Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“No.”
She grabs my arm. “Apollo, it’s the only way.”
“No,” I repeat harshly.
“If one of them becomes a member of the Thirteen—”
“I don’t care!” I stop short and lower my voice. “I do not give a fuck, Cassandra. I will not risk you.” Not for Olympus. Not for anything. “I love you, and I will let this city burn before I intentionally put you in harm’s way. We go for Artemis first. Together.” She’s the closest and while she’s fierce and capable, against the Minotaur, I can’t guarantee that she’ll prevail.
Cassandra’s jaw drops. “Apollo—” She shakes her head. “Right. Artemis. Okay.”
We hurry out the back door and down the path toward the duck pond. I’ve stopped checking my pace, but Cassandra keeps up well enough as we sprint past the maze. It’s only as we round the corner that I realize we have nothing resembling a weapon. Sheer numbers will have to do.
The path opens up and we get a view of the pond. Artemis is leaning over the water, looking at something the Minotaur points at. She doesn’t see his big hand coming for her back. Once he gets those strong fingers around her throat… “Artemis, run!”
Too far. We’re too damn far away.
The Minotaur surges forward, reaching for the back of her neck, but thank the gods Artemis is already moving. His fingers barely brush her long hair as she ducks. He’s fast, though. The same speed that served him in the Ares competition serves him now.
She barely has time to take a step back when he strikes, plowing one of those massive fists into her stomach. Artemis crumples.
“No!” Cassandra shouts.
The Minotaur glances at us. It’s the briefest hesitation, but Artemis isn’t some helpless civilian. She claimed her title through the violence of a hunt, and she’s obviously kept her skills sharp in the intervening years. She may not understand the full scope of what’s happening yet, but she’s ready to defend herself.
She lashes out with her feet. The blow appears aimed for the Minotaur’s knee. He takes a step back, but she’s ready for him, sweeping his legs out from beneath him. A bait and switch.
He hits the ground with an impact I’m certain I can feel even at this distance, and Artemis doesn’t hesitate. She leaps to her feet and launches herself into the pond. She hits the water nearly six feet from the shore and is already swimming deeper. She’s fast enough that the Minotaur will have no hope of catching her and smart enough that she’ll disappear into the countryside the moment she hits the far shore.
Artemis is safe, for now.
I stop several yards away and hold out an arm to stop Cassandra from passing me. The Minotaur sits up and watches his prey escape him. “Lucky timing.” For the life of me, I cannot decide if he’s angry or disappointed to have been interrupted. His face and voice give nothing away.
“You won’t get another chance. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Not today.” He gives a slow, feral smile. “Will you be able to stop my brother though? I doubt it.” He gives a dry, raspy chuckle. “We’ve already won.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
32
Cassandra
I’m holding Apollo back.
I’m healthy enough but I am not, and never will be, a runner. Not like he is. Not like he needs me to be in this moment. We’re halfway through the house on the way to the garage, and my lungs are on fire and the stitch in my side sears through me with every harsh breath. I’m slowing down, and I wasn’t particularly fast to begin with.
Apollo is slowing down with me. I gasp out a curse. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
He shakes his head sharply. “No.”
We’ve already taken too long. In order to trigger the clause, the would-be assassin has to kill their target with their own hands, in close combat. Considering how untouchable he felt, Hephaestus won’t be on his guard…and Theseus has had more than enough time to corner his prey. If Hephaestus is alive, it’ll be a sheer miracle.
“Apollo, please!”
“I am not leaving you.” The vehemence in the sentence nearly makes me trip over my own feet. It’s similar to how he sounded when he said we wouldn’t split up earlier.
When he told me he’d let Olympus burn if it mean keeping me safe.
When he told me he loved me.
If he won’t leave me, then there’s no choice but to push through. I drag in a harsh breath and do my best to pick up my pace. We get through the house and burst out through the front door. I don’t allow myself to stop; if I stop, I’m going to never start again.
I clocked the garage when we first arrived, and I head in that direction, Apollo at my side. The bastard is barely winded and I’ll hate him for that later. He throws an arm out in front of me as we reach the garage. “Let me go first.”