Page 250 of Blood of Hercules
The Titan lunged at us.
“Domus,” I whispered—claws missed us by a fraction of an inch as the world disappeared in an explosion of blinding darkness, and agony tore me to shreds.
I blinked, and I was kneeling on the sands of the Dolomite Coliseum in a cloud of dissipating smoke.
Helen was sobbing beside me.
Nyx grumbled something about being smushed, and she slithered off my leg onto the sand.
I’d somehow leaped with all three of us. I’d done the impossible.
Two men in full-length black togas with long fur capes stared down at us.
Snow flurried.
“Alexis? Helen?” Glacial blue and soulless black eyes widened as they took us in.
I staggered to my feet. Helen remained kneeling, whimpering.
Kharon took a step forward, face contorted as he stared down at my ruined hands and clawed-up arm. Augustus went unnaturally still beside him, and his face paled until his scar was a stark slash of red.
“Who. The. Fuck. Did. THIS. TO. YOU?” Kharon’s raspy voice increased in decibel until he was shouting at me at the top of his lungs. “GIVE ME THEIR NAME.”
Augustus pulled out a gun and unclicked the safety, his eyes wild.
Helen sobbed harder into the sand.
I turned away from the men, searching through the faces standing on the sands.
Fury was a living, pulsing thing.
My blood boiled as my frosty breath lingered in the chilled air.
How dare he. He thinks he can just get away with this?
Members of the twelve Houses were spread out along the oval perimeter of the coliseum sands. House flags waved behindeach group.
It was dead silent.
Snowflakes drifted softly.
In the middle of the arena, Drex, Cassius, Alessander, and Titus stood in a line. General Cleandro, Professor Augustus, and Professor Pine, who had a white bandage wrapped around his throat, stood beside them.
Everyone was dressed in long togas with animal furs, and just like the Initiation Ball, no protectors were present.
The graduation ceremony hadn’t started yet.
But I didn’t care.
That wasn’t why I was here.
Drex gestured at me to come join them, and I looked away.
Still searching.
There.
Kharon lunged for me, “ALEXIS—TELL US WHO DID THIS TO YOU!”
