Dolus grinned. “We’d be delighted.”
Pirithous backed up against the van. “Don’t you dare! I’m the hero here! I’m—”
He started to scream and claw at his eyes, which were already not in great shape. “Get them away from me! Get them away!”
The twin gods hadn’t moved, but they’d clearly done something to the judge’s mind.
Hazel frowned at them. “What is he seeing?”
“Giant spiders,” Apate said with glee. “He’s terrified of them!”
“It can stop, Pirithous,” Dolus said, “if you release the gods from their vows.”
The judge crumpled and started to cry. “I release them! You are released, gods! Just…please. No spiders!”
Hazel glanced back across the plaza. The minor gods, along with their army, disappeared like a fog bank burning away in the sun.
Suddenly, Hazel wasn’t sure what to do. They stood around watching Pirithous blubber while their friends slowly gathered around them.
Frank and Savannah were supporting Arielle, who was limping along on her Celestial bronze leg. Yazan, Deion, and Johan walked arm in arm, laughing about house cats. Lavinia and Lucius Silver were dancing the Cotton Eye Joe down the road while Orcus flew reconnaissance above them. Last came Asterion, walking with dignity like a conquering prince, which he was.
Will reached into his pants pockets and pulled out some Kit Kat bars. He passed the first one to Nico. “Eat. Doctor’s orders.”
But he had plenty of extras. By the time all their friends had gathered at the car crash, everyone was munching chocolate and watching Pirithous cry.
The Cocoa Puffs had gathered as well, since they tended to show up whenever food was available. They bounced around everyone’s feet, making puppy-dog eyes and begging for scraps. Defiance sniffed at Pirithous’s shredded robes but apparently decided the judge didn’t smell so good.
“His Honor looks pretty sad,” said Hazel.
“Very,” added Asterion.
“So what do we do with him now?” Nico mused.
“Punish me, of course!” Pirithous screamed. “If you think I’m guilty, it’s what I deserve!”
“Dude,” said Will, “what is with your obsession with punishment? We just wanted to stop your bizarre take-over-the-Underworld scheme. We never wanted to punish you!”
Apate snorted. “Speak for yourself, demigod.”
“I would happily drop him into Tartarus,” Dolus agreed. “There are some lovely big spiders down there.”
Pirithous whimpered and cowered.
“I think you’ve done enough,” said Hazel. “As terrible as Pirithous is, I don’t want to hurt him any moreorkill him.”
“Yeah,” Deion agreed. “It would be like killing an injured animal. Anastyinjured animal, but still…”
Hazel glanced up at the helicopter, which continued to circle the park. “There’s also the question of how we conceal what happened here. The mortals got quite a show.”
As soon as she said this, the hair rose on her arms. She felt a cold, heavy presence in the woods, just off the road—something familiar, powerful, and dangerous.
The others must have felt it too. They instinctively backed away. Some readied their weapons, but Hazel raised her hand. “No,” she said. “Wait.”
A woman emerged from the trees. Or rather…threewomen joined at the waist. Her faces ranged from a teenaged girl to a middle-aged woman to a grizzled grandmother. Purple flames haloed her body, flickering across the folds of her midnight-black dress. At her side padded the largest hellhound Hazel had ever seen. On the woman’s shoulder sat a weasel….
No, Hazel realized. Not a weasel. Apolecat.The goddess’s sacred animal.
“Perhaps,” said the woman, “you should let me take things from here.”
