The Passion of Hades - Eliza Raine Page 0,61

I wanted to win these cursed fucking Trials, there was no way I was losing my new powers.

I was going to have to deal with whatever they threw at me and keep all four seeds, no matter what.

Twenty-Seven

Persephone

'Persephone, come forward! Choose your first god!'

Every head in the crowd snapped to me as one, and I couldn't help gulping. My skin was fizzing with nervous energy now, and I was uncomfortably aware of my sweating palms.

Those palms have freaking magic vines in them, you can do this! I repeated the words to myself as I strode through the parting crowd towards the commentator. When I reached him he beamed at me, teeth pearly white and perfect.

'Now, who would you like to try first?'

'Hades,' I said, without hesitation. Was that smart, I thought as a ripple of laughter moved through the crowd. He was the only god I knew didn't have a test for me. But his name had sprung to my lips and now it was too late to take it back.

'Very well. Go ahead.'

Carefully avoiding looking at any of the other gods, I fixed my attention on Hades’ smoky form and walked down the row of thrones towards him. I could feel the other Olympian's eyes on me, but I ignored them. The best way to avoid being intimidated or manipulated by them was to be in charge, I decided.

When I reached Hades' throne and stood before him, he reached forward, his translucent smoke arm holding out a small silver goblet.

'Drink from the cup of death and see if you shall be tested,' he said, and his voice was the nasty, slithery tone I had almost forgotten existed. This was the Hades the rest of the world saw. I took the cup from him, searching his face for any signs of silver eyes, but he gave me nothing. He couldn't show any favoritism, I told myself, biting back the stabbing hurt his indifference was causing. Slowly, I drank from the little silver goblet. The liquid in it was sweet, but not a flavor I could place.

'No test from Hades!' sang the commentator. 'Choose your next god!' I handed Hades the goblet back, praying for a glimpse of his true self. I only just kept the smile from my face as the briefest flash of gleaming silver eyes shone through the smoke as he took the cup from me, and a surge of confidence followed.

I could do this.

'Athena,' I said firmly. She was seated two thrones away, Ares sitting between her and Hades. The god of war was again wearing the red-plumed helmet that hid his face, and this close I could see how thickly corded his massive torso was with muscle. I would really, really not like to get on the wrong side of him. Or face a test from him.

Athena was wearing the same white toga I had seen her in before, her hair braided around her head. As I stood before her, a small owl seated on her shoulder blinked its large eyes at me.

'Drink from the cup of wisdom and see if you shall be tested,' the goddess said as she handed me a goblet identical to the one Hades had given me. I took a quick sip from the cup. This time it was bitter tasting, but nothing happened.

'Time to move on Persephone! Where to next?' The commentator's voice brimmed with excitement.

'Aphrodite,' I said, and looked five thrones down the line to where the goddess of love sat beside her husband, Hephaestus. If I was tested by Aphrodite, what the hell would that involve? What if she made me withstand something sexual? My nerves built as I approached her, panic that I might be put through something like that unwillingly rising in me. Hedone said that sort of thing wasn't allowed, I told myself, remembering the conversation I'd had with her before the ball about ego driving consensual sex in Olympus. The powerful liked to earn their good times, rather than take them.

Nonetheless, my hands shook as I took the cup from the goddess. She beamed at me, her vivid green eyes sparkling from under outrageously thick lashes, her hair jet black today, and cropped in a bob. She was wearing a skin-tight white dress and reminded me a little of Cleopatra. Please don't be a test, I prayed as I closed my eyes and took a sip from the goblet. The liquid tasted a million times better than the last two, but mercifully, nothing happened.

'Choose