annais min had everything to prove and no time to do it. as one of the five children of the underworld destined to lead the seven on their journey of death and destruction, annais had the fate of the universe resting on her shoulders, holding her do...
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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: PRIZE OF WAR
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THE TASTE OF BLOOD was pungent on Annais' tongue. Her arm burned relentlessly, fresh crimson spilling down her ripped sleeve as she tore open the scab from repeated use. Again and again, she struck Khione, dodging sleets of snow as she backed the Goddess into a corner. With every hit, her arm would throb in agony, begging for rest, but she kept on going even as her vision blurred.
To her left was Ezra Min, frozen like the statues back in Quebec, a dying laugh caught on her face. Leo had kneeled in front of her, trying his best to defrost the ice around her without burning her in the process. It was working to a degree, but it was clear he was only running on borrowed time. Melanie had tried to watch his back, but she was soon overpowered by a mass of wolves and Earthborn, forcing him to leave Ezra behind to save her. Annais found herself watching them, eyes darting between Khione and Mel continuously, and it was this that would inevitably have her failing.
Not even five minutes into the fight, Khione mustered up every last bit of her strength and struck Annais hard with a cut of ice. The girl stumbled back, gasping for air as the Goddess wrapped her pretty but wicked hands around Annais' throat and pressed down.
"You are a fool, Annais Min," she cooed, the last words the gasping girl would ever hear. "A fool for believing you could beat me."
In the distance, Annais heard a voice. It was warm, like baked cookies eaten during a sunny afternoon. Her mother. She was standing behind Khione, smiling at the sight of her daughter's dying breaths. They were going to be together again, at last. Just them and an eternity in the Underworld.
Slowly, her eyes slid shut. Her body stopped fighting. For a split second, she heard nothing, then Khione's weight was knocked away and her senses came slamming back. She sat up with a deep gasp, fingers ghosting over her throat like she couldn't believe her lungs were still expanding to take in air. She looked up after a second, only to find an empty space where her mother had been standing, the ghost long gone. In her place was Ezra Min, her hair wet but her face blazing with pure fury.
"You're too late," Khione exclaimed as Annais moved to stand at Ezra's side. The two girls loomed over her, the tip of Kronos' scythe just a hair's breadth away from impaling itself between her eyes. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us."
"I'm tired of hearing you talk," Ezra sneered down at her. "Don't you agree, Annais?"
"I do, Ezra," the girl nodded, ignoring the pain that came along with it.
