be exposed for too long.”
“Does he have the sins contained?”
Cronus nodded, looking off into the distance as if reading Hyperion’s mind or something freaky. “Yes … he kind of does anyway. They’re in a slight standoff … you’ll see.”
He stepped out of the coverage. I ducked my head and followed, reaching out to hold his hand, because the sand was blowing straight into my eyes. Cronus didn’t seem to have the same issue, ducking and weaving with ease, only pausing at another explosion, his arm wrapping around me to stop a faceplant.
“Cronus … Maisey!” Hyperion shouted; Hound was at his heels barking excitedly.
He was standing shoulder to shoulder with Koios and Crius, the three of them sending some of their Titan energy across to a set of buildings in the distance. The three were hidden in a natural sand bank, protected from the winds.
“We need to stop playing around now,” Cronus growled. “We’re running out of time. This was not a war zone last week, according to the locals hiding in that building.” He pointed to another set of buildings, not close to where the sins were, but also not close to us, and I had no idea how Cronus heard what they were saying. I mean, that was like supersonic hearing—his powers were growing scary powerful.
Hyperion grumbled. “They’re so strong, the turmoil and strife energy of this time is off the charts. We’re trying to weaken them first.”
“We’ve got them barricaded into this section at least,” Koios said. “Spent the last few days tracking those bastards, and it’s only with Hyperion that we’ve been able to lock them down.”
After another explosion, this time so close that I was knocked on my ass, my ears ringing, Cronus helped me up, his face wreathed in scowls. “The fucking humans,” he growled. “They’re making this easy for those sins.”
That’s when I realized the explosions and such were not coming from the direction of the two sins, but from a town that I could see in the distance, to the east of us. They were full-on at war, and that powdery scent was in the air again as the loud crack of gunshots were heard.
I wrinkled my nose. “Explosives and gunpowder,” Hyperion said, noticing my reaction. “Both are strong scents if you’re not used to them.”
Strong and horrible. Teamed with the heat and dust, I was starting to really regret my huge breakfast.
“What are they fighting over?” I tried to wrap my mind around how the sins worked.
“The humans?” Hyperion asked, and when I nodded he shrugged. “When Turmoil and Strife are nearby, the humans with the weaker minds, who are more prone to rage, just start going berserk. Pretty soon it will be World War III.”
Koios nodded. “We need to lock them in the necklace. Now.”
Cronus placed a hand on my lower back. “Then that’s it. I won’t allow her to carry more than three sins. We need to find another box.”
No one said a word to go against him, but part of me wondered if there would be another way. If there were, Selene probably wouldn’t have sacrificed herself.
Cronus turned to me. “The bond started to thin after we locked Sickness in the necklace. I’m not sure what adding two more will do, but you should prepare yourself.”
I sucked in a deep breath, knowing there was no way I could prepare myself for that.
Cronus continued. “You wait here and we’ll bring the sins to you. Don’t. Move.”
I just nodded; I wasn’t trying to be a hero today. There were four Titans here. I was basically useless compared to them.
As the brothers—but not really brothers—stalked off into the war zone with Hound, I made myself go flat against the wall. How far could Cronus and I be apart from each other now? Why the fuck was Sickness breaking down our bond? How was Sickness breaking down our bond?
All of these thoughts swirling around my head, I barely noticed when a shadow moved to my left until a hand clamped around my mouth. One second we were standing in Egypt, dust flying everywhere, and the next I was transported to a deserted island, right on the beach. Pain laced through my entire body as I felt the loss of Cronus from our bond. I fell to the ground panting and my gaze fell on a pair of bronzed male feet.
Zeus’ voice was unmistakable: “So the bond thing is true?”
“Help,” I wheezed, pain slicing through my stomach. It felt like someone had taken a