Page 244 of Blood of Hercules
“Alexis,” Pine said slowly, and I instinctually took a step away from him. Stomach twisting with unease at his tone. “Now that we are no longer professor and student, I want to say that I?—”
A wicked dagger pressed against the front of his throat that was exposed beneath his mask, hard enough to draw blood.
Pine gurgled.
Crystals flashed, and a wolf mask shook as the dagger pressed harder into skin. “Finish that sentence, and I’ll put you into a coma—and I’ll keep you there for the rest of immortality. I warned you not to fucking speak to her. Don’t test me.” A second wolf head loomed behind him.
A woman screamed.
“We’re under attack!” a male bellowed. “Titans!”
People shrieked.
All hell broke loose.
Explosions echoed as Spartans leaped away.
I turned and ran, shoving through the crowd of bodies and smoke.
“Alexis!” Helen shouted, and I whirled to see an elephant mask pushing forward.
I reached for her.
A strange man in a jaguar mask grabbed me roughly—Helen threw herself toward us—the world disappeared in a flash of black agony.
I staggered and fell to my knees.
Something yanked at my arms—harsh material scraped against my wrists.
The man grunted and moved away, and a feminine yell echoed. There were loud smacking sounds.
Disoriented from leaping without warning, I blinked through the heavy lion’s mask. I waited for my vision to clear, and the ringing in my ear to stop.
When it finally did, I tried to move.
I couldn’t.
Freezing temperatures bit through the flimsy material of my gown, and I looked down in horror. The pressure wasn’t phantom—coarse rope was twined tightly around my wrists.
The line was also attached to a thick metal hook, which was welded into the wall of a shed.
Kneeling on the dirt floor, I yanked with all my might, shoulders burning. The hook didn’t budge an inch. If anything, the knot around my wrists tightened.
The rope was extremely strong.
I was stuck.
Gasping for air, I swiveled my head.
Across the room, Helen’s arms were also tied off in front of her by a rope attached to a metal wall. She was slumped on the ground, unconscious, elephant head still on.
What the hell is happening?
Debris was piled around the small shed. Moonlight cast silvershadows through broken glass windows, and icy tree branches clattered outside.
The dark sky had a grayish tint as night began to make way for dawn.
The Assembly Ceremony would start soon.
