talking. As he launched into his insulting tirade, I smiled to myself. Zeus was losing ground. The list of insults grew shorter by the day. He could no longer call me weak because of what I’d survived, he couldn’t call me common because he couldn’t figure me out, and he’d even lost stupid because he knew I would have broken by now if I hadn’t found some way around swearing fealty.
Sure, he could still say hurtful things. Terrible things if I allowed myself to focus on them. But the shock of hearing insults from Hades’ voice had long since worn off. Besides, I was in high school. I’d heard way worse.
I couldn’t allow myself to look too comfortable. When Zeus saw something wasn’t working, he found some new hell to put me through. Each of his ideas was worse than the last.
Was I dreaming? I’d figured out how to tell once, but I’d forgotten when I came to. It was something important. Something I might be able to do next time I was under.
Zeus’ face rippled, twisting back to his own features. “They’re building an army down on the surface. Just to find you. Every remaining god under one roof, driven together for a common purpose.” He grinned, like that made him happy for some reason. “What makes you so special?” He looked at me like he wanted to slice me open and see what made me tick. “What does he see in you?”
There was a way to tell. The memory slid around my brain like water, but I couldn’t grab hold of a thought long enough to think it. He’d broken my mind, shattered it into a thousand pieces. Meh, who needed recall abilities? Something in my mind was whole and present, otherwise I wouldn’t still be walking and talking. The longer I sat here, the more it healed. “Their common purpose isn’t me. It’s you. Everyone hates you enough to want you dead. Can you blame them?”
“I was their hero once.” He almost sounded sad.
I snorted and rolled my eyes, letting my head loll against the wall of mist. This was as close to rest as I got. I was going to take advantage of it. “And now you’re psychotic.” I shrugged. “It happens.”
His eyes narrowed. “Your mother didn’t seem to mind.”
Oh, he had not just gone there. “I’ve never had to ask what her biggest regret was.”
“You?”
I laughed. “Hardly. She loves me more than anything. But I guess you wouldn’t know what that’s like. Your parents thought you were an abomination—”
“Shut up.”
In a flash, I remembered. Most of my powers didn’t work in his realm, but I could set the rules in my own head. “My mom hates you, you know. But I guess that shouldn’t surprise you. I can’t think of a single person or deity who doesn’t.” When I was sure his attention was fully on me, I concentrated on using my powers. A small red poppy grew in the corner of the room behind Zeus.
A dream, perfect. Fractured pieces of the plan I put together during the rare times I was conscious enough to think came to me. I drew in a deep breath. I’d never tried anything like this before, so there was a big chance my plan wouldn’t work. But at this point I’d take any chance, no matter how slim. “You created Aphrodite to be loyal to you, and even she can’t stand you.”
Rage reddened his face. “You’re going to want to be very careful what you say to me.”
I concentrated hard enough to make vines shoot around his legs, holding him in place.
“You’re in my head, remember.” I was probably going to regret this when I came to. But really, he already tortured me all day. What did I have to lose? Stepping outside of my dream, I called “Adios.”
My mind closed to all visitors, locking down my dreamscape without me in it. I didn’t know how that worked or how soon Zeus would be able to get out, but if I could keep Zeus occupied even for a few minutes…
My eyes shot open, and I sprang out of bed. Throwing open the door to the bedroom, I looked up and down the misty hallway. Which way led to the exit?
Turning right, I sprinted down the hall until I came to a huge room filled with sunlight and a massive door of mist. I pulled it open and gaped at the endless sky that spread in all directions. If there