Page 97 of Crown of Olympus
Hestia merely raised an eyebrow, as if to sayI told you so.Tychon shrugged and lumbered over to the middle door, wrenching it open instead. As it drifted shut behind him, pulled by some invisible force, a distinct“oh, what the fuck,”slipped out.
I couldn’t help the snort of laughter that followed. Slapping a hand over my mouth, my wide eyes refused to make eye contact with any of the three gods now staring at me.
Aphrodite bit her lip, staving off her amusement and nudged me with her elbow.
“Apollo’s done well thus far,” the goddess said loudly, drawing attention away from me. “I think I’ll go join him behind door number three.”
“Even if you choose that door, Aphrodite, you will not be entering the same trial as Apollo,” Hestia replied gently. “Each doorway resets after it closes.”
Aph merely nodded and selected it anyway.
Something tugged at me — an urge, a pull — and suddenly I needed to go next.
With the third door off the table, my choice was between the first and the second. I looked again at the one on the left, and before I realised it, my fingers were closing around its tarnished handle.
I pulled the door open resolutely — it was surprisingly light for solid stone — and stepped through.
I immediately wishedI hadn’t.
I was woefully ill-prepared for the wintry tundra I’d just waltzed right into, already freezing my ass off in nothing but a thin layer of leathers.
No more than two seconds had passed before something hard crashed into me from behind, knocking me face-first into the snow.
“What the fuck?!” I screeched, twisting to face not one, but two sheepishly grinning idiots.
I blinked snowflakes from my lashes as Caelus and Aros both giggled — no better than tiny children.
“How did you?—”
“Jumped right through before the door closed,” Aros preened.
“Hestia didn’t seem to mind,” Caelus added.
I sighed. “Only in Tartarus would I escape you two.”
“But why would you want to?” Aros grinned ruefully, while Caelus tilted his head, considering. He took a moment to speak, but when he did, my stomach dropped, and words fled me.
“I’d follow you there too.”
Aros immediately gagged and clapped his friend on the shoulder as he stood. “Not bad, lightning! You’re learning,” he winked.
Caelus scoffed, grumbling something unintelligible before holding out a hand to help me to my feet. I took it, relishing in the heat of his skin while it was pressed against mine. Still such a foreign feeling — touch, without fear of causing their demise.
Caelus’ face hovered over mine, his silvery eyes scanning my face, a small smile on his lips. He raised one giant, warmhand to my cheek and tenderly brushed snow from my eyebrow with his thumb.
His gaze dropped to the pendant resting against my chest. I grasped it unthinkingly, my thumb rubbing against its smooth surface like I’d done at least a hundred times since he had given it to me.
He leaned in closer, smiling softly, and for a heartbeat, I thought he might kiss me.
Then Aros shouted.
“Well, here’s our torch! This should be a breeze.”
The fire-wielder grinned and picked up the torch by its long wooden handle. He clicked his fingers, and the oil cradled within the steel cage ignited instantly.
“There’s only one, though.” His brows quirked in confusion.
“Probably because my trial has been hijacked by the likes of you two,” I snarked, though even I could hear the amusement weaving through my tone. “In any case, I’ll take that, thank you.”
