Page 19 of Nemesis

Oh.

“I… yes.”

“The gold is a giveaway, as well. You matched your brother.”

I tell myself that he’s speaking of the gods.

“You’re going to miss the first fight,” I say.

The half-smile never leaves his lips. “They can’t start without me.”

I tilt my head. “Is that so?”

“That’s what they tell me.”

“Who are you fighting?”

He eyes me and doesn’t answer. My throat tightens, and when he remains silent, I turn on my heel and leave him to figure out his mystery.

Fighters generally stay in their area until it’s time—it’s rare for one to go wandering.

I work my way through the crowd on the first floor, ducking and weaving and somehow avoiding getting elbowed or drinks spilled, and finally make it to the front.

Nyx and I used to stand here to watch. Not exactly front andcenter, but close enough. If neither of us were fighting.

She was a better fighter than me.

The thought knocks the wind out of me. My muscles lock up, refusing to bend in front of so many people. Apollo’s on the platform, and I feel his gaze linger on me for a moment. Vaguely, I realize he’s introduced Wolfe and Jace—Ares and Hades. And Persephone. They’re up on the second level, on a balcony all their own.

My heart gives a weird extra-hard thump.

And then the first pair of fighters are emerging.

I recognize the man. He goes by Minos here, and he’s a regular like me. He gets up next to Apollo and flexes, and the audience eats that shit up. And then another guy I haven’t seen before steps onto the platform.

“Hypnos,” Apollo introduces. “Perhaps he’ll put Minos to sleep?”

That gets a laugh.

Apollo asks them to bump fists, and then he hops off the platform. He lands beside me and glances down. “You don’t look great.”

I scoff. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

He hums.

It’s only a matter of time until he asks if I’ve been sleeping, eating enough,whatever. He’s always cared, and I love that about my brother. But sometimes it can be suffocating.

Minos gets the first hit.

Hypnos’s head whips to the side, and he staggers. Minos goes for him again, not one to give an opponent a moment to breathe. But it seems almost like Hypnos is ready for it, because in a split second, they’re grappling and twisting, and then Minos is crashing like a felled tree to the platform.

Hypnos stands still and waits.

It seems to take ages for the other fighter to drag himself up, clearly shaken at having lost the upper hand. In comparison to Minos, Hypnos is small. Probably still taller than me by a few inches, but lean. Nearly slender but for the cords of muscles packed on his thin frame.

Deceptive if Minos is only comparing sheer size.

“You can talk to me,” Apollo says under his breath.

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