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  It was Chrys, and with her anger, her power level was rising. She was going to destroy everything around her once her fury was unleashed.

  I could feel the power surge through my veins. I didn’t care anymore, if this god knew who I was, then word would go out to Zeus about me. Hiding this seemed impossible now and since Poseidon was threatening me, I wasn’t going to hold back any longer.

  The darkness that always consumed me came pouring out. I loved the feeling it gave me, the feeling that I was in charge. At last I could unleash it all, all the frustration my fate has put on me. Finally I had a reason to.

  With a quick motion of my hand, I pushed him back into the wall. He went crashing into the side of the building, bricks shattering on impact. There was no backing away now.

  “Get away from me!” I ordered. I had so much energy raging through my body that I couldn’t hold back at this point. Darkness and light felt like it was swirling through my mind. I knew I had the power to destroy everything around me, to show what power I really had.

  Apparently A.J. and Huntley had other ideas.

  Huntley hurried to my side. “Chrys, please, calm down. You need to stay calm.”

  I shook my head. “No. It’s too late. I’m not backing down on this one. If I’m going down, it won’t be without a fight.”

  “Chrys, think this through,” A.J. added. “We need to run away right now to the boat. We need to get out of here and back to the Underworld before it’s too late.”

  “No!” I lashed out, grabbing my hair. “I’m not going to keep hiding. I can’t do it anymore! There’s no point, Poseidon will tell Zeus. My secret is out in the open now. ”

  Prometheus came over and put his hands on my shoulders. “You need to get out of here. You don’t understand the severity of Zeus’ wrath. With a snap of his fingers, he can throw you into Tartarus. You won’t even see your father before that moment, he won’t even have a say. Do you want to put your father through that? When he spent all this time trying to protect you?”

  I stared into Prometheus’s blue eyes. He was right, I needed to get out of here. There was no way I could completely defeat Poseidon, even with the power emanating from me like this. I tried to take deep breaths, but it wasn’t working. There was too much power.

  “I can’t. I can’t stop shaking.”

  Prometheus wrapped his arms around me. “Shhh. It’s alright. Deep breaths, we are all in this together, okay? Pothos, Melinoe, and I will make sure you get back home in one piece.”

  I heard laughter from behind him. We all turned to find Poseidon standing up, a cocky grin on his face. “Oh yeah? You and what army?”

  He held out his hand, water coming from all around formed into a trident. I had never seen anything like it. It was like something out of a movie, pretty cool if I wasn’t going to be stabbed with it at any given moment.

  But Prometheus was right, we should have ran.

  “Daughter of Hades, I give you one last warning. Come with me and you and your friends won’t be harmed. Resist and I will have to destroy them one by one.” Droplets of water coming from the water that accumulated around were now forming into swirls around him. He was getting ready to attack.

  Pothos, Prometheus, and Melinoe all stepped up in front of me.

  “Go, we will hold him off. Get to the boat and get out of here,” Prometheus exclaimed. “Go now!”

  Huntley grabbed my hand, and with A.J. running close behind, we ran towards where we had left the boat.

  I couldn’t believe that the three of them would stand up to Poseidon like that, in order to protect me. They didn’t know me, yet they were quick to fight for me. I didn’t understand why they would do such a thing. They had to have had other reasons to want to fight him, to not fear what he was capable of.

  I didn’t look back. I knew that if I did, the power would surge through me once again and I couldn’t let that happen. I would lose control and I didn’t know what would happen if that were the case. London was too pretty to almost destroy in a fit of rage. I just prayed we would reach the boat before Poseidon caught up with us.

  We ran as hard as we could. Although I knew my legs wouldn’t wear out as easily as humans, I could tell that Huntley was struggling to keep up. He was the only human out of all of us, I didn’t even think about that. He stood no chance if we had to battle Poseidon on our own. He was always trying to protect me this whole time, it was time that I would make sure he was protected.

  No one seemed to care that we were running past, clearly trying to escape danger. Huntley had said earlier that cities were strange like that, people ignoring everything around them so easily. I would think they would want to care more but I guess not. That was the way of the world.

  I still felt the energy surge in my chest, but I didn’t let it become unleashed. If I did that, I would surely hurt Huntley as he had his hand in mine. I couldn’t let that happen, I wouldn’t hurt him with my own hands.

  I was surprised that A.J. had gone up against his father like he had just moments before. I knew they didn’t have much contact when he was growing up, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still family. I was also surprised that he didn’t deny Poseidon’s accusations about loving me. I knew he didn’t, but why he would outright lie, I wasn’t sure. He could have just been hoping that Poseidon would simply go away. It didn’t work, though, it just made Poseidon want to capture me even more.

  Huntley, however, thought A.J.’s silence meant that he did in fact like me. I knew it probably frustrated him, made him wonder what all had gone on in the millennia that we had been friends. But I knew clearing it up later would be much easier than trying to clear it up now.

  A loud crash sounded in front of us. We all stopped to find Pothos on the ground. He had been thrown from where they had been fighting all the way to where we were standing. He looked hurt, bleeding out onto the pavement. He was still conscious though, as he tried to pull himself up, stumbling from the pain.

  We finally turned around to find Poseidon standing there. What he had done to Prometheus and Melinoe, I wasn’t sure.

  “Last chance, daughter of Hades. It’s your call.”

  Before I could say anything, both A.J. and Huntley stood in front of me, guarding me with their lives. I wanted to tell them to stop, that this was my battle, but it was no use. They had their minds made up. That, and with a flick of a hand, Poseidon made a wall of water rise before him and let it knock them straight into the building beside us.

  “Huntley! A.J.!” I exclaimed. Both were lying on the ground now in defeat, soaked from Poseidon’s attack.

  “Ah, so you care more about that human than my son. That clears that up then.”

  I glared at him, shaking my head. “I won’t go down without a fight. And when my father hears about this he—“

  “He will what? You’re father isn’t here.” He gestured around. “He isn’t coming to your rescue, in my domain. He knows better than that. It was you who was at fault, you who left his little cozy home, his safe haven. Have you ever heard of your father leaving his realm before? Helping out anywhere other than his own domain? No, he won’t leave that place. He knows his daughter made her mistake and must pay the price.”

  I did want to listen to what he was saying, but to believe that he would come to my rescue. He always did, but this time I was on my own, I had lied to him, he probably didn’t even know I was here. I had dug my own grave this time.

  I clenched my fist. No, I didn’t care if this was a god of Olympus, Poseidon himself. I could win at a fight against him. I would win a fight against him. I just had to tap into the strength, building up inside my core, and find a way to control it just enough to use it to its full extent against Poseidon. It was the only way to win.

  “Then I guess the only person who can save me is myself.”

  I broke the seal, the seal my father had told me to keep tight all these years, the one that stored all the power that at times seeped out. Huntley didn’t even know that
the power he had witness over these past couple of years was just the tip of the iceberg. These gods knew I existed now. There was no reason to hide it.

  Black shadows and blinding light came pouring out of my fingertips, destroying everything it touched. Poseidon motioned his hands and a wave of water came crashing down towards me. I flicked my hand and the light and shadow pushed it back, making the water fall to the ground. Simple. I doubted he would be any match if he kept that up.

  I should really not act so cocky. It didn’t fit me as I had been stupid and didn’t notice that Poseidon was stepping closer. When the water around me vanished, he grabbed my wrist. He was much stronger than I when it came to physical strength. I tried to pull my arms back but he wouldn’t budge.

  “You don’t scare me. You are but a weakling to me.” He forced a kiss on me. My anger rose, as did my power. He moved his head back. “And by your mistake, we are near water, my power source.”

  And without a second thought, he jumped into the River Thames, pulling me along with him.

  “Chrys!” I yelled out as I watched Poseidon pull her into the water. I got up, my body aching, screaming at me to not move, especially my shoulder, but I had to see if she was alright, to see if she somehow got out of his grip and had swam back up to the surface.

  There was nothing, not even a movement in the water.

  Did she even know how to swim, I mean I didn’t think the palace had a pool or anything in it, not to mention these waters looked pretty disgusting. It was hard enough when you could see where you were swimming to. A river like that was probably nearly impossible to swim in if one hadn’t had proper training.

  I smacked my hand on the railing in frustration over the situation. I could feel defeated, but I knew that was not a helpful feeling. What do I do now? It wasn’t like I could go after her. It was pitch back and he was a god, he could easily be long gone by now to wherever he was taking her. Would it be like The Little Mermaid’s palace or something? Fuck, I didn’t know anymore. I didn’t know what to do, how we were going to get out of this one.

  A.J. hurried to my side. He appeared as hurt as I did, scrapes covering his body. I couldn’t believe he would go up against Poseidon, his own father, like he did. I was really surprised.

  “What do we do now?” I whispered. “How do we get her back?”

  A.J. shook his head. “I don’t know…”

  “What happened?” A voice behind us asked.

  I turned around to find Prometheus hurrying to us, along with Melinoe. They appeared to be fine, other than their clothes torn to shreds. I had a feeling their skin appeared the same but they had healed by the time they had reached us. Lucky them.

  Pothos was still in bad shape as he limped over to us. His wounds were healing slowly but I could see the change coming over him, the battle wounds quickly become fainter scars.

  He probably had been injured the most, as he had been thrown a few blocks in distance. Although I still thought he was a creep, and that actually was the reason we were in this mess, I couldn’t just forget the fact that he had stood up for Chrys and us. He did care for her safety in the long run, which was strange since they had just met. They must have really been rooting for Hades I guess.

  Looking back down at the water, I answered. “Poseidon grabbed her and dragged her into the water. I don’t know what we should do next.”

  Prometheus shook his head. “None of us here have a chance against him in water, or even could follow him.”

  I looked back out in the water. There still was no movement. She had to be okay, I couldn’t imagine what would happen if she wasn’t.

  “Then what do we do?” I asked again.

  He shrugged. “I really don’t know…”

  I let out a brief sigh. My mind was at a loss. Especially since I didn’t know why most of them were helping us. Sure Melinoe and Chrys had the same mom, but Prometheus didn’t seem to have a reason, especially with his fear of Zeus. Wouldn’t he rather turn her in and be on his good side? “Why did you guys help us? It’s not like you have any reason to.”

  Pothos shrugged. “I just hate these gods. And don’t want to piss off Hades. He’s the nicest one out there. He gets a bad rap, especially because of the rumors Poseidon, Zeus, and Demeter start about him, and Persephone will never stand up for him. She knows she is the only one who can correct the rumors since rarely anyone else sees him. Honestly, I think the three of them are the reason she acts the way she does. She used to love Hades but then she hung out with those three and other gods and she became… different.”

  Melinoe nodded. “I agree, Hades is a great guy. And Chrys’ kind of a sister and we sisters need to stand up for each other.”

  Wait, were there others?

  Prometheus scratched the scruff on his chin. “I know the things that Zeus and Poseidon do, the things they get away with. Hades is never given a break, no other god other than the two of them are ever given a break. I wanted to get her out of here before either of them found her. More importantly Zeus. For once I wanted to see Hades get his way, but nevertheless his siblings stand in his way. But this time I doubt Hades will go down without a fight. This is going to turn into a war, you can count on that.”

  I closed my eyes. This was all my fault. I should have talked her out of it. I shouldn’t have let her come. Now Prometheus was talking about a war for crying out loud. Could this get any more complicated?

  Suddenly water started thrashing about. Something was happening underneath the thrashing water. I didn’t know whether or not to lean against the railing to get a better look, or stay away from the water as that was how people fell in. Being the dumb human I was, I leaned against the railing.

  Out of nowhere, a large object came shooting out of the water and rammed straight into Tower Bridge. Whatever it was, stayed there, pinned to the brick.

  Then I realized what it was. It was Poseidon.

  Shit, I couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. I mean, if someone saw… I don’t know, what would they do? Call the cops? And tell them what, a goddess was going berserk? Yeah, I bet they would come running for that one. Take your meds and go back to bed, Fred.

  Chrys ascended out of the water as if she was a demon coming out of hell, which frankly she kind of was. And she definitely looked like it at this point. Her eyes were jet black, shadows and light swirling all around her. She didn’t look like herself, she appeared like a monster ready to destroy everything that sought to oppose her.

  I had seen her angry plenty of times, but this was a completely different kind of anger. First off, she had every right to be pissed, but this wasn’t normal human anger. This was an angry goddess type of fury, a goddess that could bring death on anything she touched. She was the daughter of Hades, it made sense.

  And it made me wonder what her father was truly capable of. I shuddered at the thought.

  “This isn’t good,” Prometheus whispered.

  I looked at him. He was worried, watching as Chrys flew over to where she had pinned Poseidon. “What do you mean? She has used her powers before. Not this much but—”

  “She’s in the sky. It’s only a matter of time…” He rubbed his temples. “I got to get out of here.”

  Prometheus turned and ran off. I thought about calling after him, but knew it was useless. He was too keen on running away at this point, afraid of something. Weren’t we all afraid at this point? His sudden departure made me worry even more. Chrys had the upper hand now, what could go wrong? After she knocks him out, we can make a run for it.

  Pothos and Melinoe stayed with A.J. and I, though, watching what Chrys was about to do to Poseidon as he had been pinned to the Tower Bridge. His arms were stretched out, as if he were a martyr. I prayed that he didn’t escape, otherwise he would destroy the entire city. Or at least, I figured he could destroy the whole entire city of London effortlessly. I knew Chrys could…

  Chrys put her hand forward, shadows and light shooting straight at Poseidon. It hit him straight in
to the chest. He screamed out in pain.

  “Not good, not good, not good,” Melinoe mumbled.

  “What? She’s teaching him to mess with her. He deserves it.”

  She shook her head. “No, what she is shooting him with. It’s more powerful than anything I have ever seen. It is darkness and life combined. She is literally bringing death upon Poseidon, then life again. He is dying over and over again, which is a lot of power to have, even for a god. It’s hard enough to kill one of us, let alone do it over and over again and bring them back to life. She controls too much power.”

  I tried to understand what she was trying to say, but I barely understood what went on with the gods. I was lost. Too much was going on right now to deal with any of it. I just wanted to get out of this place and go back to the Underworld.

  That’s when it happened. Thunder roared in the sky. Before my mind could even register what was going on, lightening came shooting out of the sky and straight at Chrys, followed by another loud crackle of thunder. She was thrown back towards us, hitting the ground just behind me, skidding for at least a hundred feet.