Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #2)(2)

I was hyperventilating on Crete.

The blessed and the cursed, existing beneath the same stars.

“Alexis, please,” Persephone urged, blond curls rising beneath her gold laurel crown as she used her powers to commune with the land.

Her mother was Demeter, but her father was Iasion, a terrifying dark creature who was rumored to have power over plants—she took after him.

Persephone was gentle and caring, but her powers were petrifying.

Case in point: I was losing my mind, and she could literally feel it happening.

In the last few months living on Crete—avoiding Satan and Evil Incarnate (my husbands) and trying to find a single smidgen of mental health (still searching)—I’d learned that it was a common misconception that the House of Hades owned the island.

Hades didn’t own Crete.

Persephone did.

Their marriage bond had twisted her creature powers into something insidious.

She’d sunk them deep into the rocky soil and claimed the land. She could literally feel every person, animal, and plant that roamed across it. The longer anyone stayed, the more attuned she was to them.

You could never deceive her.

It was why, except for my parents, the island was abandoned.

No one from Sparta visited. Ever.

“You’re so troubled with ugly emotions, daughter … Please don’t let them guide you,” Persephone said slowly, carefully choosing her words. “You can live here safely—your time fighting can be over.”

Her curls rose higher, defying gravity.

“The federation cannot force you to participate in the Assembly of Death,” she said, as Hydra let out another roar of orange flame. “They can’t take you from this land.”

Dragon fire illuminated the love in her eyes.

“Live in safety—be better than those who hurt you.”

All I’d ever wanted was a quiet, simple life for Charlie and me. Food, bed, and a roof above our heads. The freedom to spend my days learning and studying.

What she offered was heaven.

But after twenty agonizing years in this world, I’d finally accepted the truth. I wasn’t made for a life of ease—I was destined to make those who hurt me suffer.

Sparta would learn.

I would wield my powers, or I’d die trying. Most likely the latter.

Penance and revenge were separated by a razor-sharp edge, and I was already inching across it.

Persephone’s voice echoed with power. “If you walk this path, Alexis, it will not be easy. The cost to your soul will be great—but I believe in you. You can pay it. You just won’t emerge the same. Remember … our world is not a kind one.”

I pulled the hood of my new cloak over my spiked ruby crown. “Neither was mine.”

I’d already lost everything: my freedom, morality, and humanity.

Suffocating on existential dread, I turned away from Persephone and Charlie, hurrying down the hill before I lost my courage. Fluffy Jr. ran beside me, a blur of misshapen fur.

At the edge of the lawn, Hades was waiting for me. Cerberus sat beside him and all three heads turned to me, tongues flopping, tails wagging with excitement.

Fluffy Jr. jumped on him and they rolled together in the grass, both about the same size.

Hades shook his head at their antics.

Inky fog wrapped around his pale skin and long black toga in insidious coils; new voices from his power joined the chorus.

“She doesn’t understand what it’s like,” Hades said softly, breaking the silence. “Her power isn’t … restless like ours. We were born for battle.”

He reached for me—I stumbled away. He’d never hurt me, but lessons from years of abuse were hard to unlearn. When someone moved quickly toward you, you ducked. Always.

Hades dropped his hand, dark eyes lighting with fury—fog thickened around us and the world plunged into coldness—screams intensified.

He breathed out and his shrieking fog retreated.

Water lapped against rocks as the island sounds returned.

Hades’s lips thinned. “Remember what I’ve taught you these past months—survival in Sparta is all about power and fear. You must learn to embrace and harness your more … complicated feelings. No one fears the sane.”

I nodded, but my head felt like it belonged on someone else’s shoulders.

“There are only two paths forward in life for Spartans like us,” Hades continued softly. “Either we run from what we really are, or we hone it and become … legends.”

His black eyes burned with intensity.

“We are the ones who shape Sparta,” he said. “Your power is poison—you will excel in the Gladiator Competition.”

I wanted to cry.

Hades spoke vehemently. “You have nothing to fear from the Assembly of Death. You are my daughter. They will come to fear you.”

Hades smiled wistfully. “Both our blood runs in your veins.” He looked back up the hill fondly to where Persephone stood. “You’re our miracle child.”

I tried to smile, but my lips wouldn’t comply.

I don’t want to do this.

Hades straightened the long robe of his toga. “Do you have all your weapons?”

With shaking fingers, I patted the new leather holster that rested on my hips and nodded.

“And do you remember everything I told you about the Assembly of Death’s hunt?” he asked. “It’s just hazing.”