Zeus and Cronos met each other halfway, fists connecting with a tremendous crash that ripped across the sky. Lightning tore the clouds open, smashing into Cronos, and he plummeted to the earth below. Zeus followed, a bolt of lightning sparking in his open hand as he prepared to attack.
The Olympian Gods sprang into action and Thea watched as Hermes disappeared from her side. Apollo's hand was on her arm, stopping her as she unconsciously started to descend after Josh.
“It's too late,” he shouted in her ear. “I’m sorry.”
Epimetheus came charging at her but was intercepted by Artemis, who, arrow in hand, stabbed him through the hand and kicked him away, drawing a dagger from her boot. Her eyes were alight with excitement, thrilled to be in battle. Ares and Enyo had drifted off, battling two Titans she didn't recognise.
Lapetus and Perses, Lissandre offered.
Shut up! She shouted in her head. How could you do that? I could have saved him!
Thea. Lissandre sounded tired. I could argue that it wasn't possible with you but now is not the time. You must concentrate on the task at hand. Hate me later when you have time.
Apollo broke away from her, clashing swords with Atlas. His face hardened and she could see the exertion of his muscles as he swung his sword at the Titan repeatedly. The sound of their weapons rang in her ears and she looked about at the chaos, shock still claiming her. The sky overhead had darkened, little light breaking through the black blanket of clouds, and Thea tried to push through the shock and rebuild her mental defences.
The image of Josh’s body falling continued to cause them to crumble and panic began to set in. The fight had only just begun and already, a friend was dead and she was failing at the one thing she had to do. Lissandre's voice continued its tirade in the back of her mind and a sob built in her chest.
She couldn't do this.
Hyperion is coming; defend yourself!
A dark haired Titan flew at her, long sword raised, and she held up her hands, praying fire wouldn’t choose to fail her in this moment. Hermes saved her from finding out, reappearing in front of her. He swung his staff, blocking the sword, and the clang of metal rang through the valley below. Hermes shoved Hyperion into the ground with a turret of wind and turning fast, he gripped her shoulders, worry etched across his hardened face. “Thea –“
“I'm sorry,” she garbled. “I know I'm stuffing it up, but Josh –“
“I know,” he spoke over her. “I'm sorry I could not keep my promise, love, but we have to deal with Cronos now. I've taken Josh's body back to Saint Arlington. We will take care of him later.” He kissed her quickly. “Be brave. You can do this.”
He is right, Thea, Lissandre said quietly. Have faith in your abilities and they will not let you down.
Prometheus dropped down behind Hermes and Thea shoved him out of the way, shooting a ball of wind at the Titan. It hit him in the chest and exploded into small balls of wind, shooting around his body and ripping through his armour. Hermes’ staff connected with his head, blood spraying, and Prometheus grunted as he disappeared across the sky.
“Open the gate, Thea.” Hermes moved away, engaging with Hyperion who had returned to the sky. “We will deal with the Titans.”
Hermes drew Hyperion away and Thea watched them all for a moment. These gods - some she even called friends - were fighting, not just to defend their realm, but hers. The panic in her chest slowly started to ebb away and, straightening her shoulders, she looked below, trying to focus on finding the opening of the gate.
A bolt of lightning cracked above her and Zeus caught it, the sparks trailing along his arm. Zeus and Cronos appeared to have grown in size, their power rolling off them in waves. It could almost be seen in the air and if she opened her mouth she thought she would taste it.
Concentrate, Lissandre repeated.
How do I open the gate? I can’t find it.
You will feel it in a moment - below!
Thea jumped as a turret of water shot straight up to where she had been floating and Oceanus rose into the sky on a stream of water. He appeared bored, body relaxed, and he stared at her coldly. “Hurry up and die, human. I've been away from home long enough.”
He held out his hand and water bullets ripped across the sky toward her. Thea braced herself to stop the attack but needn't have bothered as Athena descended from the sky, large sword in hand. With her other, she grabbed Oceanus' outstretched hand, twisting it and throwing his body over her shoulder. Bones snapped as Athena broke his arm and, raising her leg high, her heel shot down, burying itself in his chest. The Titan tore through his water tower, the stream spraying outwards all the way down to the river. The river rippled and Thea stared, open mouthed at Athena.
The goddess still appeared as pristine as she had when the battle started, her armour gleaming and not a hair out of place. She glared at Thea. “Do your duty, mortal, and open the gate!”
Thea closed her eyes, trying to regain focus, and heard the air shift as Athena moved away to engage with another opponent. A steely determination crawled through her as she searched. She sensed Lissandre's approval and focused on the earth below, her awareness heightened as she kept a look out for any more sneak Titan attacks.
After dodging two more attempts, she felt a familiar tug and the sound of the battle faded as she connected with the gate. Triumph flared through her core and opening her eyes, she held out her hand, instinct taking control.
That's it, Lissandre encouraged. Embrace the gate in your mind and then open it.
Thea could feel the edges of the gate. Hyperion drew close once more and Hermes slashed him across the chest as Thea gripped the edges with her mind. Combining her powers, she pulled them open. A groan tore through the earth and she moved it aside, instinct and faint memories from Lissandre helping to guide her. Trees cracked in two as a hole the size of a small football field opened below them. It went through the river and the water fell into the hole from both ends.
I did it!
It's not over yet. You still need to access the chains and attach them to Cronos.
Focusing on her next task of finding the chains, she was unaware of the Gods taking action around her. With the gate now opened, they wasted no time attempting to throw them down into the pit.
Apollo and Atlas were right over the hole and Atlas appeared to be forcing Apollo into the hole with his gravity trick. Apollo wasn't going down alone though; he had a tight grip on Atlas' leg and the Titan was being dragged down as well. Apollo's grip began to loosen however and as he lost his hold, an arrow protruded from Atlas' chest and the Titan roared, breaking his gravity control. Apollo seized the opportunity. Reaching up, he grabbed his leg once more and spun in a ball before throwing Atlas into the darkness. A scream rose from the pit, accompanied by other unsettling noises as the Titan was welcomed to his new prison. Apollo gave his sister a wave of thanks and jumped through the air to help her with Epimetheus.
On the far side of the hole, Enyo was still engaged with Lapetus. She was covered in open wounds, some already beginning to heal. She had a hold of Lapetus' right knee, crushing it beneath her fingers as he screamed in agony. He swung his fist up, smashing it into the left side of her face, and Enyo stumbled backwards, blood flying from her mouth.
Ares had already thrown Perses into the pit and wasted no time giving Zeus a hand with Cronos. Their movements weren't fast — they were slow and heavy, each blow meant to inflict life threatening damage. If it were anyone other than a God, they would have been dead with the first hit. Olympus was filled with nothing but a cacophony of shouts and clashing weapons.
Cronos, however, was not tiring from their onslaught. He kicked Ares in the stomach as he attacked, sending him into the forest below. Many of the other Titans were beginning to realise they were fighting a losing battle and, sensing their imminent loss, Oceanus had wasted no time escaping back to the ocean, Athena close on his tail. Her armour was finally covered in dirt and indentations, though she harboured no injury to her body.
Thea was still searching hopelessly for the chains. Hermes and Hyperion were close to her; Hyperion continued to try and attack her but Hermes managed to block every attempt. Using his speed, Hermes disappeared and reappeared behind the Titan, trapping him in a small twister as he slowly shoved him into the pit. The twister's hold was tenuous and Hermes had to move slowly so Hyperion wouldn't break free.
A familiar darkness finally made itself known and Thea reached out with her mind, feeling the chains. She started to grab them. As she was distracted by the chains, Cronos pulled out a scythe, punching Zeus across the face. Prometheus appeared, having laid low since the beginning of the battle, and grabbed him, dragging him down into the pit. Ares and Enyo raced to his aid as Apollo and Artemis faced off against Perses. Hermes had nearly reached the pit with Hyperion and in that brief moment, Thea was left unguarded.
Thea, defend!
Thea turned around just in time to see Cronos appear in front of her, scythe raised, and he brought it down, burying it in her abdomen before she could react. Sharp pain tore through her and she choked on a gasp. Her hold on the chains loosened as her body started to go into shock.
Don’t lose your grip, Thea! Stay strong — do not let him think he has won yet.
Thea faintly heard a scream of rage, the sounds of the battle strangely muting but she kept her gaze on Cronos, holding her trembling head high and meeting his victorious gleam.
“It is over, my sweet. You have lost this time.”
The chains were still hanging in the pit and Thea started to drag them up, biting her cheek. They were big and heavy and the scythe in her stomach was screwing with her concentration.
“Not yet,” she croaked, grabbing onto the arm which held the scythe steady in her stomach. Cronos realised what she was trying to do and tried to shove the scythe through her stomach. It moved slightly and her vision blurred as the pain intensified, before the movement stopped.
Cronos was looking down at his arm, furious. She followed his gaze and saw a strange darkness curled around his wrist, stopping him from killing her. A hand appeared on his shoulder and twisted, pulling his free hand away from her. Thea smiled weakly at the familiar face.
“Hang in there, Thea,” Hades said quietly. His black robes flowed through the air like waves of darkness and she saw the same darkness around his hand, helping him restrain Cronos. “You are almost there. Keep going.”
Enyo and Ares had freed Zeus and were now dealing with Prometheus as Zeus rose back up and grabbed Cronos’ other arm. The scythe jerked in her stomach as Zeus pried the Titan’s hand off the weapon and she cried out from the movement. Hermes had lost control of Hyperion and was fighting him once more, but now the Titan was the one stopping him from reaching Thea. His eyes were panicked as he watched the scene unfold above, the scythe in her stomach causing all rational thought to vanish.
Zeus strengthened his hold on Cronos as he began to struggle, and lightning wrapped its way up Cronos’ arm. The Titan was trapped between light and dark and he roared in rage.
“Do it!” Zeus growled over his howling.
Using everything she had left, Thea lifted the chains from the pit, the black metal snaking through the air. Relief seeped through her as they connected with the cuffs on Cronos’ wrists, snapping shut with a loud click. Zeus and Hades released their hold and the chains began to pull down, dragging the screaming Titan back to his prison.
As his screams melted into the howling pit, Thea felt herself losing consciousness. You must close the pit, Lissandre said. Her voice sounded far away but Thea followed her orders. Raising her shaking hand, she released her grip on the gate and the earth rumbled as the gate close over. Dirt and dust rose from the earth below and silence stretched across Olympus. It was finally over.
With her job done, Thea started to free fall, unable to hang on any longer. Hands grabbed her and then Hermes was there, his face stricken and pale.
“I did it,” she whispered, her fingers furling into his shoulders.
“You did,” he whispered quickly, one hand hovering over her abdomen. “Just hang on.”
Her eyes started to close as the pain intensified, and his grip tightened.
“Don’t close your eyes! Keep looking at me,” he begged. She tried to keep them open but the world had blurred. She heard Hermes speaking with someone. “I have to get her to a hospital.”
“No,” Hades voice echoed. “They cannot save her from this. I am sorry, Hermes, but I need to take her.”
“No! She can be saved! You aren’t taking her!”
His voice was the only thing that still sounded clear and she clung to it, afraid. Her grip on his shoulders tightened. “Hermes, I’m scared. It hurts so much.”
“It’s going to be okay.” She could hear the panic in his voice. “We’re going to fix you up and everything will be fine. You’re not leaving me.”
Her vision faded as her body shut down and Thea knew it wasn’t going to be okay. Reaching blindly, she found his face and wiped an unseen tear away. “I love you, Hermes. I’m sorry.”
She thought she heard him cry out but then it faded with the rest of them and a strange warmth enveloped her. Welcoming the reprieve from the pain, her eyes closed and everything grew quiet.
Then, there was nothing.
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A/N - Only one more to go!