Page 255 of Bonds of Hercules
Seconds later, Nyx reared her head back, her body fully healed, as tears of relief streamed down my face.
“So warm,” Nyx hissed as she slithered out of my grasp and wrapped her scales fully around the rod, shuddering with relief, her eyes closed. “I’ve seen this before … in a dream.”
Gray clouds parted as the heavens opened up, golden rays streaming down.
Climbing slowly to my feet, I raised the glowing staff up to the sunlight—Nyx’s black scales shimmered against it in stark relief.
Fluffy Jr. stood up to his full height and unfurled his wings.
A gasp tore from my throat.
It was the crude symbol Ceres had shown me in her book on predestination. The one that had disappeared from the page. The line with a circle was the staff, the squiggle a snake, and what I thought were clouds werewings.
“Radius Asclepii!” someone shouted, awe in their voice.
I choked on a sob.
Everyone knew the story behind the famous Spartan healing symbol.
The wings represented creatures, the snake Chthonics, and the glowing rod Olympians.
Hades was Chthonic. Persephone was the daughter of a dark creature and Demeter.
My heritage was all three.
I raised the Rod of Asclepius up into the light, Fluffy Jr.’s wings raised high on either side.
The ancient symbol of healing—of life and death—was mine to wield.
45
WHO DID THIS TO YOU?
ALEXIS
Right eye partially swollen shut, my vision was nothing but a sliver—darkness closing all around.
In my hand, the glowing Rod of Asclepius was warm, a myth in the flesh, composed of writhing, poisonous blood. The same blood ran through my veins, dripping from the open wound on my side.
From the solemn heaviness in the air, I wasn’t the only one that recognized the global symbol of healing.
Is this real?
Nyx went invisible as she slithered around the staff like she was born to do so; Fluffy Jr.’s wings framed it.
Destiny was a curious thing.
Did I choose them, or did they choose me?
“THIRD ROUND,” Zeus’s voice was jarring in the deathly quiet.
I tilted my head back, neck swiveling as I struggled to see.
Sparta stared down at me in silence.
“TWO MORE LABORS.” Zeus banged his scepter down against stone.
Persephone and Hades were blurry figures standing together. I imagined they were smiling, watching me with loving pride.
