Chapter Thirty-Eight

Blossoms.

If my final thought before falling unconscious was the hope I wouldn't wake up, the first thought when I come to is blossoms.

Because that's all I smell.

My eyes shoot open, the first sign that I'm healing. Sure enough, I find myself curled on the floor in the fetal position, the chains that once bound my wrist and ankles nowhere to be found. I do, however, notice one more thing that appears rather strange.

I'm lying in someone's lap. Someone who smells an awful lot like blossoms.

A tear slips free, because it can't be.

Can it?

Slowly, I turn, my body still weighted by exhaustion and ladened with aches and pains in every joint, muscle, and tendon. I wince as I roll on to my back, but when I open my eyes, a familiar face hovers above mine, one I've thought about every single day since she left on that dreadful March morning.

"Hi." Liv smiles, long aquamarine hair falling in mermaid-like waves over her shoulders. Eyes the same color dance happily.

"Hi," I sniff, more tears leaking out of the corner of my eyes. "Are you a ghost? A Shade? Or am I hallucinating?" Those bastards beat me within an inch of my life, so I wouldn't be surprised if my brain is still not up to discerning dreams from reality.

Liv's thumb wipes the tears still falling, and she pushes my tangled, drenched hair away from my face. "I'm whatever you need me to be, Rhi. I've got you."

I choke on a sob, and I bury my face in her stomach, gripping the material of her bright pink shirt.

"I'm so sorry." My shoulders shake as the sobs rip out of me. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Oh, Rhi," she says, stroking my hair. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You were always the one putting yourself at risk for all of us, and you still do. You are in no way responsible for my death."

I look up at that. "They all blame me. And it is my fault, because I kept so many secrets. "

Liv shakes her head. "No, Rhi. Grief is a powerful, heavy emotion. We often seek blame to alleviate the scalding pressure it places on our hearts. At first, they needed to blame you, because they needed to make sense of my death, but they don't anymore. The girls love you as much I love you, and I wish you would let your heart believe that."

I use the back of my hand to wipe another flood of tears. "You never came to me. When Zo told me you appeared to the girls and led them to Southgate that night, I thought you didn't want to see me."

She shrugs, still stroking my hair back from my forehead. "You didn't need me then, Rhi. I don't get to cross the River Styx often, so I waited for a moment when I knew you would."

Like now. The words are left unspoken.

I nod, sniffling. "I'm so glad you're here. I miss you so much."

"I miss you too."

I twirl an aquamarine strand of her curled hair around my finger. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how much longer I can take this. They want me to become Scylla, to shed my human skin. And Jesse threatened to lure Nick here and -" I break off, swallowing another sob. "I can't lose him, Liv. But I don't know how to fight them, either."

"What's so bad about becoming Scylla?"

I stare up at her incredulously. "You want me to give them what they want?"

"No." Liv leans the back of her head against the wall, sighing. "Have you ever noticed how when men lose their shit, they're praised for it? The world treats rage and vengeance as a sign of power when it comes to men, but when women display any emotion other than appeasement, we're labeled as emotional, unstable, or crazy. I mean, those bastards beat you within an inch of your life, while keeping you chained and defenseless. Where's the so-called ‘power' in that?" She shakes her head. "That's just sheer cowardice. They know what you're capable of. They are just trying to make you frightened of it, and they are succeeding."

Liv glances down at me, that familiar ruthlessness sparking in her eyes. "I say fuck the world, Rhi. Lose your fucking shit. But do it on your terms. Fight them tooth and nail, and when you're ready to unleash that unholy beast that had men shitting themselves and praying to their uncaring gods for mercy, just fucking do it."

I stare up at her, wide eyed, letting her words seep into my bones and bury themselves into my essence. Ever since I discovered what I was, I've dissected the word ‘monster.' I've let shame and guilt and doubt take residence, punishing myself for acting according to my true nature. Until I saw what real monsters look like. Kieran. Peter. Jesse. Not a claw or fang or grotesque characteristic in sight, yet the hearts that beat within their chests might as well be shriveled and defective, a gruesome thing that harbors only malice, hatred, and bigotry, the most monstrous things of all.

A small kernel of doubt sprouts within my chest, though. "What if I can't come back from it? What if I lose myself to the monster inside me and can't return?"

She leans forward, placing her hand on the left side of my chest. "Then look for me. I'll always be right here." Liv taps the space where my heart flutters beneath her palm. "I've got you, Rhi. Always."

I don't recall falling asleep again, but Liv's serene presence surrounded me like a warm blanket, and I must have drifted off at some point. When I awake, I lie on the cold, hard tile, not an ache or pain in my body, and my wrists once more bound by Prometheus's chains.

Oh, and the douchebag demigod is staring down at me.

"Incredible," Jesse murmurs. "You look fit as a fucking fiddle."

I sit up and roll the kinks out of my neck, giving Jesse a snide perusal. "And you look like shit. Jealousy does nothing for your complexion."

The fire Jesse attempted to snuff was reborn with Liv's presence. With her words and her comfort, she reminded me that the person now standing before me is nothing more than an envious, bigoted little boy, too frightened to even try to match my strength and power.

He huffs a laugh and crouches next to me. I do my best to scoot away, his proximity churning the acid in my stomach.

"Scared, Rhi? Electrocution doesn't feel too good, does it?"

"I could ask you the same thing, considering you have to subdue me in order to fight me." I raise my wrists and rattle the chains in his face pointedly. Then I cock my head. "Did that make you feel like a god, Jesse? To have me bound and powerless just so you and your little minions could take turns hurting me?"

A muscle works in his jaw before he snaps up, clenching his shaking fists. I struck a nerve .

Good.

The tension in Jesse's face smooths out, and his lips curve deviously. "I have a surprise for you."

Unease fires in every nerve ending. Jesse grabs the chains and hauls me to my feet, dragging me toward the sliding doors. He shoves me through them, the musty scent that assaulted my nostrils when I first awoke down here returns with a vengeance.

And now, I know why.

My eyes scan the dark gray beams dressed in cobwebs that run along the ceiling. The dusty landing I stand upon drops off into darkness on my left, and as my eyes quickly adjust, I notice metal tracks built into the ground.

"An abandoned subway station," I say with feigned awe. "Wow. Very Lex Luthor of you."

I wonder how many are hidden within the subterranean levels of the streets of New York City and are being used for nefarious purposes. Specifically, TriTech's nefarious purposes.

I stiffen when Jesse's lips trace the shell of my ear. "This isn't the surprise."

Just then, elevator doors slide open from the wall directly across from me, and my heart falls to the floor when Nick steps out, ghosted by another lackey in a lab coat.

At first glance, he doesn't seem to be restrained in any way. His hands lie unbound by his sides, and he strides through the elevator doors seemingly unbothered, if not for the fact that his eyes are wholly black.

They immediately find me, lingering on my face for only moments before they dip and assess every square inch of my body, scouring for signs of injury. When his gaze finally settles back on mine, the gold is visible.

"Hello, little liar."

"Surprise," Jesse whispers, still behind me.

I lunge for him, but Jesse fists my shirt and yanks me back. "Do not take a single step in his direction, or the blade at his back will sink into flesh, and your precious Prince will cease to exist."

I freeze, eyeing the man standing directly behind Nick. Sure enough, his right arm is bent at the elbow, his wrist extended toward Nick's back. I crane my neck a bit, catching a glimpse of the blade. It's roughly the size of a dagger, but where a dagger is typically smooth and ends in a sharp point, this appears jagged and serrated. In fact, it appears to resemble…

Fear clenches my heart in a death grip.

A lightning bolt.

"Are you ok?" Nick asks, his eyes never leaving mine .

I swallow, nodding as I say with a trembling voice, "Yes."

His eyes narrow, seeing through the lie.

"Here's how this is going to work," Jesse says, his voice still drumming in my ear. "You're going to change. You're going to do whatever it takes to transform into that fucking hideous monster that lies beneath your skin, or he dies."

My eyes widen, filling with tears as I keep my attention on Nick.

"It's going to be ok," he says softly.

"No, it's not." I choke.

"Clock's ticking, Rhi," Jesse taunts.

"I'm fucking trying!"

My face floods with tears. I have no idea what I need to do to turn into Scylla. The chains don't help. I can't even reach my monster while they are currently strapped to my wrists.

I turn to Jesse. "You need to take off the chains."

He shakes his head. "No."

"I can't do it with these fucking chains on!"

Jesse shrugs. "Figure it out or watch him die. Your choice."

I face Nick, who remains absurdly calm.

"Don't cry," he says gently. "It's going to be ok."

How can he say that?

"Do something," I beg him.

"I'd advise against that," Jesse warns. "He's aware that the minute a drop of blood falls from either my or George's face, I'll fucking kill the both of you. Understood?"

I stare down at the chains, my vision blinded by the stream of tears that pour and pour and pour with no end in sight. I sob, pulling against my restraints, trying to reach for that well, for that gentle yet vicious voice inside me, but it's no use. Desperation trumps my anger, and I can't focus on anything other than that these might be my last moments with Nick, and I fucking hate myself.

Jesse's impatience engulfs him, and he makes the stupidest mistake he can make because of it.

He puts his hands on me.

His fingers wrap tightly around my neck, and he shoves me hard against the exterior of the lab.

" Change."

I raise my bound wrists in an attempt to claw at his hand, my lungs burning with the need for air.

Crimson trickles from Jesse's nostrils. "Motherfuc-" His curse is cut off as he turns just in time for his face to meet Nick's fist.

I pummel to the floor, gasping for air. Nick goes after Jesse, launching blows anywhere he can. I scramble to my feet, immediately searching for Zeus's lightning bolt to take the weapon off the table. I search around the body of the man who stood at Nick's back, his face now unidentifiable underneath all the blood, finding nothing except an unloaded gun.

Where the fuck is it?

" Fuck! " Nick cries out in agony, and my head whips around to find Jesse clutching him by the throat, rivulets of dried blood streaking from Jesse's eyes and nose. Judging by the spasms in Nick's arms and fingers, Jesse is electrocuting him.

"Stop!" I take off in their direction. "Stop! Please!"

Jesse tosses a limp Nick to the side. He falls to his hands and knees, sucking in large gulps of air.

The demigod reaches for me, turning me in his arms so my back is flush against his chest. He wraps an arm around my chest, holding a familiar looking serrated blade at my throat.

"Another fucking move, and I'll slit her open right in front of you."

Nick stands, eyes again black and burning and depthless. Their singular focus is Zeus's lightning bolt hovering inches from my neck.

"Even the tiniest nick of this blade will kill her, so don't fuck with me, Prince."

"H-How?" I ask .

Jesse chuckles darkly. "Did you really think I'd leave my most powerful weapon in the hands of my incompetent staff? It was a glamour, a simple handgun made to look like the lightning bolt to make sure this fucker stays in line."

"You won't kill her, Jesse. You need her." Nick's voice remains unwavering, coaxing even.

"Do I?" He brings the blade closer to my neck, the cool metal almost biting into my skin. "It occurs to me that perhaps I don't. You are another possible choice."

Panic seizes my heart. "What? No. Nic-"

Jesse's fingers dig painfully into my waist, sending little burning shocks into my flesh. I bite down on my tongue, letting out a muffled cry.

Nick raises his hands. "Then take me. You want me to change? I'll change. Stop hurting her, and let her go."

"Letting her go isn't an option, you know that. But if I can get what I need from you, I can be persuaded to keep her alive. I have plans for her, after all."

I can almost feel the crude, lascivious smile on Jesse's face, even though I can't see him.

Nick's lips curl back, exposing rows of those jagged, sharp teeth I remember. "You fucking lay a finger on her and I promise you, I will swallow your fucking soul after I tear you to pieces, and I will shit you out like the piece of shit you are."

The elevator doors open again, and at least a dozen men dressed head to toe in black file into the station, surrounding us.

Jesse laughs sardonically. "You're not in a position to make threats, Prince. If you want to take her place, you are more than welcome. But she stays here until I'm done with her."

"Don't," I choke out. "He'll kill you once he gets what he wants."

Nick shrugs, half of his mouth lifting in a sad smile. "I'm meant to die anyway, Rhi."

"Get the other set of chains," Jesse barks just as I scream, "No!"

A few of the men in black scuffle around while the others continue to stand guard. Amongst the sounds of their scurrying, my broken sobs, and Nick's soothing chant of "Don't cry," another voice rings out, and it feels as though time itself stops as every one freezes in place.

"Excuse me, do you know you have a hole in your floor?"

My jaw drops, eyes widening. Unparalleled joy wars with undiluted fear in my chest and brain as I place the owner of that voice. Because if Zo's here, I have no doubt they are, too.

"There's only thirteen of them." Another voice scoffs. "I thought Wilde said we might have a hard time."

My mind must be playing tricks on me. Must be so addled from the beatings and torture. Because that surly voice is definitely Cicero's.

And then I hear, "Perhaps she miscounted. She was never one for accuracy in numbers."

Talbot.

The two professors round the column housing the elevator, meeting in the middle. They wear their usual academic attire, black and gray slacks, respectively, coupled with white oxfords, as though they came straight from teaching at Alystair. My girls appear immediately after, Zo glancing down at the tracks, shaking her head.

"You should really get that fixed. Occupational hazard and all that."

A strangled laugh escapes my throat.

"How the fuck did you get down here?" Jesse hisses.

"Your security system sucks," Cicero answers.

"Hubris was always the demigods' downfall," Talbot adds, hands in his pockets. "Imagine thinking us monsters are so inconsequential you couldn't even bother to ward your own building."

"Kill every single one of them," Jesse growls, backing away and taking me with him. " Now. "

The other demigods seem to snap out of their daze and move to attack the two Professors and my friends, who stand slightly behind Cicero and Talbot.

"Get to Rhi," Talbot instructs the girls. "We'll take care of them."

The first four demigods don't even make it close to Talbot. Whatever glamour he'd been using this entire time to hide his real magic falls, and an immense wave of power crashes into Jesse and I, causing the former to lose his footing. Jesse lets go of me as he struggles to regain his balance, and I duck beneath his arm.

Nick grabs me immediately, pushing me behind him just as he bends Jesse's wrist backward and the lightning bolt falls to the floor.

The two men trade blows behind me, both in power and fists. The girls rush to me, Scarlett immediately pulling at my chains. Astrid peels off her gloves and steps away, serving as a sort of barrier between us and the demigods, preparing to attack. Startled gasps and curses break through the scuffling before I realize that the Gorgon must have already turned someone to stone .

"What do you need me to do?" Zo asks, breathless.

"There's a blade that looks like a lightning bolt. Find it, but be careful not to let it cut you. It's Zeus's lightning bolt, and it can kill any of us. Get rid of it."

Zo nods and takes off.

"I can't get them off!" Scarlett releases a frustrated cry.

I look up to see B has joined Astrid in keeping the demigods from breaching our small parameter, but some of them have powers that are effective without physical touch like Jesse, and they are closing in.

"Help, Astrid and B," I tell her. "I have to do this myself."

More demigods file in from the elevator, and Talbot turns just in time for them to collapse to the floor. No fancy fan fare or even a flick of his wrist. Just a mere look has them on the ground, unmoving.

"Gods," Scarlett breathes. "I've never seen anything like that. Never felt anything like that. What is he?"

I don't share her sentiment, because I've both seen and felt power like that. Power that also runs through my veins.

"He's a Titan."