Page 156 of Blood of Olympus

There was nothing.

My own dread bolstered the feeling and the icy dagger splintered; the shards forcing their way through each of my veins, slowly scraping down all of my limbs, until I could do nothing but freeze, paralysed by the sheer terror of it.

Terror.

Not mine.

Hers.

And then came the message that broke me.

Golden? I’m so sorry.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to rage. I wanted to swoop in and save her from whatever was scaring her so badly she felt the need to apologise for it.

A dark hand on my sternum, followed by a pulse of warm, golden light broke whatever spell her terror had cast over me. Apollo was here, and his expression mimicked my own: pure, unadulterated fear.

He said nothing at all, just pointed to a strangely untouched section of the city, and I didn’t stop to consider the rest, I just ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Distractedly, I heard the distinct thud of following footsteps but I didn’t care to see who it was.

I cursed the drain on whatever remnant of her shadows she’d given me when I had to force souls home on the Isle. I cursed that I had nothing left to shadowstep directly to her. And I cursed whatever had the ability to supersede her own strengths because the next thing I felt from her was the cold, dark absence of terror. It was the absence of everything. It was surrender and resignation and it was terrifying.

Almost there, don’t you dare give up, I told her; begged her.

And then I cried out and fell to my knees. Pain so profound I surely must have been dealt an immediate death blow, barraged through me like a tidal wave.

“Caelus?!” Aros shouted, grabbing my shoulder. Alarm set his irises alight as he scanned my body for any signs of damage. Finding none, he frowned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Agony prevented me from speaking, from making any noise other than roaring pain. Dazedly, I registered the sound of thunder crashing in the distant skies, and sharp zaps of electricity racing across my skin.

His eyes widened. “Where is the Queen?!” he bellowed.

Nyssa.

Her name was the only coherent thought I had. And this was not my agony, but hers.

“WHERE IS THE QUEEN?!”

Nike dropped from the sky, her downy wings flaring at the last moment to slow her descent. She pointed with her sword arm — stained black and crimson with blood — somewhere northwest of here. “Velira came from that direction not half an hour ago,” she panted. “Queen Nyssa did not come with her.”

The pain intensified and I dropped to all fours. If this was but an echo of what my soul-bonded was feeling then surely she must be on the precipice of death. True and final death.

I moaned. My one attempt at regaining my feet failed and I ate dirt. Spectacularly. But I didn’t care. My vision flickered and I knew I was closer to passing out than saving the love of my life.

Cut if off, someone growled.

You have to dampen the bond, they tried again. Only then will you be able to save her.

That did it. Loath as I was to be separated from her in any capacity, I knew the voice was right. I was useless to her like this, curled up on the ground in the fetal position.

I visualised the bond between us — pictured it as a vibrant golden string dangling out an open window. The window was square with white frames, overlooking a sundrenched poppy field. I smiled to myself as I gripped the bottom rail, noticing a heart carved into the left side of the frame, complete with a C and an N in the centre.

Somewhere out that window was my beloved. Somewhere in that imagined field of flowers, she lay dying.

Then, all hesitation gone, I slammed the window down on its sill, severing the link between us.

For a moment, all I could do was inhale ragged gasps. But a moment was all I could allow myself. Blinking up at the enormous white wolf standing over me, I nodded my thanks then forced myself to my feet. Aros and Nike were waiting for my order, knowing I was best placed to save her.

With a voice that sounded like I’d swallowed a cactus, I told them both of my half-hatched plan. “Nike, you guide us from above. Let us know when things are coming and when we’re clear to move. We need the quickest way across the city to the place you saw Vel come from. And where is that bloody dragon?!”