Page 103 of Blood of Hercules
I deeply regretted being alive (more so than usual).
“It’s almost noon,” a voice ranted. “You need to wake upright now. We have to fuel your body and strategize. Our future hinges on you getting the fuck up.”
A man was speaking, so I stopped listening.
Dreams beckoned me.
The toasty covers were ripped away. It was freezing cold, so I pressed my face into the pillow, searching for warmth—it, too, was ripped away.
Screaming through gritted teeth, I debated waking up, but it seemed like too much work. Sleep reclaimed me.
Hands wrapped around my legs and shoulders roughly. I was lifted into the air, and mint filled my nose. Someone had picked me up.
Drool dripped down the side of my face, and I prayed Carl Gausswas embracing me.Please let him have a normal-shaped penis.I can’t handle any more trauma.
I groaned loudly as I was jostled.
“Everyone, shut up!” Nyx yelled from somewhere nearby.
My unsupported neck jiggled, and bright warmth suddenly heated my face.
There was a strange splashing noise.
Abruptly the hands released me.
I was free-falling.
Splash.
I screamed out bubbles.
Underwater and disoriented, I flailed.
Kharon is near, he’s going to kill me. Swim. Swim as fast you can before he kills you and?—
I burst out of the surface of the water.
Bright sunlight burned my eye as I struggled to catch my bearings and get away from the evil ferryman who was coming after me in the circuit.
Panic intensified.
I splashed harder.
My vision focused. I stood (half keeled over, flailing) in hip-deep turquoise water that was warm and tranquil, nothing like the River Styx.
A lush green hill contrasted with the brilliant sea, and a sprawling white home was nestled among the plants on the island’s edge.
French doors were open, leading into a familiar room.
Either I was having a hallucinogenic episode, or I was back in Corfu at the Crimson Duo’s home.
The Aegean Sea was peaceful around me.
Sparkling and serene.
If I’m back with my mentors, then it must be the beginning of August.
The bright summer sun warmed my face. In the shadows of thedeck, a figure moved. Achilles cut an imposing figure, dressed head to toe in black. A cigarette protruded from the grate of his muzzle.
