Page 45 of Bonds of Hercules
He leapt impossibly fast, crouching on a roof three buildings down.
I pulled the trigger as quickly as I could.
Achilles stood on top of the tenth building, hair escaping his man bun as he slowly shook his head like he was disappointed.
Annoyed and exhausted, I lifted my middle finger.
He lifted a square device, pressed a button—the building next to me exploded in flames.
Concrete chunks flew everywhere.
I was flung back.
Blinking into awareness, I slowly took in my surroundings.
My left ear was ringing painfully, and I was lying on the path under a pile of—I picked up a slab of the building and brought it close to my right eye—Styrofoampainted to look like concrete.
Rolling my eyes, I got to my feet and kicked the material away. Little white pieces drifted in the air around me like snow.
Heat warmed my face—the rest of the buildings were on fire.
A muzzle filled my vision.
I screamed.
Achilles loomed before me.
He cracked his neck like he was preparing to attack; Patro’s name was tattooed down it.
Is he mad that Patro keeps talking to me?Everyone knew how possessive he was.
I stepped back, terror clawing at my lungs.
Achilles took a step forward.
Smoke billowed around him, the scent of fire and ash filling my nose.
He’s going to attack me. No one’s ever going to find my body.
Titan screams echoed over the speakers and another building exploded in a spray of Styrofoam and fire.
I turned and ran for my life.
An indeterminate amount of time later, I leaned against a metal pole in the fake forest and panted.
I couldn’t hit any of the Chthonics. They were too fast.
Metal scraped.
I whirled around.
A white mask stood a foot away.
“Do you need water?” Augustus asked, his long black and white hair blowing in the fog, voice drifting in and out as my ear rang. “Are you feeling, okay? Please, let me know if you need—”
What a thoughtful, nice man.
I fired at his face.
