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Until Dora’s laughter flowed through the nave, carrying the sick tone of cruelty and delight Athena crawled over, her eyes big with hope She tugged the basket to her and looked inside The child was still stone Misery twisted her features "No! It didn’t work!" She lifted her head, her green eyes darkening as she found rief, the raw defeat And then the rage cadown the two sanctuary steps and into the aisle She straddled ed, but Apollo tackled hi, pressure building in h all the pain and fear, I couldn’tthrough her , and it burned withsympathybecause I knew the outcohup for a quick strike, but building, slithering down ertips

Our eyes ood, to knoas going to kill her, to see the realization, the desolation and acceptance, the weariness in her eyes

The blast that flowed out of o and pushed off, stu a few steps away as I sat up Everyone had gone still Stopping in the aisle, Athena glanced over at Arte, and then at her brother, his arlassy too

She loved them They loved her

As messed up as Athena had becohtly and looked toward the basket sitting on the sanctuary steps as her body began to harden

A tiny cry echoed in the church

A baby’s cry

Frantic horror filled Athena’s eyes and my heart Oh God If she’d just waited, just let h a thousand years of stone! And now she was dying as her baby lived Spurred by an intention I didn’t fully understand, I crawled on azed up atup and down

Carefully I lifted him from the basket and took him to his mother Marble had eaten its way up her shoulders The love in her eyeschild, with pudgy cheeks, perfect lips, bright-green eyes, and a fuzz of soft black hair on his head "Turnher eyes and spilling over "Please, turnout to touch her, to save her Yet my power didn’t leap to life It was ainst us But still I tried

I expected hate or anger when she realized it was over, but Athena simply returned her attention to her son, the child she loved above all else He gazed up at her and made a cute baby sound, and then he smiled

"Archer,over her lips, her cheeks, freezing the tears on her face, then claione

For a moment no one moved or spoke Then Dora snorted "Not exactly how I pictured it happening, but satisfying nonetheless Nice touch, letting her see what she’d be on"

I hiked the baby higher on my hip "I didn’t do it to hurt her; I did it to" How could I explain? I hated Athena, what she’d done to my fa and heartbreak, I could not bask in her pain I’m not sure what that made me, but I couldn’t help but think of iven to see led, its chubby ar And I knew I’d done the right thing

Dora still had the knife poised over my father’s chest "You’d better step away fro to Mel "Take one As she disappeared, I held on to the i it to memory

Apollo released Sebastian and shot out his hand His bohich had dropped aed pews, flew into his hand Artemis and Menai raised their bows, arrows pointed at Dora Horus joined the into a wicked curve His action garnered him a surprised look from Apollo and Menai, but not fro to believe no one likes me," Dora said flatly

"No one ever did," Artemis shot back

"Except my maker And you all just hated that, didn’t you? That I was Athena’s favorite? I loved her above all others! Me! And what does she do but betraymy child in place of hers"

"You’re ainst Athena, nor can you stand against us"

Dora rolled her eyes "Think I would come here, set all this in motion if I wasn’t protected, if I didn’t think I could win? You seeis your dear sister dropped into the waves when she set her hurricanes upon this city"