Godtown

Chapter Fifty-Two

Vidar's tracking let us to the south side of the sewage plant. The layers upon layers of dust along with the machinery slowly dissipated upon further examination. Some hadn't just been through here – they had been camped out here. I looked down at a large shoeprint on the dusty floor. I had a pretty good idea of who it belonged to.

I nodded to Hilda and the others. We crouched through the maze of pipe-work, moving as silently as we could. Darkness hung over the abandoned corridors. Any security must be below, I reasoned, as I let the others pass. When I came to a clearing, I received a full view of the sewage plant from above. I looked for any signs of security. I found none. Something didn't feel right. There should at least be a lookout of some kind of duty. Otherwise, what was the point of having security if your perimeter could be breached effortlessly?

I didn't like it. I kept moving, my eyes darting all over the plant for signs of life I didn't see. I kept moving, eager to get this over, the sooner the better. I saw the stairs in the distance. Reach these stairs, I thought, and this will all be over. But I nearly ran into a wisp of golden threads. Hilda whirled around with her eyes were wild and trembling.

"Titans, Hilda," I growled. My voice was barely a whisper "Don't do that!"

She didn't move for a second. Her eyes focused on something behind me. I watched her eyes look over my shoulder, but when I turned my head, I faced only shadows. When I looked back at Hilda, I saw something I had never seen in Hilda's face before.

Fear.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

It took a second for her to respond. Her eyes narrowed. "Nothing," she said coolly. "I just thought I saw someone."

I blinked as Hilda turned to walk away. I hadn't seen anyone since I entered this place. Hilda had spotted someone . . . and she wasn't concerned.

"Wait, you thought you saw who?" I asked.

"Doesn't matter," Hilda said in a hoarse whisper.

Something was wrong. Hilda's legs stiffened as if they had just become stone. The rest of her was trembling. A single name fell out of her lips.

"Siegfried?" Hilda said, somewhere between a cry and a muffled scream. "No!"

Her tall form began to collapse as her legs buckled out from under her. I ran to her side, but it didn't matter. She looked right through me. She saw someone else. Someone named Siegfried. Tears ran down her face. Her face turned pale and cold with fear. Someone had Conjured Hilda's fear right into her mind. And I had a pretty good idea who was behind it.

"Guys, hold up." I called up to Vidar and Tyr. The two gods appeared out of the shadows.

"What's happe-" Tyr started to ask. He didn't get to finish his question when the world exploded.

The pipe nearest Tyr burst, spewing steam directly into his face. He yelped as Vidar pushed him out of the path of the steam and helped him to the side. I started to move, but my feet slid along the ground as I saw stinky, dirty water leaking from the pipes below. Blasts of steam erupted from the pipes all around us, even as more water flooded beneath our feet.

I slid down the corridor and slammed into my ribs, my vision blurring on the impact. Dirty water poured down my throat. Tyr was similarly dazed, draining water from his ears. Vidar started to return to his feet. Hilda lay in the fetal position, batting away invisible demons.

"You are all trespassing on private property," I heard a voice. I looked up to see Ares standing in front of us. His team stood behind him. Nemesis stood there, having traded her secretary get-up for her black tank and combat pants. Her brother Timos was nearer to her, also in tactical gear. The only person in plainclothes was Phobos, whose hands were busy Conjuring something in Hilda's mind. "You will be dealt with . . . severely."

His pearly white grin was directed at me. "Especially you, Hades."