Page 69 of Harbinger

Arethusa blinked. Awareness flitted in her gaze for an instant as her sister’s divine energy washed across her skin. It was replaced by incandescent wrath.

“We shall not be so easily fooled, puppet of Elios!”she growled.“Tell your dark God he will not get his evil hands on the Sacred Tree!”

Hesperia bared her teeth and attacked Cassius. Frustration churned his stomach as he deflected and parried her strikes. He dared not counter for fear of hurting her.

Arethusa’s scream tore the air a moment later.

Hesperia jolted to a stop and whipped around. Terror drained the blood from her face.

Arethusa’s blade was on the ground. Atropos had the Hesperis by the throat and had placed her hand upon her forehead.

“REMEMBER!” Atropos bellowed, her eyes bright. “Remember who you are, sister!”

Arethusa choked and convulsed, her pupils flaring as Atropos smashed through the rage clouding her judgement with her powers of divinity.

“NOOOO!” Hesperia howled.

The force that detonated around the Hesperis shoved Cassius back some dozen feet. She darted toward Atropos and Arethusa, the air around her vibrating with divine wrath. The arrows in her quiver rose so as to pierce her enemy at will even as she loaded her bow with a dozen others.

Cassius dove after her and prepared to unleash an attack.

“Stop.”

The word, though spoken quietly, made the dome tremble with its potent power and stilled the battle as effectively as a bucket of cold water. It bore echoes of three voices.

“Please, mothers. I cannot bear to see you like this!”

Cassius slowed and looked down. His eyes widened. Straining under the barrier that Atropos had erected to protect him was a giant, three-headed dragon.

With his soul core replenished, Ladon had assumed his original form once more. Golden tears slipped down his tortured faces as he gazed at Hesperia and Arethusa.

Hesperia’s bow fell from her grasp. Her arrows tumbled to the ground.

Recognition flared in her pupils. “La—Ladon?!”

Atropos hesitated before slowly releasing Arethusa. Awareness was returning to the Hesperis’s face once more.

“Attie?” Arethusa mumbled.

Shock replaced her blind fury. The Goddess gasped when she saw Ladon. She joined Hesperia as the latter winged her way rapidly toward the dragon.

“Ladon! Ladon!” the Goddesses cried as they hugged and kissed their child.

“Mothers!” Ladon whimpered. “It is good to see you again!”

His massive tail thumped the ground enthusiastically as he licked them with all three tongues.

Hesperia sobbed at the sight of his bleeding wound. “I’m so sorry, my child!”

She moved to his back and touched his injury lightly. Golden radiance flared around her hand.

Cassius drew a sharp breath when she lifted her fingers from the dragon. Ladon’s wound had healed.

Is this the power they hold from living close to the Sacred Tree?!

His pulse raced as he headed toward them, Atropos converging on the two Goddesses and Ladon from the opposite direction. Hesperia and Arethusa looked around when they landed beside them.

Remorse darkened Hesperia’s eyes as she stared at them, pale-faced.“We could not see who you were in our rage.”

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