Page 57 of Crown of Olympus
My brows slashed together. What had I done to earn their ire?
I looked deeper. The storm-wielder wore a mask of quiet determination, his jaw ticking as though barely restrained. The fire-wielder appeared downright bored. I let my eyes sweep between their two impressive forms, torn between drinking in the chiselled jawline of Caelus, and Aros’ obnoxiously huge biceps crossed over his puffed-out chest.
Each of them burned in their own way.
Each would incinerate me if I let them.
An image slid into my mind without warning:
Aros at my back, all heat and flame, his bulging arms holding me captive. His right hand gripped my jaw, lips hungrily tracing down the curve of my throat. His left cupped my breast, fingers gently teasing the peaked nipple.
Caelus on his knees between my pale thighs, grinning devilishly as he grazed my throbbing core with those sinful lips.
Kissing. Licking. Devouring.
The breath I hadn’t realised I was holding escaped in a rush, and my cheeks flushed with heat. I could not bring myself to meet either of their gazes. The urge to fan my face was hard to suppress, but I refused to react further than that too-loud exhale.
I was, after all, standing in a metaphorical shark tank.
Despite my better judgement, I glanced up. Aros’ amber eyes had narrowed, his irises igniting with fire as they burned through me from across the hall. A wicked smirk danced across his lips — like he somehow knew exactly what filth my mind had just conjured.
There’s no way he could have known.
My dragon hummed knowingly.
Fuck. My scent.
Furies, I might as well be a flashing neon sign.
Aros couldsmellmy arousal.
Furies, the entire room probably could.
He had been zeroed in on me the whole time, noting every physical change: flushed cheeks, racing heartbeat, and that damned exhale.
Guiltily, I glanced at Caelus.
His expression was one of pure, unbridled fury. Where Aros smouldered, Caelus seethed. He looked like he wanted to scorch me into oblivion — and with his power over lightning, he might just succeed.
Fuck.
Thankfully, Hermes appeared just in time to save me from finding out if a pissed off storm-wielder could, in fact, kill a goddess. My curiosity did not need to know if Caelus’ powers were strong enough to do that yet. He’d definitely be in receipt of Zeus’ primal might some day — if he wasn’t already.
“Champions! Gather round!” Hermes yelled. But no one moved, since we had already beengatheredfor some time.
“Right, err, hmm. I am thrilled to announce thatIwon thechance to craft your next trial,” he preened. “I have created an arena so grand it will accost the history books for millennia!” he shouted gleefully. “It will challenge not only your minds, but also your bodies. In it, you will face all kinds of obstacles, and you will need to demonstrate the full spectrum of your wits to proceed through. Come, come!”
Hermes gestured to a lesser god waiting in the wings, who, at his command, rushed towards the primal carrying a large silver platter of shot glasses. The boy was so clumsy in his haste that he only narrowly avoided tripping on Hermes’ foot, almost taking the glasses down with him. The god of thieves shot him a look of vehement disgust and beckoned us closer to examine the tray.
Each glass brimmed with a shimmering green liquid that glowed like fireflies. As I neared, a sense of foreboding washed over me. The scent was rancid. Wrong.
Every instinct screamed: Do not touch that.
“These glasses contain a specially devised serum that will sever your connections to your bondeds,” Hermes declared.
Aphrodite gasped beside me; Leander roared in protest. The dragon on my shoulder screeched her objection, as did several other beasts around the room.
“Artemis should have warned us of her plan to have you all bonded,” he seethed. “We are fortunate a serum could be produced on such short notice. Keep the competitionfair.You will drink these,” he ordered, low and scathing, “or be instantly eliminated. Should you survive the trial, you will be given an antiserum, and all will be as it was. This challenge is yours alone, not to be aided by your creatures.”
