Cronus got to me as I collapsed, my head ending up in his lap as he stroked my hair. Thanatos walked toward us as a cough racked my body. When I pulled my hand away from my mouth, it was speckled black.
“Are you here for her?” Cronus asked Thanatos, his voice as cold as the death that was chasing me down. Before the god could answer, Cronus handed me to Hyperion, standing to face Thanatos down.
Thanatos sighed, and it might have been the hazy quality to my brain, but I thought he looked tired. “I thought it would be nice if she had a familiar face to take her downstairs.”
Cronus exploded, energy and blue lightning shooting from his body, knocking Thanatos thirty feet backward.
“You will NEVER take her. Understand me?”
As fierce as he looked, when he knelt down next to me again, his eyes were shiny. I’d never seen him so distraught. As he picked me up, blackness started to creep at the edges of my vision. I felt out of my body, so light and free.
Cronus looked Hyperion dead in the eyes. “Don’t ever talk to me again. I’m done with you.”
I wanted to say something, to stick up for Hyperion and tell Cronus I’d wanted this. I chose it. But I couldn’t speak … the blackness at the edges of my vision grew until I lost my fight.
How long I was out I didn’t know, but when I came to, everything hurt. My body, my fingers, my eyelids. Everything. Even the sound of gentle lapping waves was causing my brain to flinch.
Was this what it felt like to be dead?
My eyelids snapped open. There was a fight going on. “Save her or I’ll take your head!” Cronus snapped, thunder following his voice as blue light flared in long arcs across the ceiling.
I moaned, rolling over onto my side to see we were in some beach hut, waves crashing outside. Cronus had a blade to Narida’s throat while she took vials of what looked like blood and dripped them into a cup. “Stand down, Titan.”
Cronus’ hand shook as he lowered his blade.
“Cro—” I coughed. More black oily blood coming up.
Cronus left Narida to her tincture and slid onto his knees before me. “Mais.”
He brushed my hair from my face and I could see that it was completely black now. No blond in sight. “Don’t … be … mad at Hype.” I coughed. “We … saved the … world from the next world war.”
Cronus’ jaw ticked. “Shh, save your strength. Narida gave you a healing potion but it won’t last for long, and Thanatos is looking for you.”
Oh yeah, the god of death was going to take me to the underworld. Would it be so bad? That garden where my mom was? The waterfall. I mean, we hadn’t gotten all of the sins yet, but maybe if I could like … drop these ones off somewhere, the necklace could be reused.
“Maisey!” Cronus snapped, shaking my shoulders.
My eyelids sprang open. I hadn’t realized I had closed them again.
“What's taking so long?” Cronus barked at Narida.
“It’s almost ready!” she shouted back. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Dark shadows danced along the walls, swirling above me on the ceiling.
Cronus seemed to see them too. He stood and thrust his hands out. “Come for her and I will blast you into oblivion.”
One of the shadows was stupider than the others, ignoring the warning, reaching for me. I could feel warmth from its skin. I wanted to touch it…
Cronus zapped a burst of blue light magic from his palms, hitting the shadow right in the face, driving it backward.
Narida’s face suddenly swam into view. “Death messengers. We don’t have much time.” She knelt before me and held a cup to my lips.
“Why… are you helping me?”
She chuckled without humor. “Besides Cronus killing me if I don’t? Us Instagram sisters need to stick together.”
#ThatWasAlmostSweet
Narida looked at my giant Titan. “Do you, of your own freewill, take the burden Maisey carries and offer to become a vessel for the sins?”
Cronus nodded without hesitation. “I do.”
#ThisSoundsLikeAWedding
Narida looked at me. “And do you, Maisey, freely give up this burden for Cronus to carry?”
The cup was poised at my lips, a cup full of blood no doubt.
I shook my head. “I—I won’t kill him.”
Cronus punched the floor and the tile cracked. “Maisey, god dammit! We don’t have time for this. If you die, you can never come back. Only Titans can be brought back. I’ll be fine. I will come back to you.”
Oh yeah … I’d temporarily forgotten that we’d been bringing Titans back from the underworld this whole time. But … why did Cronus’ face look weird, like he was hiding something? Was he the same as the rest of his family? We’d never actually brought him back. He had been imprisoned, not killed. Felt like I was missing something…
Forcing myself to half sit up, I ignored the pain racking my body. “If the last sin kills Cronus, Hyperion and I can just bring him back?”
I was talking to Narida, expecting she’d give me the entire truth.
She shot Cronus a small look before she answered. “Yep,” she said with an unreadable expression.
Something was going on; they were definitely hiding shit from me, but I was in no position to push at the moment. I was basically dying, so I’d just deal with whatever later.
We could bring Titans back. That was a fact.
I’d bring Cronus back once he took all the sins, then we’d be together forever.
Well, my forever, until I died. Hopefully as an old lady.
“I agree. I give my vessel or burden or whatever to him.”
Narida nodded. “Drink.” When the liquid touched my lips, I wanted to gag. It was fucking blood. Salty, coppery. Not mixed with juice or anything, just straight up vampire style. Forcing myself to swallow, she pulled the cup back and gave the rest to Cronus, who took it back in
