Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #2)(21)

At the other end of the line, Patro was wrapped possessively around Achilles.

He winked at me.

Does he have something in his eye?

Achilles only wore the top half of a mask; his lower face was covered by the muzzle.

They stared at us, creepily silent.

Drex shuffled closer to me as he cleared his throat. “So, what are we doing—”

“Pick up your weapons and strap on your holsters.” Augustus pointed at the Spartan guns lying at the bottom of the steps. “NOW!”

We both jumped and obeyed.

“Oh—this is going to be so much fun,” Nyx hissed (our ideas of fun were not the same).

“Here are the rules.” Kharon stepped forward, a dagger swinging between his skeleton-tattooed fingers. “We hide … You shoot.” He lazily stretched his arm. “Simple. Any questions?”

My mind blanked.

“Why are you all in white?” Drex asked as he glanced down at the plain black exercise togas we’d both been given to wear. “Why the dagger?”

Kharon spun his knife. “Your goal is to hit us—white will show the blood.” He grinned evilly. “The knife is my Titan claws. Boo.”

“But … what if we hurt y-you?” Drex took a step back.

The Chthonics burst into laughter.

Augustus shook his head. “You won’t hit us. That’s why we’re here … We have a lot to cover in only six days.”

He smiled.

“This simulation is about shooting accuracy. When it comes to Titans, a Spartan gun is your best defense. Your powers are secondary.”

He lifted Poco up from his shoulder and gently placed him on the ground.

“Protectors head over there for safety.” Augustus pointed to the dark alcove behind the stairs we’d come down.

Poco screeched and put his hands in the air like he wanted to be picked up.

Nero and Poppae trotted over obediently. Hell and Hound followed, their bony skeletons appearing every couple of steps.

In contrast, Fluffy Jr. jumped high, wildly throwing his back legs up into the air in a full donkey kick. Apparently, the motion got things moving—he hacked loudly and threw up a twig.

Everyone stared at it.

“I’ll get that later,” I mumbled (I wouldn’t).

Nyx sighed as she slithered off my shoulders. “I’ll go make sure the obese horse doesn’t choke to death.” I was both grateful and offended.

While Fluffy Jr. chased his tail (it was hard to watch), Augustus gave Poco a treat. He waved his cookie at me as he waddled past.

What a cutie patootie.

I waved back and he chittered while covering his crumb-covered face.

When all the animals were safe behind the stairs, Kharon pulled his mask up and held the hilt of his dagger between his teeth. He clapped loudly and everything plunged into darkness.

Drex and I both gasped with awe. I thought clapper lights were just a myth.

“This is a level-one simulation.” Augustus’s silky voice echoed strangely in the pitch-black. “We will not harm you—we are only using evasive maneuvers. This is to assess your shooting accuracy in the field.”

“THREE,” Kharon yelled abruptly, and lights flicked on in the floor, casting strange shadows across the room.

“TWO.”

There was a loud hum and fog billowed out around us.

“ONE!” Kharon (Karen) cackled.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Explosions flared all around the course; the floor shook; fires raged in all directions; smoke mixed with fog.

All five Chthonics disappeared like ghosts.

There was a loud staticky noise as Titan screeches echoed over speakers.

Drex looked at me with panic. “These people are actually mental.”

“Cults!” I yelled louder as the sound of machine guns popped. “I told you.”

Another explosion rocked the room.

“Run—or I stab the boy.” Breath blew against the shell of my ear. “Carissima, you better hunt us down. Now.”

Whirling around, I aimed, recoil vibrating through my arms as gunpowder burned my nose.

A tattooed hand with black painted nails waved mockingly ten feet away. “Come and get me,” Kharon taunted.

He made a V with his fingers and held it up to his lips. He wiggled his tongue suggestively.

My face heated.

Pervert.

I lunged forward, firing at Kharon as he disappeared into the ruins.

What felt like hours later, but could have been minutes, Patro’s voice rang out from behind a car that was on fire.

“Are you even trying, Alex?” Patro taunted.

“Don’t call me that name.” I raised my gun.

Patro moved in a blur into my blind spot, too quick to track.

He leaned a few feet away. “So—now that you’ve chosen us as partners, we should probably get to know each other.”

I fired.

He chuckled.

The scent of ice filled my nose.

“Why are you d-doing this?” I whispered, feeling off-balance with his personality switch.

Emerald eyes were shockingly vivid behind his mask as he stepped in front of me.

“Doing what?” he taunted.

“You know.”

He cocked his head to the side, mask gleaming in the firelight. “Know what?”