Furious

Chapter Thirty-Six

Alecto left behind her more bodies than anyone on the field. No one could touch her. She was too energized, too confident, too bloodthirsty. I was never going to overpower her.

An arrow whizzed passed my ear. Her attention diverted, Alecto whipped around to see no sign of a bowman but a griffon charging over the ruined bodies in her wake, wings tucked in tightly to its back, head held down in charge. It collided with my body, knocking Alecto back several feet.

It hurt. Oh gods, it hurt. Alecto, downed for the first time, thrust herself away from the riverbank where she had come deadly close to the water. The griffon charged again but she was ready: she raised her bloodstained hands and placed them on either side of the creature's head as it came, allowing the momentum to carry her with it.

A shrill scream erupted from the griffon's mouth as Fury fire painted its head in flame. Alecto wrenched the creature's head around.

Another one bites the dust, she thought giddily to me.

Another arrow came from behind us. This one lodged in Alecto's wing. She grunted in pain but the sound was cut off when an Olympian launched himself over her head to land in front of us. Rippling muscles, a bright smile that could find entertainment in any situation, and a silver bow; Apollo had joined the party. Alecto recognized him, even in his new incarnation. Something about the bright assurance that defined Apollo and the infinite joy he found in any situation. Sun god, indeed.

"The blood on your hands is quite the accessory, Fury," Apollo grinned at Alecto. "I don't want to kill you. Take me to the Nectar."

"I'll take it from here, Apollo," a deep voice came from behind us at the same moment the sharp end of a weapon touched the base of my skull.

Alecto opened her mouth to respond when a gold-clad soldier ran at us, daggers in both hands. He sank one deep into my unprotected thigh before Apollo shot an arrow into his throat. I screamed but nobody heard, exploding within the confines of my prison; each pain felt infinitely more real in that moment. My body ached as I reached down to rip the blade from my leg. Blood oozed from the thin wound. It was deeper than it appeared.

I probably should have left the weapon alone.

The bright god Apollo shrugged and moved on; he was having too much fun in his new power to pause for too long. All around us I could hear the sounds of weapons clashing, the squelch of blades entering and exiting bodies, the victorious cries of those left standing. And here we were, incapacitated.

"Take me to the Nectar," the voice commanded.

"Why did he kill one of your own?" I said. Out loud. In surprise, I looked down at the dagger in my hand. I could move my head; I could grip the dagger's hilt; I could smell the iron scent of the blood than caked my hands. I was still a Fury and Alecto was nowhere in my mind.

"Because human acolytes are expendable. Move." The sharp end of his weapon jabbed into my neck, threatening to sever my spine. Wouldn't that be ironic, to have suddenly regained control just long enough to die at the hand of this mystery player.

I had no idea how I miraculously came back into my body but the deep voice behind me seemed to think I was still Alecto, angry Fury general and traitor to the throne of Hades.

He thrust the weapon at me a third time, pushing my spine forward. His last warning.

"I'm moving, I'm moving. We have to go into the fortress. Which is behind us. You'll have to let me turn around." I tried to sound innocent and undeceiving because I suddenly, desperately, wanted to get off of the battlefield. Away from the blood.

Away from the death, all of the needless death my hands had caused.

The pressure disappeared from my neck in the same instant that a large, rough hand wrapped tightly around my upper arm. I turned to see my captor. As large as Zeus, toned, and shirtless as well, Poseidon was unmistakable. The trident in his right hand may have given it away.

We said nothing as he lead me over the River—being the god over all waters, he walked on the surface; he held a weapon at my back as I flapped my wings, arrow and all, to glide across in front of him—and back towards the fortress. The army of Hades had been halved. The unmoving bodies of monsters scattered the ground in dark puddles of blood.

Olympus' army seemed to be faring better than we did.

I tried not to think about the grand loss of life over such trivial things as immortality and pride. But what did I know? I had a Fury inside of me who reincarnated into her descendants, one of which I hadn't known I was until that day two weeks ago. Had it only been two weeks?

If only dear old dad could see me now.

Poseidon led me to the wooden door where Jasper was reunited with long-lost lover. I shivered at the memory of his hands on my body and caught myself. I was holding onto the guise of Fury and Alecto would not shiver.

A corridor with many doors on the opposite wall. Like the corridors I had traveled so far, there was another ornately gilded mirror at one end. Gregory's explanation about the use of the portals bounced around in my head: only those of this world could operate them and only then when given permissions. My hands were still Fury, covered in the blood of creatures that belonged in worlds akin to this one; I hoped it would be enough to allow me to use the portals.

Each step closer to the portal was agonizing. My left leg was now covered in a thin layer of blood steadily dripping from my wound. I would fly but, as I learned, having an arrow in your wing sort of makes that difficult.

So much for trusting Alecto to keep my body safe.

Poseidon never loosened his grip or broke stride. When we reached the mirror he looked at me expectantly. I raised my right arm, the one he had hold of, and placed it on the glass surface. Nothing happened.

Not only did I not know how to operate the portal, I didn't know where we needed to go. Nobody had bothered to tell me where the Nectar was hidden. I pressed on the surface of the mirror, undoubtedly leaving a smudge. My hand slipped a little, leaving a smear of blood on the glass. In my chest, my heart beat faster in frustration, fear threatening to overcome me.

"You're going to need me if you wish to regain the Nectar, Poseidon." Alex dived down the corridor and landed on my left. She winked at me, placing her hand next to mine on the mirror. Then she stepped through without looking back.