The vast courtroom is completely silent. All I can hear is my heartbeat thumping in my ears. I twist against my bindings, looking at Cupid and Crystal for reassurance.

Cal said that the Myths would arrive as soon as the trial started.

Where are they?

Crystal's face has drained of colour, but a defiant smile curls on Cupid's face. His gaze doesn't move from Venus' face.

She stares at him for a moment, her doll like eyes unblinking, before looking past the three of us to the rows of Matchmaking Agents sat behind.

"We are here today to witness the trial of Cupid, my son, Crystal, the traitor, and Lila," she slides her gaze to me, her full red lips contorting into a grin "the match."

As her childish voice booms and echoes around the chambers, the cupids behind begin to stamp their feet against the ground – quietly at first, but then with increasing vigour. I feel a chill creep down my spine and my body feels suddenly weak; I'm sure that if my hands weren't bound above my head, my legs would give way.

Venus pauses. When the noise has faded, she picks up a white myrtle from the high desk in front of her.

"Should they be found guilty," she says, violently plucking off the flower's petals "they will be punished by death."

She opens her hand and the flower falls to the ground with a delicate scattering of white petals. The seated Matchmaking Agents begin to pound against the floor again, and the drummers surrounding the staged area we are imprisoned in begin to bang rhythmically on their drums.

My heart is racing.

Venus clicks her fingers.

"Charles, read out the charges."

The red headed PA scuttles forward and stands by her side. In his hand he clutches an electronic tablet which he looks down at. I notice a slight tremble in his hands.

"Cupid, charged with breaking the company policy," he begins.

The agent in front of us with the elaborate bow turns towards Cupid, pointing his weapon towards him.

The executioner.

I glance at Cupid. He raises an eyebrow at the menacing agent.

"Lila," says Charles.

My heart jumps into my throat as the executioner turns his bow towards me.

"Charged with being the match..."

"Hardly her fault" interrupts Cupid. "But rationality was never your strong suit was it mother...?"

Outrage flickers across Venus' face.

"SOMEONE DEAL WITH THIS INSOLENCE" she shrieks. "CAL?"

Suddenly a red tipped arrow sinks into Cupid's shoulder and he cries out. I twist against the post, the bindings pinching my skin, as his stifled grunts fill the air.

Cal has risen from his seat, his bow raised. His expression is blank.

I feel a flicker of anger rise up inside me but I swallow it down.

Venus has to think he's still on her side.

Cal meets my gaze and regret flickers across his silvery eyes as Cupid's pain filled shouts fill the air.

Venus sighs, as though in relief, and she turns to look at Charles.

"Well?" she snaps "Carry on then..."

Charles coughs nervously as Cupid's cries die down. I glance at him. His face is pale and clammy, but the pain seems to have stopped. He is still staring at Venus, a forced insolent smile on his face.

"Crystal," begins Charles "charged with conspiring against Venus and the Matchmaking Service."

I frown.

Something about the wording of the charges stirs something inside of me.

Conspiring against...?

What was it that Venus had said she was putting Crystal on trial for?

Gallivanting about with Cupid and his match she'd said.

Not for conspiring.

Venus doesn't know we are conspiring to kill her.

Does she?

I turn my head towards Crystal.

Her face looks unusually panic stricken.

She looks past me at Cupid, as though trying to tell him something. He only stares straight ahead at his mother – but he is no longer smiling.

Then Crystal's eyes focus on me.

The Finis she mouths it's not...

Before Charles can finish reading the charges, and before Crystal can finish saying whatever she is trying to communicate, the sound of doors bursting open fills the room.

A red tipped arrow flies straight past me and embeds into Charles' chest. He crumples to the ground screaming.

Venus' eyes flash with rage and beside me a humourless laugh comes from Cupid's mouth.

"What is it mother?" he taunts "Surprised to see your old friends?"

I twist against my bindings and feel a surge of adrenalin mixed with hope.

The Myths are here.

I spot Charlie stood at their lead, her bow still raised and pointed at Venus' PA. On either side of her stand the two agents who took us to the dungeons a few days ago.

They raise their bows and shoot a black arrow towards Cupid and Crystal.

I feel a momentary flash of panic as I watch the deadly weapons fly through the air; then relief as they hit the cable binding my two fellow captives. They burst free – stumbling forwards onto the platform.

The courtroom falls into a shocked silence as Cupid darts forwards. He grabs the head of the executioner, and in a sudden movement, breaks his neck. The executioner's face looks momentarily surprised before he thuds down to the ground.

The action seemingly jolts Venus' army out of their stupor, and behind me I hear the sudden sounds of chairs crashing to the ground and arrows slicing through the air. Screams and shouts echo around the courtroom.

Cupid, crouching down by the dead executioner, catches my gaze.

Then he swipes a black arrow from the quiver and runs towards me. Reaching for my wrists, he stabs the cable with the arrow head. It bursts open, and I fall forwards into his arms.

For a split moment I bask in the feeling of safety that his warmth brings me, before he grabs my shoulders and brings my gaze to his face.

"Lila" he says, his voice breathless, "Come on."

Holding my wrist he pulls me forward and we race off the platform; away from Venus' high desk and the poles that we were tied to. On the way one of the drum bearing agents hurls himself towards us, but Cupid knocks him out with one hard blow to the face.

We leap over him and dart past Pandora.

She nods in greeting as we pass, then points a large gun at a female agent running towards her. A ball of energy bursts out of it, hitting the agent in the chest. The Matchmaking Agent crumples to the floor unconscious.

Pandora grins at us.

"Sloth" she says "Sends them straight to sleep."

She bounds off, smacking another agent across the jaw with her weapon, and Cupid's grip tightens around my wrist.

"Come on" he says.

He pulls me past a stone statue of an agent, its face contorted in pain, and towards an upturned jury bench; throwing me down behind it as an arrow shoots past my face.

He cups my face in his hand.

"Are you OK?" he whispers, his voice raw with emotion.

I nod and peer over the upturned bench.

"I think so." I say. "What now?"

I see a blur of colour as the Myths fight the army of cupids. Arrows fly through the air, and bodies and blood cover the floor.

I gasp as I notice an agent point a black arrow at Crystals back as she fights off another agent. I'm about to cry out but the Minotaur gets there first, picking him up and hurling him through the air. Then he turns and leaps on top of another agent, biting her neck and watching as she crumples to the floor.

He notices me looking and he grins; red blood seeping from his mouth.

I jolt back below the bench out of sight, my stomach turning.

"I need to find my brother" says Cupid.

He leans forward and lightly brushes my lips with his.

"You're going to get out of this" he says, still holding my face in his hands "I promise."

He starts to get up but I pull him back down.

"Venus said that Crystal was on trial for conspiring against her" I say, raising my voice above the sounds of the battle "What if she knows what we're doing?"

Cupid grabs my hand and squeezes.

"Something's not right." He agrees "That's why I need to go and help my brother. Just stay here – out of sight. You'll be OK."

He looks at me intensely for a moment and I nod. Then he gets up and darts into the battle.

I peer back over the top of the wooden bench as he goes, watching him – then trying to find Cal.

For a moment I can't see him among the chaos; then I catch sight of him – slipping between the fighting agents and disappearing behind a group of Gladiators.

He's making his way towards Venus, who to my surprise, is still stood behind the flower covered desk.

There is a bored smile playing about her red lips.

Why isn't she doing anything? Why is she just stood there?

Dread fills me.

Something isn't right.

I watch Cal as he reaches the edge of the stage. He pulls out the gold arrow from his quiver and raises it to his bow.

Cupid has just reached the other side of the raised platform.

It looks like Cal is just about to shoot, when suddenly Venus' laugh booms about the courtroom. Her voice is somehow amplified and it is deafeningly loud.

I throw my hands to my ears, and see Myths in the battle falling to their feet and doing the same.

In a disjointed movement she turns her head towards Cal.

"Do you really think you could fool me?!" she says.

Cal's face whitens but he holds the bow steadily.

"I'll admit, breaking out my pets from the dungeons was a little surprise, but did you really think I didn't know that you had the real Finis?"

An incredulous expression flashes across her face.

"I mean helloo, I am a Goddess you know?!"

Cal stares at her; determination etched on his angular face.

"Then you know that when I shoot you with it, you will die" he says.

Venus giggles.

"Oh foolish boy. Even if you could hit me," she says "don't you know? Don't you know anything about the Finis?"

Cal looks at her blankly and she shakes her head.

"Well allow me to clear something up for you" she says- her voice sickly sweet "The Finis was forged by my tedious husband; the blacksmith of the Gods. It was a weapon forged in secrecy, intended to destroy me and my illegitimate offspring. But here's the catch... He didn't want me to be able to harness its power, and so Its power cannot be yielded by Gods, or Myths or Cupids; I could not destroy you with it any more than you could destroy me. It was created for the humans."

She looks at Cal, a twisted smile on her face.

A flash of understanding flickers across his eyes.

"It will only work if shot by a mortal." He says.

She grins and gazes around the room; over the bodies scattered on the floor, and the Myths still crouched with their hands over their ears.

"But I believe we have one of those here don't we?" she says.

I feel my stomach flutter. Adrenalin surges through my body.

Me.

I have to shoot the arrow.

Panic crosses Cal's face. He turns to frantically look about the courtroom – his eyes searching.

"Guards, seize Cal."

Suddenly agents swarm him.

They grab his arms and the Finis clatters to the ground. He struggles but there are too many. Roughly they drag him over to one of the black poles, and bind him there. One of the agents picks up the golden arrow and hands it over to Venus.

On the other side of the stage Cupid makes to move forwards, but Venus glares at him and he stops in his tracks.

"Lila" says Venus – her voice ringing in my ears "I speak to you now. As the only mortal in the room, I have a decision for you to make. You see, you have been a very naughty little match. And not just for matching with my son Cupid, but for feeling something for my other son too."

I feel my heart tighten from my position hidden behind the bench.

I don't feel for Cal – not in that way.

"Oh, I know all about that" she says "I am the Goddess of Love after all. You can't hide from me, even if you can hide it from yourself."

She laughs.

"But I digress. I can't kill Cal" she says "But I am going to torture him. I'm going to torture him in every way imaginable. He will beg for death by the time I'm done with him – but I won't stop."

Cal begins to struggle against the pole – his silvery eyes wide with panic. At the side of the stage Cupid's face drains of colour.

"But you can make it stop Lila" she says "you just have to do one little thing for me; you need to make a decision...you need to choose a brother."

She holds out the Finis in her pale hands, and her eyes fix onto mine as I stare with horror over the top of the upturned desk.

"To save Cal, you have to kill Cupid." She says.