The Goddess Test Boxed Set: Goddess Interrupted\The Goddess Inheritance\The Goddess Legacy (55 page)

“Can Cronus help Henry?” I said again in as steady a voice as I
could muster.

James leaned in closer, clasping my hand in his. “Yes,” he
admitted. “He could. But even if you did go back to Cronus, he wouldn't undo the
damage he's already done to Henry. You know he wouldn't.”

“Right,” I whispered. James was wrong, though. If Cronus had
enough incentive, he might. And I wasn't going to give up just because they
insisted there was no point in trying. Even if it meant marching straight up to
Cronus and giving him everything, I would really do it if it meant Henry might
live.

* * *

While bedridden, I planned.

Every word I'd say, every argument I'd use, everything I'd
offer Cronus to make him save Henry. Layer after layer of blueprints that would
give Henry his life back and our son a father. Whatever it took.

I spent my hours with Milo, watching him sleep, watching as Ava
changed him, watching as Calliope attempted to coax him to eat from a bottle. To
my immense satisfaction, he refused.

“You must eat,” said Calliope sternly as she offered yet
another warm bottle to my son. He turned his head away, his face scrunched up
and bright red from crying, and she narrowed her eyes. “Callum, you must.”

Callum after herself, undoubtedly. He was Milo, not Callum, and
no matter how long he stayed with that bitch, he would never be hers.

However, as the hours turned into one day, then two, my worry
surpassed my hatred for Calliope. Milo wasn't eating. He fussed in his sleep,
and when he was awake, his eyes constantly leaked with tears. He was
miserable.

I didn't know what to do. Was there anything at all, other than
storming the palace and demanding Calliope give him back to me? It wouldn't work
anyway. I could have the entire council backing me up, but without Henry, it
would be nothing more than an exercise in defeat. Cronus would keep me, Calliope
would hide my son away, and he would only grow weaker.

“Come on, Milo,” I whispered as I leaned over his crib. For the
umpteenth time, I tried to touch him, but once again my fingers passed through
his cheek. “I'm sorry I'm not here. If I had any choice...” My voice caught in
my throat. “I know Calliope's horrible, but you need to eat. You need to be
healthy and strong for when I finally get to be with you again.”

At last he opened his blue eyes, and in that moment, I swore he
saw me.

“There you are.” I gave him a watery smile. “You're beautiful,
you know. You put Adonis to shame.”

His whimpers quieted, and he lifted his arms, as if he were
reaching for me. I tried to touch him again, but it still didn't work. I'd never
stop trying, though.

“Think you could do that for me?” I murmured. “Just eat a
little bit. You can be as unhappy as you want. I don't blame you. It won't last
forever though, I promise.” It couldn't. I wouldn't let it.

“He has your eyes.”

My heart damn near stopped. Slowly I turned, and despite the
dim light, I could see every feature of his face. “Henry?”

He smiled grimly and opened his arms. I didn't think. I went to
him, burying my face in his chest and inhaling, but he smelled like nothing. He
wasn't here either. I could touch him, though. I could feel his silk shirt and
the heat radiating from his body.

How?

“I've missed you,” he murmured, brushing his lips against my
cheek. When I tried to turn my head to kiss him properly, he pulled away, just
out of reach. Rejection and doubt washed over me. Was he angry I'd gotten
caught? That I couldn't save him? Did he know about my plans to give myself up
to Cronus in exchange for his life?

When I followed his gaze, however, I relaxed. Milo.

I tucked myself underneath his arm, and together we approached
the cradle. When the baby saw us, he reached for us. For me. And a piece of my
heart melted.

Henry reached for him in return, and before I could warn him
that it wouldn't work, his fingers made contact with Milo's. Not lingering in
the unoccupied space beside him or hovering a millimeter above his skin and
pretending.

He was really touching our son.

“Hello, little man,” said Henry solemnly. “I heard you have not
been eating.”

Producing a bottle seemingly out of nowhere, Henry let go of me
and picked Milo up. I stood back, stunned, as Henry offered him the milk.
Several seconds passed, and at last Milo began to eat.

“How—” A wave of dizziness washed over me. This couldn't be
happening, not unless he was dead or—or something I didn't understand. “How is
this possible?”

Sometimes we misjudge what is possible and
what is not.

Henry's voice rang in my head, clear as anything, and I waited
for him to say those words again. To insist that just because I didn't know how
it worked didn't stop it from happening.

Instead he smiled, and Milo ate greedily. “Because it is. What
more of an explanation do you need?”

I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know how to save him,
how to put our family back together, how to stop Cronus and Calliope from taking
over the world. But at that moment, I only needed to hear one thing. “Will you
stay with him?”

In his arms, Milo gurgled, and I tried to touch him once more.
Nothing. “Of course,” said Henry, and he pressed his lips to my forehead.
“Always.”

I opened my eyes, more content and relaxed than I'd been since
the winter solstice. Despite the bright blue sky above me, this place—whatever
it was, wherever it was—was quiet. My mother hadn't left me alone since I'd
returned from Calliope's castle, but glancing around, I noticed her empty
chair.

Finally, the chance I'd been waiting for.

Swinging my legs out of bed, I tested the sunset floor. It was
warmer than I expected, and while my arm burned, my mother had been right;
nothing else hurt. Whatever was in that compress had stopped the agony of the
dagger wound from spreading.

While I'd been unconscious, someone—hopefully my mother and not
James—had dressed me in a white silk nightgown, so smooth it might as well have
been water against my skin. I took a few tentative steps, and once I was sure I
wasn't going to collapse, I headed for the door. I had no idea where I was, but
I wanted to see Henry. I had to make sure he wasn't dead. That my vision hadn't
been his last goodbye to me. To our son.

No. He'd promised to stay with Milo, and he would. Gods didn't
turn into corporeal ghosts when they died, or at least I thought they didn't.
Had a god as powerful as Henry ever died before?

I opened the bedroom door to reveal a corridor on the other
side, with the same blue ceiling and sunset floor. The colors underneath my feet
changed as I walked, and I had to tear my eyes away to check the various doors
that stood some twenty feet apart through the hallway.

Empty bedroom after empty bedroom. Some were plain, like mine,
but others were decorated—one with light blue accents and white silk that
matched my nightgown, and another with deep greens and bright flowers growing
everywhere. It looked exactly like the sort of bedroom my mother might have if
she'd—

Wait.

I pushed the door open wider. It wasn't just a bedroom; it was
a suite, with several other doors decorating the walls, far more than space
allowed with the other rooms surrounding it. I inched forward toward the
nightstand, where a picture stood.

No, not a picture—a reflection, like the one Henry had had of
Persephone in Eden Manor, one that captured a moment, not a still photograph.
With a trembling hand, I picked up the wooden frame and stared at it. My mother
and I stared back.

We were laughing in the middle of Central Park. I didn't need
to see the cupcakes or the mess that remained of our picnic to know what it
was.

It was the reflection Henry had given me our first and only
Christmas together.

“Kate?”

The frame slipped from my hand, and the glass shattered as it
hit the ground. I swore and bent to pick it up. “Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't
mean—”

“It's all right,” she said, kneeling beside me, and she waved
my hand away. “What are you doing out of bed?”

I stood as the glass repaired itself under her guidance. How
long would it take me to learn how to control my powers that way? I'd tried to
figure out what I was capable of while Calliope had held me captive, but without
someone to teach me, the best I'd managed was controlling my visions. “I want to
see Henry.”

“Fair enough.” My mother straightened and set the newly
repaired frame back on her nightstand. And it was her nightstand; I was sure
about that now. This was her suite. This was her home.

This was Olympus.

“Do you mind taking a side trip with me before we go see him?”
said my mother, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

“What? Why?” I blurted. “I want to see Henry, Mom. He was in my
vision, and he held Milo and got him to eat and everything.”

Her brow furrowed, but instead of telling me I was crazy or
that it was my imagination, she said gently, “We can talk about it later,
sweetheart. Walter's called an emergency council meeting, and I was just on my
way to fetch you.”

To fetch me? What could I possibly help the council with? I'd
only been immortal for a year and a half. That was nothing compared to the rest
of the council, some of whom were older than the dawn of humanity. Like my
mother. Like Henry. Like each of the original six siblings—five now that
Calliope had abandoned them. Four now that Henry was lost in a world between the
living and the dead. “What happened?”

My mother hesitated, and taking my good arm, she guided me to
the door. “I don't want to worry you, but...”

“But what?” My insides seized. Had the worst happened? Were
Henry or Milo dead? “Mom—
but what?
”

Her eyes flickered shut. “It's Cronus,” she said, her voice
cracking. “He's declared war.”

Chapter 4

The Council Divided

Only half the council showed.

Irene, my tutor during my time in Eden, wept while Sofia, my
mother's home care nurse and another of the original six, tried to comfort her.
On the opposite side of the circle, Walter and Phillip, Henry's brothers, sat
with their heads bent together, and they spoke quietly. James and Dylan, Ava's
boyfriend from Eden High, remained silent on their respective thrones.

No one else showed.

“Where is everyone?” I whispered to my mother, though in the
endless room, my voice carried.

“Some have chosen not to join us. We will not begrudge them
that.” She sat down and gestured for me to take a seat beside her, in the throne
made of white diamond straight from the Underworld. Persephone's.

I hesitated. I'd sat there a few times in Henry's palace, but
I'd assumed it was there because it was his realm. Was it simply a place for me
to sit, or did this mean I was a member of the council now? Despite the honor,
the thought of having that kind of responsibility—that kind of
control
over the lives of others made me sick to my
stomach. But if they trusted me enough to make me one of them, then I would do
everything I could to help.

“We're waiting for you, dear,” said my mother, and I forced
myself to snap out of it. Perching on the edge of the chair, I cradled my arm to
my chest and waited. I knew why Nicholas wasn't there, of course, since Calliope
was holding him hostage. Ava was helping her—to save Nicholas, I realized, but
that didn't make it easier to stomach her betrayal. And Henry...

They all had excuses for not being there, and after Ella had
lost her arm the day Cronus escaped from the Underworld, I didn't blame her for
not wanting to be part of it either. But what about Theo? What about Xander? The
council without Calliope had argued and been at odds, but no one had flat-out
abandoned their position.

Walter stood and cleared his throat. He looked older somehow,
despite his agelessness. His shoulders slumped underneath the burden of
everything that had happened, and beside him, Phillip, usually so gruff and
impermeable, didn't look much better. “Brother and sisters, sons and
daughters...”

Daughters? Only Irene was his daughter. Sofia and my mother
were his sisters. Unless he meant me, too.

No. It was a slip of the tongue, nothing more. Because if he
did mean me, too, then why hadn't anyone ever—

“It saddens me greatly to report that Athens has fallen.”

All my questions about my father flew out of my head. Athens
had fallen? Irene sobbed, and Sofia hugged her, rubbing her back and murmuring
words of comfort I couldn't make out. Bewildered, I looked from them to Walter.
How could Athens fall? This wasn't ancient Greece—what did that even
mean?

“How?” said my mother. “Why? We have no army there. No soldiers
to threaten Cronus's hold over the Aegean Sea. Why would he attack
unprovoked?”

It wasn't unprovoked, though. Cronus had promised no one would
die as long as I stayed by his side, and now I'd abandoned him. My hands began
to tremble, and I shoved them between my knees. Across the circle, Walter's eyes
met mine. He knew.

“We cannot pretend to understand how Cronus thinks,” he said,
and a rush of guilt-laced gratitude overwhelmed me. He wasn't going to tell.

“As for how he attacked,” said Phillip, rising to stand beside
his brother, “he used my domain. It was a calculated attack with Athens
pinpointed specifically—no other area was touched. However, the damage he
did...”

Irene cried even harder, and Phillip raised his voice so we
could all hear him.

“The tidal wave washed nearly everything away.”

My body went cold, and the golden room spun around me until I
couldn't stand it any longer. “Did—did anyone die?” I whispered.

Walter said nothing for a moment, and I thought I saw a spark
of compassion pass over his face. “Yes. Nearly a million people lost their
lives.”

Something twisted inside me, sharp and unforgiving, and if I
could have thrown up, I would have. Nearly a million people were dead because of
me, because I'd lied to Cronus. I'd known there would be consequences, yet I'd
done it anyway.

No, I hadn't known it would be anything like this. This wasn't
war between two equal opponents; this was a massacre of people who didn't even
know that gods and Titans were real.

“A purely symbolic attack then,” said Dylan, his brow furrowed.
A three-dimensional map of Greece appeared in the center of the circle, complete
with mountains, islands and seas, all to scale and colored exactly like they
would be if this were an aerial shot. For all I knew, it was.

The map zoomed toward Athens until the damage was visible.
During my first summer away from Henry, James and I had visited Greece, and we'd
spent weeks in the city. My memories of paved streets, kind people and the
modern nestled alongside the ancient might as well have been a dream.

Nothing was left. Debris and mud replaced what had once been a
vibrant city, now washed out to sea. Tears slid down my face, and I wasn't the
only one crying. Beside me, my mother slipped her hand into mine, and even
James's eyes grew red.

Athens was really gone.

“Look,” said Irene suddenly, her voice thick. “Closer.”

The map zoomed in, and I averted my eyes. I couldn't see the
bodies, if there were any left to begin with. I couldn't see the faces of those
who were dead because of me.

“The Parthenon,” said Irene. “He left it standing.”

I cracked open an eye. The temple of Athena—of Irene—remained
standing, untouched except for the ravages of time and history.

“A message?” said James, leaning forward.

“I cannot say,” said Walter gravely. “Perhaps he has a small
amount of respect for all we have done for the world.”

“Or maybe it means he'll keep us alive if we don't stand in his
way,” said Irene, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

“We must not fall victim to the belief that removing ourselves
from this war will prevent it from happening,” said Walter with surprising
gentleness. “He intends on killing us—
all
of us—for
keeping him locked in Tartarus. Humanity is nothing to him, but he will not
hesitate to wipe them out as well, knowing our existence is now linked to
theirs. We have no choice but to fight until it is over.”

“One way or the other,” whispered Irene.

Walter nodded. “One way or the other.”

“Isn't there something we can do?” The words were out before I
could stop them, and each council member focused on me. “Cronus must want
something.”

“You know what he wants,” said Walter, and my cheeks burned.
Yes. He wanted me.

“We all know what he wants,” cut in Dylan. “Death. Destruction.
Mayhem. War. To rule the world once more. Usually I'd approve, but not when
we're the targets.”

“So what do we plan to do about it?” said James. “Let him get
away with this?”

“I have already called a meeting among my subjects,” said
Phillip. “They know not to bow to his will no matter the cost.”

“Cronus has more power than all of us combined,” said Irene, a
determined edge in her voice now. “We cannot fight back as we are and expect to
achieve any measure of success.”

“What about the other gods?” said James. “They could help.”

“They have nearly all signed a petition insisting they will
not,” said Walter. “Besides, they could all join us and put everything they have
into this war, but it would still not be sufficient. They are not powerful
enough to make up for the loss of Henry and Calliope.”

I gritted my teeth. Henry wasn't dead yet. “I could talk to
Cronus,” I said. “He—he was nice to me. He might listen.”

“No,” said my mother. “Even if you did have that sort of hold
over him, he will stop at nothing until he has what he wants. He has waited and
planned for eons. You will not change his mind no matter how fond of you he
might be.”

Across the circle, James focused on me. I ignored the question
in his stare and concentrated on the floating image between us instead. “It
could work,” I said.

“That is a risk we cannot take,” said Walter. “Calliope has
already proven she will kill you if given the opportunity, and Cronus may not be
willing to protect you any longer. No, we must focus our efforts on coming up
with a way to even our odds despite our missing members.”

Frustration, hot and unyielding, rose inside me. Of course they
would invite me to join them only to dismiss every idea I had. What else did I
expect? “What about Rhea?” I said. It felt like years since I'd decided to leave
the Underworld to ask for her help. She was the only one who could match Cronus
in power, and if anyone could win this war, it was her. “What did she say?”

Silence. Walter and Phillip exchanged an uneasy look, and
finally James piped up. “No one's tried to find her.”

“What? Why not?”

“We did not know you were not—” started Walter, but my mother
cut in.

“
Most
of us did not know Kate was
not searching for her,” she corrected, fire in her eyes. Walter's lips thinned
underneath her stare.

“Yes. Most of us did not know you were not already searching
for her.”

Right. That moment between Henry and Walter in the office.
Henry had hinted Walter may have known what was going on. “And that entire time,
you didn't stop to think it might be a good idea to send someone else instead?”
I said.

Walter cleared his throat. “Our efforts were focused on trying
to stop the impending war, not escalate it.”

“Oh, yeah? How did that turn out?” I said, and my mother
squeezed my hand, a silent command to stop talking.

This was my fault though, every last bit of it. I'd won
immortality and stolen Henry from Calliope, or at least that was how she saw it.
My stupid mistake had forced Henry to release Cronus from Tartarus in the first
place. Now, because I'd left Cronus, nearly a million people were dead, and more
would undoubtedly follow.

No, I wasn't going to shut up.

“While the rest of you flounder and try to figure out what to
do, I'm going to find her,” I said. “And I'm going to get her to help us.”

I expected an argument, but instead the council was silent.
“It's our greatest chance at obtaining a powerful ally,” said Sofia after a long
moment. “We can't hope to sway Calliope back to our side, and without a balance
of power, more cities will crumble, and more people will die. I don't know about
the rest of you, but I'm willing to try anything that might bring us peace.”

Walter sighed wearily. “Very well. If you are able to convince
Rhea to assist us in containing Cronus, then you will do us a great service,
Kate.”

And possibly prevent millions—maybe even billions—of people
from dying. Yeah. No question. “I'll do it.”

“I'll go with her,” said James. Our eyes met again, and this
time I didn't look away. “Like it or not, I'm the only one who can find her, so
don't argue.”

“I wasn't going to,” I said. “I trust you.” If there was one
person I knew wouldn't betray me, it was James. He had nothing in this fight
except his own survival, and his ability to find anyone meant we wouldn't waste
time searching for Rhea. He would know exactly where she was.

“We must all trust each other now,” said Walter. “Those who are
here and those who are not.” He focused on Ava's empty seashell throne for a
moment before turning his gaze to me. “We all have made mistakes. We all have a
burden to bear. But unless we are united, we will fall, and we must find
forgiveness and understanding within ourselves. Pure evil does not exist. Even
Cronus has his reasons for doing what he does, and the better we understand each
other, the better chance we have at finding a solution before our foundation
crumbles.”

I averted my eyes. Once upon a time, when I'd first faced the
council, I'd forgiven Calliope for killing me. I'd been able to see past her
crimes and examine the reasons underneath, and in a way, I'd been able to
understand her. But if Walter was really asking me to do the same with
Ava...

It wasn't my life she'd threatened. It was Milo's, and some
things were unforgivable. But despite my anger, I
wanted
to forgive her—I wanted to sympathize with her. I wanted her
to be on our side again. And I could understand why she'd done it, even if I
didn't want to admit it to myself. Calliope was blackmailing her, using
Nicholas's life to ensure Ava's cooperation. The day she and I had left the
Underworld, the signs had been obvious, and if I'd taken a moment to think about
it, I would have known something was up. Ava's strength was in how she loved
others. I'd known Calliope had taken Nicholas and she'd spoken to Ava alone, and
I should've realized that Ava would do whatever it took to protect him. I should
have done something to help her before she'd had to betray me.

That was over with now, though. She'd made her mistakes, and
I'd made mine. I would do whatever I could to fix them, and I could only hope
she would do the same, as well.

“We will all do our best,” said my mother, and she squeezed my
hand again, her gaze focused on me. I gave her a slight nod. I would try.

“Then it is settled,” said Walter, and somewhere deep inside
the palace, thunder rumbled. “Kate and James will attempt to ally the council
with Rhea.”