I spread my legs, bracing myself as the earth trembled. The Pegasus appeared unfazed as it grazed nearby. Pulse picking up, I looked down. Flowers shook. Soil erupted, kicking small pebbles into the air. Twelve shimmery columns appeared, forming a circle around Medusa and me. As the glow faded, there were twelve stone busts sitting on pedestals.

“These are the Twelve.” Medusa walked forward. “They represent the Olympians. On each embodiment is their icon, what the children of the gods will need to defeat the Titans.”

Holy moly. I turned, my gaze glancing off each of the busts. This was why Apollo had told me to find the librarian—find Medusa. She was guarding the gateway and the icons.

Spying my father’s, I walked over to the stone bust. A small golden harp, about the size of my hand, dangled from the neck.

A harp.

Not even a legit-sized harp.

For real.

Artemis had a bow. Poseidon a trident. A spear rested in front of Athena. An unlit torch stood in front of Demeter. Hades’s bust wore a helmet, and I had a . . . harp. Well, there was a seashell in front of Aphrodite, so I figured it could be worse. But between a seashell and a harp, I had no idea what to do with either.

Seeing the icons that would never be touched was sad. Zeus’s scepter would never be picked up. Neither would Ares’s shield. I didn’t know their children, but the loss was heavy in the silence.

“So many lost lives,” Medusa murmured, picking up on the nature of my thoughts. “And many more will be lost.”

I shivered, not because her words scared me but because I knew they were true. Drawing in a deep breath, I reached for the golden harp. As my fingers neared it, the tips hummed as if my body recognized the importance of the symbol.

“Now is not the time,” Medusa said, startling me. She was directly beside me. “Once you take that icon, it cannot be given back.”

“Okay.” I looked at her. “My powers have been unlocked—”

“And taking the icon will give you more aether than anything that walks the mortal realm.” The curls on her head vibrated and more tiny snake heads appeared. Creepy. “You will be extremely powerful, and even more useful in the hands of the Titans and to others.”

I assumed she meant daimons.

“When you have found the other demigods, bring them back here. That is when you must take the icon.” Even though I couldn’t see her eyes, I could feel them holding mine. “You must be careful of who you trust, child, of whom you have given your heart to.”

I stiffened.

“Power is the most alluring of all vices. It corrupts and destroys,” she said, her voice shifting low. “And it is the most hidden of all transgressions.”

A cold chill radiated down my spine. “You’re talking about Seth.”