Page 62 of Crown of Olympus
Just above the disturbingly lifelike door knocker was a message scratched into its surface:
Vres ton eafto sou gia na vreis tin exodo.
Find yourself to find the exit.
I sighed, mentally exhausted by the psychological tests and their cost.
I had expected more from Hermes.
I reached out to push the door open, but as my fingertips grazed the frozen metal face of the skull, its jaw twisted open. To my utter horror, the leering drawl of the god of thieves oozed out. I cringed at the juxtaposition.
“Ahh, I wondered how poorly you would fare — and yet you’ve managed to pleasantly surprise me. Breezed past my glorious Sphinx, did you? Demeter’s champion pissed his pants when he saw her,” the Hermes-skull laughed.
Charming.
“But the weasel still managed to answer her riddle correctly. Hasn’t made his way out yet, though. Don’t know that he will,” he sneered.
I shoved at the door, done with his incessant chatter.
Odious god.
“WAIT!” the Hermes-skull screeched. “Wouldn’t you like to know what’s behind the door?”
Its mouth twisted into a grotesque smile, equally as slimy as the god himself.
“Do go on,” I drawled, arms crossed, irritation increasing by the second.
“Yourself.”
I swore if that door had hands, I was sure it would behappily clapping in delight at the deliverance of that line. I sighed, levelling a furious glare at the skull, knowing Hermes was the true recipient of my ire.
“To find the exit,” he continued, “you must find what I have stolen fromyou.”
My dark brows twitched, teeth gritting together.
What had he taken? What had I unknowingly lost?
“Find what is missing, and the exit shall appear. If you don’t — like dear Thallo — you may lose more than what I’ve claimed. You may lose your mind instead.”
His cackle echoed, then faded, retreating with his presence.
The skull went still.
My fingertips danced along my scarred thigh rhythmically, agitation trying to bleed out through my extremities.
Breathe, Nyssa. No one is here to save you today. Only you. Only ever you. Find what was stolen. Show them all what you’re capable of.
I took a few deep, fortifying breaths —then shoved the door open.
CHAPTER 19
Nyssa
The ancient woodendoor swung closed behind me with a rickety groan. It vanished into thin air, trapping me inside a dark, stagnant space. Alarm bells rang within me; the feeling of being trapped threatened to overwhelm. With no way back — not that I wanted to face the sphinx again — the only way out was through.
There’s no way in Tartarus I was getting stuckherefor the rest of my immortal days, whereverherewas.
The room stretched further than I could see in any direction, but it was far from empty. Piles upon piles of objects stared back at me — glittering trinkets and gaudy furniture stacked in high rows, leaving barely enough room to walk through. Faded tapestries balanced precariously on top. Priceless artworks leaned against the mounds. Jewels, crowns, and brooches lay buried beneath thick layers of dust, as if they’d be thrown and left wherever they landed.
