Page 43 of Heroines of Olympus

With no way to know how long she was unconscious, panic creeps up on her. How long has she been in this cage? The second Hestia crossed the threshold, her clock started ticking whether or not she was conscious of it.

The magic continues to pulse, and the feel of it is stifling. She feels weighted to the ground, the pain never ceasing for even a moment of relief. She doesn’t know what to do, so she lies back down, trying to conserve any energy possible in case there’s a miracle and she needs to run.

Hestia closes her eyes and, when she opens them again, yelps as she sees Aphrodite’s face as she crouches down next to where Hestia’s head lay.

Hestia glares at her through the bars but doesn’t bother to lift her head. This bitch isn’t worth the wasted strength. Hestia shifts her gaze and stares off into the distance, looking at nothing.

Aphrodite decides this is the time for a monologue.

“You’ve been out for thirty-six hours.”

No. So much time lost already.

“Was it worth it?” she asks, her eyes viciously cruel to match the twisted smile on her face.

“Spying on us for those Fates forsaken rebels. You couldn’t possibly think they stood a chance?”

Hestia says nothing in response, but Aphrodite doesn’t care and continues rambling.

“They have been such a nuisance and somehow always one step ahead of us. Who would have thought anything could pull you away from your books long enough to care about anything?”

The root of the centuries long conflict between the two of them finally rears its ugly head. Seeing the two of them now, no one would ever suspect that when they first joined the Pantheon, they were very close. They had gone everywhere together, spent their evenings laughing together, the best of friends.

They were inseparable. The Love Temple hadn’t been built yet. All the gods used the Temple of Olympus as their home, but as the realm grew, everyone needed more space to conduct their affairs, and so they erected the temples, allowing different regions to focus on different things.

There was so much for Hestia to learn, and looking back, she realizes she didn’t notice what her friend was going through.

She had been so thrilled to hear that Aphrodite was in love. Hestia only got to meet Andromeda once, but thought she was lovely and the two of them truly seemed madly in love with each other. Aphrodite had kept the loss of her lover to herself, and by the time Hestia knew of it, her friend was already bitter. She tried to reach out a few times, but she had missed her opportunity and Aphrodite had already shut herself off from the rest of the world, devolving into the toxic, jaded god she is now.

Hestia always feels a twinge of guilt when her intrusive thoughts pop in to torment her and ask her if she’spositiveshe’s not the reason Aphrodite went down the path. If she had paid better attention, she could have been there for her friend. She always shakes that voice off to the best of her ability, reminding herself that she is not responsible for the actions of others.

When Hestia still does not respond to anything she is saying, Aphrodite sighs, but doesn’t appear flustered or frustrated.

When Hestia still fails to respond to anything she is saying, Aphrodite starts talking. “It doesn’t matter. Soon you will be one of the stupid mortals you love so much. Zeus said I can play with you until then, here on my island. Once you’re just as fragile as they are, he wants to ask you a few questions. I doubt you’ll have the strength to withstand him for long. You should’ve said no to working with those traitors, Hestia. Tick-tock.”

Aphrodite walks away, and the first spark of hope ignites in the back of Hestia’s mind. She’s on Love Island. They must have brought her here to keep an eye on her during the auction. He won’t know to look for her here but her heart, her fire, will be here and might be able to rescue her. Clinging to that narrow chance like a lifeline, Hestia uses it to push back against every magical pulse of the cage. She wishes she had the stone on her, but the rags Hestia is currently wearing mean they likely would have found it on her if she had tried to conceal it. The Allegiance’s communication method is hopefully still a mystery to the Pantheon, and she is glad she will not be the reason it is revealed.

Forty-eight hours. She closes her eyes and plays his voice on a loop on her mind while she sent silent prayers to the universe. Pleaselet him find me.

26

ICARUS

Icarus stands outside of the dungeons of the Temple of Love, bored out of her mind. So far, her elite group has done nothing but go back and forth between the War Temple where their barracks are located, and the Olympic Temple where Ares has been having meetings.

The last few days, though, they have been in Aphrodite’s domain, setting up for a gala. They have been guarding the main entrance to the dungeons in shifts, two at a time. The Heroes not on duty during the ball may be in attendance and Icarus is exhilarated at the thought of such a fancy evening. Icarus already has her dress and is excited beyond words, the opportunity for events like this never arising where she grew up. She is finally settling into who she is as a person and figuring herself out. Icarus daydreams of the music and the elegance of getting lost in someone’s arms - even if just for the night.

Her shift started thirty minutes ago and is dragging. No one will tell them who they are guarding, and so far, it has not been enough of a temptation for anyone to get caught snooping. According to the last set of guards, Aphrodite has been in there for at least forty-five minutes, and that definitely has Icarus’s curiosity piqued.

She turns to the Hero on shift with her, Lysander, and asks, “Who do you think we are guarding?”

He chuckles. “Do you really want to risk legion placement to find out?”

No. She does not.

The doors open, and the rumor is confirmed as Aphrodite walks out. Aphrodite’s attention snaps to Icarus suddenly, catching her off guard.

“Who are you?” Aphrodite asks shortly.

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