nodded. “Yes, and every minute we don’t do shit, an innocent human dies. Let’s lock them away and we can figure out how to save me later.”
If at all. I couldn’t think about that, but one life was worth sacrificing for the masses, and if I had to and it came down to it, I would.
Cronus shook his head. “No. Sickness did that.” He pointed to my hands, which were still coated black at the fingers but slowly fading. “You have dark powers, and more sins could weaken your human body.”
“Or my Selene half of my body could rise up and heal. You said it yourself, back in New Zealand: I have healing powers, but they only work on myself. Maybe I can heal myself.”
That seemed to get his mind working. I purposely avoided mentioning how badly I did not heal myself when I’d gotten the plague.
“Cronus, I’ll never forgive you if we don’t go and save those people right now.”
You could see the struggle play out across his face. “Turmoil and Strife. No more.”
I nodded; we’d argue about the rest later. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Cronus stalked towards me and I expected him to tuck me into his body and beam us to Egypt. Instead, he tilted up my chin and claimed my mouth in a kiss. I’d barely had time to process it before he pulled away.
“I think the Fates knew what they were doing when they paired us up,” was all he said before we were transported into the war zone in Egypt.
“Cronus!” Hyperion shouted.
Once the dust settled a little and I could see what was going on, I gasped.
A fucking thirty-foot black tornado of dark magic spun across the sky.
“I. Can’t. Hold it.” Hyperion looked pale, sweaty and ready to pass out. I mean, they said he controlled the elements but holy shit.
“Is that Turmoil and Strife?” I pointed to the black mass swirling in the sky.
Cronus looked terrified. “It is, and we’re not putting it inside you. Come on, I know a seer. She can glimpse the future. Let’s go talk to her before—” I slipped out of his grasp and ran at the tornado. My gaze had fallen on the two little boys at the edge of the city, covered in dust, one bleeding at the arm, and I just reacted.
War was fucked up. Innocent kids getting hurt was double fucked up. I was too soft for this shit. If it was me or them, then I would always have it be me.
“Maisey!” Cronus roared when I did the stupidest thing possible: I jumped into the tornado with my hands outstretched.
The second the darkness hit my skin, I felt anger and rage boil within me. I wanted to kill. Zeus, the sins, even Rhea, anyone who got in my fucking way. Suddenly, Koios and Crius were there next to me, one hand on each of my arms and the necklace pulsing at my throat.
A five-hundred-pound weight dropped onto my chest then as the tornado slowly lowered itself into my necklace, Hyperion guiding it.
Rage. Anger. War. Kill. Death. Blood. These dark thoughts swirled around my mind until Cronus’ face swam into view and he placed both hands on either side of my head.
His blue magical light flared and suddenly all of the dark thoughts were chased away. It was like a salve had been placed on a wound in my mind. I sighed contentedly, closing my eyes.
“You can’t have her.” His voice was low and deadly, and with a pinching in my chest I popped my eyes open to see the last remnants of Turmoil and Strife suck into the necklace.
I felt sick, like I was about to barf, and then I felt warm. It was like … Sickness and the other two sins … were now fighting for space in my body.
“You okay? Talk to me?”
I took a deep cleansing breath, full-on fucking namaste-yoga-class-breathing, and the sick feeling subsided. “I’m fine. We’re good.” I smiled for good measure, even though there was still darkness swirling in my gut, threatening to expel any food and possibly intestines at some point.
I’d done this dance with Sickness already, and now I’d absorbed two more. I knew that meant it would take extra time for the weight of the sins to settle inside of me.
“How am I strong enough to even hold the sins?” I wondered out loud.
Cronus shook his head at me, and I realized he hadn’t wanted his family to know about that— that the sins were a