Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
I can see Asterion weighing the growing distance between the boat and the dock. The engine hums softly behind me, but it’s the water itself to blame. We’re drifting. If he jumps, the space will increase dramatically, and I don’t know how to sail. He could probably swim back to me, but it’s a risk.
It’s one I’m willing to take.
I get one foot on the bottom rung of the railing before Icarus sways to his feet behind Poseidon. “Go, Ariadne,” he shouts. “I’ll find you when this is all over.” He ignores my scream of protest and takes Poseidon down in a flying tackle that sends them over the edge of the dock and into the dark water.
They surface almost immediately and then go under again, fighting in the water. My brother knows how to swim, but he’s not a fighter, and he’s nowhere near as large as Poseidon.
He’s going to drown.
“Asterion! We have to go back for him.”
But Asterion isn’t listening to me. He grabs my arm and pulls me away from the railing toward the steering wheel or whatever it’s called on a boat. “He made his choice, sweetheart. He’ll find us when this is all over.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. My brother—”
“Made his choice,” he repeats firmly. He does something to make the engine’s sound increase, and suddenly we’re moving with purpose away from the dock. “Just like you did when you made your deal and left us wondering what happened to you. Let him have this, Ariadne.”
My knees give out and I sink to the floor. “But…” But he’ll be hurt. Maybe killed. Even as the thought crosses my mind, the boat eases around the dock so I can get a straight line of sight to where Poseidon hauls himself onto the dock, dragging a soaked Icarus behind him. My brother falls to his hands and knees, his head bowed. But he’s breathing.
A sob wrenches from my chest. He’s alive, but for how much longer? “This is a mistake.”
“Trust him.” Asterion guides us away from the docks and out toward the bay. Even in the dark, I can see the faint shimmer of the barrier still in place.
It makes me laugh, the sound gaining a hysterical edge. We’ve come so far, sacrificed so much, and yet we’re still trapped. “What if it doesn’t come down?”
“It will.”
We sit in silence as we cut through the water, sailing closer and closer to the barrier. I don’t know how much time has passed, but surely we’re beyond the hour Hermes promised. It defies belief that so much tragedy could be packed into such a short time. “I killed my father.”
Asterion looks down at me, his dark eyes sympathetic. “You were saving your brother. He was going to shoot Icarus. Maybe I would’ve got there in time. Maybe not. But you made sure your brother was safe.”
My throat goes tight and hot. I hadn’t been thinking when I pulled the trigger. I just wanted all this to stop. “Only for Icarus to end up hurt anyway.”
“His. Choice.” He crouches down in front of me and grips my chin. “I would’ve done the same damn thing to protect you if he hadn’t gotten there first. You’re allowed to have your feelings about that, Ariadne. But at least they have reason to keep him alive. Poseidon’s too smart and cautious to kill him out of hand. Icarus is smart enough to work any situation to his advantage eventually.”
I don’t know if he’s telling the truth or giving me a comforting lie. I don’t know if it matters. Going back now defeats all the sacrifices my brother made. Asterion is right about that, at least. “I’m not happy about any of this.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
I don’t know what else I might say because I never get the chance. There’s a rumble, too low for me to determine whether it’s a sound or a feeling. It grows and grows, making my teeth ache. That’s when I notice that the waves have gone choppy and angry.
Asterion grips the wheel with white knuckles and puts his other hand on my shoulder, keeping me in place. As if I’m about to do anything. I wouldn’t be able to stand without falling. It’s as if a storm rolled in, but the skies are clear and there isn’t so much as a hint of wind.
And then the barrier comes down.
It’s more energy than physical reaction as the glitching rainbow of light cascades down toward the surface of the bay, as bright as fireworks but in an almost uniform pattern. It’s…beautiful. I start to stand, but the boat heaves violently beneath my feet.
“Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Get down!” Asterion grabs my shoulder and shoves me into the small space between him and the half wall by the wheel. I understand why a breath later when it feels like we’re sucked down into a crater. My stomach heaves, and I press myself as tightly to the wall as I can.