Page 93 of Scion of Chaos

His spines seem to lengthen and he bares his sharp teeth.“You hid the truth from her, brother. I hid her to give her a chance to find her freedom, or at least calm down. You didn’t feel the level of terror in her when she believed she was trapped. All of us either felt it or saw it. Alcides acted exactly how you would expect, under the circumstances.”

“He’ll keep her safe,” I say, almost to myself. My chest tightens with regret and maybe a little shame over disappointing the others. They are feelings I’m unaccustomed to, but leave my mental barriers lowered so they can absorb them along with me.

Campe snorts derisively as if the sentiment is too little, too late. Cerberus shakes his head and drops to all fours, returning to his canine form. But they all look to me for more, making me feel even less worthy of being their leader.

“Not to put too fine a point on it, boss, but what next?” Pan says, calm now that he’s taken out his aggression on my face.

“We get back to work,” I grudgingly say, striding through them to the stairs. They fall into line behind me, converging around the table in the war room.

Once they’re assembled, I sweep my hand over the shimmering surface, then gesture toward the ceiling.

Our target appears in violet three-dimensional light, a monolith of architectural beauty with a massive fountain spanning the entire front of the building.

The others murmur in surprise as the image rotates between us.

“The Pandemonium,” I say.

“We’re well acquainted with the place,” Pan says. “I don’t get it. This is where weworkwhen we’re not here.”

“This is where the other half of the key to Olympus is.”

“So your appeal to Chaos failed, I take it?” Asterius says without a hint of accusation.

“None of you expected him to say yes, did you? There is only one thing he wants, and now we don’t even have her so we couldn’t make that trade if we wanted to.”

Cerberus claps his hands with glee. “Fuck yes. We’re going to break in andtake it.”

43

Nemea

“Are you okay?”

My ears are ringing from the trip, but I hear Alcides clearly despite his low tone. He holds me tight against him, and I don’t answer at first because I’m still getting my bearings, taking stock of myself and willing the swell of magic back down into the depths of the well inside me. It’s deeper now than it was, thanks to bonding with Chrysaor. The magic subsides more easily now that I’m not in the prison. But I’m not prepared to open the door to that other part of me where my bond with the others exists and face them all just yet.

He releases his hold on me, sliding one hand up to my shoulder and tipping my chin up with a finger.

“Nemea, are you okay? I haven’t had to travel that way in ages, and not with a passenger for even longer. The last time was when I brought Cerberus to the prison.”

“I wanted to ask about that,” I say. “None of the stories I’ve read are close to reality, are they?”

His expression remains serious and I realize I didn’t answer his question. I pat his chest, a bare, solid swath of muscle. “I’m good. Where did you take me?”

For the first time, I take in our surroundings. It’s a dark night so there isn’t much to see besides the starry sky that stretches above us. A soft, temperate breeze rustles through the leaves of what looks like a hedge beside us.

“The first place that made sense—your namesake.”

It takes a moment for my eyes to focus, and I look around. We’re on a hilltop beside ruins of some sort. A couple broken columns loom nearby, along with a couple others lying in pieces on the ground, their shapes not much more than shadows, though I can clearly make out the details if I focus. Beyond them snaking down the hillside are rows upon rows of bushes.

“A vineyard named after me?”

He shakes his head. “A village thatyouwere named for. Welcome to Nemea, Nemea.”

“What village?” I ask, looking around us. I see nothing but grapevines stretching for miles. Far in the distance there’s a building lit by a bare bulb above a large wooden door, but it looks like no more than a barn built of stone with darkened holes for windows. I don’t even hear the sounds of civilization.

“It’s a couple miles that way.” He points in the opposite direction. “But my father’s temple is here, which is why I can travel here.” He kicks a hunk of marble and it sails off into the darkness, landing with a soft thunk several seconds later. He starts walking in that direction, and I follow after giving the ruined temple one last glance.

“Doesn’t look like he gets worshipped much here, does he?”

---