in the face of this. Even if there’s only time to teach the basics, at least that will give them a fighting chance if the rest of us fall.”
“No one has the luxury of waiting on the sidelines,” James added.
Cody nodded solemnly. “I’ll get it done.”
“James and I are coordinating on locating potential weapon stockpiles that haven’t been raided yet,” Caleb spoke up.
I gave Caleb a smile of appreciation and turned to James. “Don’t go on your own,” I warned him.
James’ dark eyes flashed at me, and I knew he was going to argue.
“We can’t risk losing you,” I said in a low voice. “Notify me if Caleb identifies a location, and I’ll assign a team to go with you.”
“Anna needs all of us for what’s to come,” Caleb added from beside us.
James’ eyes softened at Anna’s name, and I knew I’d won this round.
“I’ll be in the command center,” I informed the rest of the group. “I need to coordinate with all of our allies and get our plans solidified.”
“I don’t envy that job,” Cody murmured before walking away.
Caleb shot me a sympathetic look before heading off to where he’d built a temporary tech hub. It wasn’t up to par with what we’d lost in the fire, but it was similar to tech we’d have in the field.
I sighed to myself as I walked over to the large tent I was using as an office. Getting the witches, lamia, and other packmasters to agree on anything was like trying to herd cats in the same direction. Each group had their own leaders who wanted to do things their own way. Finding compromise wasn’t easy, but we’d have to do it if we wanted to win this war.
Chapter 28
Anna
I took a deep breath and stepped through a gateway behind Montu and Xichil. I held my shoulders straight and my chin high. I wasn’t willing to show any weakness to my potential allies. The small part of me that remained from being raised as a human told me that I didn’t belong here. This was a grouping of ancient gods, but I was just plain old Anna.
A year ago, I would have listened to that voice, but now I recognized it for what it was. Those words weren’t coming from me, they were echoes from my past. Words from my uncle, from Kelsey, from kids I went to school with. People who wanted to push me down to make themselves feel better. I had listened to those voices and internalized them as my own, but no more.
Becoming a goddess changed me physically and mentally, but I’d already been growing out of my old fears and insecurities. Now, I was strong enough to push all of that to the side and recognize that whether or not I had the power of a goddess, I was worth something. I wasn’t just telling myself that – I believed it down to my bones.
I embraced my full power and walked into the meeting in ‘goddess mode,’ ready for anything that might come my way.
“Welcome to Olympus,” Montu said with an elaborate bow.
Xichil snorted and walked by him without a pause.
“Montu likes the Greek stories the best,” a beautiful blonde woman said to me with a smile. She was dressed in pristine white robes, her hair in a complicated updo with curls cascading down her back.
“This looks like we just stepped into Greek mythology,” I said with a wave of the hand.
The large courtyard we stood in was surrounded on three sides by an elegant palace made of white stone, columns reaching at least ten meters into the sky. The fourth side of the square was an open view of the sea, made possible by the sharp drop of a cliff.
“And who is this?” a man in armor made from golden scales asked as he scowled in my direction.
“Be nice, Malekbel,” Xichil purred as she stalked toward him. “She’s here to fight with us.”
The blonde woman rolled her eyes. “You mean she’s here so you can use her as cannon fodder to save yourselves?”
No one answered as she rose to her feet and set down the jeweled chalice she’d been drinking from.
“Welcome,” she said with a sweet smile. “You may call me Venus.”
“Anna,” I answered with a smile to match hers.
I was too jaded from my experiences with the fae to ever think these gods and goddesses would ever be true friends. Ulterior motives and scheming for power seemed to come with immortality. I was willing