Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Izzy
The golden light fades, and Reid shouts for the box. I throw it to him, and Thea falls in front of me. Not in pain. But in shock. I can see it written across her face. She lifts her hands as if to call forth her powers, but nothing happens.
“Just do it,” I hear Oliver say.
I turn and see Reid hold out the box. A golden glow washes over the final god, and then it fades away. We’d…won…and yet it didn’t feel like we’d won.
“All of you get together,” Aiden says, his great hammer in his hand.
The gods scramble around Thea. Barret looks angry as hell. Connor looks shocked. And Oliver’s expression is one of great relief. Viggo lies on his side on the ground, his face pale. His mouth opens, but no words come out.
So, I look at my sister. I look at the other gods. “Your powers are gone now. We’re not going to kill you, but if we ever hear about you doing anything cruel, if we even suspect it, we’re coming after you. Got it?”
Barret’s mouth curls into a sneer. “What would we even do? We’re fucking human now. Worthless. Useless.”
Oliver surprises us by smiling. “I don’t mind. I actually have a plane to catch.” He turns and walks away, heading back down the road toward town.
Connor shakes his head. “What if I promised to be good… Could I have my god back? I’ll work with you guys. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Van laughs. “Yeah, that’s a hard no.”
Barret steps forward and grabs Thea by the arm, hauling her up. “This isn’t over. Come on, babe, let’s go.” He starts to tug her away, and she yanks her arm back.
He looks toward her, his expression surprised. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not coming with you.”
His laugh is awful. “What are you going to do? You were nothing before. You’ll be nothing again without me.”
“We’re done,” she says, her voice firm.
Anger washes over his face. He slams his hand into her cheek, and she hits the ground. Hard.
I don’t think. I just act. I lift my hand, and Barret goes flying over the cliff and into the waters far below. I don’t know if he’ll live. I don’t know if he’ll die. But I don’t care.
“Are you okay?” I say, reaching out to my sister.
She jerks back and climbs to her feet. “I…I’m not. I’m fucked up, and I need to get help.”
“I can help,” I say automatically.
She shakes her head. “Not yet. Not until I deserve you.”
“Where are you going to go?” I ask, feeling strangely upset.
Her brows draw together. “I don’t know. But when I get myself together…if I can become a better person…can I find you?”
“Always,” I say. “We’re family.”
She turns and starts walking away.
“Can I come with you?” Conner shouts.
She looks back at him and lifts a brow. “If you follow me, I’ll stab you.”
He freezes, then turns and goes down the road the opposite direction.
At last, I look back at my dad, and there’s no denying it. His eyes are open, but they don’t see. His body is pale and unmoving.
He’s dead.
And our enemies are gone.
I look back at my men, then at the box in Reid’s hand.
“I’m ready to be human again,” Wilder says.
Reid looks at each of us. “Are you sure? Because I can do this on my own.”
Van smiles. “It’s actually not that bad. If I was going to be a god again, we’d have to release the bad gods too. I’m okay staying human.”
“I can’t think of anything I want more than to just be human again,” I tell him.
Reid lifts the box, and we all step forward. He opens it and the golden light washes over us. Within seconds, it fades.
It’s strange that I don’t feel any different. But when I search inside myself, Loki is gone.
“Is it over?”
I look up. Mr. Time stands in the doorway next to Brenda.
I nod, and Reid gives him the box.
Instantly, he turns to Brenda. “Guardian of the Gods, your service is needed again.”
She lifts her head high, looking every bit the warrior. “You have my word. They will be hidden where they can never hurt anyone again.”
She heads toward her car.
“What about the godslayers?” I ask. “Since we didn’t kill the gods, will they go back to normal? Technically, we still exist.”
Mr. Time frowns. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
I think of Jessica and the others. Their lives had been just as torn up as our own when the gods were reborn. I hope for their sakes that they can go back to normal.
“Let’s go inside,” I say and lift a hand to the door.
It flies open.
“Whoa,” I say. “Did it not work?”
Mr. Time shakes his head. “No, the gods are gone. But I kind of expected that some of their powers might remain within you because of how powerful your gods had been.”
“Cool,” Wilder says, grinning.
It was kind of cool. Did we actually get rid of the gods, get our lives back, and get to keep some of our powers? That’s more than a happy ending.