The D-Day

A cool, calm breeze lessened the effect of the strong afternoon sun beating down on the AOA as they stood at the edge of the forest surrounding the Ephensy. The sky was a bright, vibrant blue with only a few pillow-like clouds floating in the sky.

It was a beautiful day for a war.

Ephensy daggers were strapped to Seolhyun’s hips, and a Glock loaded with titanium bullets was holstered on her thigh. With her hair pulled back in a tight bun and her skin tingling with the marks of the Elpis, she felt pretty badass.

Standing on either side of her were the silent forms of Hyejeong and Jimin. Behind them, Perses and the army were ready. Jisoo was stick to Jennie, and after what’d happened with Lisa, Seolhyun wished she’d remained at the University.

Seolhyun hadn’t seen her father among the faces, and she didn’t even know why she was looking for him. She knew he’d gone back. She hoped he’d made it back, but she still looked.

“Warriors know no fear, show no fear.” Perses’ deep voice boomed, upping the adrenaline in her system. “Many of you will fall today.”

Seolhyun’s brows rose. That’s surely a motivational statement.

“But you will fall as warriors– the only true, honorable death.”

He continued on, and Seolhyun zoned him out. Motivational war speeches about dying honorably in battle weren’t her thing. How about a speech where they were all awesomely alive at the end? She could get behind that.

Besides, they had a hella hike ahead of them, and Seolhyun was using that time to clear her thoughts of everything that’d happened in the last couple of weeks. There was so much clogging up her head. Rose, Lisa, her dad, Hyejeong, and Jimin, and where in the hell was Apollo, and so much more. She needed to be focused.

All these moments were leading up to the here and now, and by the time the sun rose the next day, blood would cover the ground like a crimson river. Blood of their own. Blood of their enemies. And blood of those who’d been manipulated onto the wrong side.

Twigs crunched and snapped under their boots as they crested the second hill. There was one more, and then Ares’ army would be staring down at the walls. The AOA had the high ground, but the enemy would see them the moment they came down.

“Remember the plan,” Perses said, stalking up behind Seolhyun.

Seolhyun nodded, because her vocal cords had frozen. The plan had been set into motion before they even left Gyeongsan, and she had had plenty of time to come to terms with it, but she hadn’t.

At the last hill, Perses and the two Elpises would split from their group, leaving Hyejeong, Jennie, and Jisoo behind with the army. Perses had said they would be the distraction needed for them to get inside. The walls were protected by the automatons. And then, when they made it through the entry gate, there was the Mortal army… and Gods knew what else.

And where the hell was Apollo again?

The Linuses under Athena’s command who’d been inside the Ephensy had given them the way in that they needed. The back eastern wall was exposed, a way in and out. There’d be guards, but nothing like what would be seen at the front. Seolhyun knew in her heart of hearts that Hyejeong and Jennie and Jisoo would make it. They had to. But the sharp pang of fear was in the back of .

“Seolhyun?”

Jimin’s voice inside her head almost caused her to stumble. “What?”

“You’re having a lot of feelings right now.”

Seolhyun’s gaze narrowed on her back as she moved ahead of Hyejeong. “And you’re not?”

“You’re afraid,” was her simple, two words response. Seolhyun contemplated pushing the girl down the rocky slope but figured she didn’t need her bruised already. “Being afraid isn’t the problem, love.”

“You’re not Hades so please stop calling me that.”

She ignored her. “Use that fear.” Glancing over her shoulder at Seolhyun, Jimin winked. “Use anger. Don’t let either of them consume you.”

“Yes, sensei.”

Jimin snorted.

“I hate when you two do that,” Hyejeong muttered.

“Sorry?”

She sent Seolhyun a long look, but there was no anger in her eyes. Both of them hadn’t been smart about last night. They might have gotten a few hours of sleep, spending those precious hours before and after committing each other to memory… and in ways that brought a blush to Seolhyun’s cheeks in spite of the cool wind caressing them.

Neither of them wanted to admit that they both feared last night would be the final time they were together. Seolhyun couldn’t let herself focus on that, but it was a reality that couldn’t be ignored.

They passed the ordinary outer fence and then quickly reached the last hill, divided into two groups as planned. Seolhyun glanced over her shoulder, gaze roaming over the assembled army. All of them were ready. It was time to do this, to end this. Everything came down to this battle, and not just for them, but for the unknowing Mortals, too. If they failed, the Mortal realm would fall to Ares, and then Olympus would be next on his to-conquer list. The Linuses and Guards behind them knew this, too. This whole situation was bigger than each and every one of them.

“It is time,” Perses said. Excitement practically rolled off the Titan.

Jimin nodded and turned to Seolhyun. Part of Seolhyun wanted to delay this moment, but this was one of those times when she had to pull on her big-girl pants. What she wanted to do and what she needed to do were two very different things.

They’d traveled about half a mile when Perses raised his hand, motioning them to stop. He tilted his chin up, expression sharp. Then he smiled wolfishly. A second later, a powerful roar whirled through the tall elms, sending birds flying frantically into the air. It was the sound of rage and determination, a sound of war.

“It has begun.” Perses’ smile spread as if he’d been presented with a feast of his favorite foods. “We must hurry.”

Heart racing, Seolhyun dug in deep, latching on to the sense of duty and holding onto it with dear life. Along with Perses and Jimin, she ran down the hill even though her heart was back at the entry gates with her friends and Hyejeong.

Sliding around outcroppings of large boulders and kicking up loose rocks and dirt, they stormed down the rocky slope. The twenty-foot white marble wall came into view and the sounds of battle from the front gate grew.

Perses darted further to the east, cutting across the sloping hill and heading for the east side of the protective wall. Several fireballs shot into the air, slamming back down to earth by the gate, and Seolhyun winced with the impact, knowing that, when those flames had landed, lives had been lost.

They reached the bottom of the hill and the corner of the east wall just as that wicked sense all Myxs had kicked in. Tiny hairs rose on her body, and shivers shot across the back of her neck.

“Demons,” she said, skidding to the halt as she pulled out her daggers and hit the button in the middle. On each side, blades shot out.

Jimin did the same, but Perses looked like he wanted to use his hands and get bloody and messy. They rounded the corner, running smack dab into a cluster of Demons. Its mouths dropped open, letting out eerie, Alch-starved howls. Their eyes, black and bottomless, stood out in stark contrast against their pale skin. Among them were Demon Myxs, the most deadly of their kind.

It sickened Seolhyun to see them here, knowing that Jonghyun, Ares, and even Jimin at one point had controlled the Demons by feeding them innocent Genuines. Anger rose like a violent storm inside her, and she tapped into it.

She threw herself into the fight, taking out the first Demon with a brutal swipe of the sickle blade, cleaving its head clear off its body. Jimin slammed one in the chest with a booted foot, knocking it to the ground before she brought the pointed end of her weapon down into its chest. As they’d suspected, Perses was hands-on, snapping necks and ripping out important body parts.

A female Demon dove for Seolhyun and she spun, catching the ugly thing in the stomach with her kick. She met the sharp end of Seolhyun’s blade before she hit the ground. Dipping down, Seolhyun sprang back up, whipping the sickle around in a clean sweep. Another came at her, and she jumped. Landing in a crouch, she flipped the sickle blade over and punched up, catching the Demon in the stomach.

Seolhyun rose quickly, shaking the blood and goring off her blade as she twisted. Bodies of Demons Myx littered the ground, but there were still more Demons, at least a dozen. Moving around them, she slammed the dagger end of her blade into the back of a Demon stalking Jimin. Unlike the Myx ones, it exploded into a burst of shimmery dust, right in her face.

Yuck.

Perses kicked a Demon Myx down and then grabbed it by its legs, lifting it up in the air. The thing screamed its fury, but Perses swung it like a baseball bat against the marble wall. Seolhyun looked away before she could see that level of splat. There were some things you could never un-see, and that would’ve definitely been one of them.

“Seolhyun!”

The sound of Jimin’s voice in her head spun her around. “Gods.”

Rushing toward her, a Demon Myx howled hungrily and was joined by another and another. All the Alch in the three of them had to be driving them crazy. They were teaming up, making it more difficult to fight as they had been were trained.

A fierce wind blew from Jimin, sending her trio of nastiness away from her. “Yeah, screw this.”

Hooking the sickle blade to her hip, Seolhyun threw her hand out, summoning the element of fire. Heat zinged through her veins, warming her skin. Sparks emanated from her palm, followed by an eruption of fire. It hit the center Demon and spread outward to the ones on each side, consuming them.

Three Demons hit the ground, screaming as they rolled and twisted. The smell of burnt clothes and flesh mingled with the metallic scent of blood.

When all the Demons were down or dust, they wasted no time. Rushing along the side of the east wall, they found the breach; a burnt-out, three-foot-wide section of wall. Wiggling through it for Jimin and Seolhyun was easy, but it took Perses an extra effort to get through the tight fit.

A few steps in and they were met with a set of charging automatons.

They so didn’t have time for this.

Jimin shot past Seolhyun and raised her hand. The marks of the Elpis whipped across her skin. Energy seeped into the air around them. In a burst of light, Ether spun from her and smacked into the first automaton, lighting it up. Joining in, Seolhyun summoned the fifth and most powerful element, hitting her target.

The automatons were no more.

“That does come in handy.” Perses stalked back them, blood dripping from his face. Not his. Seolhyun wanted to ask if he needed a handkerchief. “You two should use that more often. It would make this easier.”

Seolhyun’s eyes narrowed. “You have a god bolt. Why don’t you use that?”

“I prefer my hands in battle. It means more.”

That didn’t even deserve a response. Shaking her head, she sent Jimin a look. “This guy is nuts.”

“But he’s good.”

Racing across the now-overgrown lawn of the Ephensy, they passed destroyed and shattered statues of the Gods. The only ones standing were those of Ares. The guy did nothing to hide his arrogance.

Suddenly, Jimin reached out, grabbing Seolhyun’s hand and forcing her to make a sharp turn to the left. She looked down, almost mistaking what she saw for dried-out branches.

But the brownish-white sticks weren’t sticks at all. Nor was the tattered material clinging to it leaves.

“Oh, my Gods…”

The remains of once beautifully crafted statues weren’t the only things that lay seemingly forgotten on the ground. Every so many feet, there were… bodies in the grass. Some were old and nearly completely decomposed. Others were fresher, their skin a horrible array of purples and browns, their bodies bloated.

“Be careful of where you step,” she said.

When Jimin let go of her hand, Seolhyun looked up to see that Perses hadn’t even stopped as he plowed through the remains of someone. Bile rose up the back of , and it took everything she had to push it down. Perses was a necessary evil, but sometimes she really hated the bastard.

The sounds of battle at the gate raged on as they drew near the main Ephensy building, where the rest of AOA had been taking part. Screams of pain mixed with shouts of victory and the sound of weapons fire. The fight had spilled forward, reaching the destroyed row of the Olympian Twelve statues, which was now the Olympian One. Seolhyun could see many Linuses and soldiers on both sides, clashing together in hand-to-hand combat. It appeared the automatons were down, but they were close enough to the fight that they now were drawing attention.

In about ten seconds, they caught up to Hyejeong, Jennie, and Jisoo, and it was a blissful moment falling into step beside them. They made it through the gate without losing anyone.

Hyejeong smirked at Perses. “Lose your shirt, huh?”

“Might buy a new one.” He laughed darkly.

She turned toward Seolhyun, stepping over a fallen soldier. “You okay?”

“Yes,” Seolhyun answered after a quick kiss on Hyejeong’s lips.

Jisoo lifted her hands in pause. “Wait. Anyone feel what’s going–?”

A white-garbed Guard staggered out of the smoke, the front of his outfit splashed with red. His throat was torn open, revealing the pink, congealed tissue and shattered bone. The Guard went down on one knee and then crumpled.

“On,” Jimin finished, flipping the dagger in her hand. “Are you ready guys?”

Reaching to Jisoo’s side, Hyejeong unhooked one of the daggers. “I’ve missed them.”

“That’s a relief.” Perses slowed his step. “Because I really don’t want to kill a kitty.”

Seolhyun paused long enough to look at the Titan. He tossed a sardonic grin in her direction.

Jennie moved ahead, throwing up a hand, stopping them. “Hold on a second.” She moved her arm, holding her palm out toward the thick smoke. A slight ripple of power sparked. Wind picked up behind them, turning into a heavy, churning gust. The stream moved over the destroyed statues, lifting the smoke and blowing it back. “Yes, they are here.”

Holy .

Several soldiers shouted, and a large group broke apart, racing toward the servants’ entrance.

Jimin pointed at the side of the building, where the doors and windows were busted out. “We don’t have time for this out here. We have to get to where Ares’ been and–”

A soft, tinkling laugh halted the three of them, and Seolhyun’s heart jumped in her chest. She knew that sound. The air shimmered in front of them, taking form, and forcing even Perses to take a step back.

The soft-as-wind-chimes laugh came again.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the Titan hissed.

Two Furies floated before them, their translucent wings moving soundlessly through the air. Blonde and delicately pale, they were frighteningly beautiful in a way that was deceiving. These creatures were ugly in their true forms. And vicious. Very vicious.

One moved closer, her hair drifting around her slim body. “We’re not here for you.”

“This time,” the other finished.

The closest Furie’s smile was edged with unimaginable cruelty. “The Gods have heard Apollo’s pleas and have responded.”

Well…

Static crackled through the air, and a low-level hum teased Seolhyun’s ears. Turning around, her eyes widened.

“,” Perses exclaimed. “I don’t believe it.”

Across the lawn, about halfway between the group of soldiers and them, a mist gathered, blanketing the overgrown grass. Out of the wispy fog, nine forms took hold.

Within seconds, nine Olympian Gods stood there.

Artemis yanked the bow off her back and glanced over her shoulder, spotting them. She winked, and then turned, letting loose a silver arrow.

Jennie whipped back around.

The change came over her without even trying. Like shedding a sweater, she let go of the Genuine form she’d worn for so long, and in a way, had desperately clung to. It had never been this easy before. Skin didn’t stretch but harden, become resilient to most knives and bullets. Just below the base of her neck and on either side of her spine, her wings broke free and unfurled.

There was a sharp inhale from someone nearby, most likely Jisoo, but she wasn’t paying attention.

Moving as quick as ever, she grabbed Jisoo’s arm and shoved her behind her. She got between her and a soldier. “I said, do not touch her. Do not look at her. Do not even breathe near her. You do so, and I will rip your head from your shoulders.”

The dread exploded in Jisoo’s gut like buckshot, and her gaze dropped to Jennie’s shoulders. A mixture of an Angel and Warden that existed inside of the girl and a combination she’d become almost familiar with everyone by now. Her nails had lengthened and sharpened, and Jisoo could tell they were hard enough to cut through steel.

“What the…?” She swallowed. “You are… your wings…”

Jennie’s wings twitched, reminding her that she had shifted. “I’m sorry for hiding it from you.”

Jisoo’s watery eyes had doubled in size. Clutching her chest, she stared at her. “I… I remember you…”

As the soldier toppled over face-first, they got an eyeful of Artemis who joined them now. “We had to put you under compulsion.” Her arm shifted an inch and her finger squeezed off another arrow. The fleshy smack told Seolhyun she had hit her target, and she just hoped it wasn’t Hyejeong or Aphrodite.

Anyway, the Goddess was doing a wonderful job on distracting the y soldiers with her breathtaking beauty.

“I wonder, do you guys ever get tired of me saving your asses?” Artemis said again, a bow was leveled on something behind Jimin this time, loaded with her extra-special silver arrows. Shoot.

Jimin stumbled a step back. “Thanks.”

She shrugged as she waved her bow. “But did you see the Demons making an escape? Nope. You don’t. Not with my arrows. Sacrifice the few to save the many.” Artemis’ all-white eyes glowed as the air around her shimmered. “I am sure you understand that battle practice.”

Seolhyun ignored that sign, mainly because the marks of the Elpis were speeding around her skin, forming multiple warnings. Another God was nearby.

Well, weren’t they just dropping out of the freaking sky?

A fissure of power curled down Seolhyun’s spine. More glyphs bled to the surface of her skin, shifting and forming different symbols, a response to the presence of Apollo and Athena.

“This is not the time for chit-chatting,” Apollo’s voice boomed from behind Jisoo. “Are you okay?”

Nodding her head slowly, Jisoo could only stare at Jennie’s feathered wings from the back, who’s in the middle of combat with Artemis and Hermes. Hermes’ agility could make Flash shook.

“You are very brave to come here, Jisoo.” Athena stood with her back to the sun, her long dark hair put down this time, under the helmet. Spear on her right hand, and a shield on the left. With an owl resting on her left shoulder, she looked all glorious. “It’s going to take some work.”

An unexpected movement coming from a soldier, stepping forward on his right leg as his arm tilted back. He let go of a knife.

It flew through the air, hilt over blade, and went through the mini-tornado, embedding deep in the center. The moment it made contact, a rush of air burst out. A sonic boom knocked all of them back, like they were nothing but bowling pins. The dagger fell from almost-knocking Athena’s shield, skidding across the floor.

“Really? You threw a knife at a God?” Jimin tipped her head back and laughed as she reached down, grabbed the hilt, and then yanked the knife out. She dropped it on the stone floor of the foyer. “This is going to be easier than I imagined.”

Athena smiled.

The Furies suddenly rose into the air, shedding their pearly luminous appearances. Their skin and wings turned gray and scaly. Snapping snakes replaced their hair. They flew above the Gods, and Seolhyun saw one swoop down, catching the man in her talons. A spray of blood spurted into the air and something red and ropey spilled onto the ground, steaming.

The soldiers had been torn in half.

Tipping her head back, the Furie’s laugh tinkled on the wind, prickling the skin on the back of Seolhyun’s neck.

Perses’ brows rose, giving up on watching them. “They are as bloodthirsty as I remembered.”

Of course they were. One of them had a Mortal’s head in its hands and looked like it was about to play volleyball with it.

“Come on,” Jimin called, motioning to Seolhyun. “They got this.”

That they did. One last look over Seolhyun’s shoulder confirmed it. Apollo had obliterated the soldiers, and the Gods were now joining the mess of fighting bodies around front. Hurrying after Jimin and Perses, they were inside the Ephensy, possibly steps away from Ares.

Seolhyun swore in that moment this would be the last time she’d ever have to make a choice between want and need.

She spun around and hugged Jennie and then Jisoo. “Be safe,” she told them both. “Promise me, Jisoo. If not, I’ll find you in the Underworld and kick your . I swear.”

Jisoo chuckled weakly. “You’d actually do that anyway. I promise. And you do the same–”

Movement stirred from the break in the ground. It sounded like rocks falling, bouncing off one another. Air caught in Seolhyun’s lungs as a faint shiver skated over her skin, and instinct roared to the surface, forcing her to step back before she even realized what she was doing.

A dirt-stained hand appeared, reaching out from the abyss and smacking down on the broken tile. Something or someone was hauling itself out of the hole in the floor. Nothing good could be climbing out from deep within the ground. She’d seen enough horror movies to know that.

Jennie stepped to the side, blocking Jisoo, and her stance widened, wings squared.

Another hand appeared and then a head– a dirt-covered bald head broke the surface, and Seolhyun distantly heard someone gag.

“Oh my Gods,” she whispered, eyes widening with horror.

Ripped and flayed skin peeled back from the head. Entire chunks of skin were missing from the hollowed cheeks. The skin on the arms was no better. Strips of flesh hung from the chest. One of the eyes was nothing more than an empty, rotten socket, and some kind of cloth was wrapped around its hips, a cloth that might’ve been white and pristine at one time, but was now covered in mud and singed with soot.

The scent of sulfur misted the room.

The one good eye met hers, and its iris was a milky blue.

“Holy Demon babies,” whispered Seolhyun. “Is that a zombie? Like a real zombie?”

“That wasn’t an earthquake.” Hyejeong reached to her hip, but she was empty-handed. The daggers were lost somewhere.

“I think that’s obvious,” Jisoo muttered from behind Jennie.

All of them were immobile with disbelief.

The head on the thing swiveled from Jennie to the other side, and then it pulled itself out, hitting the crushed tile on its hands and knees. A great shudder rolled through the wrecked body and it doubled over, opening its mouth and coughing violently, spewing clumps of soil and small pebbles.

The thing spoke, rocking onto its knees, back bowing as it threw its arms out. “Δωρεάν.” It was a tone of voice so guttural that it sounded like its vocal cords had been destroyed.

“Free,” Seolhyun repeated, looking across the others. “It said ‘free.’”

“Free from what?” Jimin set her one foot forward.

Any other time Seolhyun would’ve laughed, but that thing was rising to bare feet that were nothing more than gnawed muscle and bone. It took a step toward Jennie.

“Don’t come any closer,” Seolhyun warned, having no idea if it understood a single thing she said.

The thing shuffled another step forward.

“I think it doesn’t like you,” commented Jimin. Power started building built in the center of her palm, reminding everyone that she didn’t need a dagger to fight.

Seolhyun lifted a hand, hoping that whatever this thing was, it was a friendly and would listen to her. “Stop.”

Stretching out a gnarly hand in her direction, it opened its mouth in a lipless snarl, revealing ragged, broken teeth.

Okay.

Probably not friendly.

She reacted, tapping into the Ether. Summoning the element of air, she felt the energy whip down her arm. A gust of wind hit the thing in its chest.

It flew backward.

Then the thing shot forward, slamming into the air in a way that reminded her of a fly hitting the windshield of a car going about 100 miles per hour. A gruesome sound burned Seolhyun’s ears as it exploded like a tick full of blood.

“Ew!” She dropped her hand.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jimin moaned. “Seriously. I might vomit.” They came out of the rift faster than the lone one, all in the same rotting, decaying shape. Their bare-boned feet clicked off the pieces of tile.

There were almost a dozen.

Their jaws snapped, exposing ragged teeth that could easily tear through skin.

“Zombies are all fun and games until they’re standing right in front of you,” Jisoo swallowed.

They attacked.

There was no time to figure out what was happening, what these things really were, or why they were coming after so suddenly. The things could move fast. Half went toward the male Gods featuring Perses who were still fighting with the second wave of soldiers. The Goddess had shifted their focused on the chaos with the servants. The rest raced in the AOA direction, and for a split second, fear punched through Seolhyun’s gut.

But then instinct took over, forcing her body to move. She darted to the left as she tapped into the powers stirring inside her. A small ball of flames hit one of the creatures in the back. Fire erupted, swallowing its body.

“Holy crap,” she whispered.

On her right side, ultra-bright flames danced over Hyejeong’s knuckles. Then she turned, taking out another as Jimin quick-handed her a dagger. Jumping forward, the Linus slammed the dagger into one of the eye sockets and jerked her arm back, her lip curling in disgust as maroon-colored blood spurted out at her. The thing shrieked as it fell to the floor, shattering upon impact.

“That’s so gross,” Hyejeong muttered, flipping the dagger. She twisted, eyeing another creature. “So freaking gross.”

Jennie welcomed the raw energy now coursing through her body. Her right arm heated, and a godly bolt shot from her palm, smacking the closest creature to her in the chest. It went down in ashes. She spun, clawing another creature mercilessly. The third zigged and zagged on her, getting close enough that the smell of rot and death turned everyone’s stomach. Wings fully uncurled, she danced back a step, tapping into the energy once more. The fourth creature took the hit in the shoulder, spinning it around.

She turned as the fifth one jumped, landing no more than a foot in front of Jisoo. Seolhyun reared back, but it wrapped a bony, fleshless hand around the girl’s forearm.

Fiery pain erupted, robbing the air out of Jisoo’s lungs. The touch seared her skin, forcing out a hoarse scream. The creature laughed, spewing dirt into the air. Rearing back, Hyejeong tore her sister’s arm free just as a dagger sliced through its face from behind.

Following suit, Seolhyun and Jimin summoned Ether, while Jennie was more claws-on-claws, using the raging power. Her feathered wings practically glowed, they were so bright. She stretched out her long neck and opened , letting out an inhuman roar. They took down nearly a dozen, but they streamed out of the crack like an unending night of The Walking Dead.

Jennie jumped back as the thing reached for her again, but he caught her wing in his grip. He twisted his hand. She heard an almost delicate crack, and startling pain arced across her wing, slamming into her shoulder and powering down her spine. Unable to stop it, a cry punched out of her, but that spark of pain ignited a fire in her. She started to bring her knee up, but before she could claw off its face, it slammed his palm into her chest.

The blow knocked Jennie off her feet and through the air as if he’d tossed her. She flew back so high, over the edge of the roof overlooking the hill.

“Jennie!” Fear filled Seolhyun’s shout.

As she started to topple into nothing but air, instinct came out. The pain in her left wing knocked the air out of her lungs, but she pushed through it, grinding her teeth as she caught herself. The movement was like taking a lighted match to her wing, but she darted up several feet above the ground.

Startled, the creature shouted as he reached into some Linus’ uniform and pulled out a dagger, and everyone knew without even getting close that it was titanium, and if you had even the tiniest amount of Titan’s blood, it could be deadly.

He crouched, and then shot into the air, and that fire in Jennie burned into an inferno. She shot across as the thing raised his hand, swinging the dagger toward her madly. She dropped to the concrete, and the dagger swung over her head. She grabbed hold of his legs, her claws digging in as she yanked down with all her strength.

The thing hadn’t expected that move, and he went down as Jennie made a pass at him, the tips of her claws missing him by an inch. Spinning around, she swung out her clawed hand, hitting him across the chest, digging in deep, tearing open the hardened skin. Blood spurted and then sprayed. Shock splashed across its face as he stumbled back, his hands pressing against his chest. It was a fatal blow.

Exhaustion was already settling into Jennie’s wrist, as she released another bolt of energy through her palm. It might’ve been the lack of sleep last night, or the battle in her true form demanded more power than she expected. Another one was coming at her.

Suddenly, the ground trembled as the crack in the floor widened, and through the charred bodies and the fresher ones that now rose, a horse head appeared.

“Am I seeing things?” Seolhyun asked just as one of the creatures reached for her. She brought the dagger down and whipped back toward the opening. There was another horse head and then another.

“What in the world?” Ether faded from Jimin’s arm.

Jennie shook her head, still breathing raggedly. “No idea.”

An undercurrent of power rippled through, coasting over Seolhyun’s skin. She also had no idea what was happening at this point, but three horses rose up out of the ground, dark as night and covered in black armor, and they held riders. The two on the outside were dressed head to toe in black, and the one in the middle wore leathers; leather pants and a leather, sleeveless shirt. A golden band wrapped around his well-muscled upper arm, and an aura of power surrounded him. He had a head full of wavy black hair, and his face was brutal in its beauty, as if his features had been carved out of granite.

The two men unhooked the silvery lassos attached to their waists. With startling reflexes, their wrists snapped and the lassos shot out like lightning, slicing through the creatures like heated knives through butter.

Seolhyun’s brows shot out as she watched the two men make short work of the creatures in Jennie’s direction. The lasso thingy would’ve been real helpful about five minutes ago, because within seconds, the creatures were all gone. Nothing more than soot and ash on the floor.

Hyejeong exhaled heavily. “Nice of you to join us, Hades.”

“Sorry I’m late.” Hades spoke, his voice accented. “Was in the middle of entertaining Persephone when literally all hell broke loose.”

“They’re yours?” Seolhyun gestured at the pile of ashes.

Hades smirked. “Were.”

“What in the world is going on?” Jisoo demanded, face wincing. “The ground split open and these things came crawling out like cockroaches.”

“You don’t know?” Hades sighed as he forced his horse to turn around. Dismounting, he stood next to the massive beast, and they saw just how tall Hades was. Like, giant kind of tall.

“We thought it was an earthquake until they started coming through.” Hyejeong replied. “What were those things?”

Hades nodded up at the men. They hooked their super-special lassos to their waists but did not dismount. They sat upon their horses, eyes straight ahead and as silent as graves. Turning in unison, their heels dug into the sides of their horses and turned to stand guard by the rift.

“Those creatures were held in the pits of Tartarus, deep within the fire caverns,” Hades explained, swiping his booted foot through the pile of ashes. “They were