We went down in a burst of dirt and rocks. Dust flew into my mouth and nose. I gagged, trying not think about the fact that I just swallowed some of the Dirt Man as I rolled away from him. He swung his axe through the air and brushed my thigh. A slice of pain shot down my leg as a thin slit formed in the pant leg. The Dirt Man roared to its feet, heaving the axe like a Viking straight from Valhalla.
Summoning air, I blew the S.O.B. back, slamming it into the Hummer. I popped to my feet and raced after it, taking it out. Through the smoke and clouds of dirt, I saw Aiden engaging an automaton. Like the Spartoi, the heads had to be removed.
One of the automatons lit up from the inside, like a blue x-ray, before exploding in a shower of sparks.
Or Seth could use akasha. That would work, too.
With the automatons coming closer and closer, our group was scattered. Perses was making short work of the monsters, but the falling flames were making it difficult to pay attention to any one thing.
A burst of flames shot from where Aiden and Deacon were, smacking into the nearest automaton. Flames spread across the ground, and I darted around the blaze. Springing up, I caught a Dirt Man before it launched its axe at Luke.
Perses slammed the pointed end of the weapon into the chin of an automaton. Silvery blood sprayed the Titan in the face and chest. He didn’t even blink as he yanked the blade to the side. He turned, and his smile was gory with blood.
In that moment, I understood the Olympians’ distaste of Perses. To enjoy battle and war was one thing. Twisted, yes, but there were a lot of aggressive people out there. Perses didn’t just enjoy it, though. The Titan got off on the violence and bloodshed.
For a moment, the Titan transfixed me. The way he dispatched the enemy with that level of glee would make serial killers across the nation happy.
A little sickened, I joined Seth and tapped into primitive, raw energy. Power rushed through me, and my skin tingled with the appearance of the marks. Using akasha, intense blue light erupted from me. Arcing through the air, it struck its target, reducing it to nothing but a pile of shimmery dust.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Olivia dart to the side to avoid an incoming fireball. My heart kicked in my chest as a Dirt Man let loose his axe. I shouted at her—I thought I did as I pushed off the ground, rushing toward her. In my head, I was screaming, but I wasn’t sure any sound was making it past my lips. A horrible, terrifying feeling of déjà vu settled in my stomach. In a split second, I saw Lea in my head, but this wasn’t Lea.
No—no no no. This couldn’t he happening again.
A flicker of recognition shot across Olivia’s face a second before the Dirt Man’s axe struck her in the chest. She hadn’t even tried to move. I think, in that tiny second, she knew it was already too late.
“No!” I screamed, and then I screamed again.
Olivia stumbled back a step. The red film spread out from her chest, quickly slipping over her. In a heartbeat, she was gone.
Another hoarse scream tore through me, scratching my throat and darkening a part of my soul. Olivia was gone. She was gone. Just like that. Nothing in this world left of her.
Luke shouted as he spun on his Dirt Man, dispatching it, and then whirled back to where Olivia had been. He kept the saying the same word over and over again—the same word that was repeating itself in my head.
No. No. No. No.
Deacon rushed forward, but Aiden caught him around the waist. Tears streamed down the younger St. Delphi’s face as he struggled against Aiden’s hold. He was saying her name—screaming it, really.
My heart split open as my gaze returned to the spot. This wasn’t fair. Oh gods, it hurt. How could someone be there one second and be gone the next? It didn’t matter how many times people had died. I still couldn’t fathom the quick and unforgiving end of existence.
And there was nothing left of her. Not a speck of flesh or clothing. Not even a weapon remained. No body to bury or mourn.
I hit the scorched earth on my knees, slowly shaking my head back and forth. All around us, the fight raged on with Seth and Perses taking on the remaining automatons. Flames burst a few feet from me, but I didn’t flinch, and I didn’t move.
Olivia was gone.
CHAPTER 21
Things were a blur after that. Seth and Perses destroyed the automatons, and when they returned, the Titan hadn’t given a damn that we’d lost someone.
That we had lost Olivia.
“We don’t have time for this. We must move on.”
I looked at him, searching for a fleck of sorrow, or compassion, or anything, but there was nothing. He stalked forward, walking right through the spot where Olivia had last stood.
Luke started toward the Titan, his hands curling into fists, but Aiden grabbed his arm, shaking his head as he all but dragged the half-blood to the Expedition.
“Get inside,” Aiden ordered.
His eyes were still trained on Perses, and he wasn’t budging.
“Luke,” Aiden warned.
It was Deacon who got through to him. “Come on. Get in with me. Please?”
Luke blinked, and anger, hurt, and dozen of other violent emotions still infused his cheeks, but he climbed into the back seat with Deacon.
Alex?
I didn’t respond as Seth passed me. I turned, opening the passenger door.
I’m sorry, he said.
My breath caught as I hauled myself into the seat. I know.
No one spoke as the vehicles ground into gear, easing around the fissure in the road, with the exception of Aiden checking in with Solos. He shared what’d happened in a low voice. I sat unnaturally still, with my cheek pressed against the window, watching the trees as we continued up the mountain. My heart was heavy, and my eyes burned. Pain lanced my jaw from how tight I was clenching my teeth. I was barely holding it together, but I knew we had to forge on. We had to, but it didn’t seem right. I wanted to yell “STOP,” and I wanted to make everyone, included the Titan, acknowledge that we had lost someone important to us, someone who was too young to die.
A tear streaked down my cheek, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I pressed my hand against the pocket that held several small coins—the ones I’d brought in case…in case we had to bury someone. We couldn’t even bury Olivia, but she had the coins with her. She’d have them in the Underworld.
Olivia would get to be with Caleb now. He would find her, and she would be okay. Olivia was with Caleb now. I kept repeating that, because it helped to know that they would be reunited. They would be back together for eternity, and that was something to be happy about, because Olivia had never truly gotten over Caleb’s death. Knowing that still didn’t make this any easier to accept. At some point, Aiden reached over and found my hand. He squeezed.
I squeezed back.
We reached the heavily forested outskirts of the Catskills just before dusk. We parked the dusty Hummer in front of a sprawling house at the base of the mountains; Solos had directed us to the address, so we assumed it was full of allies. I stretched my tight muscles, then opened the door.
Behind us, Seth and Perses had already sprung free from their vehicle and were rounding ours. Up ahead, I could see a mass of Sentinels in front of the house, and there were several lights on inside. It seemed like more than what we’d left with, and sweet relief coursed through me. They had somehow made it around the automatons. Maybe they’d just been waiting for the Apollyon-Titan carpool.
“Ares has to know about this,” I said, hopping down and walking toward the stone fence separating the gravel road from the yard.