Page 102 of Bonds of Hercules
“Fuck!” I screamed as I kicked, and the chain snapped. The punching bag flew across the room, slamming into the wall in a cloud of chalk.
I fell to my knees.
“You need to come to our room and see this!” Augustus shouted down from the entrance hatch. “Now.”
Neck prickling at the uncharacteristic fear in his voice, I staggered to my feet.
A few minutes later I stood in front of a black computer screen, as Augustus rapidly clicked buttons on the keyboard.
“What am I supposed to be looking at?” I asked, as I dragged my bloody hands down my face and attempted to wipe away my exhaustion.
Augustus didn’t answer, stabbing at the keyboard like he had a personal vendetta against it.
The screen flickered on.
It was a grainy video with the watermark of a popular Spartan chaser. I rolled my eyes at the crowd of elderly humans on the screen. “What did the stupid bastards film now—”
The camera panned to the Roman Colosseum, where two Titans stood tall on the grass in front of it, their wings larger than I remembered. They looked revolting.
The camera turned, zooming in on the humans again.
Both Titans were headed straight toward them.
They were dead.
Shots echoed off screen and the cameraman gasped, the picture shook—Alexis lunged out of nowhere and threw herself in front of the humans with her arms spread wide.
I leaned closer.
She raised both her guns and fired.
Hair blowing behind her back, face determined, she held her ground like certain death wasn’t stalking toward her.
The bullets barely slowed the Titans.
I waited for her to leap away; I waited for her to save herself.
In a blur of white, Fluffy Jr. jumped on one of the Titans and tackled it to the ground. The usually docile creature, who seemed to constantly be suffering from digestive issues, was more vicious than I could have ever imagined.
But there was still one Titan standing.
“Why isn’t she leaping away?”
Augustus’s frown deepened. “Oh—just you fucking wait.”
I didn’t like his tone.
Hands fisted, I watched the winged fucking monstrosity approach my wife until it was close enough to kill.
I gritted my teeth. “Tell me she leaps away right now.”
Augustus scowled and shook his head, his eyes locked on the screen.
“WHY isn’t she saving herself?” I asked, unable to watch, but unable to look away.
Alexis reached down and unsheathed two of the knives I’d given her.
My breath caught. “No … she doesn’t.” I’d assumed she’d gotten her wounds because the Titans had tracked her down, ambushed her before she got away.
