Page 169 of A Touch of Chaos

Hades chuckled, and she was so distracted, she jumped at the sound of the horn blaring, signaling the start of the race.

Persephone whirled and cupped her hands around her mouth.

“Go, Hermes! Go!”

But the god wasgoing.

He made running look effortless. It was like he was soaring over the track, his feet barely touching as he remained one step ahead of the rest of the competitors.

As they came to the end of the first lap, Persephone looked at Hades.

“How many times do they have to go around?”

“Four,” he said.

Four?Her chest hurt just thinking about it, but Hermes made it lookeasy.

It wasn’t until the final lap that he even seemed to break a sweat, and as he neared the finish line, her excitement rose.

“Yes! Come on, Hermes!” she cheered, bouncing on her feet.

She had never seen the god so focused before. His brows were pinched, and his mouth was pressed thin. It would be an easy win. Only one came close to matching his stride, and that was Machaon.

Still, he could not—would not—overtake Hermes.

But then, the god stumbled, and as he struck theground, the other runners surged past, leaving him in a trail of their dust.

Persephone’s excitement burst, and a strange numbness spread throughout her body. She stared at Hermes and then at Hades, her mouth ajar.

Beside him, Ares laughed. “You should see your face, flower goddess. You would think they slaughtered a lamb, though I suppose Hermes is a close second.”

She clenched her teeth, anger making her eyes water. “Machaon cheated!”

“Nobody cares,” said Ares, resting his cheek on his closed fist as if he were bored. “These are funeral games. They are for no one but the dead.”

“Shut up,” she snapped.

It was a childish comeback, but she did not know what else to say. She turned her attention to Hermes, who now limped across the finish line. She started to go to him, but Hades held her firmly by the wrist.

“Do not go beyond my reach,” he said.

She considered breaking free of him, but she had learned there was a reason for Hades’s warnings, so she waited for Hermes to return to his seat. He did not look at her as he made his way up the steps, his ankle and elbow bruised and swollen. Guilt lanced through her chest.

“Hermes,” she said, reaching for his hand, but he pulled away. “I am so sorry. I—”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Persephone,” he said, not meeting her gaze.

“At least…at least let me heal you.”

“I don’t need your help,” he said.

Persephone took a juddering breath. She wanted tocry. She could feel it building in the back of her throat and tingling in her nose.

“Do you want to go?” Hades asked.

She didn’t want to look at him, because she knew if she did, she would likely burst into tears, but she was saved from it when the next game was announced.

Single combat.

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