Page 74 of Destinies of Diamond
“And you could’ve intervened much sooner if you had cared. If things reached this point, you only have yourselves to blame.”
A jolt of pain rushed through me and for a few seconds, I felt as if I was being disintegrated again. “Jar’yd!” Teela cried out.
I waved her away, silently telling her to keep her distance. I hadn’t expected this, nor had I intended to have a conversation with a deity, but if I’d been approached in this way, I wouldn’t back out.
“Watch your tongue, ant,”the goddess told me.“You might be Helios’s subject, but you aren’t in the Quasar now. Helios can’t reach you here.”
“Maybe not, but some things are more important than others. You’re a deity of life, Gaia. Surely you can understand that.”
“Yes, but I’m not the one who gives second chances.”
Silence fell over the ravine. I hadn’t expected anything to come of this conversation, but still, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. I’d hoped that I’d be able to do more than just wait here until the next stage of the plan started.
Just when I’d given up, another voice echoed in my head, this time male.“You children are so exhausting. Fine. We’ll help you, just this once.”
The ground parted and a group of chimeras emerged from beneath us. This time, they weren’t in their metallic shape, but rather, flesh and bone.
“We meet again, Jared Glass,” Sphinx said. “It took you forever to see what was right in front of you.”
She was talking as if the assistance of the gods had been guaranteed from the very beginning, and although I knew that wasn’t true, I let it go.
“Delayed or not, we’re here now. Can you help us?”
Zephyrus popped up from behind her, so much smaller than Sphinx, but still comforting just because she was there. “Of course. That’s why we’re here. It’s time to end this war, once and for all, no matter what it costs us.”
That sounded a little ominous, but regardless, I accepted it, because it meant we finally had some hope. I had to believe the chimeras would provide us with enough reinforcements for whatever was waiting for us. Because somehow, I had the feeling that Selene’s part of the plan wasn’t going as smoothly as we’d have all liked.
Destiny of Death
Selene
Meanwhile, New Washington
“Mother! I’m so glad to see you. I received word that there was an attack on New Washington.”
As she greeted me in front of Gaia’s Temple, my mother wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her chest. “There was. Chimeras, if you can believe it. They were hunting a Sun-Dweller.”
My stomach turned when she touched me, because it reminded me of what she had done, of what she had almost robbed me of. I hid my discomfort and hugged her back.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s not your fault.”
It was an automatic response, and I got the feeling she didn’t truly believe it. But if that was the case, she didn’t care about my part of the blame in the incident either.
When she finally pulled me into her office, she looked like she was about to cry. “Oh, Selene. It was that man. That horrid creature. He said you’d been taken by King Philip and asked for my help. Then, the chimeras came after him.”
“King Philip did kidnap me, but he isn’t an issue anymore. I made sure. And Jared is dangerous, but not that important in the big picture.” I dropped down on a chair and let out an exhausted sigh. “Tartarus Base was attacked too, you know. We have no idea where those Centaurs are coming from, but we have to find out. Brendan thinks they’re not after Jared at all, but after me.”
“You? Why would they be after you, Selene?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
I shot her a pleading look, hoping I hadn’t come here for nothing. A part of me understood why she’d acted the way she had. She had stolen my choice and endangered my life, but she did love me. I was relying on that, on that feeling that had made her try to protect me, even at the cost of her integrity and morals.
My mother tensed. “If you’re asking me that, Selene, then you must already know the answer.”
“I have no answers, only suspicions.” With a shaking hand, I retrieved King Philip’s tablet from my jacket. “I got this off the king the day he died. He was trying to rape me at the time. It turns out it’s not a good idea to touch me when I’m unstable. The powers of Gaia and Tartarus don’t like to be defiled.”
