Chapter Eleven #2
“What is going on down there?” Zeus shouted from his perch.
“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 your behalf, 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 hereby claim 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 be our Vault.”
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 Gods Champion?
Fuck.
Nope.
No way.
I wasn’t a God.
I’d never survive.
Hera smiled down at me with a knowing glint in her eyes. Shit. Did she figure out my possible connection with Nyx?
Either she did, and she was throwing me into the Games to pull Nyx to the surface—which I didn’t even know if that was possible—or she didn’t think that, and she was hoping I’d be fun to watch die!
I was totally going to die. I was going to be pulled apart by Ares or burnt to a crisp by some other fire-breathing deity or—
“She cannot take part,” Hades said, projecting his voice above the chaos of the crowd.
The noise instantly died down as he started to speak and I was a little impressed at the picture of authority as he dragged his gaze around the Council.
Shame I was too panicked about the whole being ripped apart thing to thoroughly enjoy his presence.
“Do you dare challenge me, Hades?” Hera said, a haughty eyebrow raised. There was a challenge in the depths of warm brown eyes but also amusement. As if she were happy that Hades had spoken up for me.
“It is not a challenge when this isn’t just madness; it’s against the rules.
” Hades came to stand next to me, and I could feel the heat radiating from him as he tried to keep his temper under control.
At least he hadn’t burst into flames yet, but it was concerning that the air seemed to shimmer around him like a mirage.
“They’re not really rules,” Zeus added, a playfulness lacing his tone that wasn’t there earlier. “More like guidelines. They aren’t set in stone.”
I scoffed at that because the Gods didn't have to follow actual rules.
“She’s a Reaper,” Hades protested, throwing his arms up in frustration. “She’s not a God or Deity. She won’t survive this.”
His voice cracked as he spoke, and I didn’t think I’d ever heard him sound so raw.
Hera looked down at him, her expression bored.
“I have spoken, and this is my wish. Roux will be my Champion, but as a concession for her being a Reaper and not a Deity, she will be granted permission for her Hounds to accompany her, and I will also allow her to ask for three boons from any of the present Gods on the Council here.”
Well, that certainly improved my chances a little, and judging by the confused look on the faces of the Gods, this was something out of the ordinary.
“That is generous of you,” Zeus commented, and I couldn’t tell if he was happy with his wife’s interference or not. He wasn’t quite smiling, but he didn’t appear angry. I guess he didn’t know what to make of it either.
I had no idea what to think about it either. The fact that the twins could join me was definitely a blessing. But what about the boons? “Are there any caveats to the boons?”
The smile on Hera’s face widened. “A wise question. The only caveat I will impose is that you may ask three separate Gods for one boon each, and they have the option to refuse you. So, choose wisely.”
Okay, I could work with that. I wouldn’t know what the trials were until the opening ceremony, which was some ridiculously pompous ball I’d have to attend. Hopefully, once I knew what I’d be facing, I’d have a better idea of the boon I’d need to ask for and from whom.
“Thank you,” I said, hoping that my courtesy found favour.
Hera inclined her head gracefully. “You are welcome. Now, I think that will be all for today. Don’t you, darling?”
Zeus stood from his throne and let his voice boom around the chamber. “The Council has spoken, and the case against Roux, Reaper, is closed and satisfied. You are dismissed.”
A weight lifted from my shoulders as the Gods started to disappear from the chamber.
I was grateful that none of the others had suffered because of me.
We’d all survived to live another day but we had a task that would probably take years to complete—if ever—and I had to somehow magically figure out how to survive a series of games meant for Gods.
I’d be lucky if I survived five minutes.
Maybe I should start planning my funeral now?