Reborn
REBORN
PRUE
The split second before the Titan struck her, Prue realized how foolish it had been for her to come here.
She was Cyrus’s weakness. And it didn’t occur to her until this moment that Apollo would exploit that to win the challenge.
She ducked at the last second, but the lightning from the Titan’s unholy power managed to slice into her shoulder, making her bones rattle. Shooting pain spiraled up her arm, and her skin was on fire. With an anguished cry, she cradled her arm, looking frantically for Cyrus. If he had turned to her… If his back was to Apollo…
“My queen!” Lagos shouted, darting in front of her. His big form momentarily blocked her view of Cyrus.
“It’s a trap!” Prue shrieked. “Cyrus, look out !”
A blinding white light flashed, and another bolt of lightning cracked in the air. Prue dropped to the ground, arms covering her head. Lagos instinctively shielded her with his arms as they both waited for the blow.
But it never came.
Shouts and screams echoed around Prue, and Apollo was bellowing something she couldn’t make out.
Panting, Prue rose to her feet, her heart hammering madly in her chest.
Please, no. Oh Goddess, please no…
“Prue,” Lagos said, but she pushed past him, desperation pounding within her. Her pulse quickened when she noticed the figure lying on the ground.
“No,” she whispered. Horror pooled in her gut, and her stomach sank with dread. “ No .”
Then she was running, ignoring Lagos’s protests behind her, gritting her teeth against the blinding pain in her arm. She sprinted until she reached Cyrus’s side. A charred black spot marred his tunic, and steam rose from the wound.
“Cyrus!” she cried in a broken voice. Her shaking hands hovered over his form as she tried to determine what she could do for him. Should she put pressure on the wound?
No, she needed to see if he was still breathing first…
Tears poured down her face, and she choked on a sob, but she couldn’t stop. With trembling fingers, she pressed her hands to his chest, then his neck, waiting, trying to keep still as she listened for a heartbeat.
Silence. Stillness. Then…
Thump, thump.
“Thank the Goddess,” Prue whispered, closing her eyes in relief. The pulse was faint, but it was there. She just needed to heal him before his injuries claimed his life.
“ Kill her !” Apollo roared.
“Prue!” someone shouted.
Prue looked up in time to see Hyperion storming toward her, venom in his gaze as his hands stretched toward her. She didn’t have time to run, and even if she did, she refused to leave Cyrus’s side.
She was about to die. They both were.
Shrieks of alarm filled the air as something swooped down from above, clipping Hyperion on the shoulder. Hyperion grunted, knocked over from the force of whatever had flown at him. Prue crouched low, her arms clutching Cyrus to her as she surveyed the sky—or rather, the gray expanse that had once been the sky.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she squinted in confusion at the flying figure.
It was a man with glowing translucent wings that beat behind him like ghosts. When he arced, turning back toward her, Prue’s eyes flared wide.
It was Evander.
Before she could process this, the ground split, and cracks formed all around her and Cyrus. From the fissures sprang forth vines and roots, curling forward, each one bearing sharpened barbs.
“Mona,” Prue whispered in disbelief. She wanted to climb to her feet, to run to her sister, but she couldn’t leave Cyrus. Instead, she clung to him, bringing his head into her lap as she witnessed the chaos erupt around her.
The Titans scattered as Evander dived for them once more, his hands outstretched. Prue caught a glimpse of pearly white claws extending from his fingers. He slashed, and one Titan wasn’t quick enough. Evander’s claws raked through his shoulder, and black blood bloomed. The Titan screamed in rage, falling to the ground and clutching the wound. Apollo crouched low, cowering with his arms above his head as he tried to avoid Evander’s strikes.
“Prue!” shouted an achingly familiar voice.
Prue looked over and found Mona racing toward her. Her long, black hair whipped behind her, and she wore a corseted tunic and leather pants. She dropped beside Prue, and the sisters embraced. Prue’s tears fell anew at the sight of her sister. Goddess, it had been so long since they’d seen each other.
“What are you doing here?” Prue asked in a strained voice. “It isn’t safe!”
“That’s exactly why I’m here,” Mona said with a smile. “I couldn’t leave you to deal with this on your own.”
Prue’s lower lip wobbled, and she started to cry once more. There was so much strength and confidence in Mona’s face that it almost made her unrecognizable. She had a fierceness about her that had never been there before. Gone was the meek, bookish sister she’d grown up with in Krenia. This woman was every bit the goddess Prue knew her to be.
“Mona,” Prue choked, lifting Cyrus’s head on her lap. He still wasn’t moving. “Can you heal him? Please.”
Mona frowned as she looked over Cyrus. “What happened to him?”
“One of the Titans struck him.”
“No, I mean…” Mona faltered, and Prue realized she was noticing Cyrus’s all-black hair and unmarked skin.
“He’s mortal,” Prue whispered.
Mona stared at her, eyes wide with alarm. “ What ?”
“There isn’t time to explain! Can you heal him?”
“I—I will do what I can.”
Apollo was shouting something at the Titans. Prue looked up and found him gesturing wildly to the crowd of demons standing with Lagos.
“No,” Prue whispered in horror. “ Lagos !” she cried, waving her arms frantically. “Get them out! Go !”
Lagos glanced from her to Apollo, finally understanding. He shouted urgently at the crowd, and within moments, they were fleeing the Undead Wilds.
But the Titans were faster. They surged forward, easily overtaking the crowd. One of them slammed into the earth, cutting off their escape.
Prue pressed her hands into the ground, summoning her magic. Vines and leaves coated the earth, slithering toward the Titans. One by one, her vines yanked on their ankles, tethering them to the ground. Each one yelped, clawing at the restraints, but Prue’s magic had bought her people time. They darted around the Titans, continuing their hurried movements.
“Shit,” Prue hissed as one of the Titans inhaled deeply. Her foliage turned to ash, and he sucked it up, then roared in triumph. White light burned in the sky, and he struck. A demon fell with a loud cry before the Titan extended a clawed hand and ripped out his throat.
“ No !” Prue screamed, jumping to her feet. She summoned more magic, then froze as the Titan met her gaze. A hungry smile spread along his face.
He wanted her to conjure her magic. He wanted to devour it, too.
It would only make him stronger. She couldn’t.
But her people were falling. The Titans were inhaling her magic, breaking free of her hold on them as they preyed on the innocent people of the Underworld.
“Prue!” Mona cried.
Prue turned to her sister, but before she could face her, more lightning burst in the sky, momentarily blinding her. She shielded her eyes as the glow burned against her, searing her face and warming her blood. A roar of fury exploded around her, making the ground tremble.
And on his feet before her was Cyrus. His eyes were all-white, and they crackled like the lightning dancing from his fingers. His chest was rising and falling with heavy breaths, and his teeth were bared.
“C-Cyrus?” Prue breathed, pressing a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
Cyrus roared again, then brought his hands together. A ball of lightning formed between his palms, and he unleashed it toward the crowd of Titans attacking his people.
The light collided with them, and white light sizzled through them, scorching their bodies. The Titans went flying in different directions until they collapsed into charred heaps on the forest floor.
“No!” Apollo roared, but when Cyrus flexed his arms toward him, the sun god paled and backed away from him, his face stricken with terror.
Prue gaped at her husband, unable to comprehend what was happening. Her heart pulsed a frantic rhythm in her chest, and she thought she might faint from a mixture of shock and relief.
He was alive. And yet… what was he?
He was not a human, but this wasn’t death magic, either.
“Cyrus,” Prue said again, her voice louder now.
Cyrus’s eyes shuddered, and gradually, the white light faded to the usual icy blue. Slowly, his gaze lowered to meet hers. Her heart lurched painfully as their eyes locked. She held her breath, waiting for recognition or hatred or… some kind of awareness to dawn on his face. Would he despise her again? Would he forget her entirely?
“Prue,” he said, his voice raspy. In a swift movement, he closed the distance between them, grasping her arms and helping her to her feet. Prue threw her arms around him and wept into his chest. The scorch mark still stained his shirt, and the sight of it only made her cry harder.
“I thought I l-lost you,” she sobbed, clinging to his shirt.
“Shit!” Cyrus cried suddenly, shoving her behind him. He brought his hands together once more, and lightning split the air before barreling into a Titan, who had been only a few steps away from reaching Prue. The Titan’s entire body seized as Cyrus’s strange magic electrocuted him. Then, he fell over, motionless.
Prue stared, wide-eyed at the fallen Titan. He did not rise.
“Cyrus, what is this magic?” she asked. “How?”
“I—I think I siphoned their powers.” Cyrus lifted a hand, staring at it in disbelief. “When they struck me, I absorbed the magic.”
Prue’s blood ran cold. “You—You have Titan magic within you?”
Cyrus met her gaze. “Yes. I do. But I’m not sure how long it will last. We need to use it while we can.”
A shadow slammed into the ground before them, pearly wings outstretched. Panting, Evander strode toward them, not even fazed by Cyrus’s appearance or his new magic. He merely inclined his head. “Brother.”
Cyrus offered a grim smile. “It’s good to see you, Evander.”
“I can’t hold them off forever.” Evander gestured to Cyrus’s raised hand. “But it looks like your magic can do more damage than mine.”
“Did the civilians get out?” Prue asked.
Evander nodded. “One Titan tried to cut them off, but I took care of him. Unfortunately, my blows are not fatal, so it’s only temporary.”
“That’s all right,” Prue said. “With the crowd gone, we don’t have to hold back any longer.”
She stepped around Cyrus, now standing side-by-side with him. Mona appeared on her other side, her eyes bright with determination.
In front of them stood Apollo, still shouting orders to the Titans. But there were fewer of them than before; now, only seven remained, and many of them looked reluctant to follow Apollo’s orders.
“Apollo!” Cyrus bellowed, his voice ringing around them.
The sun god turned to face him, then blanched at the sight of the four deities prepared to fight him.
“Your Titan attacked me,” Cyrus said, his voice loud and commanding. “You have breached the terms of our challenge.”
“No,” Apollo sputtered, shaking his head.
“You have forfeited your right to the throne,” Cyrus continued. “The kingdom is mine.”
“ No !” Apollo screeched. He frantically flung his hands toward the Titans. “ Stop him! ”
The Titans drew forward, but their steps were slow and measured. Instead of surrounding Cyrus, they formed a small circle around Apollo.
“We are finished, Apollo,” said Hyperion in his low and deep voice. “We have done our part. Our bargain has been fulfilled.”
“You haven’t done shit ,” Apollo spat. “I’m not King of the Underworld!”
“That was not our agreement. We vowed to help you during the challenge. And we did. But we will not follow your orders any longer.”
“We are finished,” said the Titan next to Hyperion—a beast of a man with deep purple skin, lengthy claws, and two large ram horns protruding from his temples.
“You’re not finished.” Apollo’s cheeks were turning red, and his eyes were wild with rage and panic. “You obey my command, and I order you to?—”
The purple Titan didn’t let him finish. With a swift motion, he stabbed his claws right through Apollo’s chest.
Prue shrieked and clapped a hand over her mouth. The Titan pushed harder until his claws completely impaled Apollo’s chest. Silver blood bubbled from the sun god’s mouth, dribbling down his chin. With a hoarse, wet cough, he crumpled, then slid backward. The Titan withdrew his claws as Apollo’s form collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Shit, Prue thought as the purple Titan turned his black eyes toward her. “Do not get in our way, little goddess.”
“We cannot let you roam freely,” Cyrus said, his voice still resonant despite the sight of Apollo’s dying form. “You must return to Tartarus.”
A few of the Titans laughed. Some of them growled, baring their teeth in fury.
“Try and stop us,” Hyperion challenged, spreading his arms as he smirked at Cyrus. “It will be fun to watch you fail so spectacularly.”
“Cyrus,” Prue whispered, gripping his arm tightly before he advanced on the Titans. He may be wielding the Titans’ power, but as far as they knew, he was still mortal. All it would take was one swipe of that purple Titan’s claws, and Cyrus would be dead.
Cyrus fixed his blue eyes on her, and they were full of pain and regret. “You need to get out. Take your sister.”
“No!” Mona said.
“Like hell,” Prue hissed. “If anyone should leave, it’s you , Cyrus.”
“I can’t just let them go,” Cyrus whispered, his voice pleading. “They will destroy the realm. They’ll slaughter our people.”
A knot formed in Prue’s throat as she looked at the sorrow in her husband’s eyes. She thought of the arrogant, power-hungry god she’d first met and how little he had cared for those around him, even his own subjects. This man before her was so very different. He was willing to give his life for his people—for her. He was willing to battle an impossible foe, even if it meant his own death.
Heat stung her eyes as she continued to stare at him. But Prue refused to cry any more. She had done enough of that already.
“Then I will fight with you,” she said softly, lacing her fingers through his. “For our people.”
Admiration shone in his eyes, and he nodded once. He glanced over her shoulder to meet Evander’s gaze. “Evander?—”
“We’re staying,” Evander said, arms crossed in defiance. Beside him, Mona lifted her chin, eyes flashing.
Prue took a shaky breath as she turned to look at the Titans. They were already advancing toward them, their steps casual and slow, as if this fight would be nothing more than an inconvenience to them.
But Cyrus wielded that same power. And Mona and Prue had embraced their goddess powers. Evander still had his demonic qualities, though they were a strange echo of what they had once been.
The four of them were a force to be reckoned with.
The thought sent fire shooting through Prue’s veins, and she clung to that strength, using it to fuel her courage. With a shout, she raised her fist, then slammed it into the earth. The ground shook, and the cracks in the ground widened to massive crevices. The holes spread, causing rocks and roots to crumble as a wide crater formed between them and the Titans. It continued spreading, and the Titans began backing up in alarm. But Prue pressed onward until the hole swallowed up two of the Titans. Their screams echoed as they fell and then, with a loud thud, they went silent.
Cyrus looked at her with a mixture of surprise and pride.
Prue gave him a wicked smile. “Let the games begin.”