We so didn’t have time for this.

Seth shot past me and raised his hand. The marks of the Apollyon whipped across his skin. Energy seeped into the air around us. In a burst of light, akasha spun from him and smacked into the first automaton, lighting it up. Joining in, I summoned the fifth and most powerful element, hitting my target.

The automatons were no more.

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

My 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 my head, I sent Seth a look. This guy is nuts.

But he’s good.

Racing across the now-overgrown lawn of the Covenant, we 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, Seth reached out, grabbing my hand and forcing me to make a sharp turn to the left. I looked down, almost mistaking what I 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, he said.

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

The sounds of battle at the gate raged on as we drew near the main Covenant building. 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. I could see many Sentinels and soldiers on both sides, clashing together in hand-to-hand combat. It appeared the automatons were down, but we were close enough to the fight that we now were drawing attention.

Several soldiers shouted, and a large group broke apart, racing toward us.

“The servants’ entrance.” Seth 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 he’s been and—”

A soft, tinkling laugh halted the three of us, and my heart jumped in my chest. I knew that sound. The air shimmered in front of us, 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,” I moaned. “Seriously?”

Two furies floated before us, 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, color me surprised and call me shocked.

Static crackled through the air, and a low-level hum teased my ears. Turning around, my eyes widened.

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

Across the lawn, about halfway between the group of soldiers and us, 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 us. She winked, and then turned, letting loose a silver arrow.

The furies 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 I saw one swoop down, catching a man in her talons. A spray of blood spurted into the air and something—oh gods—red and ropey spilled onto the ground, steaming.

The soldier had been torn in half.

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

Perses’ brows rose. “They are as bloodthirsty as I remembered.”

I looked at him. “And creepy.”

He smiled. “I think they’re magnificent.”

Of course he did. One of them had a mortal’s head in its hands and looked like it was about to play volleyball with it. Perses and the furie should hook up, I thought bitterly.

“Come on,” Seth called, motioning to us. He was by the shattered doors. “They got this.”

That they did. One last look over my shoulder confirmed it. Apollo had obliterated the soldiers, and the gods were now joining the mess of fighting bodies around front. Hurrying after Seth and Perses, we were inside the Covenant, possibly steps away from Ares.

Stopping in front of us, Perses cocked his head to the side then glanced back at Seth and me, wiping the spray of blood off his cheek. A slow, calculated smile pulled across his face.

He disappeared.

Poof.

Gone.

Vanished.

Seth’s mouth dropped open. “Shit!”

CHAPTER 24

We stood just inside the servant’s entrance, the hall splitting into two directions. Gray stains smudged the walls, as if there’d been a small fire.

I couldn’t move or speak for several seconds. “I can’t believe it!” I exclaimed. “That son of a—”

Soldiers poured into the entrance. Their camouflage uniforms were so noticeably mortal, but the armbands with Ares’ symbol were anything but mortal. Their guns were raised, and they were ready to fire.

Crap.

Throwing out my hands, I tapped into the element of air. Wind gusted in behind the soldiers. Their boots skidded over the tile floor. The guns shook in their hands. Seth got in on the game. A few soldiers went down. Guns misfired, and one by one, the weapons flew from their hands, sliding across the floors. The soldiers scrambled to their feet as the winds died down.

Can we let them go? I asked.

Seth shook his head and started forward, withdrawing his daggers. They’re under compulsion.

I wanted to argue, but the soldier closest to Seth engaged, swinging his arm out. There was a wicked-looking knife in his hand, the kind I imagined serial killers would covet. Anyone in their right mind would’ve run from us, but those under compulsion would fight to the death.

There was nothing we could do.

Seth dipped under the attacker’s arm and sprang up, slamming the hilt of one dagger into the back of a soldier while catching another in the chest. Vaulting over the body of the fallen soldier, I dipped down low and spun, taking the feet out from underneath another man. He sat up, impaling himself on the waiting dagger.

I pulled it free, the fleshy suction sound echoing in my head. Wincing, I ignored the stirrings of guilt and threw myself into the fray.

These soldiers were highly trained, no doubt strategically kept inside the Covenant to be the last line of defense if anyone made it inside. Rolling into a kick, I welcomed the sharp slice of pain, then sprang up, arcing the dagger to catch the soldier under the chin. Whipping around, I saw Seth grab one by the head and twist. The crack was lost in the punch thrown at me. I ducked, catching the attacker in the stomach.