“Pathetic,” Axel agreed.
Héctor chuckled, showing the gods his utter disdain.
“Enough!” Zeus thrust his hand toward my mates.
My mates made strangled noises, and then they couldn’t speak anymore.
“What did you do to them, fucker?” I roared. I thrust my palms toward them, the nullifying magic of the Void lashing out in waves.
The original gods trained their signature weapons on me at the same time, not missing a beat.
Our powers collided.
The gods’ combined powers of thunder and lightning, death fire, and ice were more potent than I’d imagined. My Void magic could only cancel out a fraction of the onslaught. It was too much.
I staggered back. My mates held me to support me, desperate to lend me their strength, but their demigod powers were neutralized in this realm.
“Drop your offense and we’ll cease, too,” Hades said. “You’re no match for us, little girl.”
Maybe not now. But eventually, I’d get the upper hand as the child of the Void. I needed more time to master my Void magic, but time was the only commodity I didn’t have now, and it always seemed that way.
I was running out of time forever.
“Drop your power now, if you don’t want me to damage the demigods,” Zeus said. “Behave yourself, and I’ll make sure no one gets hurt during the trial.”
The god king wouldn’t hesitate to hurt his own son. He’d killed a few of his sons in the past.
I slowly retreated my power and raised my hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. They nailed my weakness, and I still hadn’t figured out theirs, or if they even had any weaknesses.
The Olympians also withdrew their attack.
Ideas wheeled in my head like a riot, and I knew through our bond that my mates were working on all angles to get us out of this madhouse as soon as possible. When gods and Titans collided, disasters ensued, and we were stuck between them. I didn’t want my mates to be collateral damage. We had to find a way to escape before the situation escalated further.
“Order is established,” Hades announced in his dark, booming voice.
Cronus clapped his giant hands, and his goons followed suit and cheered.
Morons.
“Titans are forbidden to mate with demons,” Zeus said. “That’s been the universal law since the beginning of the worlds. The light shall never consort with the dark. Yet Hyperion chose to have a sexual relationship with a demon queen and used the darkest, foulest magic to breed an offspring that will bring destruction and chaos to all worlds.”
“I have no use of dark magic,” my father shouted. “My amazing union with Lilith shouldn’t have produced a child, which is impossible in all of the textbooks, yet a miracle happened. My daughter is a wonder, the most unique, beautiful being in the universe. She’s superior in every way. She’s more than any Titan, any god, any demon, and any angel. Embrace her pure, supreme existence, which is the joy of the future and light of all worlds. Don’t let your fear of greatness blind you and lead your soul to destruction, if you have one.”
Some Titans cheered him while others scoffed at his speech.
Though I was grateful that Dad fully supported me, I had to admit his oration was a bit off. But then, he was a Titan.
“You’re hypocrites, all of you,” I said clearly and loudly, my contemptuous stare aimed at the gods. “You’re afraid and jealous of me because I can unmake the gods and the universe, though there’s no reason for me to do that. But you won’t allow anyone to be more powerful than you, so you’re trying to snuff me out while I’m still in my budding stage. Trial, my ass.”
“Your vile birth is forbidden,” Zeus hissed. “We’ve destroyed monsters less illicit than you.”
My mates bared their teeth at Zeus, yet they still couldn’t let out a sound.
“However, we’ll give you a chance to prove your innocence,” Hades added, slanting his son a glance before turning his covetous gaze on me again. “Just as we’ve given every defendant a final opportunity to acquit their guilt.”
I snorted. I didn’t need to prove anything to these motherfuckers. However, I also knew if I didn’t play their games, we wouldn’t be able to walk away. My power couldn’t match up to the combined forces of the original gods yet, and my mates’ powers were all muted.
“Don’t take their bait, Celeste,” my father warned behind me.