The Goddess Inheritance (11 page)

“This way,” she said, and we walked through the narrow aisle to a door toward the back. I expected an office, but instead we stepped into a cramped garden blooming with all sorts of flowers and herbs I didn’t recognize. My mother would’ve loved this place. “Now, why have you come?”

“You know why,” said James, albeit respectfully, and he sat down on a crate that served as a bench. “Cronus has destroyed Athens. Hera has abandoned us to fight with him. Hades is on the brink of fading. We are desperate, and we need your help.”

Rhea began to tend a bush with tiny white flowers. “You know my stance on war,” she said. “I cannot support it in any way.”

“Please.” James screwed up his face. Going against her was clearly painful for him. “If you don’t help us return Cronus to Tartarus, he will destroy humanity and kill us if we’re lucky. If we’re not, we’ll spend the rest of eternity as his slaves. Without Hera, we aren’t strong enough to fight him on our own.”

Placing the blossoms she picked into a basket, Rhea said nothing. After nearly a minute, James’s shoulders slumped, and I knew it was hopeless. Not even the threat of extinction was enough to convince Rhea.

I scowled. It was one thing to not want to fight on either side of a war—I wasn’t crazy about wielding a sword and running screaming out onto a battlefield either. But this was different. “We’re not asking you to fight,” I said. “We’re asking you to help us prevent more deaths.”

“I know my husband,” said Rhea. “If I were to get involved, I would be forced to fight, and I will not hurt a living creature no matter their intentions. That includes Cronus.”

“Even though he’ll kill billions of people and nearly the entire council in order to get what he wants?” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. Getting upset wouldn’t help matters. “You know as well as I do that inaction isn’t supporting peace. It’s turning a blind eye to what’s really going on. And without your help, we
will
lose.”

James reached for my hand, but I pulled away. If he wasn’t willing to fight, then I would.

Rhea slowly turned toward us. Her serenity vanished, replaced with frigid disapproval, and I steeled myself against it. She could dislike me as much as she wanted. I wasn’t going to back down.

“I would be no help to you regardless of what I did. My husband will not listen to reason,” said Rhea. “I will not raise a hand against anyone. My children are much better served by what I do here.”

“But your children are
dying,
” I said. “You could stop that. You could save their lives—you’re the only one who can. If you don’t, they’ll die, and it’ll be because of you.”

The moment the words left the tip of my tongue, I knew it was the wrong thing to say, but I couldn’t take it back now. I glanced at James, a silent apology and plea for him to help me. He stayed silent.

Rhea straightened, her powerful gaze focused directly on me. “No, daughter of Demeter. They will die because of
you.
”

My face burned, and it took everything I had not to run out of there as fast as I could. How did she know? Could she sense the guilt floating inside me, buoyed by every life already lost because of my stupidity? “My name is Kate. And I’m sorry. I’m
sorry.
I didn’t know—”

“Ignorance is not an excuse for the consequences that result because of it.”

“You don’t think I realize that?” Hot tears stung my eyes. I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated Rhea in that moment. Not Walter. Not Calliope. Not even Cronus.

No, that was wrong. I hated myself more than I could ever hate any of them.

“He has my son.” My voice grew thick, and my hands trembled. “For some unfathomable reason, he wants me to be his queen—”

“It is not unfathomable,” said Rhea with unnerving calm. “You showed him kindness and understanding when no one else has in millennia. Even the most blackened and twisted of souls cannot help but respond to compassion.”

I hesitated. “How do you—”

“I know everything I wish to know.”

I bit my lip. “Then you must realize why this is so important to me. You know what I promised Cronus. You know what he’s been doing to me, the sick—”

“I am aware,” said Rhea. “And you have my sympathy. Standing at his side does not make you his equal in his eyes, and it is a hard life, one you do not have the power to fight.”

“I don’t, but you do,” I said. “Henry’s your son, right? He’s dying. He needs you, but instead you’re here with strangers—”

“No one who walks this earth is a stranger to me.” Her eyes flashed, a strange combination of the sun and the ocean. “I am not neglecting my son. He knew the consequences of his actions when he committed to them, and it was a risk he was willing to take to save you.”

I exhaled sharply. She wasn’t listening. She didn’t understand—or maybe she did, and she just didn’t care. “What about my son? He’s Henry’s, too, you know. And he’s your grandson. His name’s Milo, and he’s not even a week old. Why does he deserve to be raised by Cronus?”

Rhea said nothing, and I couldn’t stop the flow of words that poured from me now.

“He’ll never know me. He’ll never know his father. He’ll grow up calling the bitch who kidnapped him his mother, the egomaniac who’s killed millions of people his father and he’ll never know that I’m out here loving him more in a moment than they could in an eternity. What could he have possibly done to deserve that?”

“Nothing,” said Rhea softly. “Your son has done nothing to deserve that, as the people of this village have done nothing to deserve brutality and starvation.”

“Then help him like you’re helping these people,” I begged. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want—”

“I want you to leave me in peace.”

“Okay.” I took a shaky breath. She wasn’t going to help the council with the war. If she wouldn’t do it for the billions of helpless people in the world, then nothing I could possibly say or do would change her mind. “I’ll go away, I promise. Just—please. Help Henry. At least give my son a chance to know his father.”

Once again, Rhea was quiet. Her eyes grew distant the same way Cronus’s had in the nursery, and her hand stilled halfway to the basket. I glanced at James. Was that our cue to go? He shrugged, and together we waited.

“Very well,” she said at last, breaking the silence. “It is done.”

“What’s done?” I said, giving James another bewildered look, but his brow knitted in confusion. “Rhea, please—what’s done?”

“Give your mother my love,” she said, touching my shoulder. The pain in my arm from the dagger vanished. “You are strong, Kate. Stronger than you know. As long as you resist my husband, you do not need me to have what you most desire.”

“It isn’t about what I want,” I said, seconds from bursting. How could she heal me but not help save the people who really needed her? “He’s going to kill everyone, this village included.”

She didn’t respond. Instead she picked a few more blossoms and turned to reenter the clinic. I started to go after her, and James grabbed my wrist with an iron grip.

“Don’t,” he said. Before I could protest, another voice whispered through the garden, hoarse and cracking. But real. So, so real.

“Kate?”

My heart hammered, and I spun around, yanking my hand from James’s. Nestled between a gnarled tree and a patch of ferns stood Henry.

Chapter 7

Athens

I flew across the garden and into Henry’s arms, kissing him like it was the last chance I’d ever get.

It was really him. His skin was warm, his moonlight eyes focused on me, and the way he lifted me into the air and kissed me—no one, not even a Titan, could make my insides turn to mush the way he did. He splayed his hand over my back, his palm so hot that I could feel it through my shirt.

“I missed you.” My voice broke, and he pressed his forehead to mine so all I could see was him.

“You’re all right.” He ran his fingers through my hair the same way James had on the flight over, but that was nothing more than a distant memory. Henry was here now, and part of me clicked back into place.

He stumbled, and I immediately dropped back to the ground, searching his face for any sign of pain. Instead of grimacing, he smiled and took my hand. “I’m all right. Just need rest.”

I wasn’t so sure I believed him, but James stood and gestured to the door Rhea had disappeared through. “We should thank her and get on our way,” he said, eyeing Henry. “I reckon you aren’t in any condition to get us back to Olympus, so we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Sunset’s in a few hours.”

“Wait,” I said, helping Henry forward. “There’s someplace I want to see first.”

* * *

Henry and I sat against the wall in the Zimbabwe airport, my fingers laced through his. I hadn’t let go since I’d flown into his arms in Rhea’s garden, and he hadn’t tried to make me.

I’d sneaked kisses in the cab all the way back to the airport, ignoring the faces James made in the front seat. Now that we were in public, Henry seemed hesitant, but he never refused me. How could I have ever believed Cronus’s ruse? No one, especially not the King of the Titans, could ever replace Henry.

“Do you want to see Milo?” I said as we waited for James to return from the ticket counter.

“Yes,” said Henry without hesitation, though the exhaustion on his face gave me pause. Rhea had removed every last trace of Cronus from his body, but he still moved as if he were in pain. What would going through that quicksand barrier do to him? Would it make him worse?

“Once you rest,” I said, gripping his hand. “You can sleep on the plane.”

His expression flickered with disappointment, but he didn’t argue. If he’d been well enough to see him, he would’ve fought like hell to get me to agree, and uneasy satisfaction settled within me. At least I’d made one right choice today.

“What happened?” He spoke quietly, but even in the middle of the loud airport, I heard every word. “Why are we going to Athens?”

I hesitated. There was no easy way to say it and nothing I could do to make it less painful, so I pulled no punches. I told him everything that had happened since Calliope had attacked him. The assault on Athens, my visions, everything Cronus had said and done—everything except for the part where I’d promised myself to him. I couldn’t bring myself to say it, and with the way the muscles in Henry’s jaw twitched as I described how Cronus had held our son, I didn’t want to make things any worse than they already were.

“I will kill him,” whispered Henry. “If I have to tear the world apart to do it, I will.”

“And then you’ll be no better than him,” I said. “We’ll figure out how to get Milo back without anyone else dying, I promise.”

Henry nodded and seemed to relax against the wall. At least I thought he was relaxing until I felt the telltale waves of dark power emanating from him.

I touched his knee. “Henry, as badly as I want to rip the bastard’s head off, you’re in no condition to get into a pissing match with a Titan. Rest first, and we’ll figure something out later.”

After a long, tense moment, that resonating power vanished. I looked around nervously, searching for any signs that the people milling around us had noticed anything, but no one seemed any the wiser.

Twenty feet away, I spotted James talking to a woman wearing a massive backpack. He pointed down the length of the terminal, and she gave him a grateful smile and ran off in that same direction. I frowned.

“Not exactly the best time to stop and give directions, is it?” I said as he rejoined us. James shrugged.

“Not exactly the best time to gather enough power to wipe out half of Africa either,” he said, looking pointedly at Henry. They glared at each other. “Besides, giving directions is what I do. Among other things.”

“Like rob banks,” said Henry.

“That was
once.
” James shook his head and produced three tickets. “The airport in Athens isn’t there anymore, but I got us as close as possible. Are you sure you want to do this, Kate?”

I nodded numbly. As important as reporting to the council was, I had to see the damage. Cronus had left the Parthenon untouched for a reason, and maybe there was a clue there, or something that could help us. Besides, I had no doubt Henry would dive into the war the moment we returned to Olympus, and he needed a break before he went head to head with Cronus. Keeping him away for as long as possible was the only solution I could think of.

Henry pressed his lips to my temple. “Going to Athens won’t help,” he said quietly. “It won’t change anything.”

“It could. We might find something. Those people died because of me—”

“Of course they didn’t.” Henry’s frown deepened. “It has nothing to do with you. Cronus would have attacked humanity eventually, and nothing you could have done would have prevented it.”

James gave me a look, but I averted my eyes. I couldn’t tell Henry how wrong he was.

“Come on,” said James, offering Henry a hand. He refused, and James’s arm dropped to his side. “Our flight boards soon. We should arrive with enough time to reach Athens before the next sunset.”

“Why does that matter?” I said, steadying Henry by the elbow as he stood shakily.

“Because the closer we are to Cronus, the more danger we’re in,” said James. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to risk it for very long.”

Part of me didn’t care, the part that had died along with the people of Athens. But the part of me that held Henry’s hand and dreamed of holding Milo cared, and I nodded. The less time we spent in Greece, the better. I had to go, though. I wouldn’t budge on that.

“Maybe you should go back to Olympus,” I said to Henry. If Cronus discovered Rhea had healed him, Henry would be dead the moment he stepped within reach. How wide was it now? How far could Cronus extend? To Athens? To London? To New York City? How long before he broke out of the island prison the others had managed to construct? He’d broken out of the Underworld on the winter solstice. Would he do the same this December?

Of course he would. That was why the council was fighting him now.

“No,” said Henry with gentle firmness, and his fingers tightened around mine. “I will not leave you again.”