of Ares in her mind so she’d recognize him. “You don’t have to be the one to do this. Just get out, and be safe.”
She nodded. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“This is going to hurt,” I warned her.
She sighed. “What else is new?”
Chapter XLII
Aphrodite
I breathed a sigh of relief when Hades reappeared in the board room. Finally!
“Now,” he commanded.
“This isn’t going to work,” Athena objected. “I understand why you’d want to filter the power and save her, but you must know it won’t be enough.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing is certain until you try, right? Zeus won’t be expecting this, so maybe that’s enough of an advantage.” I smiled at Hades. “I swear fealty to Persephone.” With a thought, I pushed as much of my power to her as I could and still live through it.
Athena sighed. “Fine. But if it doesn’t work, you have to—”
“I know, Athena,” Hades snapped. “Are you in, or would you rather try to fight Zeus by yourself?”
She pursed her lips. “I swear fealty to Persephone.”
Ares bowed his head and closed his eyes, the words of fealty leaving his lips in a whisper. His voice was joined by Hephaestus’ gruff utterance. Then Artemis’ breathy announcement. Soon the room was ringing with the oath. The hair on my arms stood on end at the power flowing from this room. All directed to one little goddess.
Please let this work, I thought.
But I knew Athena was right. With Hades filtering the power, it would never be enough. Would he realize that before it was too late? Would he be willing to sacrifice Persephone to save us all? I had my doubts.
Chapter XLIII
Persephone
The sun sparkled through the glass ceiling. I was on a big white fluffy bed. When I noticed the thick shield surrounding the room, I closed my eyes. Shields. How had I been stupid enough to believe I’d escaped?
I gave myself a second to take inventory, amazed that after all I’d been through I was still in one piece. Even my clothes looked as clean and new as the day I’d bought them. Just like when I woke up in the Underworld.
I tried to get up but was jerked to a stop. Twisting to see behind me, I stared in disbelief at the handcuffs that bound my hands to the bedrail. Had I spent a single minute conscious since Zeus knocked me out in the park? Or were the handcuffs a new addition to Zeus’ security measures?
I think it was the handcuffs that did it. A wave of fury washed through me so strong I felt Hades respond to it with surprise.
All this time. All this time I’d thought I was free, and I’d been bound to a bed with fricken handcuffs? I’d been helpless, and I was over being helpless. I thought over the last year. Pirithous grabbing my arm and trying to take me out of the flower shop. Boreas dragging me through the snow. Melissa hunched over with an icicle in her chest. Rachel’s dead body in a crumbled heap outside my school. Aphrodite bound to obey Zeus’ every word. Thanatos’ eyes, wide with charm. Months of torment from the Reapers. Everything that had happened in the last year was because of Zeus. All the pain—oh, who was I kidding?—all the agony. All the frustration and hurt and fear. The paralyzing fear. It had been him. It had all been him.
I thought of the things I’d done that I didn’t really remember. Each kiss he’d charmed from me under the guise of Joel. Zeus trying to use me to charm Hades, the torture, the lightning, the dreams, and Triton’s face twisted in a grimace of agony. It was a never-ending litany of wrongs, and I was done.
“You’re awake.” Zeus’ soft exclamation of surprise from the doorway had me jerking up, rigid with rage.
The handcuffs shattered, and I was off the bed and across the room in an instant. I tore through the shield like it wasn’t there and knocked him off his feet, landing on top of him with enough force to knock the breath from my body.
“Where is Triton?” I didn’t consider the possibility that Zeus pretended to be Triton in the dreamscape. Zeus was good, but he still couldn’t lie. He’d called Poseidon his father, spoken of a million things that were only true for the prepubescent deity. Triton had been in my head, which meant he was here somewhere.
Zeus laughed. “What is this? I always figured you were feisty, but—”
My fist met his