Page 155 of Bonds of Hercules
I let her see my hatred.Someday, you’ll pay.
She smiled wider.
The roars from the crowd increased tenfold as the seven other Olympian leaders walked out behind Zeus, oversized laurel wreaths heavy on their heads.
“Never give up!” the crowd chanted with growing excitement. “Never surrender!”
Stomp.
Clap.
Stomp.
Sand vibrated, and as the Olympian leaders neared, their crests identified them.
Hera walked behind Zeus in a shiny silver toga. Tall and willowy, the severe bun at the base of her neck gave her a waspish look.
Hermes stood out beside her, short and skinny, his lime-green suit studded with diamonds.
Athena followed behind them in a glittery purple toga—she was shorter than Hera but much more muscular. Her dark bronze skin shone like she’d rubbed herself in shimmering oil, and her wavy brown hair fell down her back in a glorious wave.
Two men flanked her.
Poseidon walked to her left, extremely tall and muscular, in a navy suit. He had long white hair and a matching beard, clear green eyes, and tan skin—from his fierce scowl and size, he looked more like a Chthonic than an Olympian.
On her left was a man in a yellow suit: Apollo.
The rumors of his attractiveness didn’t begin to do him justice.
It was hard to look at Apollo—his bronze skin and long curly blond hair were both so bright, he practically gleamed. As he neared, his eyes were a light shade of golden brown that I’d never seen before.
He sneered as our gazes met.Rude.
At the back of the procession Demeter and Dionysus walked together.
Demeter was a short woman with curly blond hair and icy gray eyes. Her pale skin was covered in freckles, matching the rhinestones that dotted her brown toga. She was beautiful in a familiar, ethereal way.Persephone’s mother.She looked more like her sister.
Her head snapped and she scowled at me, her expression severe.
Grandma?
Something told me she wouldnotlike it if I called her meemaw or gammy.
Demeter’s gaze traveled across the Chthonics and landed on Hades. The death glare she shot him was sharp enough to kill. Slowly, she drew a threatening finger across her neck.
I was intrigued.
I’d always wanted to be involved in family drama, and this seemedextremelypromising.
Dionysus walked beside my meemaw. He was a brawny Black man with long wavy purple hair that matched his suit.
He turned his head to look at us and his eyes were a shocking shade of white.
I swallowed a gasp.
Is he also secretly blind?
The Olympian House leaders positioned themselves in a line across from us on the other side of the long altar.
