Labyrinth: Acropolis Series Book II Read Online Free PDF

stands tells me it wouldn't
be welcome.
    "Failure isn't freedom," Bruno points
out.
    The other hybrids shift subtly, and it's
obvious they agree. Bruno isn't questioning Marcas' rule, he's
questioning its stability.
    Marcas pushes away from the table, his gaze
sweeping the faces opposite him. The gargoyles say nothing. We know
exactly what Marcas intends to do, and there is no real reason to
stop him. The choice belongs to the hybrids.
    "Avoiding failure is where you come in,"
Marcas says. The room stills. "You, more than anyone, are aware of
the hybrid animosity in Hell. It's why you were sent to the
Acropolis. For protection"
    Fiona snorts."Protection?"
    Grace reaches out and places a hand on her
arm.
    "It was for protection, Fi. But the gargoyles weren't prepared to
care for creatures we were bred to hate, to destroy. A lot of our
families were killed by Demons. Most of them brutally. Guarding the
children of Demons was asking a lot from us," Grace points
out.
    Fiona doesn't look at her. Even knowing it
was hard for us to shelter them, the hybrids can't forgive the
hatred, the prejudice they were forced to endure. Even under the
pretense of protection.
    Marcas moves around the table, his
long, confident stride bringing him behind the students. There he
paces, slowly and deliberately. The tension in the room rises, and
I lose my "avoid touching Emma" fight, placing a hand on her
shoulder as her fists begin to shake so violently even clasping
them does not help. She doesn't seem to feel me. There is
definitely something off about
her.
    "The point is, you were sent away from Hell,"
Marcas says.
    His pacing slows. His movements are
distracting, his stance tall and commanding.
    "You were sent away because of your
parents. Or more accurately, your Demonic parent. Each one of you
is the product of a very powerful Demon. Not a simple demon.
A powerful one. Because of
that, you were spared. In the end, your powers will matter."
    "And that's why you n-need us?" Emma
asks.
    Her stutter is obvious, and I hear Lyre
chuckle from where she stands near Bruno and Will. My hand tightens
on Emma's shoulder. She still doesn't acknowledge me. Her muscles
are taut, strained.
    Marcas pauses behind Emma, maintaining enough
distance to keep her from panicking. I haven't seen her this
anxious since extracting her from the hospital in Atlanta.
    "Yes, that's why we need you," Marcas says
simply.
    Lyre breaks away from Bruno, her displeasure
obvious as she moves toward Marcas.
    "We don't owe Hell or you anything."
    Her disrespectful tone is grating, but Marcas
doesn't flinch. Dayton, however, has had enough. The fact that she
has remained quiet for as long as she has impresses me. It must be
Marcas' influence.
    "Look, you've got a lot of nerve, and I
respect that, but listening to us costs you nothing. Marcas Craig
isn't just a hybrid, he's your champion. He's shed blood for your
cause, for that absolutely appalling bad attitude you seem to
have," Dayton growls.
    Lyre spins to face the redhead, her
eyes black as midnight. "And who are you to talk? What have you got to do with us?"
    Dayton doesn't even blink. She smiles
instead, the corners of her lips lifting dangerously.
    "I am Dayton Blainey, daughter of the Angel,
Bezaliel, the only known Naphil to currently walk the face of the
earth. And, girl, my attitude is almost as bad as yours."
    Luther laughs."That's no lie."
    Dayton throws him a disgruntled look before
turning back to Lyre. "Let's make this simple. We need the Spear of
Destiny. It's the only way to keep Lucifer out of the Outer Levels
of Hell, and we need you to go and get it."
    Dayton is forthright, her tone candid. If her
revelation about being the only half-Angel is startling, it is
overridden by her request. The hybrids all go rigid, their silence
deafening. Emma is the exception, and it is only because she is
shaking almost uncontrollably now. I attempt to pull her to me, but
she shakes her head hard.
    "Emma . . ."
    "N-n-no," she says