Page 34 of Left Hand of the Divine
“Not now, darling,” Hera threw over her shoulder without taking her eyes off me. “The Reaper and I are talking.”
Zeus backed down into his throne, muttering something under his breath. Maybe Hades had been right to suggest getting Hera on side. She certainly seemed to be the one in charge.
“Ares, dear, come here,” Hera ordered, and the monolith of a God leapt from his seat and landed with an almighty thud. I was surprised the ground didn’t crack beneath his feet.
“Mother?” he asked, brushing his dark locks out of his eyes. “What game are you playing?”
She looked at Ares fondly. “And when have you ever known me to play games?”
“Would you like that list alphabetically or historically?” Ares asked, a chuckle rumbling deep in his chest. His voice was so low and powerful I could feel it vibrating through the floor.
“Oh hush,” Hera admonished, playfully backhanding his chest. “I am going to take this little Reaper under my wing. There is something about her that I find fascinating.”
Ares leant closer, peering into my eyes as if he were trying to find my soul. “Are you sure that’s wise, Mother?”
Hera snorted. “It’s not about being wise. This woman had the audacity to break into Zeus’ Vault not once, but twice, and then somehow seems to be connected to a Primordial. She’s the most interesting thing to walk in here for centuries. I want to see what she gets up to next.” The Queen of the Gods smiled down at me, but it felt calculating and sinister. “Roux, I will intervene on yourbehalf, but you will be beholden to me until I say otherwise. You will receive a punishment, but I will ensure it is of my choosing.”
Then she turned on her heel and floated back to her throne.
What the fuck had just happened?
I turned to look at Ares, and he was still staring at me like I had two heads.
There was a small smile curling the brute’s mouth and a knowing glint in his gaze. “Be careful, Roux. My mother has a temper to rival mine. She’s right, though. You do look familiar. Why is that? Why have I never noticed before?”
I went to answer him, but Erebus called out in my mind.
“Don’t say anything, Asteri. Not yet. We don’t know if you are Nyx, and telling the other Gods may ruin this chance you have of leaving here in one piece.”
Shadowman had a point, so I shrugged and tucked my hands in my coat pocket. “No idea what you mean.”
The God of War huffed a laugh and leant closer, bringing his mouth to my ear. “You need to learn to lie better than that if you’re going to survive the Council.” He pulled back, something manic and unsettling staring back at me from his eyes. “Come back to Bloodsport. I’d love to see you fight again. You’re definitely better at that than lying.”
Then he crouched down before leaping back to his throne.
Fuck me, but Gods were weird.
Hera cleared her throat and stood at her full regal height. She looked magnificent up there, with sunlight pouring in through the windows behind her and framing her head like a halo. “I herebyclaim this Reaper as my own. She will belong to me and be under my protection for as long as I see fit.”
“What?!” Zeus boomed, his voice echoing around the room. “You can’t be serious?”
“Yes, I can, darling,” she said coolly, not even flinching at Zeus’ wrath. “We shall build a new Vault together, and it will beourVault.”
Zeus pursed his lips, mulling over her words. “Very well. It will be on the Reaper and her collection of men to find all the creatures that escaped and return them to their rightful place.”
That was fair, I supposed. It was my fault that they were no longer in the Vault.
Hera fixed me with a cold look that chilled my soul. “And as punishment, you shall be my Champion.”
Shock and awe and disbelief filled the chamber following Hera’s announcement. I couldn’t quite believe it myself. I stared at her in confusion, trying to understand the words she’d just uttered.
Champion? As in Games of the GodsChampion?
Fuck.
Nope.
No way.
