The Promise of Hades (The Hades Trials #3) - Eliza Raine Page 0,43

immortality longer than I've been indebted to you,' she spat. 'If your pathetic conscious didn't allow you to kill me in order to win outright, then I deserve every chance I've got at winning the prize.'

'The prize is a man,' I said angrily. 'With a heart and soul and feelings and-'

She cut me off with a hiss.

'Save it, Persephone. You may not be capable of killing me, but I don't believe you're so sweet and innocent that you think the King of the Dead is capable of love.' Fury swept hot through me and I felt my lips curl back from my teeth.

'You don't deserve him,' I hissed.

'Not true. Whoever wins the Trials deserves the prize.'

'Stop calling him a fucking prize!' I shouted, and my vines burst from my palms toward her. Chunks of dark rock flew between the columns, knocking my vines away before they reached her and I whipped them back with a snarl.

'My powers belong down here,' she said, and the rocks flew back past her, out of the temple. 'Yours do not.'

I felt my vines falter at her words. They were true. I was out of my depth. I didn't belong here.

She could make the very rock of the Underworld fly about with her mountain magic, and all I had was freaking plants. Plants that heal the soul of the man you love. The man who loves you. I clung to the inner voice, and my vines flicked taut again.

'I won't be bullied, Minthe. Not by you or Zeus, or anyone else.'

'I'm not a bully. I'm a competitor, just like you.'

She was right, this was a competition. And she was goading me, I realized. Trying to damage my confidence, trying to throw me off before we started.

Two could play at that game. I pulled my vines back, straightening my shoulders.

'Good luck, then,' I said, as sincerely as I could manage. She frowned at me. 'You're not going to win, but I hope you survive, so that dealing with that demon wasn't a complete waste of time.' Minthe cocked her head at me.

'I owe you nothing, Persephone,' she said quietly. But I could hear in her voice that she knew the words weren't true.

'May the best woman win, Minthe,' I said, and strode after my friends.

Morpheus and Hecate couldn't find anyone to ask what we were supposed to do next, so I sent a tentative thought to Hades.

'Where are you?' I asked him.

'We will arrive in ten minutes,' he answered immediately. 'My egotistical brother wants the gods to make an entrance.' The strain was clear in his mental voice.

'OK. See you soon.' I bit my bottom lip, and added quickly, 'I love you.' There was a slight pause, and then he answered, the tension in his tone gone completely.

'I love you too, my Queen.'

Biting back my grin, I told the others we had to wait and we made our way back to the chariot. Only a few moments later, spectators began appearing in the bleachers. Within five minutes, the space was full. Creatures and humans of every size, shape and color crammed in together, and the chatter was at fever pitch.

'Fucking tourists,' grumbled Hecate. 'There's a reason Hades keeps this place secret.' I raised my eyebrows at her and she leaned back on the side of the chariot. 'If you glamorize the Underworld, who the fuck is going to be scared of ending up here? Damned idiots.'

I could tell Hecate was more nervous than she was letting on, not least because of the amount of times she was saying the work fuck in a sentence. I was pretty sure we shared the habit of swearing profusely when nervous or angry.

'Is that a cyclops?' I asked, pointing at a giant woman in the bleachers with one large amber eye and sharp spikes sticking out through her hair, covering her head.

'Yeah. Don't see 'em often, they're usually in Hephaestus' forges, and his realm is forbidden.' She scowled. 'As this realm is supposed to be.'

There was a bright flash of white light, and we both turned to the dais. Eleven of the twelve gods were there, all looking exceptionally grand. There were all in togas, even Dionysus, and they all wore large crowns. Hera's was the most eye catching, adorned with peacock feathers, and Athena's was the most plain, just a gold band.

'Good day, Olympus!' boomed the commentator, his voice seemingly amplified by the rock around us. I spotted him next to the judges’ table, and started as I realized