Page 59 of Crown of Olympus
Caelus
It tookthe entirety of my willpower to keep walking away — away from her, away from the laugh she hadn’t even intended to set free, and away from the fact that hearing it had almost driven me to my knees.
And that was just from a breath. I couldn’t imagine how thoroughly anythingmoremight ruin me.
A giggle would sweep the legs out from under me.
A cackle would absolutely end me.
Furies, I needed more.
And Furies, the way her body had betrayed her mind in the atrium before that? I groaned at the recollection. Her sweet arousal had been a feast for my senses, and I was a manstarved. Watching her cheeks flush copper, seeing those piercing green eyes latch onto mine, hearing the racing beat of her thunderous heart… I wanted — no, needed — to watch her fall apart.
Preferably on my tongue.
Just thinking about it was almost enough to make my cock punch a hole through my leather breeches. I readjusted myself, craving a touch I couldn’t have, my balls once again aching because of a woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I hadn’t even begun to analyse my knee-jerk surge of blazing fury at knowing her eyes had drifted — had flicked over to Aros, too. Knowing that he had scented her, wanted her,flirted with her.
I couldn’t stand the thought. Even now, I felt the urge to punch something. Hard. Preferably a certain red-hairedsomeone.
I tried to shake off the lingering tension. I needed to focus on the task ahead, and I needed to find the exit, if only to have a reason to be near her again.
Nyssa would be the death of me. Of this I was absolutely certain.
Left, right, left again. Every time I rounded a corner in this endless maze, I expected to greet some fearsome foe, or finally reach one of the obstacles Hermes had warned us about. Yet each turn brought more of the same: shifting grey walls closing behind me, and new paths opening ahead.
It felt like I’d been walking in circles. Furies knew how long I’d been in here already.
Wait — am I walking in circles?
I had not deviated from the ‘left, right, left’ pattern, and yet, nothing had changed. No challenges. No signs of progress.
I stopped for a moment, frowning at the stone beside me. Had I seen that particular scratch in the wall before? Apparently, the labyrinth did not appreciate hesitation. The walkway began to merge together, walls groaning as they beganclosing in, propelling me forwards. I didn’t particularly relish the thought of being crushed between the stones.
Adrenaline surged. My heart thundered. My lungs burned. I ran to the end of the path, but no new passage appeared. A dead end.
And still the walls kept closing in.
Fuck.
CHAPTER 18
Nyssa
It took longerthan I cared to admit, but I finally saw Hermes’ first test for what it was: an illusion, designed to keep us running in endless circles — wasting time, energy, even power.
Frustration sharpened into something harder. The challenge wasn’t about finding a way out. It was about realising there wasn’t one. Not unless I made it myself.
The walls weren’t a path to be navigated. They were meant to be broken.
So, I fuckingshatteredthem.
Exhaling slowly, I pressed my palm against the cold stone blocking the way forward. Shadows danced at my fingertips before seeping into cracks and fissures in the wall.
At first, nothing happened. Whatever magic Hermes had used to craft this semi-sentient maze was ancient — tricky. It hummed against my skin, resisting me. But my power was darker. More patient. Utterly relentless. I willed it deeper, attaching to the heart of the wall like an insatiable rot, devouring everything in its path.
Finally, the stone beneath my palm fractured. With aresoundingcrack, the wall crumbled into a pile of scorched rock and dust. I waited for the air to clear, then stepped over the broken, blackened stone — and straight into Hermes’ second test.
