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"He’s going to destroy the council anyway," I said "We don’t have the power to fight hi this war out another ten years, but you’ll lose eventually Humanity will be destroyed, and Cronus will kill us all That’s inevitable So what’s the har to ?"

"Not when you are asking us to negotiate with a Titan," said Walter "Cronus does not settle His endgame will always be our destruction, and he will not stop until he has his way I understand you are new to this, Kate, but that is no excuse for such stubborn ignorance"

"Walter," said h Kate has a point Perhaps it would be wise of us to at least consider--"

"Father’s right," said Dylan, rising to his feet The purple circles under his eyes did nothing to hide the way they sparkled with bone-chilling zeal "There is no sense in atteain with Cronus He will see it only as a weakness, and we cannot allow him to believe we have any holes in our arain"

The way he eyed me as he said it made my skin crawl "And by that, you mean me," I said "You think I’m a liability"

"You’ve been no use to us so far," said Dylan "If anything, you’ve only s worse Cronus didn’t touch Athens until you left--"

"She distracted hiht us ht in distracting the council and insisting we do things we knoon’t work--"

"She’s the one who ca the Parthenon"

"--and to top it off, you nearly got Henry and your own son killed--"

"He’s the one who decided to go after her without backup--"

"You will both silence yourselves iht as well have punched led voice "I know, all right? I’ht I don’t want seven billion people to die because of my stupidity I don’t want to lose any one of you And I’--"

"Then maybe you should try a little less," said Dylan, and two thrones down froerously soft voice that mirrored her father’s Our father’s "There is no sha other avenues One who juht is a fool, particularly when he risks innocent lives while doing so"

"Are you calling hter?" said Walter Irene’s hand twitched at her side, but she didn’t back off I could have kissed her

"No, Father I’ out that you have options We do not even knohat Cronus wants or why he wants it Surely he iven Kate some kind of hint"

Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me once more Great I wipedup as much conviction as I could They had to believethat he just wants a chance to live again He thinks you won’t let hiave hireed to stop attacking us if you stop attacking him He won’t hurt anyone else And--and he’ll turn over Calliope, or at least he won’t stop you froe for what?" said Dylan, and though Irene shushed hio? Do you knohat it took to contain hio back on his word He knows the consequences if he does"

"And what, pray tell, are the consequences for thehis muscles?" said Dylan "What could he possibly want ?"

Silence My heart-- and everyone--haed I wasn’t mortal anymore, but at that moment, I felt more human than I ever had in my life "He wants me"

The seconds ticked by Walter frowned deeply, and Irene looked confused From behind me, I could sense Henry’s stare, but I didn’t turn around I couldn’t

At long last, Dylan snorted "You? You’re nothing to hi with hi our trek through the Underworld, Kate had anencounter with Cronus," said Jaestively, but he stopped when he caught sight of Henry behind lad I couldn’t see it "She spoke to hi us Ava and I didn’t believe it at first, but he let us go through the Underworld unhindered after that"

"The encounter in Henry’s palace," saidmy heart "Calliope left Ava untouched because of what she’d done to Nicholas But we never did understand why Cronus did not har for me to speak It was the silence behind h, and I reached for Henry All I touched was air