Storms of Olympus Read online

  ‘Ares has some strange offspring,’ he muttered. ‘The Amazons are among the strangest. Women who don’t want men are in no way normal.’ Zeus looked at Hercules. ‘I see you are doing a fine job of ignoring my instructions.’

  ‘Asterion and Evadne have let me down,’ Hercules said, his teeth gritted. ‘They are useless and too many of these Trials rely on more than one person.’

  ‘Stop being such a child!’ Zeus shouted at him. Hercules flinched but held the god’s gaze and Hedone stared at him in awe. How did he have so much courage?

  ‘I’m beginning to think that you do not want immortality, boy,’ Zeus spat.

  ‘Of course I do, I—’

  Zeus cut him off.

  ‘So, are you going to blame the others for your inability to beat Hippolyta today?’

  Hercules pressed his lips together, his face reddening.

  ‘I didn’t think so,’ Zeus said, folding his arms. ‘I’ve enough to worry about, with Hades’ insolence to deal with. I don’t have time to spoon-feed you.’

  ‘I’ll do better, Father,’ Hercules said stiffly.

  ‘You’ll do more than that, you’ll win. The Trial is not about the tests, it’s about who has the belt. Hippolyta will willingly give it to the victor tomorrow but if someone were to take it before then, they would be the winner.’ Hedone didn’t notice Zeus’s patronising tone as his words sank in. ‘If you weren’t so busy feeling sorry for yourself, you’d have realised that already. I will not be able to help you again, Hercules. This is your last chance.’ In another flash of white, the god was gone.

  ‘He’s right. Of course he’s right,’ Hedone said excitedly, scrabbling to her feet. Hercules looked at her, muscles still tense and face tight.

  ‘One day I will be stronger than him,’ he hissed. Alarm shot through Hedone at his words.

  ‘Hercules, you mustn’t say things like that,’ she whispered. ‘If he heard you…’ She sat down beside him, and rubbed her hand up and down his arm. ‘You must dress and go and find the belt. You can win this tonight!’ She pushed playfully at his arm and his eyes softened.

  ‘Yes. Yes, you’re right. I can end this now,’ he said slowly. ‘Where is my lion skin?’

  20

  ‘What if the queen is wearing the belt?’

  Hercules paused in strapping Keravnos to his hip, and looked at Hedone.

  ‘I doubt it, at this time of night,’ he said. ‘It’s late now, they’ll all be asleep.’ Idiots, every one of them, he thought. No doubt the feast had made them sleepy on stomachs full of wine and food.

  ‘I just don’t think it will be very easy to steal,’ Hedone said, her voice full of soft concern.

  ‘Hedone, my love, I will be back before you know it, as a winner. Then we can leave this accursed place and get back on the Hybris.’

  She smiled at him.

  ‘I would like that,’ she said. He pulled her to him and she laughed her exquisite little giggle.

  ‘Kiss me,’ he breathed, and she did, deep and soft at the same time. He would never, ever tire of her kiss.

  ‘Are you ready?’ she said, as he reluctantly broke off their embrace and reached for his lion skin. He was more than ready, anticipation-fuelled power thrumming through his veins.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘How will you know where she sleeps?’

  ‘I’ll find her,’ he said, confidently. And if he couldn’t, he’d make someone tell him where she was.

  Hedone nodded at him.

  ‘Can you keep the belt if you win?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I wonder if it would make me strong, like her.’

  Hercules’s face darkened.

  ‘You don’t want to be anything like her, Hedone. That’s not what women were made to do.’

  Hedone looked at him, thinking.

  ‘Well, maybe I’d like just a little of her strength, then,’ she said.

  ‘You have my strength now. You do not need anything else.’

  She beamed.

  ‘See you shortly, my love,’ he said, and ran down the steps of the cabana into the dark gardens.

  Hercules made his way through the gardens quickly, then crept along the palace wall, keeping to the shadows. Nobody was awake. He had not been entirely truthful about his plan to Hedone. He did intend to steal the belt, but not from Hippolyta’s rooms as she slept. He had a score to settle with the vile woman. He would make her pay for what she had done to him, for making a fool of him. He touched his throat subconsciously as he looked up the high walls of the palace. Her rooms could be anywhere in the huge building, he’d be there all night looking for her. Unless… He smiled as the thought struck him.

  He ran silently back through the gardens, pausing each time he reached one of the flickering lanterns hanging in the trees. One by one, he pulled open the glass containers and held the little candles under the leaves. When a few of them caught light, he dropped the candles under the branches and jogged quietly on to the next one.

  21

  ‘I still can’t believe Hippolyta agreed to this,’ Epizon said, pacing up and down Lyssa’s cabana.

  ‘Well, I can’t believe you have the blood of Ares in you,’ she answered, wringing her hands. His nervousness was infectious.

  ‘Really? It’s not hard to believe. Look at him!’ Phyleus exclaimed.

  Epizon laughed.

  ‘I didn’t know, I swear. I’ll ask her about it tonight. If she ever gets here.’ He looked out of the cabana again, towards the gardens, and drew in a sharp breath.

  There she was, walking slowly towards them.

  ‘Epizon,’ Antiope said, as she reached the building. Lyssa and Phyleus backed away, Lyssa sitting down silently on a bed near the far end of the open-walled room.

  ‘Mother,’ Epizon said quietly. Antiope’s eye twitched at the word.

  ‘You look well,’ she said, and climbed the steps.

  ‘As do you.’

  ‘Captain Lyssa tells me you are her first mate, and that you were recently wounded.’

  Epizon nodded.

  ‘And that Hercules was responsible?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I do not like Hercules.’

  ‘No. He is an evil man.’

  They both fell silent. Their awkwardness was as infectious as their nerves had been and Lyssa watched uncomfortably as they avoided each other’s gaze.

  ‘How did you survive when I left?’ Antiope asked suddenly.

  ‘I fought in the pit. I was good.’

  ‘How did you learn to fight?’

  Epizon looked at her in surprise.

  ‘Watching you. I watched you for years.’

  ‘Oh. I didn’t realise boys could learn so young.’

  ‘Boys learn the same as girls,’ he answered, and Antiope scoffed.

  ‘No, they do not.’

  ‘How would you know?’ Epizon’s words came out soft, but the sentiment was clear. Lyssa looked away, suddenly feeling like she was prying.

  ‘I did not come here to be told that my way of life is wrong,’ Antiope said, straightening up.

  ‘I’m not saying it is wrong. I am saying there is much you don’t know.’

  Lyssa looked up again, waiting for Antiope to curse or leave, but she simply cocked her head at Epizon.

  ‘This is true. But I have no desire for more knowledge. I am happy here.’

  ‘I’m glad. I suppose that’s all I wanted to hear,’ Epizon said.

  ‘That I am happy? Why does that matter to you?’

  Epizon let out a long breath.

  ‘It just does. I can’t explain it to you, but I care.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said.

  ‘As we’re both here, though, there was one other thing… Do you know who my father is?’

  Antiope stepped backwards, frowning.

  ‘I will not talk of him. All you need to know is that he is dead.’

  Lyssa resisted the urge to get up as she looked at Epizon’s crestfallen f
ace.

  ‘Right,’ he said, rubbing his brow, then looking at Antiope. ‘Lyssa said you are descended from Ares?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me? As a child?’

  ‘I didn’t think you would live long enough to care.’

  This time pain did flash across Epizon’s face.

  ‘Then why did you bother keeping me alive?’

  ‘I believed you might be useful at some point.’

  Anger spiked inside Lyssa. Her respect for these people was dwindling fast. How could they be so cold?

  ‘Epizon, understand that if you had been female, I would have loved you.’

  ‘That doesn’t help,’ he said quietly.

  Antiope frowned.

  ‘Our people are very different,’ she said eventually.

  ‘I don’t know who my people are,’ Epizon said, his voice strained.

  ‘We’re your people,’ Lyssa said, unable to help herself. She stood up. ‘We’re your people, Epizon. Nobody on the Alastor needs a parent’s love to define them.’ He gave her a grateful smile, and squared his shoulders a little.

  ‘You’re right, Captain.’ He turned back to Antiope. ‘I’m glad to have met you,’ he said formally. She just nodded at him.

  ‘Thank you, Captain Lyssa,’ she said, facing her.

  ‘For what?’

  Antiope didn’t answer, but turned and walked slowly down the steps and away into the gardens.

  Lyssa cleared the distance between her and Epizon quickly, and gave him the tenderest hug she could manage around his wounded chest.

  ‘That was pretty brutal,’ she said.

  ‘I don’t know what I was expecting,’ he sighed. ‘At the least, I thought I might find out who my father was.’

  ‘Who needs that kind of information? It’s not done Lyssa or me any good,’ said Phyleus, bringing over a glass of wine. Epizon took it from him with a small smile.

  ‘What did yours do?’ he asked him.

  ‘I’ll tell you another time,’ Phyleus answered, with a sideways glance at Lyssa.

  ‘Captain!’ The shout, accompanied by the sound of galloping hooves, made them all turn around. ‘Captain, come quick,’ panted Nestor, skidding to a halt by the cabana. ‘The palace is on fire.’

  Hercules dragged the beautiful Hippolyta from her fast horse by her hair, ready to use his fierce strength to wrestle the belt from the Amazon Queen, while the Maids of War watched.

  EXCERPT FROM

  The Fall of Troy by Quintus Smyrnaeus

  Written 4 AD

  Paraphrased by Eliza Raine

  22

  Evadne woke with a start, sitting up quickly on the cold stone bench. Everything was bathed in flickering orange light, and she could hear shouting in the distance. When had she fallen asleep? Tears had dried stiff on her cheeks and she rubbed at her face. A warrior ran past her.

  ‘Wait!’ Evadne called thickly. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘Fire!’ the woman yelled back over her shoulder. Evadne stood up quickly, her head swimming slightly from the rapid movement, and followed after the Amazon.

  It was a good job she had woken up when she did. The fire had spread to the section of the garden next to her crew’s cabana, the tall green plants roaring with flames. When she looked to her right, towards the palace, she was shocked to see the flames licking at the stone walls, climbing high.

  ‘Hippolyta!’ roared a familiar voice. Her blood curdled inside her. Hercules. Was he responsible for this? ‘Face me, you coward!’ he bellowed again.

  Every sane part of Evadne wanted to turn and run, away from his voice, away from the flames. But her feet moved of their own accord, further towards the palace.

  Hercules was standing in the middle of a courtyard, the trees and plants once surrounding it now burned to a crisp, the flames moving on to fresh fuel. He was wielding Keravnos and was dressed for battle. Amazons in metal helmets and gauntlets had formed a circle around him and were side-stepping so that it gradually tightened like a noose. A crowd was forming beyond the ring.

  ‘You send your warriors to do your job because you fear me!’ Hercules laughed as he shouted, holding his sword high. There was a thud, and the circle of women parted. Hippolyta stepped through, her eyes blazing as they bored into Hercules.

  ‘This time, it is to the death,’ she hissed.

  ‘I agree,’ he said, smiling. His other hand shot out from under his cloak and there was a small metallic sound, then Hippolyta staggered backwards, her hands flying to a bolt embedded in her stomach. Evadne stared at the weapon in Hercules’s hand, recognising it as a crossbow. The Amazons around them froze as blood spread fast across Hippolyta’s bare midriff. Hercules was on her in an instant, gripping her short hair and drawing back her head.

  ‘You have some advanced weapons in these gardens, my queen,’ he hissed, raising his sword to her neck. She gasped, still clutching her stomach. The tall Amazon that had fought Antaeus earlier cried out and began to run towards him. ‘One more step and I will kill her!’ he shouted.

  The woman slowed, fury on her face.

  ‘If you kill her, you won’t get the belt,’ a male voice said.

  ‘Theseus, no!’ Hippolyta choked, as Theseus stepped into the courtyard, holding up a wide leather strap, shining with metal chain links.

  ‘Let her go, and I’ll give you the belt.’

  Hercules stared at him.

  ‘How did you get it?’ he snarled.

  ‘She gave it to me. We are… old friends.’ The warriors around them gasped, frowning and muttering.

  ‘Theseus, stop,’ breathed Hippolyta.

  ‘It’s too late, my love. I will not see you die.’

  Theseus and Hippolyta? Evadne stared.

  ‘My love? Is it true, my queen? You are in love with a man?’ the tall Amazon asked, her voice disbelieving.

  Hippolyta closed her eyes as Hercules yanked her head back further.

  ‘Enough!’ he barked. ‘If you have the belt, Theseus, then you have already won. Even more reason to kill this freak.’

  ‘I concede,’ said Theseus, quickly. ‘I withdraw. Just let her go.’

  ‘You withdraw from the whole competition?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Hercules narrowed his eyes for a moment, and Hippolyta took a ragged breath.

  ‘Let her go, now,’ Theseus said.

  ‘Toss me the belt.’

  ‘Let her go first. You know I am a man of my word.’

  Hercules only hesitated a moment more, before shoving the woman towards Theseus. Theseus dropped to his knees to catch her, throwing the belt at Hercules as he did so.

  ‘Help me,’ he said, struggling to hold Hippolyta as blood gushed from her wound, but the women around them just stared.

  A sudden roar erupted from the tall woman, and she threw herself at Hercules as he stooped to pick up the belt. He stood up quickly, thrusting his sword out as she collided with him, and Evadne heard a man shout as Keravnos slid effortlessly through the woman’s chest. The blood-covered tip of the sword protruded through her back and Evadne spun away, sure she was going to empty the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

  ‘Amazons, attack! Kill the outsiders!’

  The call was followed by a cacophony of battle cries, and Evadne’s eyes widened in fear as she realised the Amazons weren’t just charging at Hercules. They were charging at them all.

  Thank you

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  Fires of Olympus will conclude the series and will be out soon!

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