Page 83 of Crown of Olympus
“She might as well be my lightning,” I hissed, throwing my hands up and scattering my cards across the table. “She is brilliant and bright, flashing across my sky so quickly that if I blink, I’ll miss her. I spend the majority of my time learning how not to blink, just to catch a glimpse of her.”
The gods were rigid — frozen by my unexpected declaration. Thankfully, the goddesses were still so deep in their own conversation, they hadn’t registered my outburst.
“She is brilliant and beautiful, yes. But she is deadly, too. And if I stand too close, I’ll burn.”
“No, that’s not it,” Charon murmured. “You look at her as though you don’t know whether you’d rather fight her…” he trailed off, leaning back in his chair.
Aros smirked knowingly, sipping from his glass. “…or fuck her.”
Aros — the cocky bastard — grinned. “I’d fuck her,” he goaded, voice low and taunting.
“Well fucking aware,” I snapped.
Both gods cracked smiles, laughing at my lack of verbal control. Aros had a way of getting under my skin, digging until he struck a nerve I preferred to keep hidden.
“Either way,” Charon said, “I won’t be making it to the ball. Godly duties and all that,” he added with a scowl. “So, one of you will need to be Nyssa’s escort. She trusts you both to some extent, or you wouldn’t be here. Donotlet anything happen to her. Or you’ll find out exactly what a ferryman is capable of.”
He let the threat hang in the air for a few heartbeats. As curious as I was to know what his power was, I wasn’t keen on becoming its victim.
No, that privilege could belong to Aros.
I had slowly come to realise that as much as I craved her presence, as much as I needed her laughter more than I needed air, I needed her safety more.
She was already in Artemis’ line of fire — even more so after Diana’s disqualification tonight. If my mother knew how close we were becoming, Nyssa would only be leaving the trials as a passenger on the Ferryman’s skiff.
I wouldn’t risk it.
I wouldn’t risk her.
Especially with my father’s killer still lurking, their motives still unknown.
“You can have her,” I said to Aros.
His red brows shot upwards, clearly unprepared for a distinct lack of battle.
“But do make sure you dress to match,” I added with a wink, feigning a humour I did not feel.
“Golden!” Nyssa called, and I was powerless to resist her. “Don’t think you’re getting out of that bet,” she said, grinning.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” A small smile tugged at my lips. Gods, she was so captivating that even the goddess of beauty beside her paled in comparison.
“I expect your gift by the night of the ball.” Her self-satisfied smile gave my heart pause. It literally stuttered in my chest, restarting twice as fast just from a look on her face.
In that moment, I knew I was done for.
Ruined for anyone else.
Fully, inconceivably hers — whether she realised it or not.
And I would do anything to keep her safe. Pay any price. Cross any land barefoot. Fight any monster. If it meant she could still smile like that.
Even if it meant I could never have her in the end.
CHAPTER 25
Caelus
Furies,it was stifling in here. Too many mouth-breathers, too many opinions, just too many people in general. I’d only arrived twenty minutes ago and had already endured complaints about the food — like that wasmyarea of expertise — speculation about my father’s murder, and no fewer than six prods from my mother to go dance witheligible ladies.
