Page 21 of Crown of Olympus
I cracked open my sand-caked lids and stared up at a sun-kissed face. His wide, silver eyes swirled furiously, like thunderclouds whirling in the heavy winds of a storm-laden sky.
Caelus.
His white brows smashed together, wild confusion evident in every line of his pretty face.
“Well? Are you going to lie there drooling, or tell me why the fuck you attacked me?”
I sat up quickly, swiping the back of my hand across my mouth, suddenly terrified Ihadbeen doing exactly that.
“I’m not drooling. And I wasn’t attacking you,” I snarked right back, gingerly finding my feet.
“Oh really? Then explain why you thought it was a brilliant idea to go rolling down a hill?—”
The sound of shifting sand cut his sentence short as the creature from my nightmares crested the top of the drift.
“I was running fromthat,” I said, conjuring my shadow blade once again.
“What the fuck is it?” The Lord of Lightning asked, his eyes widening as a note of the same fear I felt tainted his tone.
“A literal nightmare.”
“Care to elaborate?” he questioned, drawing his own weapon as the creature barrelled towards us.
“Amphisbaena. Giant, two-headed serpent.” My eyes flicked to him briefly, noting his solid defensive stance. “Can’t be killed by cutting it in half,” I tacked on.
“I take it you tried.”
“Yup.”
We both leapt aside as the snake hit the bottom, and I struck out, slicing its side as it rolled by. The beast relinquished its second head, both rising high into the air, hissing at us.
“What’s the plan?” Caelus yelled over the menacing sound.
“I have no fucking idea,” I replied sharply. “Outrunning it apparently doesn’t work either.”
Caelus dodged a striking head — the one with the injured eye — as the other leered at me, counterbalancing its twin.
“Your doing?” he asked, gesturing at the still-bleeding eye.
“Yes. It’s about the only thing thathasworked.”
“Perfect! Let’s go with that!”
“With what?”
“Go for their eyes!” he yelled, striking out at his serpent’s remaining eye and narrowly missing. It lunged again, still trying desperately to eat him.
“Watch out for the fangs!” I yelled. “The venom will turn your skin to stone!”
“It won’t kill me, though,” he shouted back, but thankfully dodged the beast’s snapping jaws.
“Maybe not, but who the fuck do you think is going to come save your golden ass from the maws of this thing?”
“Well, you, hopefully!”
“That only works if I can actuallykillit!”
Caelus darted forwards, stabbing at the underside of the serpent’s chin. His sword pierced straight through, poking out the top of its snout — only succeeding in making the beast angrier.
