Page 59 of Blood of Hercules
I stared at her with trepidation.Please don’t steal my organs.
The post-Titan world was full of people posing as doctors so they could harvest people without their consent and make money off their parts on thriving black markets.
The doctor smiled.
I tried not to scream for mercy.
She touched my arm, and I breathed shallowly through my nose. She cut off a bandage, and I watched her scissors like a hawk, waiting to see if she was going to go for my skin.
“Be careful around the Crimson Duo,” she murmured as she leaned across me.
I jolted at her close proximity.
“They’re dangerous,” she murmured as she kept cutting.
No way, they seem super nice.
“I mean—look at who they’refriendswith.” She moved to my leg bandage and mumbled something about “heir psychopaths who everyone’s obsessed with” under her breath.
She shivered dramatically, then pulled the sheet down to work on my ribs.
I closed my eyes and pretended I wasn’t exposed before her.
She picked up my hand and went finger by finger. “Frankly, Kronos help us, I don’t think the muzzle’s enough for Achilles.”
Apparently, she took my lack of response as encouragement to continue.
Picking up her bag, the doctor moved to the last bandages on my head. “You know”—her voice dropped to a whisper, like she wasafraid of being overheard—“rumor is they were going to send Achilles to the underworld after his performance in the SGC... a Chthonicmuttlike him, with that type of power—you’re just asking for a repeat of the Great War.”
She shook her head and leaned closer, scissors snipping along the side of my head.
“I mean, they founded that horrible weapons company with Augustus and Kharon—who areactualsociopaths. I’ve heard they’ve even been diagnosed. I mean, look at what they chose to represent themselves.”
Her nose scrunched with disgust.
Something tells me theDandLof WSDL don’t stand for “dazzling” and “lovely.”
I was too afraid to ask.
She brushed hair off my forehead. I tried not to wretch while she grinned down at me like we were besties.
Help?
This friendship was upsetting.
She continued, “The fact that Patro took a Spartan oath to only take the muzzle off Achilles if necessary is pure insanity. Everyone knows thatbad thingshappen to people who take Spartan oaths outside of marriage and animal bonding.” She smiled down at me. “I’m probably boring you, since you already know all this.”
Actually, madam, I know nothing, and I can’t tell if you want my kidney or not.
Also—please kidnap me away from here. I’d really appreciate it if you did it quickly, before my mentors come back. Thanks.
I desperately tried to find the courage to speak.
The bandage fell off my head, and she clapped. “Now your bones are mostly healed, but they’ll still be very weak for the next seven days, so take it easy.”
She squinted down at me.
“You know it makes sense that you break easily—the House of Zeus is known for its fertility issues. All the recent mutts have...struggled. Thank goodness for Theros—he’s the first heir they’ve born in centuries. The Olympian Houses have all had—difficulties with their progeny’s strength after the Great War.”
