Page 40 of Blood of Hercules
Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
It was strange hearing Latin spoken aloud. The fact that the words were spoken out of order made my head pound as I struggled to translate them.
This is real.
They are speaking a language that’s dead to humans.
I took another step back.
Zeus’s golden curls rose with static electricity.
“Welcome, initiates, to the Spartan War Academy’s initiation massacre.Ifyou survive, you’ll have the honor of participating in the crucible—the most rigorous test of intellect in the entire world. This initiation massacre is a sacred privilege.”
My eyes widened.
What had happened to a good old-fashioned welcome lunch?
The crowd (bloodthirsty monsters) cheered louder and clapped in cadence with their stomps.
“You’re all nineteen years old.” Zeus nodded like our age was of grave importance. “Your powers have developed by now.However... most of you will not reach the age of immortality until you’re twenty. So this is your reckoning—the first, and... for most of you... last hurdle you will ever face.”
Wet sand vibrated beneath me.
I debated raising my hand—What do we do if we have no powers? Can we opt-out of the massacre?
Also, who was going to tell them my entire lifewas a hurdle? I hadn’t stoppedhurdling since I’d come out of the womb.
Zeus tipped his head back, sparks streaming from his mouth as he bellowed to the sky, “As Kronos declared at the dawn of time—immortality is not a right, it’s a privilege!”
The crowd shouted alongside him, and I winced as the feedback caused a sharp sting.
What’s the next step after panicking? I need to do that.
Zeus looked down at us and asked, “Initiates, do you have what it takes—TO BECOME A GOD?” he bellowed at the top of his lungs.
My gut reaction is no.
The sky opened up, and rain poured harder. Cold droplets splattered across my face, and neon-blue bolts exploded around Zeus.
“This is concerning,” Nyx whispered against my right ear.
I nodded numbly.
I had a bad feeling I was about to unlock a new level of suffering.
Chapter 5
The Initiation Massacre
Alexis
In the pouring rain, a lithe pale figure with long inky hair sauntered slowly down the podium toward Zeus.
He wore a ruby crown with tall, jagged silver spires, which was the famed symbol of the Chthonic House leaders.
He was an entire head taller than Zeus.
The man’s countenance was abrasive.
