The Iron Queen (Daughters of Zeus) by Kaitlin Bevis Page A

but I couldn’t grab hold of a thought long enough to think it. He’d broken my mind, shattered it into a thousand pieces. Meh, who needed recall abilities? Something in my mind was whole and present, otherwise I wouldn’t still be walking and talking. The longer I sat here, the more it healed. “Their common purpose isn’t me. It’s you. Everyone hates you enough to want you dead. Can you blame them?”
    “I was their hero once.” He almost sounded sad.
    I snorted and rolled my eyes, letting my head loll against the wall of mist. This was as close to rest as I got. I was going to take advantage of it. “And now you’re psychotic.” I shrugged. “It happens.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Your mother didn’t seem to mind.”
    Oh, he had not just gone there. “I’ve never had to ask what her biggest regret was.”
    “You?”
    I laughed. “Hardly. She loves me more than anything. But I guess you wouldn’t know what that’s like. Your parents thought you were an abomination—”
    “Shut up.”
    In a flash, I remembered. Most of my powers didn’t work in his realm, but I could set the rules in my own head. “My mom hates you, you know. But I guess that shouldn’t surprise you. I can’t think of a single person or deity who doesn’t.” When I was sure his attention was fully on me, I concentrated on using my powers. A small red poppy grew in the corner of the room behind Zeus.
    A dream, perfect. Fractured pieces of the plan I put together during the rare times I was conscious enough to think came to me. I drew in a deep breath. I’d never tried anything like this before, so there was a big chance my plan wouldn’t work. But at this point I’d take any chance, no matter how slim. “You created Aphrodite to be loyal to you, and even she can’t stand you.”
    Rage reddened his face. “You’re going to want to be very careful what you say to me.”
    I concentrated hard enough to make vines shoot around his legs, holding him in place.
    “You’re in my head, remember.” I was probably going to regret this when I came to. But really, he already tortured me all day. What did I have to lose? Stepping outside of my dream, I called “ Adios. ”
    My mind closed to all visitors, locking down my dreamscape without me in it. I didn’t know how that worked or how soon Zeus would be able to get out, but if I could keep Zeus occupied even for a few minutes…
    My eyes shot open, and I sprang out of bed. Throwing open the door to the bedroom, I looked up and down the misty hallway. Which way led to the exit?
    Turning right, I sprinted down the hall until I came to a huge room filled with sunlight and a massive door of mist. I pulled it open and gaped at the endless sky that spread in all directions. If there was land beneath me, I couldn’t see it. I swallowed hard. This was probably going to hurt.

Chapter XXIII
     
    Aphrodite
     
    I yawned and inspected my nails. Divine meetings were boring as hell.
    Hades stood in the front of the room, his dark clothes sucking in the cheery brightness of Demeter’s home like a black hole. “Who are we missing?” Hades paused, deep in thought, gaze fixed on Demeter’s white couch. “Is anyone else still around?”
    “Hebe?” Ares suggested. He hadn’t shed the jacket, despite the stifling heat of the overcrowded home.
    I winced, expecting an onslaught of information and images to rush over me, but there wasn’t much to know about Hebe. She was the goddess of youth, and apparently—
    “Dead,” Hades confirmed.
    I would have thought a goddess of youth would be safe. This culture seemed to worship it enough.
    “Eileithyia?” one of the muses asked, referring to the goddess of the pain of childbirth.
    Wait, seriously? I racked my brain and came up with hundreds upon thousands of useless gods of mists and doorways and clouds. No wonder so many of the gods were dead. What a waste of worship.
    “She didn’t last very long after they invented the epidural.” Demeter sat