Page 93 of Crown of Olympus
“She could be in any of the cells, but my best guess would be level one,” I whispered. “There’s no way my mother wouldtrek three storeys up and back for herentertainment. She will absolutely escort Nike herself.”
“So she can get one last snipe in before killing an innocent woman?” Athena sneered.
“Precisely. Whether she knows that or not.”
Athena shot me a disbelieving look, before sneaking along the walls, examining every cell along the way. I knew the moment she found the cell containing Nike. Athena’s half-stifled sob stirred the guard in his sleep, but the fool resumed snoring seconds later.
The scent hit me before I reached the cell.
Ichor.
The cell was both old and damp, but the smell was coming from the goddess herself. Nike was covered in cuts, so precise they could only have been made purposefully, by a sharp blade. Her left eye was swollen shut; every inch of visible skin coated in dark bruises. Her golden hair lay plastered to her scalp, matted with blood, and her once-white wings were now stained with ichor and the grime of her cell. Feathers were scattered all over the floor — one hung at an unnatural angle, mangled and limp.
But Nike’s remaining eye was locked on Athena, steady and resolute.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the battered goddess murmured.
“Neither should you,” Athena replied, grimacing.
“Good news — none of us will be here for much longer,” I chimed in. “Athena, I’m going to need your help for a moment.”
“Name it.”
“Take care of the guard for me. Make it look like an accident.”
“Gladly,” the goddess of warfare answered, her voice lethally soft.
While Athena handled part one of our problem, I approached the cell door to handle part two.
“Step back,” I warned Nike, placing my palm atop the locking mechanism. Big bursts of power came easily — second nature. Smaller, more concentrated ones? A little trickier.
I concentrated hard on my hand, sending a small but powerful zap of lightning right through the lock. It sizzled, melted, and clicked open. Athena rushed in, choking back tears.
The goddesses embraced, and I gave them a full ten seconds before urging them out the door.
“We need to go. They’ll be here soon,” I warned. “Can you walk?”
Nike nodded once. “I’ll manage.”
And she did, until we reached the staircase. She faltered on the first step, just as the faint clanging of shoes echoed down from above.
Fuck.
“Sorry about this,” I muttered, scooping Nike into my arms and avoiding her damaged wing. I bolted up the stairs, Athena close behind.
“Run,” I urged her. “Hide behind the staircase.”
Athena sprinted ahead, ducking into the shadows, her face twisted in horror. Sandal-clad feet appeared in my line of sight.
We aren’t going to make it.
Thankfully, the guards escorting my mother were in no hurry, even as she chided them for it. Nike and I lurched into the darkness beside Athena just as the guards stepped down into the hallway. They passed us without a glance.
My mother, on the other hand, dropped daintily off the final step in her golden ballgown — then stopped cold.
I held my breath, silently imploring Athena and Nike to do the same. Hera sniffed the air, her head swivelling dangerouslyto the right. Just as her gaze risked finding us, a shout rattled up from the main chamber.
“Oi! Wake up, you lazy swine!” one guard yelled.
