Chapter 46 ◈ Crushed

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My eyes shot open and I gasped, pulling my hands away from Athena's forehead

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My eyes shot open and I gasped, pulling my hands away from Athena's forehead.

Beside me, Eloise and Raymond pressed Athena down like their lives depended on it. They both looked at me in anticipation.

"Redhead!" Raymond said. "You okay?"

A mild headache set in, making me rub my temples. "Ugh. . . H-How long did it take for me to wake up?"

Eloise raised a brow. "A minute or two barely passed. What were you expecting?"

"Um, nothing." I coughed. "I just thought it would take longer. . ."

Thank goodness it didn't.

Raymond slowly withdrew his hands from Athena. "So did it work? Can we let her go now?"

The moment he said those words, Athena opened her eyes. The green tint from Rhea's spell fading away as she blinked. I moved over to give her some space while Eloise also let go of her hold on Athena.

"What. . . happened?" she asked, looking around. "Where am I?"

I tilted my head. "Don't you. . . remember what happened?"

"Remember what—" she paused, her eyes widening. "I-I do. . . The spider and the—"

Raymond gazed at her strangely. "What spider?"

Eloise rose, picking up Argentum beside her. "Save your chat for later. We've got to help Alistair and Demetrius."

Nocking an arrow on her bow, she ran towards where Poseidon and Alistair were and shot the silver projectile to the former. Poseidon, still under Rhea's control, noticed her and used one of the many tentacles extending around him to swat Eloise's arrow away. Unfazed, she continued shooting arrows behind Poseidon while he engaged with Alistair in an all-out elemental attack.

Raymond helped me and Athena stand. As Athena picked up Aegis and held it on her side, Raymond jumped and Talaria's wings flapped. I, on the other hand, was weaponless.

Well, but not powerless anyways.

"Come on, girls." Raymond motioned us to follow him. "Let's help Eloise and Alistair out."

"Wait no!" I said. "I think the two of them can manage. Let's get to Zeus first since he's more powerful."

Just nearby where Poseidon was fighting against Eloise and Alistair, Demetrius was still surprisingly standing on his own, using his time powers to slow down Zeus's fast lightning.

While all the chaos ensued, Rhea was nowhere to be found.

Where did she go?

"No, you don't get it." Raymond shook his head. "Alistair. . . His life pretty much depends on his powers. In a big way."

"What do you mean?" Athena asked.

"I'm not supposed to tell this to anyone, but I have no choice." He looked at us back and forth. "I don't know how the heck Al thought of this weird analogy but— imagine a balloon full of air. We all know that it can't move around without the air, right?"

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