The Warrior God (The Ares Trials #1) - Eliza Raine Page 0,72
from my face. I really quite liked it. I had also found some proper leather fighting trousers in the closet, along with boots that were nowhere near as comfortable as my own acid-destroyed steel toecaps.
“We should go,” Ares said. Our eyes met, and the distant, faded sound of a drum banged somewhere far away.
In a rush, the memory of that kiss filled every crevice of my mind, and I felt heat leap to my cheeks. He looked down quickly at his helmet, then lifted it clumsily to his head.
“Yes,” I said hurriedly. “Let’s go.”
If it were possible, the crowd lining the bleachers in the fighting pit was even larger and louder than the day before. Ares had flashed us to the middle of the sandy stage, rather than the plush box we had arrived in yesterday, and as I turned in a slow circle, waving at the spectators, there was a flash of red and the three Lords appeared before us.
“You left the party too early last night, mighty one,” said Pain ingratiatingly, bowing his head.
“Indeed. Aphrodite put on quite a show once you had gone. It was a shame you had to miss it. She’s quite a goddess.” Panic’s words caused Ares to stiffen, and irrational anger to roil inside me.
“You know, if we get nothing else out of these Trials, Aphrodite’s attentions will have made the whole thing worthwhile,” said Terror. His voice was hissing and calm and so much more cruel than the other two.
“Start the last fight,” barked Ares, and all three Lords inclined their heads with smirks, before they vanished with another red flash.
Pain’s voice boomed out over the pit. “Good day, Olympus! Thank you for gathering to watch the mighty Ares, God of War, take on my Trial of pain!”
There was something about the way he said pain that suggested we really wouldn’t enjoy what was coming. I shifted my weight restlessly. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be as painful as searing the skin off my arm. I had magic and pastes to heal wounds afterward, I reassured myself. This was just about proving we could endure his Trial and I knew I could handle anything that creep might throw at us.
“And he is joined in the pit by the delightful Bella, Goddess of War!” I froze, looking up at the crowd as fevered exclamations broke out everywhere. I guess it was a good job that wasn’t supposed to be a secret, I thought, the attention making me awkward. Persephone or Eris must have told them who I was after we left the party. Did it matter if these people knew I was a goddess? Did they know I only had a little bit of power? They’d already seen me fight, so they couldn’t be expecting magical fireworks.
I took a long breath through my nose, moving Ischyros from hand to hand as I let it out through my mouth. Why should I give a shit what these people thought? I didn’t feel like the damned Goddess of War, I was just Bella, except now I had a magic sword.
“And now, to fight! Disable the hundred-hander to win!”
“Hundred-hander? For the love of sweet fuck, tell me there isn’t something that has a hundred hands,” I said, looking at Ares.
“Of course they have a hundred hands, why else would they be called that?” he snapped back. “They are ancient Titans, and exceptionally strong.”
“Fantastic,” I replied through gritted teeth. The sound of rushing water reached my ears, and my eyes darted around as the red mist descended. My sword hummed in my hand and I gripped it tighter. A delicious sense of confidence and strength surged through my body, my focus sharpening and muscles alert and tense.
I was born to do this.
With an unearthly roar, a column of water burst from the center of the pit, shooting fifty feet into the air like a geyser, before vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared. But left in its wake was one of the strangest creatures I had ever seen.
Even larger than the Hydra, the thing must have been between twenty and thirty feet tall, easily the size of a house. Its skin looked rubbery and scarred, and was a weird mix of deep and pale blues. Its eyes were deep-set and dark, and the overly large mouth under its squashed nose was filled with brown and broken teeth. But those details kind of paled into insignificance as I stared up at its torso.