Chapter 16
Josie
I watched in stunned silence as a half-blood jumped off the portico and power-bombed a pure into the marble walkway, cracking the stone. Like, legit picked the pure up over his shoulders and then slammed him down like he was in some pro-wrestling match.
“Holy crap,” I whispered. I started to look away, but something odd caught my attention. The pure on the ground was wearing a mask.
The same mask I’d seen by the body of the half-blood girl. Before I could even process that, everything around me changed.
Intense heat blasted the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a damn fireball heading straight for the half’s back. I reacted without thought.
Raising my hand, I summoned the water element. Power rushed through me as the air around me dampened and constricted. It was like a tiny rainstorm erupted out of thin air, dousing the fireball before it hit the half.
Water.
Holy crap.
I’d finally used the element of water correctly.
I wanted to throw myself a little party, but there was no time to be proud of myself.
The fire-happy pure turned to me as the half spun around. Lifting his hand, the pure halted the moment he got a really good look at who I was, and he froze right there. He too was wearing that mask.
It was the same bronze mask, covering the entire face with just thin slits for eyes. The cheeks were overly round and the closed mouth formed a grotesque smile. Etched into the center of the mask’s forehead was that damn circle with an off-center arrow striking through it.
Seeing it by itself was one thing, but seeing it on someone was a whole different experience.
“Well, that’s a mask of nightmares,” I said.
The masked man shuffled back a step, and then tucked tail and ran, dodging between sprawling halfs and pures.
Starting forward, I scanned the open campus grounds and realized that several of the people fighting were masked. Dozens of them.
“Thank you,” the half said, wiping a hand over his forehead as he stared at the wet spot on the walkway. “Shit. That would’ve killed me.”
I started to ask him what had happened, but I saw a different half fly past us, her midsection pressed to the top of her thighs. It was like there was an invisible string attached to her waist, yanking her back toward the entrance of the cafeteria. She was a Guard dressed all in white, and the woman was going so fast through the air that I knew if she hit the building, it would break every bone in her body.
I had to do something.
Spinning, I tapped into the air element, but it was too late. The female Guard hit the wall. Blood splattered where the back of her head connected with the brickwork.
I jolted as I sucked in a sharp breath.
Someone screamed, but the words were lost as horror filled me. The Guard fell, crumpled in a bloody, messy heap.
“Gods.” Anger pumped through my veins as I pivoted.
Some part of me clicked off as I stalked past the half. There was fury just burning through my skin as I neared a fighting half and a masked pure. The pure was on top of the half. The clouds above parted. Sunlight glinted off a blade—an actual knife—as the pure swung his arm.
This wasn’t fighting.
They were trying to kill the halfs—they were killing them, just like they’d killed that girl and caused the death of the other half-blood when I first arrived here.
And Seth had been right yesterday in Marcus’s office. I was bloodthirsty.
I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing as I gripped the shoulder of the masked pure. I was just so pissed. There were Titans out there, hell-bent on taking over Olympus and the world, and they were fighting? Over what? Because one group had more aether in their blood?
This was so damn stupid it went beyond tragic.
My touch startled him. His downward swipe halted as his head swung in my direction, and I found myself staring down into those weird slits.
“Asshole,” I said, and then I tapped into the air element.
The masked pure flew backward, hitting the ground and then rolling several more feet. The knife was lost in the grass.
I continued walking, catching another masked pure off-guard. I threw him backward, into the center of the walkway. The man was stunned as I crouched over and gripped the edges of the mask. The pure grunted as it ripped off his face.
I stared into the emerald-green eyes of a pure-blood that couldn’t have been much older than me. That got to me, cutting so deep. This guy was so young. “What is wrong with you?”
The pure blanched to a pale, sickly white.
Metal heated under the unnatural fire I summoned. Flames rippled over the mask, and within seconds ashes slipped from my fingers.
“Holy shit.” The pure scrambled backwards, on his hands like a crab, and then he rolled. Pushing to his feet, he took off running.
I smiled as I wiped my hands off on my jeans.
I felt like a badass—like Maggie from The Walking Dead. I was leading the—
Hands landed onto my shoulders, pulling me backward. I lost my balance and went down hard, landing on my butt with jarring force. The sunlight was blocked by a shadowy form, and the next thing I saw was a large boot coming down, aiming straight for my stomach. A burst of panic lit up. Not for me, but for my child.
Rolling to the side, I grunted as the boot caught my hip. The spike of dull pain was nothing compared to how bad it could’ve been. I rose onto my hands and knees and then pushed up, springing to my feet. An odd feeling shot across my stomach. Not a pain, exactly, but more like a pulling sensation. There was no time to dwell on it. I darted to the side. Knowing I needed to avoid hand to hand combat, I summoned the air element.
The masked pure jerked and then folded as if his legs had been cut out from underneath him. He hit the ground where I’d just been. Lifting my gaze, I saw Colin.
“Hey,” I said, placing my hand over my stomach. “Thanks for that.”
Concern pulled at his face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Breathing heavy as I lowered my hand from my stomach. Unless Alex or Deacon had told him, he didn’t know I was pregnant. Taking another look at him, I saw that his shirt had dark splotches all over. Blood. My stomach dipped. “Where are Cora and Gable?”
“They’re in Cora’s room. Or they better be. I was trying to grab them something to eat.” Shaking his head, he thrust his hand through his black hair. “It’s crazy. They attacked in the cafeteria. About fifty of them, all wearing those damn masks. Just started stabbing halfs and Guards.”
Another wave of horror rose. “Fifty?”
“Where are Seth and the crew?” Colin asked as he whipped around. A Sentinel had caught one of the masked pures, bringing the bastard to the ground.
It took me a moment to recognize the Sentinel, but it was Alex’s father. Alexander.
“They aren’t back yet.” If Seth was, he would’ve already lost his patience and laid waste to the pures. “We can take care of this. We have to.”
Colin turned back to me. “We can. We—”
“Everyone, get inside! Get inside!”
Twisting at the waist, I saw a Sentinel racing across the grounds. Whatever relief I felt at seeing him was short-lived. “They’re coming!” he shouted, panic pouring into his voice. “They’re coming!”
My heart lurched at the terror in his voice. I took off, running toward him. Colin was right behind me. “Who’s coming?”
Fear filled the Sentinel’s eyes as he reached my side, grabbing my hand. The kind of fear that shot a cold shiver down my spine. “Not that way. You do not want to go that way!”
“What are you—?”
The sound of what reminded me of a wounded animal tore through the air. Several wounded animals. High-pitched and shrill.
Screams.
Terrified screams mingled with something darker, something inhuman. A screech echoed through the air, drowning out the screams.
Masked pures began dropping to their knees, clutching at their heads as they tried to cover their ears.
Off in the distance, I thought I saw something dark against the gray skies. Large…birds? There were three of them, their wings gliding—
“Holy shit,” I stumbled back a step. “Those aren’t birds, are they?”
“No.” The Sentinel tugged on my hand. “The furies have been unleashed, and they are pissed!”
Colin’s mouth dropped open. “The furies?”
“They’ll take out everything in their paths. We need to get inside.” The Sentinel was moving, pulling me behind him. “The Library.”
I got my feet working again, but I had to look over my shoulder, because I just had to. Their wings moved silently as they drew closer and closer. One broke off, zooming to the ground like a torpedo.
Screams intensified.
We reached the steps as Alexander joined us. Tiny hairs on my arm rose as a sharp tingle erupted along the back of my neck. Instinct guided me as my grip tightened on the Sentinel’s hand.
“Stop!” I shouted.
A dark shadow fell over us. Colin was at the top of the steps when he froze. A stuttering heartbeat passed. A furie landed in front of the closed library doors, and she was not as I expected. Not at all.
This furie was beautiful, all golden hair and peachy skin. Absolutely stunningly beautiful in her white, diaphanous gown. She had the lithe grace that always seemed inherent to Erin. The furie’s wings were frail-looking and transparent, her expression serene.
She zeroed in on Colin, tilting her head as she seemed to size him up. She…she sniffed the air. Long blonde hair toppled over her shoulder.
“Tricky. Tricky. Tricky.” She laughed and it sounded like wind chimes.
“Back up,” the Sentinel said, voice low. “Colin, back up.”
I had to agree with the Sentinel. I’d seen how badass Erin was, and she was a friend. These furies? I had no idea what they were capable of, but they had just been just freed from their tombs, so I imagined they’d be a bit…aggressive.
Colin took a measured step back, and behind me, I could feel Alexander crouching. We weren’t the only one on the steps or on the porch who had the same idea. We were just the ones who were holding still.
“Don’t move,” the Sentinel said, his gaze trained on the furie, and I was beginning to think he had experience in dealing with them. “Everyone just stand very still—”
A half darted away from the wall of the library, rushing toward the steps.
Thick blonde curls lifted from the furie’s shoulders and then she shot forward, moving as fast as I’d seen Seth do many times over. Her bare feet left the stone porch as she flew up and forward, those massive wings spreading out on either side of her.
She changed in an instant.
Peachy skin shifted gray and wings thickened, also turning gray. Slender fingers formed razor-sharp claws. Blonde hair darkened and curls—holy crap, the curls were like Medusa’s. They were snakes.
The furie grabbed the half by the head. Sharp claws dug into the girl’s scalp. Bright red blood trickled down the sides of her face. The girl’s scream was cut off as the furie’s wrists twisted.
With the slightest pressure, the furie had snapped the girl’s neck.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, stomach churning.
Everyone moved at once, but the furie was simply faster. She snatched up another—this time a masked pure-blood. She took him into the air, ripping him in two.
The furie was on a mission, heading straight for Colin.
Hands tugged on my shoulders, and my gaze met Alexander’s. The man couldn’t speak, but I got his message. Run. The four of us turned, and I had no idea where we were running to, but I was down with this plan.
What I had just seen…
We made it halfway down the steps when I heard a strange, rough sound turn into a scream. I looked behind me, and my freaking heart stopped. The furie had Colin.
“No!” I screamed, whipping around.
The Sentinel grabbed for me, but I was fast when I wanted to be. I darted around him as the furie lifted Colin into the air by the chest. Colin struggled, grasping at the furie’s bony hands, but it was no use. Red ran down his arms, dripping to the stone porch.
No. No. No.
Colin was good. He wasn’t out here, harming anyone. He was a protector. Kind. And he’d been nice to me from day one even though Seth had made it extremely hard on him.
“Josie! No!” The Sentinel yelled, but I raced back up the steps.
The furie lifted her head as I tapped into the deadliest element inside me. Akasha. The ripple of power expanded inside me, building until it erupted. I screamed as I threw my hand out. White light poured from my palm, and it struck true, arcing over the distance and slamming into the furie’s shoulder.
Screeching in pain, she dropped Colin, but I didn’t let up as rage and fear mingled with the powerful energy. I was vaguely aware of Alexander and the Sentinel rushing forward and grabbing Colin, but he…he wasn’t moving.
The furie came at me howling, but the white energy poured over it, stopping her in her tracks. The power recoiled, snapping back at me. I teetered back a step as the furie crashed to the stone, falling into a pile of slender arms and broken wings. It didn’t move.
I’d killed it.
I’d killed a furie.
Oh crap, was that bad?
The answering screeches from the other two furies sent chills down my spine. One was down, but there were still two. I figured they were going to be pissed.
Heart pounding, I turned just as the two furies stopped in mid-flight. They were a couple of yards away, and I tensed, having no idea if I could take two of them at once.
But they weren’t gunning for me.
Wings cutting silently through the air, their heads tilted up as if they were hearing something. Mouth dry, I waited for them to attack.
There were two flashes of blinding, bright light and then…
Then they were gone.
Having no idea what had just happened, I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. I hurried down the steps, to where the Sentinel and Alexander had Colin laid out. Both were kneeling, so all I could see was Colin’s legs. Obviously he wasn’t as hurt as I’d feared, because they weren’t taking him to the infirmary. They were just kneeling there.
“How is he?” I asked, running my damp palms over my hips. I felt weird. Shaky. “Is he…?”
The Sentinel looked over his shoulder at me, his face pale as he shook his head. My steps faltered. I saw all the red first. It was too much. Covering his chest and stomach and down the front of his pants. So much blood, it pooled under him, and Alexander was kneeling in it, and his hands—his hands were still on Colin’s chest. He was pushing down, as if he could stop the river of blood, but there was no stopping it.
My hands floated to my mouth, but they froze halfway, because I saw Colin’s face. I saw his eyes. They were wide and fixed on the sky, and I knew in my heart of hearts that it was too late.
I had been too late.