I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder, hanging on for dear life. Once again, it was Calliope, not Cronus. That was her power—that was what Henry had been so scared of. They’d worked together so Cronus could take me from him. It was the only explanation.
“I love you,” I babbled, inhaling his scent. He smelled of ash and blood. “I love you so much. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Everything’s all right now. You’re safe,” he said, rubbing my back like Ava had minutes before.
My stomach turned inside out. Oh, god. “Where’s Ava?” Another cool hand touched the back of my neck. Mom.
“Ava’s with Walter over there, sweetheart,” she said, nodding toward a dark blur several rows down. Ava’s shoulders shook, and Walter embraced her, whispering words I couldn’t hear. “Nicholas was captured.”
My head pounded, and it took everything I had not to be sick all over the marble f loor. “Is everyone else…?”
“We’re alive,” said another voice. James.
Henry glanced up. “Did the trap hold?”
“Yes. It’s not perfect, but it’ll buy us some time. What’s going on?”
“Calliope escaped with Cronus,” said Henry.
James muttered a curse and sat down heavily beside me.
I didn’t let go of Henry, but I did f ind James’s hand and squeezed it. He gripped mine in return. “What now?” he said to Henry.
“We wait. Are the others coming?”
“Ella’s injured,” said James. “Theo and Sof ia are tending to her. Everyone else is all right.”
I buried my face in Henry’s shoulder and took several shaky breaths to calm myself. Cronus and Calliope were trapped. Henry and my mother and James were all right, and everything would be okay.
Except the part where Ava may have just lost her husband.
We waited for the others to arrive, and they did, one by one. Some of them were bloodied, and others walked away without a scratch. Persephone returned on Dylan’s arm looking no worse for the wear. But Ella—
She and Theo appeared together toward the edge of the circle. She was lying on the f loor, trembling and the color of chalk as a pool of blood spread around her, and I went numb. Her left arm was gone. Theo’s hands were on either side of her head, and his brow furrowed as he stared into her eyes. Even when the others gathered around him, he didn’t look away. I pressed my face into Henry’s chest, unable to watch.
“Did Calliope hurt you?” said Henry quietly so only I could hear him, and I nodded. It wasn’t physical pain, but I understood now what he meant.
“It’s gone now,” I lied. The mental fog had disappeared with her and Cronus, but an ache remained where that f iery heat had slithered through me. “I’m okay.” Henry fell silent, and I consoled myself with the fact that telling the truth wouldn’t make any difference. There was nothing he could do about it, not when Theo was busy with Ella, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It didn’t matter what Calliope had done to me. Whatever it was, I was alive and in one piece.
“The council will reconvene in f ive minutes,” said Walter. “Theo, take Ella to her room and tend to her there. I already know your decision.”
Theo didn’t acknowledge him, but in the blink of an eye, he and Ella were gone, leaving the marble f loor stained scarlet. Dead silence f illed the throne room until my mother rose, and with a wave of her hand, the blood vanished.
If only it was that simple. Maybe then I could pretend that we weren’t all plunging face-f irst into the beginning of a brutal war.
This time, Henry didn’t touch me.
As Walter stood to address what remained of the council, I left my hand on the armrest of my throne in case he wanted to take it, but his remained at his side. He’d barely looked at me since I’d conf irmed that Calliope had done something to me, and I struggled not to blurt out the whole truth of it. There was nothing he could do to f ix it anyway, and as long as I still loved Henry, it didn’t matter what else she did to me.
“We will continue to f ight Cronus,” said Walter, and Henry averted his eyes from his brother. “It will not be easy, and after what happened today, I will not order any of you to help. If you do not feel ready or willing to risk yourselves for this cause, you may leave, and no one will think any less of you for it.”
I was certain that with how close-knit the council was, no one would back down. So when Dylan and Xander stood, I stared at them, shocked. They both acknowledged the council with a nod, and Dylan led the way out of the throne room. I knew he thought it was a losing battle, but I had never expected him or anyone else to abandon the rest of the council.
Neither had the others, it seemed. With Theo and Ella also missing, only ten of us remained, and I was sure Persephone had no intention of sticking around for the f ight. If Henry insisted I couldn’t take part again, then the number dropped to eight.
“Very well,” said Walter. “The trap we have constructed will last us until the next winter solstice, and it is my intention between now and then that—”
“Brother,” said Henry. “If I may.”
“By all means,” said Walter, and Henry stood stiff ly.
“Sisters and brothers,” he said, focusing on the pillars behind the pews instead of on the other members of the council. “I regret to say that I have decided to withdraw from the war, as well.”