“Finish them!” someone yelled from the balcony.

I turned and faced the bloodthirsty Demigods and leaders. “No,” I said in a clear voice. “The battle is decided. It’s finished.”

“We say when this battle is done, not them. We rule,” another shouted from the back somewhere. “Make them finish it.”

“The battle is over.” Kieran stood, his eyes on me for a moment before they swept the balcony. He was late to the party, but he was finally showing up to do the right thing. “Alexis enacted a punishment far worse than physical wounds. It will stay on their minds long after they have healed. This battle is done. If she continues, those people down there will lose their minds. I’ve seen it happen. They would have to be killed. She is not showing them mercy—she is protecting their lives, as the rules clearly state she should.”

I was totally showing them mercy, which he knew, but if this was the way he needed to spin it to get the leaders in line, more power to him, especially since he wasn’t wrong. Dart Fingers might already be too far gone.

Silence greeted Kieran, the people in the back not pressing their thirst for blood.

Zander’s voice rang out. “Agreed. The battle is done.”

“Agreed,” his wife said quickly.

“Agreed,” said the very regal lady we’d seen last night, sitting on Zander’s other side.

“Agreed,” Magnus added.

Others took up the call, everyone stating the word plainly or mumbling it. The door opened and the clipboard-carrying dickface reemerged.

Thane pushed away from the wall. “I say we get all the people in the halls to move out to the garden so I can play, too.”

“Lexi, whoa, whoa, whoa…” Bria pointed at the zombies still running around the place like wild men. “Put those back.”

I marched them back to keep Jerry from having to help load up the bodies. I didn’t want him throwing up in front of all those Demigods.

“Was she controlling all of those while doing her magic?” someone asked from the balcony.

I didn’t respond, letting them think that I did. It made me look cooler, probably.

“Oh my stars, look at all those Demigods,” Frank said, marshaled back to the cart with everyone else. “I would like to mention that I detest wearing one of these skin suits, Alexis, and I am not the fighting type, but wow is it impressive to see all those Demigods. Look at them, all prim and proper and dressed nice. You should take a lesson, girlie, they—”

I ripped him out of the body and flung him back toward home. My nerves were already frayed—I didn’t need him adding to the irritation. I got the rest of the bodies packed away and sent the rest of the spirits back, getting nods from Chad and John, a tired wave from Mia, and a demand from Jack to let him stay. He didn’t care about the danger, but I did. Not gonna happen.

Tired, I headed toward the others, sparing a glance for Kieran as I left. He was sitting again, staring down at me intently. A waiter interrupted our view, and I noticed Aaron and Lydia were also looking at me from opposite sides of the second row. Both of them stared down at me with mingled hatred and desire—they wanted me for their arsenal now more than ever.

I shivered, knowing in my bones that one or both of them had something nasty planned for me. Would I meet their teams in the halls? Or would I meet them in person when I didn’t have the protection of a Demigod at my back?

10

Alexis

“Well, that went about as expected.” Bria pulled the bodies along behind her as we trudged toward the halls, the treacherous labyrinth at the outskirts of the large building. The middle of the building, I was finding, was reserved for the Demigods and the staff they brought along for protection, their second-string people in many cases, with only a few of their top tier. Demigod-on-Demigod crime was very rare at a Summit. The more experienced staff did what we were doing now—looking for a fight.

“We were chosen specifically to fight in front of the Demigods,” Dylan said, his eyes constantly scanning. “That’s a big honor in most situations.” He paused, giving me a side-eye. “Most people realize the Demigods want to see blood. They look more favorably on those who give them a grueling, bloody fight.”

Donovan laughed. “Lexi’s not the type to fall in line, brother.”

“I need to grab a few rocks before we get where we’re going, by the way,” Jerry said. “What are we doing with these kids? Can we drop them off? I don’t like the idea of the princess being with us without superior healing. She shouldn’t have been in that battle just now.”

“You’re big, giant. If you keep using that nickname, soon we’ll find out how hard you fall,” Daisy ground out.

Jerry’s wide grin made me smile with him. He might not partake in the razzing with the guys all that often, but he loved to push Daisy’s buttons. He probably wanted to see what she’d eventually do in retaliation. I wondered myself.

“That battle was light,” Henry said. “I didn’t have to do anything. I wonder why they didn’t put us with someone of higher caliber.”

“They don’t have any idea what we can do,” Boman responded. “They probably thought we’d be evenly matched. It’s like Dylan said: the Demigods prefer longer, bloodier battles.”