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"--would have happened noasto do with you, Kate, I promise" He paused "In fact, your deal could work for us"

"How?" I wipedto Rhea to ask for her help He knows she can heal Henry, and the first chance Cronus gets, he’s going to kill him"

"Probably," said Jah, and in the meantime, we have a direct line to Cronus"

"He won’t listen to reason"

"No, but he ht listen to you Especially if you can convince him you’re still on his side"

A wave of nausea swept over me "I was never on his side"

"Doesn’t matter when he doesn’t know that," said Ja to believe the worst in us Use that against hie You want to be with Milo, so it won’t even really be a lie"

Unless he could see the lie in a truth, like Henry could "He’ll come after you," I said "He’ll attack Olympus"

James chuckled "Last time Cronus tried, he wound up in the hottest, deepest pit on earth I doubt he’ll give it another go"

But noto convincedeal, I heard the worry in his voice This was his entire fa it all on what? On the sli to listen tothat had gone on in the nursery, then he would know I knew And he would knoas angry

"What if it doesn’t work?" I whispered, finding his hand and lacingmore, but I needed that ainstelse out"

Six hours and one connecting flight later, we touched down in Zimbabwe James hailed a cab on the curbside of the airport, and soon enough ere on a re to a place I couldn’t pronounce no et it eventually," he said with a chuckle, but after a moment he turned serious "None of us have contacted Rhea in a very long time I have no idea how she’ll react, and I can’t make you any promises"

"I don’t need promises," I said, but my insides churned What if I couldn’t convince Rhea to help us? What if she wouldn’t heal Henry?

I straightened in the back of the hot cab No matter what it took, no matter what I had to promise her, I would find a way to make this happen I would find a way to save Henry If Rhea was really so unconcerned about the rest of the world that she wasn’t willing to step up and help us fight