His eyes lock on mine.
I can’t hear his voice, but his mouth forms the words, “Come on, my star.”
Then his gaze jerks up, right above me, eyes widening slightly before shooting back to mine, and he gives the tiniest jerk of his head to the left.
I dodge that way without hesitation, just as the dragon’s mouth chomps down on empty air where I was a second ago. The monster jerks back with a frustrated roar.
And I know it’s coming again.
I’m not going to make it.
Hades’ gaze shoots above me once more, and I know this is my last chance.
I put on an extra burst of speed.
And Hades’ arms snap closed around me.
In an instant, the dragon and smoke and the overwhelming doses of fear, confusion, and pain all disappear. Lightheaded, I’m vaguely aware that we’re now standing in a field of lush, green grass with the most beautiful blue skies above. My arms wrap around Hades’ neck, and he holds me so that my feet dangle off the ground, his face buried in my hair.
He’s breathing hard, like he ran that race with me. “Fuck, Lyra. You scared the shit out of me.”
A laugh tumbles out of me, more from shock than anything. It cuts off, and I realize I’m shaking. “I thought you wouldn’t be here.” The words come out as a harsh whisper. “I was so scared.”
He runs a soothing hand over my hair. “They couldn’t keep me away.”
Eyes still closed, I breathe him in. Bitter chocolate. I might associate that smell with safety for the rest of my life after this. “I only have my Heart left to give you,” I tell him. I’m talking about the flag.
He makes a sound that might be a laugh or a groan. “I know,” he says. “That’s all I need.”
part 5
trust must be earned
Are we having fun yet?
Not asking for a friend. Asking for me.
61
The Gods Have Their Eyes On Me
I glance over Hades’ shoulder—straight into speculative blue eyes.
Zeus is watching us.
Beside him on the ground, Samuel sits very, very still, his face ashen, staring at the dirt like he saw a ghost and is trying to pretend he didn’t.
Athena is here, too, eyeing me the same way Zeus is, and so is Hera, to her right.
“Put me down,” I whisper to Hades. “They’re watching.”
Hades stills against me. “I don’t care.”
“I do.” For a thousand reasons.
He sets my feet on the ground, pulls his arms from around me, and steps back. His expression has taken on the mantle of my enigmatic, arrogant, taunting god, but I also know, without a doubt, that it’s for them. Not me.
“You came in dead last, my star.” He says this in a voice that sounds angry, but with his back to them, his eyes are laughing.
Laughing?
“I gave the other champions the answer to the fourth Labor. You’re not angry—?”
He lifts a single brow. “What do you think?” His mouth crooks, and one dimple winks at me. Flirts with me, even.
What is happening right now?
I huff a laugh. But the adrenaline must be leaving my system fast, because several truths slam into me all at once.
The first is that I survived the fifth Labor. Only seven more to go. Almost halfway.
The next is that I came in last on this one, but… “The others?”
“All made it.” He grimaces and nods in the direction of the champions. “Some in worse shape than others, but alive. Samuel lost all his flags but still made it to the finish line. Rima used a cloak of phoenix feathers and pretended to be a baby dragon, which was smart, but Dex managed to cross first while she was distracting the dragon.”
“Oh no—”
