Page 61 of Until the End of Ever (To the Cruel Gods #2)

SILVER

I kept punching his pretty face. I doubted he felt any of it, but it made me feel better.

"You can't keep flying away from my friends, you absolute arse !"

Apollo was relentless. "I can and I will. Until it's over."

"No!" I screamed. "I should be down there with Kleos! With everyone. I can help."

"You can't."

"I'm stronger than you give me credit for."

Apollo finally lowered us to the ground, too far from the crumbling city I could only glimpse at in the distance. I started to run towards it.

"Twelve times," Apollo snapped, following me on foot. "That's how many times you died. Because you always assume you can help, you should help . You're always self-righteous, certain your way is the right thing to do. And you always die. No other Olympian has been killed half as often as you."

I stilled, letting the words sink in. And all of a sudden, I knew. There was only one reason why the great Phoebus Apollo would care. Why he’d stick his neck out against Zeus.

"I'm Artemis." I should have sounded shocked. I didn’t. He didn't even need to answer."I'm your sister."

Apollo kicked some dirt. "Sort of? Not really. You don't have her power; she doesn't have control of your body. You're at your weakest."

It was hilarious, come to think of it, when I didn't know anyone stronger than me.

The god sighed. "It's over. Your friend prevailed. There's a little disruption, but Father has returned home, and commended the others to follow. They'll need you to rebuild the walls."

"What about you?" I found myself asking. "Zeus—he called you traitor. Won't he be after you now?"

The man shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

I hesitated. "You could come with us. If we can rebuild the walls, wouldn't it be safe from Zeus again?"

"Until he convinces another bastard to let him through a temple. Nah, I have my hideouts."

Annoyed as I was at him for taking me away from Kleos when she needed me, I hated the thought of letting him leave. "You could offer to bring me back."

He snorted. "Like you couldn't run that distance in, what, ten minutes?"

I glanced back to the city. "You're overestimating me. By a lot."

His smile was somewhat wistful. "Never."

And then he was gone.

Ten minutes? Right. It'd take an hour, which was saying something because I wasn't sure a Ferrari could get there that fast.

I grinned.

I'm Artemis. Apollo's sister. Sort of.

“Sort of” was good enough for me.

I lowered myself to a crouch, then set out at a run, pushing myself faster than ever, calling to that part of me I summoned when I crossed the chasm over the dark underworld river.

I made it in nine.