“Oh, right!” I step back and perform the introductions. “Cassandra, this is Sthenno. She’s—”
“An immortal gorgon,” Cassandra finishes. “Our ancient aunt.”
Before I can confirm, she pulls Sthenno into a tight hug. To my amazement, Sthenno hugs her back. “It has been too long, niece.”
“And I am Euryale,” our other aunt says.
When Cassandra releases Sthenno, she turns and hugs Euryale, too. It is as much a family reunion for the gorgons as it is for me and my sisters. Our mother is the descendant of their sister, too.
As I look around at our gathered numbers, I’m in awe. For the first time, I think maybe we won’t be quite so ridiculously outnumbered. Maybe we’ll stand a chance of coming out of this alive.
“Do we have a plan?” Euryale asks.
“Don’t lose?” Greer suggests.
Gretchen and Sthenno spear her with identical unamused looks.
“The plan is simple,” Gretchen explains. “We make for the door, while everyone else here holds off anyone who tries to stop us.”
Euryale traces the hem of her flowing top. “The envenomed weapons will do no good against the gods and their army.”
“Our forces will just have to stand their ground,” Gretchen replies. “If we can’t make it to the door, then none of this matters.”
We need to get to the door in order to break the seal. That is the only way we can fulfill the prophecy and take up our legacy.
“Then we open the door,” I offer. “Right?”
Gretchen nods.
“When that happens, the tides will shift,” Sthenno says. “Most of the gods will change sides. A flood of monsters will enter this realm.”
“We’ll send them home,” Gretchen says, spinning one of her daggers on her fingers, “but they will come back just as fast.”
Greer stretches to her full height. “We will win,” she insists. “No matter how many monsters come out, no matter how many gods try to kill us. We will win, because we are right. And that makes us strong.”
Sthenno claps her on the back.
Euryale smiles. “It is time.”
“We need to brief the troops,” Gretchen says. She climbs onto a bench and faces the crowd. They must sense her leadership role, because they fall silent. “First priority will be the three of us getting to the door and getting it open.”
The crowd of humans and monsters murmurs in agreement.
Nick shouts, “We protect the sisters at any cost. All costs.”
I bite my lips. That is a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibility. Others will be protecting us, putting our safety before theirs. I’m humbled.
And I’m all the more driven to succeed. I won’t let their risks—and potential sacrifices—be in vain.
“Once the door is open,” Gretchen continues, “the battle will change.”
“The Olympic faction will no longer wish you dead,” Sthenno says. Then she hastily adds, “We hope that, with the door open, their focus will shift to fighting the monsters. They should be on our side at that point.”
“They will fight with us,” Euryale adds, “not against us.”
“Monsters will pour out of the abyss, trying to overrun us—kill us—so they can have absolute freedom to take over this world,” Gretchen says. “This is when you will use the venom-dipped weapons. Send them back to the abyss.” Under her breath she adds, “Even if they keep coming right back out.”
The crowd boos, clearly not any more thrilled with the idea of a monster takeover than we are. They have no idea.
“With the door open, there will be other forces working against us from this side of the door,” Gretchen says. “Some monsters, as well as an army of hypnotized humans, being forced to fight.”
More boos.
“Do not,” Gretchen shouts over them, “kill the humans. Immobilize them if you have to, or knock them unconscious. They are innocent in this, and will be acting against their will. Is that understood?”
The crowd murmurs.
“Is that understood?” she repeats.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
“No kill.”
Gretchen nods and then jumps down from her perch.
“So, girls,” she says, giving me and Greer serious looks as the crowd around us applauds, “are we ready?”
“Yes,” I reply, even though I feel like throwing up.
Greer nods and looks like she feels the same.
Gretchen pats each of us on the back. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 32
GRETCHEN
We approach from the north end of the pond. Everything looks calm. Nothing out of the ordinary about the tourists and families milling around, snapping pictures and chasing ducks. The path is clear. The air smells like salt and sea—monster free. An ordinary day in an ordinary place.
For a split second I think opening the door might turn out to be a nonissue. Maybe no one on either side will notice, and we’ll be able to open it without having to fight for our lives against the Olympus faction.
I’m about to suggest we speed it up—get down there and get the door open before anything changes—when something changes.
It’s minor, just a shift in the atmosphere, and then—
“Run!” I shout as the sky above transforms into a sea of flying creatures.
Silver birds and winged dragons and countless other airborne beasties swarm overhead. The fear in the crowd behind us is palpable. Those with mythological blood see exactly what they are. To the humans in our army, it might look like nothing more than a sky full of ordinary birds, but even a flock of seagulls would be alarming in these numbers. They sense trouble.