?” Raven asks.
“We need to make it to the cave and cover Kira until she is inside and can find the hammer.”
Crouching, I run through the forest with the others at my back. In my peripheral, the wall of white fog pulses. I race forward, ducking behind a large boulder that could potentially be a mountain itself.
“Wait here. Before we go into battle, I need to see what’s happening at the academy.” I pull the shell from my pocket. “Jayden, Halfling Academy.”
My hands tremble as the mist solidifies and Jayden comes into view. There’s a cut above his eyebrow leaking golden ichor and his shirt is torn. His shadows pulse up and down his arms as he faces off with the Chimera, dodging poison and fire.
“It’s so much worse than I thought,” I say and Jayden’s gaze locks on mine.
“What are you doing?” he asks. “Did you find the hammer?”
“Not yet. We are at the mountain, though. Are you guys holding the line?” I ask.
“We’ve got this under control, baby, I promise. Get the hammer and get back here.” His shadows pulse around him, solidifying as a demon lunges for him.
The shadows turn to a blade, slicing through the demon like butter and turning it to ash, but two more demons take its place. It’s absolute chaos as students run through the academy wielding swords and anything they can get their hands on.
“I wish I was there to help.” My throat dries and I croak the words.
“You will be. As soon as you get the hammer, come back to me. We can end this crazy together.” He grins at me.
That grin should be illegal even close to two thousand miles apart and it does something to my insides. Butterflies erupt in flutters in my stomach.
“I will get to you, and we will finally end this bullshit,” I growl.
“That’s my love. Now, go. You’re distracting me from the battle. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I wave the mist away. “We need to get back. They’re holding their own, but I don’t for how long. They are overrun with monsters.”
“We’ve got this, B. Let’s get Kira into that fucking cave.” Raven squares her shoulders and turns toward the cave.
“Wait,” I say, grabbing her arm. “Does it look like the wall of fog has moved since we got here?”
“Shit,” Greyson says. “Yeah, I think we were spotted.”
“The scent of decay is overwhelming my senses.” Kira shakes her head. “I can’t sense anything but death.”
“Keep your eyes on the cave pulsing with fiery Hephaestus magic. We’ll cover you so you can retrieve the hammer.” I pull my sword from the ether and my whip materializes in my other hand.
“Just do me a favor and reserve your magic. You’re going to need it at the academy.” Raven crouches in a fighting stance in front of Kira who is already moving toward the cave.
“I’ll do my best but in case I do use too much, we always have the snack moms,” I snicker as Greyson shoots me a mock glare.
“Those snacks have saved all our asses,” he grumbles.
“You’re right. Sorry, you know I get sarcastic when worried.” I keep pace with Raven as we shadow Kira to the base of the mountain.
“I can feel my dad. Is he here?” Kira scans the mountainside.
“No, that’s the cave.” I point fifty feet up the side of the mountain. “The hammer is hidden by his power just like every other item of power we’ve retrieved. That’s why you have to get it and no one else.”
“Right but I feel my dad, not just his magic,” she says. “Maybe he’s in his workshop.”
“The queen has complete control of this place and apparently has for a long time. I doubt your dad has been here recently, but I guess it’s possible.”
“He has fortresses no one can penetrate all over the place. I bet he’s in his fortress here,” Kira mumbles.
A shriek pierces the quiet of the mountainside as the fog inches closer. “Fuck, that was a signal to attack. We’ve got to go.”
I shove Kira up the side of the mountain, and she stumbles as she scrambles to get her feet back under her. I turn my back on her, keeping an eye on the enemy who is advancing on us with fog inching ever closer and enveloping my feet.
“What’s the plan, B?” Raven asks.
“Send as many of them as possible back to Hades.” I slash my sword at the fog.
A gnarled hand reaches for me through the mist, and I slice it off with a swipe of my sword. The hag screams and the fog billows toward them at an unnatural pace.
“Hades is going to enjoy punishing you psycho bitches.” Raven cackles.
“Draven, go as far as you can get up the hill with Kira. You too, Greyson. The side of the mountain will be our stand against them.” I wave at them to move.
“Got it,” Greyson shouts as he rolls away from a hag’s hand attempting to pull him into the fog. “These bitches won’t quit.”
He swipes his sword, and it cuts the fog like butter, but the mist solidifies and moves faster toward him. “Watch out, Greyson.”
I flick my whip, and a hiss explodes from the fog as the tail end wraps around a skeletal arm.
I yank on the wraith, and she stumbles from the fog, shrieking.
Smoke rises from her body as even in the dark of night, she can’t handle the light from the moon.
That’s why they have the fog while in our realm.
“If you can manage it, get them out of the fog. They will burn up faster,” I yell.
Raven swaps her twin blades for her battle ax and swings it, cutting through the fog and several grating screams are cut off, replaced by gurgles. Black blood sprays out of the mist. I jump back just in time not to be sprayed but Raven isn’t so lucky, and it splatters her face and clothes.
“Oh gods, that’s vile. What in Hades is that?” Raven gags.
“It’s not ichor, that’s for sure.” I flick my whip and the fog retreats only a little before surging forward again.
“You’re kidding,” Raven gasps dramatically.
“Shut up, Raven.” I glance over my shoulder. “How’s it going, Kira?”
“Almost there,” she calls back. “Just a little farther… ahhh.”
I spin on my heel only to find a demon materialized behind our line and is attacking Kira. “Someone help her.”
“Kira,” Draven shouts and races to her side, slinging into the demon with little effort.
“You’ve got this, Kira,” I shout to her.
“Beth, watch out.” Fire shoots from Kira’s palms straight for me and I dive to the right.
The burning lava hits the fog sizzling with power and cuts through the wraiths’ defenses. More screams of pain and rage fill the battlefield as I bring my sword down on the hag in front of me. She explodes into ash and more of the fog recedes.
“Fuck off, hag,” I spit at the mist. “Come at me. You want to end up like your friend?”
I slash and hack until the fog clears but the wraiths were only the beginning. I spin back to Kira and blow out a relieved breath when I spot her at the mouth of the cave.
“Yes, Kira, go get the hammer so we can end this.” Pumping my legs, I race up the side of the mountain with Raven and stand shoulder to shoulder with the guys blocking the entrance to the cave as a wave of lizard demons lurch forward.
“I’ve got this, Beth. We will end this and get back to the academy,” Kira says before sprinting into the cave.
“Watch out,” Raven yells, pointing to the sky.
I roll to the side, stopping myself just before I roll of the edge of the cliff. I spring to my feet but the sight before me is too fucked for words. A glowing gold net is welded to the ground all around Greyson and Draven.
I scan the area as a woman bellows in fury. “You were all supposed to be caught in the net.”
A large ball of magic sails through the air toward me as I glance at the woman who wielded the magic and dropped the net on them. She is probably the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I immediately recognize her as Mia’s mother. The goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite.
“Have you ever even been in a battle, Aphrodite? I’m not surprised I was able to get past your little net trick. Was that the plan? Trap me in the net and kill me like a coward? I’m surprised the queen gave you such a task when I have defeated every enemy she’s thrown at me.”
“No, the queen gave me this task so I could avenge my daughter, and I will not fail.” She throws another blast of magic at me, and I dodge to the side, keeping my body between her and the net trapping my friends.
“I can’t get out, Beth,” Draven says. “My magic won’t work on it.”
“Save your energy, Draven. You’re not getting out of it. I know exactly what this is.” I flick my whip at the nearest demon trying to get to the easy prey behind me. “It’s poetic that you would use the object of your own humiliation to try to kill me for humiliating your daughter, repeatedly.”
“Only Hephaestus can get them out and he’s not here, so what will you do, daughter of Zeus? You’re not getting out of here alive.” Aphrodite sneers.
“You really think you will be the one to succeed in killing me?” I laugh and slash a lizard demon across the throat, turning it to ash.
“I will succeed where all have failed, and the queen will reward me in the new world.” Aphrodite throws another wave of magic.
I duck the swipe of claws and kick out at the demon, pushing him right into the path of Aphrodite’s magic. The demon bursts into ash and… is that glitter?
“Did you just try to kill me with body glitter?” I cackle. “You really have no idea what the fuck you’re doing here, do you?”
“Taunting the goddess probably isn’t the best use of your energy,” Raven shouts as she defends against three demons at once.
“But it’s fun and you saw the glitter bomb she threw, right? Absolutely ridiculous.” Two demons try to grab me from each side, and I drop to the ground, swiping my sword in the belly of one and kick out at the other.
I crack my whip, and it wraps around the demon’s neck, flaring blue-white, and the demon explodes in a shower of sparks. The other demon drops to its knees, holding its gut, and I swing my blade in a wide arc, cutting the head from its body.
“No,” Aphrodite screeches. “This was supposed to be easy. You’re supposed to just die.”
“Sorry to disappoint but you’re not the first to underestimate me.” I roll to my feet.