Page 56 of Bonds of Hercules
Her dragon shifted and its leathery wing poked the side of my face.
Persephone’s power was a living, prickling thing, and she smelled like wet earth tinged with hunger.
I breathed in deeply.
“You have the blood of the House of Hadesandthe House of Demeter,” she said into my curls. “Do you know what that means?”
I tried to reply, but there were no words inside of me.
“It means you’remydaughter, and our power is … unique.”
“Because of my grandfather—Iasion?” I whispered the name of the infamous dark creature who had sired her.
She squeezed me tighter and nodded.
Nyx grumbled about being crushed to death.
“It’s why Demeter disowned me,” she said quietly. “Why the federation exiled me, and why Hades had to take me in. Sparta prefers it when people fall into neat boxes.”
She’d claimed the land on Crete. The earth itself had responded to her.
Persephone pulled back and looked at me, her eyes twinkling with something mischievous.
“Remember—” She leaned closer like she was letting me in on a secret. “It’smucheasier to wield power that is insignificant. If it’s difficult to harness, that’s how you know it’s going to be good.”
She winked, then glanced down at her watch with a sigh. “I have to leave. The federation can’t know I’m here—be strong, my daughter.”
Crack.
Persephone disappeared in a haze of smoke.
I stared at where she’d stood.
In a daze, I staggered forward through the villa. Nyx hissed as she slithered around my shoulders.
When I finally made it to the atrium, the sky outside the grand windows was a never-ending sea of stars. Their twinkling light reflected off the shadowy black marble floors.
Assembly of Death members were all getting ready, adjusting their weapons and buckling harnesses. Protectors sat next to them, half asleep.
Time had run out—the Titans were waiting.
Fluffy Jr. plopped down, belly up on the marble. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, as Poco lay next to his head, playing with his floppy ears.
Nyx hissed something in her sleep about murdering everyone.
Dragging my hands over my face, I calmed myself by humming a classical tune and mentally working through a differential geometry problem that would hopefully make Carl Gauss proud.
But he’s not here and you’re a soldier, not a scholar.
I sat down on the hard marble (collapsed from exhaustion that had nothing to do with sleep deprivation) and retied my combat boots.
A shadow fell over me and I looked up.
Augustus stared down, the harsh planes of his face even more severe than usual as he held out a black pager. “Press this button if you get intoanytrouble. We’ll come immediately.”
Before I could respond, he crouched in front of me with the device. It was similar to the pager General Cleandro had used to summon mentors during the crucible.
Augustus breathed out heavily as he knelt before me. Long sooty lashes surrounded eyes as black as a starless night—he was so close that I could make out every jagged edge of the scar that intersected his cheekbone.
