For The Love Of A God by Rosanna Leo (ebook reader for comics .txt) 📕

second, two furies swooped down on Artemis, clawing at the goddess's lovely face. Artemis screamed and held up her hands to defend herself, losing her grip on her arrow and on Maia.

It wasn't looking good.

Unthinking, Maia backed up against the wall. One of the biggest furies landed right in front of her, flexing her great wings, and leering with her woman's face. She cocked her head to the side, eyeing Maia, and seethed something in an ancient, unknown language. Maia held her breath. The monster's breath was as vile as the grave.

The fury seemed to be debating exactly how to eat Maia's face, because it didn't move for a moment. With only her instinct for self-preservation as her guide, Maia reached out and grabbed the only thing she could reach: one of Artemis's fallen arrows. Without stopping to plan her attack, she lunged, stabbing the creature in its downy chest over and over.

The great bird squawked, and keeled over.

"Yes,” she cried, wishing she could do a few cartwheels.

Buoyed by her small victory, Maia clutched her arrow and launched herself at the furies still tormenting Artemis. She didn't manage to kill them, but she distracted them enough that Artemis was able to rally. Within seconds they were as dead as their feathery sisters.

Artemis, her gorgeous face a mess of blood, seemed to be peering at Maia with new respect. Without wasting another moment, the two women raced to help the others.

Eryx was on the floor, on his back, swinging wildly at a cluster of furies above him. He was surrounded by the bodies of the ones he'd already felled, but like an unwanted green salad, the blasted things seemed to increase in number each time one of them was dispatched. Upon seeing Maia fighting, he shouted out to her, “Don't! Maia!"

But she wouldn't be dissuaded. She ran at one of the hideous beasts near him, but the thing turned on her, snarling and snapping. It raised its enormous claw.

Eryx jumped to his feet like an acrobat, brandishing his sword. He sliced through the air, and struck the heads off three of the furies. His way clear, he ran toward Maia and her fluffy adversary. Before the fury's claw ever ripped into Maia's mortal flesh, Eryx ran his sword through it, and pulled up, viciously slaughtering the beast.

His eyes wild, he turned and watched as Dionysus and the others killed off the remaining furies. Then he turned back to Maia and yanked her into his arms. Again and again, he ran his hands over her face, her back, and her arms. Convincing himself she was intact. “What were you thinking? You should have stayed put."

She shrugged. “I told you I wanted to help."

"You did,” he said, chuckling, tangling his hands in her blood-spattered hair. “But the shock almost killed me in the process. Please promise me you won't be quite so brave next time. I'm much happier with you hiding in the background."

"No way, bucko,” she laughed, kissing him. “Any more wild bird women come your way, I'm all over it."

They embraced, stopping only as the others regrouped after collecting their strewn weapons. The other gods approached, and Maia looked up.

And screamed.

Artemis was missing an eye. Rather, one of her perfect, dark eyes was hanging from its socket, leaving a bloody trail along her normally-unblemished cheek.

"Ohmigod,” Maia uttered, choking back bile.

"It's okay,” Artemis said in her soothing voice. “I've had worse.” And, as calm as a librarian at story time, she popped her eye back into its socket. She blinked once, and it was fixed.

"Well,” said Maia. “That was neat."

"You,” said Dionysus, pointing to Maia's chest, “were fucking awesome out there. Who taught you to fight?"

She let out a nervous giggle. “The only thing I've ever fought over is the last donut in the box."

Eryx was still frowning at her, as proud as he was. “You, my love, will not be fighting again, do you hear me?"

"The girl's a natural, Eryx,” said Apollo, wiping his bloody arrows on a nearby fury corpse.

"I said no."

"I'm not going to stand around while all of you risk your lives, or whatever, for me,” Maia insisted.

"You will not fight,” he insisted.

She was about to argue, was about to protest, but the words were cut off in her throat as another sound echoed from inside the museum. They all stopped and listened. It wasn't a fury shriek or a hissing mummy. This sound was different. Darker and more insidious. A fear with no name. An enemy they could not envision.

It sounded as if hell itself was coming for them.

It terrified Maia, shook her to the bone until her body rattled with it. She looked at Eryx, saw the fear in his eyes, and knew even he wasn't sure what was coming. He turned white, which was amazing for someone so naturally golden. And then he and the other gods turned and stared into the dark hallway.

As she waited for death to show itself, Maia uttered a quick prayer to her own God. At that moment, she was distracted by a movement coming from a nearby dead fury. Its body twitched in a post-mortem contraction. The massive wing jerked, a violent spasm of tough muscle, and hit Maia across the head. She was knocked out cold.

Somewhere in the black hole of her unconsciousness, she wondered if she could die in such a way.

Death by chicken wing seemed like such a strange way to go.

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Chapter Seventeen

It wasn't the first time Maia gave thanks for Eryx's strong arms, but as she awoke encircled by them, she gave thanks again. As well as for the fact she wasn't drowning in buffalo wing sauce, which she'd been dreaming.

Groggy, she stared up at him. It was quiet in the museum now. Too quiet. And he was gazing at her with such sadness in his eyes that her own eyes started to water. “What happened? Did I miss the battle?"

He ignored her question. “I wish you'd stayed