Half an hour later, Seraphim is rallying his troops. No stain is visible on his clothes, and Ace is entirely befuddled.
"How did you clean those so perfectly?" she asks, and feels a wave of smugness coming from him.
"Just a little water, and the blood vanished!" he says proudly. "It was like magic. They only took a second to dry, too."
"Hera's doing," Ace grumbles. "The clothes are enchanted to be easy to wash. You have no business being so smug about it."
"Don't you be bitter," Seraphim replies, stroking the chimera's mane. "Besides, we should be excited, the both of us. Heron is going to fall right into our trap, and I will make him join us."
Ace raises her eyebrows skeptically but doesn't say anything.
Seraphim is right on the first count, of course. Alexia uses the map to lead her group, including Heron, deep into the labyrinth. When they get there, though, the giant's remains are gone because the demons moved them. Seraphim and Ace are waiting, with all of Seraphim's followers, along ledges at the side of the cavern. The chimera growls, and the travellers look up. They ready themselves for a fight.
"Looks like my god is more clever than your god," says Seraphim as he and Ace dismount. The chimera growls again. Ace and Seraphim descend into the crater, and Heron steps forward.
"You moved the giant remains," he says, somewhat in disbelief.
"I'm tired of being a pawn," Seraphim replies. "Aren't you, brother?"
Heron frowns at this, and Seraphim continues, "Why should they rule over us? They're more flawed than we are. Look at what they've done to us. They've ruined our lives! Our mother is dead because of them! Don't you want to avenge her death? Join me, brother. We can have our vengeance and end the reign of the gods."
Ace smirks beside him, knowing full well that Heron is going to refuse. She's right.
"So you can rule?" he says, and his emotions turn further against Seraphim.
"So that what happened to us never happens again," Seraphim says, trying even harder to persuade his brother. "This… is the only way."
"No, it's not," replies Heron, and Ace mutters "Told you so," under her breath. Heron continues, "Zeus can undo what's been done to you. He can convert you back."
Seraphim scoffs. "For the sake of our mother, I will ask you one last time. Join me, or you'll leave me no choice. You are either with me…" he puts his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Or against me," he concludes.
"If that is what the choice must be," says Heron, "I'm against you.
Seraphim snarls and draws his sword. Ace uncoils her whip. Seraphim charges, but Heron draws his bow and lets an arrow fly, knocking the sword out of Seraphim's hand. Ace, instead of advancing, takes a few light steps backwards.
I don't want an arrow through my chest, she thinks, especially since Eros already put one there.
She smiles at her own joke.
The rest of the demons advance, providing Ace and Seraphim with an opportunity to get back to the chimera and get in the air. Seraphim throws his bident again and again and again, making kill after kill. He and Ace narrowly dodge an arrow that Heron fires, allowing the demigod and his closest companions to escape. A rockfall buries the couple, but luckily doesn't kill them.
"What are you doing?" Hera snarls as she levitates the rocks away. She ignores Ace, her wrath focussed on Seraphim. "Do as I asked, or I won't ask again. Is that clear?"
Seraphim nods. He and Ace leave, making their way towards the undersea cavern where resides the cauldron of darkness.
Seraphim is about to just walk up and take it when Ace lays a hand on his arm.
"Wait," she says, and points upwards, at the giant automaton crouched motionless behind the cauldron. "Don't you think it's weird that Talos didn't activate as soon as we came in?"
Arrested in his tracks, Seraphim frowns and nods. "You're right. Maybe he only powers on if someone actually tries to take the cauldron."
"That's just what I was thinking," says Ace with a smile. "Now, go kill the giant."
Seraphim raises one eyebrow. "And how am I supposed to do that?" he asks, folding his arms.
"Oh for the love of… look, just give me the sword!" Ace yanks the weapon out of Seraphim's belt, marches up to the giant and slices through both its ankles. Then she scrambles up its body and down the arms, cutting both its wrists.
"See?" she calls to Seraphim. "Easy!"
She whistles to the chimera and jumps onto its back, reaching the ground in safety.
"Ok, now take the cauldron and let's get out of here!"
Seraphim picks up the cauldron of darkness, which he realises doesn't look much like a stereotypical cauldron, and mounts the chimera behind Ace. There is a creaking and a low humming as Talos activates, but the automaton doesn't get far. His lifeblood, molten lead, spills out from the cuts Ace made, and he bleeds dry and staggers to a halt. The thieves are long gone by then.
They deliver the cauldron to Hera, who has managed to steal Hermes's arm bracer so the she can activate the cauldron.
Hera bargains with the giants and through both bribery and threats, manages to strike a deal. The army prepares to wage war on Olympus.
Ultimately, the giants mutiny and attempt to kill Hera, but Zeus sacrifices himself to save his wife. The main giant falls, and Heron and Seraphim end up battling it out. Seraphim gets Heron in a chokehold and calls his bident to spear Heron from the front.
At that moment, Ace climbs over the lip of the crater, but she is too far away. All she can do is watch as Heron uses his superhuman strength to resist Seraphim trying to pull the bident back out, and pushes it further, through himself and into Seraphim's stomach.
"No!" Ace screams, but she can hardly hear her own voice. Pain sears her heart as she tries to run to Seraphim, but it feels like she is moving in slow motion.
As if running Seraphim through wasn't enough, Heron manages to summon lightning that courses through both of them. It doesn't harm Heron, but Seraphim slumps, lifeless.
Ace's shrieks are wordless now as she finally breaks out of slow motion and reaches her husband's side.
The giant, however, is not yet dead. It rears its ugle, mutilated head above the lip of the crater and takes a swipe at Ace, the loudest thing in range.
Filled with heartbreak, pain, and pure rage, Ace feels something inside her changing.
"You dare to make an attempt on my life?" she screeches. "My father's blood created you! You should bow to me!"
Her body begins to glow, and she starts floating upwards. Her voice is amplified until everyone on the battlefield can hear her.
"I am Achalia, daughter of Kronos!" she roars. "I am the goddess of emotions! And now, you will feel exactly what I feel!"
And she reflects her pain onto every giant in the area. They all collapse, clutching at air. This gives Heron time to retrieve Hermes's bracer and use it to activate the cauldron of darkness, locking away the giants' souls once more.
Ace slowly floats down to the ground and then walks over to Seraphim. She stares at his wound. She has never before felt this powerful - surely she is powerful enough to heal him? She refuses to admit that he is already dead.
Ace reaches out her hands, still glowing, and places them on either side of the wound, somehow knowing she won't need to use her saliva to heal anymore. She channels her power, feels the energy flowing through her hands. The wound doesn't close, but she keeps hoping. She hopes and she hopes and she hopes, but as time continues to pass and Seraphim does not wake up, she starts to realise the truth.
She takes her hands away from his stomach and cradles his face instead. She presses a kiss to his lips as tears stream down her face.
Please, please, please! she thinks, although she knows that any amount of pleading will be useless. She is too late. Seraphim is gone.