Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore Book 1)

Alexis

Augustus left me reeling.

When I regained my wits enough to walk (stumble in a forward direction), I hurried over to the study tables where the rest of the boys were spread out in their usual spots.

Initiates recoiled as I passed with Fluffy Jr., and Titus shot us both death glares, his leg still bleeding.

If there was any justice left in the world, he’d get gangrene.

When I finally got to my seat, I fell into it. The luxurious throw blanket that someone had gifted me was draped across the back, and I wrapped it around my arms gratefully.

“Wow. You bonded with that thing?” Drex whispered as his golden toucan glared at me.

I repositioned Fluffy Jr.’s head on my lap. He was not a thing; misshapen creatures deserved love too.

“Yep,” I said as I busied myself pulling out textbooks. I didn’t want to talk about it.

“Look.” Maximum held up his arm and showcased a yellow squirrel creature with five legs. It screeched when it saw me and climbed under his shirt.

Never mind, that thing is weird and does not deserve love.

“Very . . . nice?”

Maximum beamed and pulled his seat closer to mine.

I tried to scoot away, but there wasn’t any room with the chair on my other side.

“Wasn’t it crazy?” he said. “I can still feel his presence right now, a hot pressure at all times in here.” He tapped at his forehead.

“Yeah,” Drex responded. “My head is low-key killing me ever since we bonded. The heat is constant. It’s almost like when I use my powers but a little more intense.”

I looked back and forth between the two boys, stomach dropping.

“Did you feel anything in your chests?” I asked, trying to look casual.

“No,” Maximum said.

“No. Why?” Drex asked.

I opened my textbook. “No r-reason,” I muttered. The throbbing cord in my chest was unmistakable.

There was nothing in my head.

Nada.

Zilch.

Why can nothing in my life be normal? Can something go right for once? Is that really too much to ask for?

Apparently, it was.

Six hours later, we ran the circuit in a blizzard.

Snow whipped in a frenzy, burning my eyes, and the visibility was zero. I could barely see my arms as I pumped them. Nyx was an icy block around my stomach.

Patro and Achilles jogged on either side of me. Nero and Poppae ran at our feet, easily navigating the mountain, like they were born to run.

The rest of the initiates were in front of us, except Titus, who limped behind us with a wounded leg.

My neck prickled under the weight of his glare.

He was furious.

Get in line, buddy.

I was 99 percent sure we were only running right now because Augustus was trying to kill off Fluffy Jr.

An hour ago, while we were meditating and envisioning leaping, Fluffy Jr. had barked, and Augustus had announced that I was “purposefully trying to disrupt the class with my idiotic, useless protector.”

Then he’d ordered us to run the circuit, and General Cleandro summoned my mentors.

The kicker: Augustus had let everyone else’s animals stay behind but made Fluffy Jr. run it with me as “his punishment.”

The joke was on Augustus—Fluffy Jr. seemed to be having the time of his life.

He ran ahead of us, body quivering with his head flung back as he tried to catch every single snowflake. He’d been doing it for hours and showed no signs of slowing down. His oversize paws and surprisingly powerful legs ate up the climb like it was nothing.

At least someone was having fun.

Breathing shallowly, gums aching from inhaling freezing air, eyelashes frozen over, I pushed my burning muscles forward.

“So,” Patro asked casually, like he wasn’t even exerting himself, “have you noticed anything off about Augustus lately? I’ve known him my entire life, and he’s usually a very calm guy, but he seems a little—different.”

I choked on saliva and spat it out.

The wind whipped it right back into my face, and it froze across my cheek.

The universe hates me.

“Have you?” Patro asked again, clearly not letting it go.

“He’s a dick,” I said, then tripped with excitement because I’d finally done it; I’d sworn aloud.

Fluffy Jr. barked loudly and jumped around as the cord in my chest strummed. He was happy for me. Adorable.

“It’s weird.” Patro shook his head slowly like he was leisurely thinking and not climbing up the side of a mountain in a blizzard, trying to survive. “Has he said anything to you?”

I shook my head.

Yeah, he threatened me, then smashed my brain to bits. He’s also held a mug to my lips, potentially called me evil in Latin, and promised to protect me. Pinned me against a wall. Stalked me with his eyes.

“Are you sure he hasn’t done anything . . . dramatic? Like given you anything?” Patro was staring at me like he wanted to ask something specific, but then Achilles shook his head, and he closed his mouth.

“No,” I said. The only thing he’s given me is PTSD.

A beat passed.

“He’s the s-son of Ares,” I continued, like it explained everything. He’d chosen to be heir of the lineage nicknamed the House of War; that was all I needed to know about his mental health.

My mentors looked unconvinced.

“On another topic,” Patro said, “you never told us—did you ever figure out what your power is?”

I stumbled again.

Achilles caught me. His calloused fingers lingered on my arm as he slowly released me, like he didn’t want to let go.

I tilted my head toward him questioningly, but he fisted his hands and glanced away.

“Did you figure it out?” Patro repeated as he looked down at me expectantly.

“Yeah, I did,” I said with a gasp. “I can talk to sentient creatures in their language. I can talk to sirens, and some . . . other creatures I’ve met.”

Patro’s face transformed with excitement, something he’d never done around me.

I choked again. He was breathtaking when he smiled.

The longer I survived the crucible, the nicer he seemed to get.

“Wait—that’s actually amazing!” Patro said. “That’s the least lame Olympian power I’ve ever heard of, congrats.”

I nodded exhaustedly.

Patro slapped my back. “We’re gonna make a Spartan out of you yet. I always knew we got lucky when we got you as our mentee.”

Achilles made a sound of disbelief in his muzzle, and from his narrowed red eyes, he was not feeling grateful to have me around.

Sure.

We’ll pretend that’s what happened.

A thought hit me. I took the opening. “Patro,” I asked between pants, “what’s your power?”

Green eyes glowed bright as snow whipped between us.

For a second, I thought he wouldn’t answer. But then he said softly, “If I’m touching someone, I can tell if they’re lying or telling the truth.”

My stomach twisted into knots. That was why “Liar” was tattooed across his knuckles. He was the L in WSDL.

He could easily uncover all my secrets.

I feigned casualness. “That’s cool.”

He winked down at me, and my breath caught. “So,” I said awkwardly, “do you and Achilles know who you’re going to marry when you turn twenty-six?”

The two of them straightened and looked at each other. “We have an idea,” he said cryptically.

I nodded and resumed focusing on running.

He cleared his throat.

“I just want to thank you,” Patro said, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. “For not—coming on to Achilles.”

I coughed. What?

“A lot of women and men,” he said bitterly, “harass him because of his muzzle and inability to talk. We assumed because of how you’d grown up that you would be like the other human girls we’ve met.”

I grunted and nodded, unsure of what to say.

“We’re together,” Patro blurted. “But since we’re bisexual—no one seems to fucking respect that we’re a couple. So, thanks again.” He nodded down at me, then looked away, like he was embarrassed.

I shrugged (tried to move my shoulders but failed).

“We’re usually not interested in other people,” Patro continued with a blush. He glanced at me like he was trying to convey something important. “But we’ve recently . . . ”

Achilles shook his head.

I waited, but Patro never finished his sentence.

They’re acting weird.

To change the subject, I asked something that had been bothering me for weeks. “What does Hades’ power do? The fog during the massacre was . . . strange.”

Patro arched his brow and looked down at me. “It torments you with the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

The boy with horns screaming for mercy as he beat himself with his own fists.

There had been so many voices.

None of them made sense.

“Is the fog—confusing?” I asked, unsure how to verbalize the jumble of noises I’d experienced.

Patro shook his head. “No, it’s painfully clear.”

My sternum went cold, and it had nothing to do with the icy conditions.

We ran the rest of the way in silence.

When we finally got to the bottom of the mountain, the river was iced over so thickly that they couldn’t clear a path.

Tears streamed down my face with relief. They froze and made my face hurt.

Drex grinned at me.

The other initiates slumped over with gratitude.

Patro announced we would be running the mountain pass for a second time because we couldn’t swim. Any congenial feelings I had for him extinguished.

I cried again, this time from misery.

When the suffering was over, we staggered back down the stairs into the mountain. All of us were near comatose.

Fluffy Jr. led the way, his fur covered in snow and ice.

Augustus’s face fell when he saw him outside the classroom, and he glared down at my protector with a murderous expression.

Fluffy Jr. growled back.

General Cleandro stepped out of the room and announced we had a break in the library.

The six of us turned and stumbled in that direction. Titus moaned, dragging his wounded leg behind him.

No one went to the tables.

We all collapsed in front of the different fireplaces spread around the room.

I stuck both of my feet, which were a sickly pale-blue color, near the flames.

If I was fully human, they’d need to be amputated. Since I was part Spartan, I’d recover.

Lucky me.

Voices whispered nearby, and the hairs on my neck stood up like I was being watched.

I gritted my chattering teeth and ignored it.

Fluffy Jr. licked my face (it smelled like something had died in his mouth) as I lay on the floor in front of the fireplace. Then numbness turned into an awful prickling sensation, and I convulsed on the rug.

In a daring show of solidarity, Fluffy Jr. fell asleep. He snored. Loudly.

When the shakes finally passed, I pulled my feet away from the fireplace and staggered upright.

I collapsed back into a chaise, eyes closing.

Classical music filtered in softly from outside.

“Alexis?” Maximum said, and the cushion moved beneath me.

Hey, God, it’s me again.

Please help.

I peeked open my right eye. He was sitting next to me on the chaise, leaning forward.

Maximum’s face hovered inches in front of mine. “I know it’s not a great time, but . . . I’ve been wanting to get you alone—so I could tell you this.”

“Hm?” I grunted noncommittally.

“I really like you,” Maximum whispered, leaning even closer. “Like, a lot. You’re the coolest girl I’ve ever met.”

He must not know a lot of women.

“Uh, okay?” I said awkwardly, still leaning back, unsure what he wanted me to do. Why is he leaning closer?

The back of my neck prickled.

Icy lips pressed softly against mine.

Shocked, eyes wide open, it took me a second to realize that he was kissing me. A boy was kissing me.

The kiss was sort of . . . nice? It really didn’t feel like much of anything.

My face was still numb.

A ferocious animal growl echoed. Fluffy Jr. must have woken up.

I sat still and waited for the kiss to pass.

Finally, Maximum pulled back and opened his eyes.

Up close, he had a dark freckle on the top of his lip, and his eyes were a soft brown, with small gold flecks.

His smile was blinding. “That was really nice,” he whispered as he pinched a curl that had sprung free against my neck, with his thumb and pointer finger.

I grunted.

“Let’s do it again sometime.” He winked and kissed my forehead before I could pull away. Then he sauntered off to a fireplace on the other side of the library.

I blinked in shock.

Fluffy Jr. snored loudly.

Dazed and more than a little confused, I slid down onto the carpet and stuck my feet over the open flame.

This time, I felt the fire. It was a pleasant distraction from my racing thoughts.

After the kiss incident, the rest of the days passed in a blur.

Once again, Augustus announced I’d scored first in the class, but this time, a muscle in his forehead jumped and his eyes narrowed as he glared at me. There was more malice in his black eyes than usual—which was saying something.

When Patro and Achilles returned, I was desperate to leave the icy mountain.

I sighed with relief as we leaped away.

The temperature was mild on Corfu, but an icy chill pervaded my bones. My bedroom was heated, so I stood over the vent, thawing from the week in my skull sweatshirt.

Helen stopped by once and gave me a rose-scented body wash and a cream that she said was a gold-infused moisturizer for my face.

I used it on my chapped feet.

Nyx finally woke up. She took one look at Fluffy Jr.—and immediately went back into brumation to stop herself from killing him.

At least, that was what I thought she said.

It was hard to tell.

Poppae ran away when she saw Fluffy Jr., and Nero snapped his teeth at him.

Meanwhile, I spent the time shoving as many pastries into my mouth as possible and chugging water, all while standing over the heated grate.

Classical music played.

Male voices shouted, but I didn’t bother to listen. At this point, I didn’t want to know.

It was now January, which meant only fourteen days until the Initiation Ball and the Assembly Ceremony.

Then I’d be free.

I was so close to surviving the crucible.

All too soon, it was time to go back to the academy.

Patro and Achilles gently grabbed me and Fluffy Jr. as we leaped away from Corfu.

I crept with trepidation back into the freezing classroom.

Sat down with a bone-weary sigh.

“Where is Maximum?” Augustus’s voice cracked like a whip. There were purple smudges beneath his eyes and shadows beneath his sharp cheeks, like he hadn’t slept since we’d last seen him and was losing weight from stress.

Drex looked over at me in the freezing cold, and I shrugged back as we waited for our last two weeks of hell to start.

General Cleandro pushed a button on his pager, and Ryax Dionysus appeared.

“Where is your mentee?” the general demanded.

Ryax bowed his head low, and the albino crow on his shoulder did the same. “He went home this weekend, and he never returned. I reached out to the House of Hera, and they said he defected. I’ve not seen or heard anything of him since.”

The general scoffed. “What a coward. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes—General.” Ryax leaped away in a cloud of smoke.

Drex and I looked at each other with wide eyes.

There’s no way he defected this close to the end. My stomach sank to the floor, and I held Fluffy Jr. close to my chest.

Classes passed in a blur. I barely heard anything.

When the general gave us time off in the library, I stumbled blindly inside. Collapsed into my seat.

My foot hit an object.

No.

Please no.

I stilled.

Everything spun, and I fell out of my chair.

“Are you okay?” Drex asked.

Fluffy Jr. whimpered and sniffed my face.

I was on the floor.

There was a medium-sized box under my chair.

It was wrapped in red velvet, and a black silk bow with gold trim tied it off at the top.

Crawling forward like a zombie under the table, I shredded the wrapping, yanked roughly at the bow, and pushed off the top.

I needed to know.

I had to.

Slowly, I inched forward.

Two veiny eyeballs—soft brown with gold flecks—sat above lips with a dark freckle on the top corner. A bloody severed thumb and finger were touching on the side, like they were pinching something.

Pieces of Maximum were sitting on top of wadded-up black tissue paper. Something glinted beneath the gory parts.

He’s dead.

And for some reason, it’s because of me.

Bile burned my throat, and I choked it down.

With shaking hands, I put the lid back on the box and shoved it into a storage cubby under the table.

Then I pulled myself back into my seat.

“Are you okay?” Drex asked with a worried expression.

I shook my head at him and slowly opened my textbook. This time, there was no note.

My neck prickled like I was being watched. Voices whispered.

Drex said something else, and I nodded, but I couldn’t hear him.

Internally, I was screaming.