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I
expected all of her fire and brimstone. I expected a display of
power or something . Instead, she nodded sadly and said, “You
know, when I was your age, I had the same thoughts. I knew I was
smart. I knew I was motivated. I could get out, I thought. I could
escape. I think all of us believe it. Before you experience the
life, I mean really experience it. Before it destroys every
single ounce of hope and will power in you, before it rips out your
insides and shreds what’s left of your dignity, I think it’s
natural to believe that you can be the one that actually breaks
free. I don’t blame you for wanting out, Ivy. I don’t blame any of
you. But what you don’t understand about Nix is that he makes it
impossible to leave. If he cannot find you, then he punishes you by
taking those that you love and care about. It’s his way. You got
out, Ivy. You got farther than anyone else, but here you are. He
drew you back in because we can’t help it.”
    I had been listening intently to each of her
words and when she stopped, I felt like I was missing something.
“We can’t help what?”
    “As heartless as we try to be, we always end
up caring for someone. He always has someone he can use to
bring us back to him. There is always someone left at risk.” She
shook her head and looked down at her feet. “It’s nothing I don’t
deserve though. My daughters were everything to me. We call them
legacies and you know very well what that means, but I really
thought of them that way. They were mine. They were the only good
thing I had done with my entire life and I lost them both.”
    I struggled to swallow against the swell of
emotion that expanded suddenly inside of me. “I’m going to get them
back,” I found myself saying. “I’m going to find Sloane and
Exie.”
    Her eyes snapped back to mine and held.
“That’s what he wants.”
    “What else does he want, Thalia? This goes
beyond just losing one of his girls. Why am I so important?”
    She tore her gaze from mine to look up and
down the street. It was quiet, still. The sun was getting ready to
set and the evening light had started to fade quickly.
    “Let’s go inside,” she whispered.
    Nerves fluttered inside of me and for some
reason I knew that was a very bad idea. I didn’t want to believe
that Thalia would hurt me after what felt like a bonding session
between us, but I couldn’t trust anyone. That was something I had
learned a long time ago.
    “Tell me here. Stop stalling.”
    She flinched as if I’d caught her. “You’re
really going to find Sloane?”
    “Or die trying,” I promised.
    She let out a deep sigh and said, “I don’t
know for sure. Nobody does. It’s not like Nix is open about his
plans.” Just as I started to feel disappointment, she went on, “But
there have been rumors. The gods are back in play. They’ve returned
to Olympus and now they’re all gunning for Zeus’ spot.”
    “This isn’t anything I don’t know. But why
are the gods back at Olympus and why do they think they can take
over?”
    “Zeus is missing,” she whispered. “With Zeus
gone, the throne is up for grabs. Nix has always wanted it. Ares
and Hades too. They have fought wars for it before and I know they
would again in a second if they thought they could win it. There is
a rumor though that Nix has a secret weapon so strong and powerful
that Ares and Hades have stepped back. They are working for him now
instead of with him or against him. Whatever this weapon is must
have serious power to cull those two.”
    New nerves skittered over my skin. I
remembered all of those times Nix took me to socialize with Hades
and Ares. I shuddered just thinking about how repugnant they
were.
    “So what happens if Nix gets the throne? He
rules Olympus? That doesn’t mean that much these days.”
    She shrugged again. “I don’t know. The gods
haven’t had true power in thousands of years. But then, they’re
gods. What’s a few thousand years to them? The rumors