Page 96 of Crown of Olympus
And yet, despite fate’s cruelty, there was so much to love about my life.
I had a father who loved me fiercely, in the only way he could; a mother who sacrificed herself to save me; a best friend to grow up with, whose mother had loved me like her own; a trio of unlikely friends — from Olympus, of all places, and a fuckingdragoncompanion who choseme. I even had a three-headed monster of a dog for protection.
“It fell to me because I can carry it, Char. Whatever Fate has been woven, it’s mine — and my choice to accept. I would notplace that burden on anyone else, no matter what it ends up costing me.”
He fell silent after that, leaving quietly when I began to shiver in the icy water.
Instead of getting out and putting more substantial clothing on, I drained the cold water and refilled the tub with water so hot it turned my skin pink. My shadows receded, flickering beneath my skin where they belonged, and I flung the tiny black shift across the floor in a sopping pile of silk.
I stayed in the warmth for a long time.
Long enough for it to cool again. Long enough to fall asleep.
I bolted awake to the imagined sound of a raucous shout—and the strange tug of something deep inside my chest.
CHAPTER 30
Nyssa
“Good evening, champions,”Hestia greeted, her long red locks rippling softly in the candlelight as she moved. “Welcome to my trial.”
She stood at the centre of a small circular room no bigger than my living room. There was nothing grandiose or sparkling about it — just grey stone walls and floors, a faint earthy aroma, and a low, dusty ceiling. In fact, the taller gods, like Caelus and Leander, risked concussion if they dared jump. Not that any of it mattered to the five-foot goddess of hearth, family, and sacrifice.
Behind Hestia, hewn from the same dull stone as the walls, stood three large, arched doors. They, too, were plainly built — just smooth granite with a single brass doorknob along one edge.
“I thank you for leaving your bonded companions behind,” she said, leaning forward with a grimace. “I detest the use of that horrid dampening potion. And the state of your animals when you leave…” Hestia straightened, shaking her head as if to rattle the memory loose. “The cleverest among you have likely deduced that today’s trial centres around the three doorways behind me. You would be correct,” she smiled. “They lead not to another room, but to three predetermined tests. One for hearth,” she murmured. “One for safety.” Then she looked directly at me. “And one for sacrifice.”
Great.
Hestia’s smile fell, before turning back to the others.
She knows about the prophecy.
I was sure of it.
“What was that about?” Aphrodite whispered.
“Nothing good,” I replied just as softly.
“You may have noticed that each door bears no markers — intentionally so. Part of this trial is to test your instincts. Choose whichever you feel most drawn to.”
Leander scoffed. Hestia pinned him with her hazel gaze. I stared at the unassuming first doorway. Something behind it whispered to me — so faint I couldn’t quite make out the words.
“Keep in mind that if you fail your test, you will forfeit your place in the rite,” she warned ominously. “Inhearth,you must keep a torch lit for the entirety of your journey.”
The word ‘journey’ didn’t sound particularly thrilling, especially given the dangers I’d faced in Apollo’s trek-based trial.
“Insafety,you must guard against danger,” Hestia continued.
“Guard what?” Tychon interrupted.
“You’ll find out if you choose that door,” the goddess replied unhelpfully. “And insacrifice —well, I’ll leave that to your imagination,” she chuckled softly. “However, once a door closes behind a champion, that option cannot be chosen by the next. You must choose from the remaining two. Good luck.”
Immediately after Hestia’s farewell, Apollo strode forward and walked through the door on the right. I exchanged raisedbrows with Aphrodite — he’d been unfathomably quick to choose.
Tychon approached the doorways next. He twisted the handle and tugged on the same door Apollo had vanished through, but it didn’t budge.
“It’s really not opening,” he said, surprise colouring his tone.
