Fires of Olympus: Books Ten, Eleven & Twelve (The Immortality Trials Book 4)

by Eliza Raine

  ‘He told me that if I tried to leave the ship, he would cut off something that didn’t grow back,’ Evadne said, her eyes now slightly wild. ‘You don’t need me here, Hedone. Just let me go and you’ll never see me again.’ She was still holding the knife up, and Hedone took a step backwards. An uncomfortable feeling was growing within her, the notion that something, somewhere, was terribly wrong that had plagued her for weeks bubbling up. Why did everyone want her to think Hercules was such a monster? Could they really all be wrong?

  ‘Please,’ Evadne said.

  Hedone couldn’t deny the fear that she saw in the girl’s eyes was real. And she doubted Evadne was scared of her. Although she could use her powers of seduction to convince her to stay, and probably should if that was what Hercules wanted. But why? Why keep the girl here against her will?

  ‘I will not stop you,’ she said eventually. Evadne sagged, dropping the knife and returning to stuffing as much food as she could into the bag.

  ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled.

  ‘Do you really believe he would hurt you?’ Hedone asked her quietly, as Evadne slung the bag over her shoulder and turned back to face her.

  ‘He already has. Many times.’

  ‘No. Surely not,’ Hedone said, shaking her head and frowning at the pity she now saw in Evadne’s eyes.

  ‘Be careful,’ she said, then ran past her, into the corridor.

  13

  The enormous idiot who had challenged him had no intention of fighting him, Hercules realised too late. Antaeus had taken off towards the rear quarterdeck as soon as Hercules had unsheathed Keravnos, and now he was stuck fighting the two brutish brothers while their captain tried to steal his prize.

  ‘Asterion, guard that hippocampus with your life!’ he roared as one of the brothers swung a fist at him. Hercules ducked, swiping his sword at the fat giant’s wrist. The ensuing howl told him it had connected with flesh.

  ‘I can’t, Captain!’ came the minotaur’s strained reply. Hercules glanced sideways and saw the half-giant Eryx dancing around in front of Asterion, throwing jabs at him every time he tried to move towards the rear quarterdeck.

  With a snarl, Hercules skidded under the legs of the bearded giant as he stamped a huge foot. Anger surged through him as the planks of the Hybris buckled beneath the brute’s weight. He’d had enough of this. Who did these morons think they were, boarding his ship and trying to trick him? Did they think that because there were more of them they would win? Did they not understand what he was capable of?

  He felt his muscles swell, his chest expand, his legs pump as he leaped to his feet. Continuing the same motion he broke into a run, heading away from the two giants. He heard their grunts of confusion, then the thud of their feet as they followed him.

  When he reached the front mast he didn’t slow down, instead jumping at the last second, forcing his strong thighs to continue to carry him up the pole. When he knew he was starting to slow down he spun, pushing himself hard off the mast, now six feet off the ground. As he started to fall back to the deck he flicked Keravnos out as far as his arm would reach, and felt the blade connect with the fat giant’s throat. Hot blood spurted from the wound, and the giant collapsed immediately to his knees, the planks of the deck creaking and splitting as he landed.

  ‘Albion!’ The bearded giant’s roar was so loud, the whole of the Hybris was shaking when Hercules landed a split second later. He didn’t pause for breath, though, turning and powering towards the livid giant. His face was twisted in snarl of rage, and for a heartbeat, Hercules worried that he had underestimated him.

  But the massive brute swung clumsily for him, and once again, Hercules was able to slide easily under his legs. This time, he raised Keravnos as he slid, swiping at the insides of the giant’s thighs. The second brother howled, kicking out and clipping the lion-skin cloak and sending Hercules tumbling across the planks.

  Hercules was righting himself when the giant’s foot came towards him again, catching him square in the chest and sending him flying back towards the mast he’d just run up. Anger and pain sent adrenaline racing around his body, giving his thoughts a calm, battle-ready clarity. He got swiftly to his feet. He would enjoy this.

  Keravnos glowed as the giant dropped his head and charged towards Hercules, who let him come. Instead of stepping aside, he widened his stance and lifted his sword to his chest so it jutted out, holding the hilt with both hands. He braced himself.

  The giant hit him like a solid stone wall, shoulder dropped and chest level with Hercules’s head. Although the lion-skin cloak took most of the blow, Hercules was only just able to hold his ground. But he did. And he held his sword straight too. There was a gurgling sound and the brute looked down at Keravnos, which had pierced deep into his gut.

  Hercules lifted his leg and planted it on the giant, pushing him backwards off the sword. The giant clutched at his stomach as he stumbled backwards, then sank onto the planks beside his dead brother, blood flowing onto the broken deck. Hercules took a deep breath, a smile spreading across his face. Killing two giants that size should shut his father up for a while.

  14

  Eryx’s skin crawled as he heard Antaeus roar. He’d known Hercules was strong but… Regret and sadness swelled in him. Both brothers were dead, and the tangy stench of their blood filled his nostrils as he blocked the minotaur’s relentless blows. He knew what his captain would do next. Antaeus was sure to abandon the plan. And if Hercules could destroy Albion and Bergion that quickly... Eryx had to help his captain.

  He charged at Asterion with renewed determination, ducking and throwing a solid punch at the creature’s gut. It connected, but not hard enough to wind him and the minotaur danced out of the way of the follow-up jab. The ship shuddered as Antaeus leaped down from the high quarterdeck and charged past them, and for a brief second, both Eryx and Asterion turned towards Hercules, their own fight suspended.

  ‘Drop that cursed sword and fight me like a real man!’ Antaeus thundered as he reached Hercules.

  ‘You think it is my sword that makes me strong?’ laughed Hercules, and jammed Keravnos into the mast of the Hybris. ‘I thought you were smarter than your brethren. I see I was wrong.’

  Then the two of them were a blur, Antaeus’s huge form lunging, punching and kicking at the smaller human as he darted this way and that, landing his own blows on the giant.

  ‘Stop!’ The minotaur’s yell dragged Eryx’s attention away from his captain and towards the back of the ship. Asterion was racing towards the high quarterdeck, where Busiris was just visible.

  ‘Busiris! Leave the hippocampus! We need your help!’ Eryx shouted as the minotaur bounded up the steps to the quarterdeck ahead of him. Eryx ran after him, taking them three at a time and skidding to a stop when he reached the top. Busiris was straining and heaving to get the struggling hippocampus up to the railings, where the Orion’s longboat was hovering on the other side.

  The plan hadn’t been to use the longboat, it had been to drag the creature straight through the hole in the net and onto the deck of the Orion. When had Busiris got the longboat? A sick, uneasy feeling spread through Eryx’s gut as he made eye contact with the golden half-giant. He wasn’t going to fight.

  Asterion was only a few feet away now and Busiris heaved a final time, his muscles bulging as he lifted the tied-up animal high enough to throw it into the little boat. The hippocampus squealed as it landed with a thud. ‘Busiris, no! You can’t leave!’ Eryx shouted as the minotaur roared.

  Busiris threw him a last glance, a contemptuous smile on his face as he jumped over the railings after the hippocampus, and then the longboat was zooming over them, racing back towards the Orion.’ You cowardly bastard!’ Eryx screamed, shaking his fist as the little boat zipped through the hole in the net. His stream of curses was cut short, though, as Asterion powered into him. He landed hard on his backside, and went skidding across the planks. His breath caught as he tipped off the edge of the quarterdeck, feeling nothing but
air beneath him.

  15

  Lyssa gasped as she felt the ship break the surface of the water.

  ‘Captain!’

  ‘Lyssa!’

  She could hear her name being called, both out loud and in her head, by everyone on the ship, but she couldn’t answer them. She was still crouched on the planks under the fallen main sail, still pouring herself into the Alastor. She couldn’t lose her ship. She couldn’t.

  The rest of the world had dimmed to nothing, the bond taking over all her other senses. She could feel the hole in the hull, water draining from it as they slowly lifted from the surface of the ocean. She could feel every broken plank and splintered panel of wood. Worst of all was the feeling of the toppled mast, the core of the ship split in two. It felt so wrong it made her feel sick. Waves of dizziness were engulfing her but she clung on, feeding the Alastor everything she had.

  Suddenly light surrounded her, and as she looked up she saw Epizon towering over her as he ripped the sails back. He leaned down and she cried out as he scooped her up in his massive arms, breaking her connection with the wood of the ship. Convulsions immediately wracked her, and she tried to focus on Phyleus’s voice somewhere in the distance as pain crippled her muscles.

  ‘We’re safe now, the ship’s safe now. It’s OK, Lyssa, you did it. We’re all safe.’

  We’re all safe. They didn’t know, they couldn’t know, how broken the ship was. She tried to reach out for it, but she couldn’t feel the reassuring presence, the hum of ancient power. Her stomach roiled and the light made her head pound when she tried to open her eyes. Waves of bone-deep exhaustion threatened to engulf her completely, and she was aware of how close she was to passing out.

  ‘Abderos!’ she yelled suddenly, feeling Epizon jump as he carried her across the deck. She began to struggle in his arms, looking around for the navigator, trying to orient herself and feeling her stomach heave as she did so. The cramping renewed itself with vigour and she couldn’t stop herself from crying out in pain.

  ‘I’m here, Cap,’ Abderos replied in her mind, his voice shaky,

  ‘Are we still above the water?’ she gasped. Her body curled in on itself and she gripped her first mate’s shirt as the seizures rocked her legs. Epizon held her tight.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How? Can you still feel the ship through the wheel?’

  ‘Yes, Cap. But... it feels like you.’

  A new wave of convulsions took over. The pain was so blinding that Lyssa lost her battle, and the darkness swallowed her up.

  16

  Evadne ran from the hauler onto the deck in time to see Eryx skidding off the edge of the rear quarterdeck. He landed well, though, rolling as his shoulders hit the planks first, and coming back up to his feet as Asterion leaped from the deck after him. Was the hippocampus still up there? And where was the Alastor? If Hercules won this Trial then he was as good as immortal.

  She scanned the rest of the deck, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of the chaos. A cold, sick feeling clamped around her chest as she took in the spreading pool of blood under the bodies of Albion and Bergion. Two full giants, and he had slaughtered them both in the time she had been below decks. She could tell from their wounds that they had both been felled by a sword, and was surprised to see Keravnos sticking out of the main mast.

  Hercules and Antaeus were locked in a weaponless wrestling match, crashing around the main deck of the Hybris in a lethal tumble. By all rights, the giant should win, given that he was twice the size of the human man and a legendary fighter, but Evadne feared for him. She knew what Hercules was capable of. There was no danger of her captain noticing her while he was so distracted, though, so she ran as lightly as she could down the steps from the front quarterdeck and along the railings, towards Eryx.

  Only as she ran past the hole in the net did she realise that the Orion was gone. She slowed down, squinting out into the sea, and could just make out the Zephyr in the blue beyond, chugging away towards the city of Aquarius. If Antaeus and Eryx were still here fighting, then... that must be Busiris. Hope swelled in Evadne. The throne room was in the city, so if the devious coward was heading that way, he must have the hippocampus. That meant one less thing for her to worry about.

  A blood-curdling bellow halted her in her tracks and she turned to see Antaeus smashing into the deck of the Hybris. The broken and splintered planks gave out completely, and the giant’s arms flailed wildly as his huge body sank into a mess of broken wood. The long planks began tipping and bending and Evadne gripped the railings as Hercules ran towards the giant.

  ‘Captain!’ she heard Eryx shout as Antaeus grappled to pull himself out of the destroyed deck, the broken wood tearing the bare skin of his stomach as he tried to heave himself free. Hercules was on him in an instant. He wrapped one massive arm around the giant’s neck and Evadne’s stomach churned as she guessed what was coming.

  She dropped the pack from her shoulder, ripping it open and rummaging desperately for the crossbow she had stolen from the weapons room. She found it, and loaded a bolt into it with shaking hands. Hercules was wearing his lion skin, but Antaeus was thrashing enough that the cloak might slip. She just needed one good shot.

  As she stood and levelled the weapon at her captain, Asterion suddenly flew past her, as though he’d been shot from a catapult, then Eryx was launching himself at Hercules.

  Hercules didn’t loosen his grip on Antaeus’s neck, and the giant’s face was now turning purple, but his other arm shot out as Eryx reached him. The blow caught Eryx square in the jaw and knocked him skidding across the deck towards Evadne. Hercules’s eyes met hers, then flicked to the weapon in her hand. A slow, cruel smile spread across his face and fear paralysed her, her traitorous hand refusing to move. Antaeus was trying to pull himself out of the mangled deck with one arm, the other beating uselessly at Hercules.

  ‘Are you going to shoot me, little girl?’ Hercules called, wrapping his other arm around Antaeus’s neck and squeezing. Antaeus gasped and choked. Out of the corner of her eye, Evadne saw Eryx stumbling to his feet.

  ‘Let him go!’ she shouted back, her voice shaking as much as her hands.

  ‘Do you think he’ll be a better lover than me? I suppose he is a big boy,’ taunted Hercules. Antaeus’s eyes were starting to bulge, and turn red at the edges.

  ‘Let him go!’ roared Eryx.

  ‘I thought I’d enjoy killing you when I brought you on board, but I didn’t know I’d want it this much,’ Hercules said, his eyes still locked on hers.

  ‘Eryx, leave, now,’ Antaeus wheezed, and Hercules snapped his attention back to the giant. He swivelled around suddenly, keeping one arm round the giant’s neck and yanking hard as he flipped himself over. There was a sickening crack and Evadne felt her legs go weak.

  ‘No! No, no, no!’ Eryx bellowed, as the life left Antaeus’s eyes and he slumped forward. ‘You fucking monster! You bastard!’

  ‘Eryx, stop!’ Evadne screamed as Hercules rolled to his feet. She fired instinctively, fear for Eryx overwhelming her own terror. The bolt thumped into Hercules’s exposed shoulder. He stumbled backwards, tripping over Antaeus’s body, a roar of anger bursting from him. Eryx was running for him as she screamed his name again.

  ‘He told you to run, Eryx! Do as he told you! You can’t help him now. Help me!’ Eryx slowed down and turned to her as Hercules scrambled to his feet. ‘Come with me, please!’ She crammed every bit of fear and emotion she had into the sobbed plea, and relief flooded her as his legs began to move, running towards her now.

  She grabbed the pack off the deck, and climbed up onto the railings. Eryx had nearly reached her, but Hercules was only feet behind him, blood dripping down his chest and lethal fury in his expression.

  ‘Jump!’ Eryx yelled as he sprang at the railings. She took a massive breath and leaped from the Hybris into the ocean.

  Hercules set sail form Crete and the first thing he did when he reached Libya was to challenge Antaeus, who wa
s famous across the world for his strength and skill at wrestling. The giant had killed all those he fought, until Hercules slew him.

  EXCERPT FROM

  Library of History by Diodorus Siculus

  Written 1 BC

  Paraphrased by Eliza Raine

  17

  Cold ocean engulfed Eryx and he kicked away from the Hybris as fast as he could, following Evadne as she swam up towards the surface. Fury such as he had never experienced before was hammering through his body. He would kill Hercules, if it was the last thing he ever did. Why was he following this girl like a coward? Why was he not there now, ending that evil man’s life once and for all?

  Antaeus’s last croaked words rang through his mind. Eryx, leave, now. His captain had been good. He had been strong and solid and the only friend Eryx had ever really had. He hadn’t deserved to die like that. He hadn’t deserved to die at all.

  Grief welled up inside Eryx, and he let out an involuntary roar of pain. Water filled his mouth and he thrashed around, panic overwhelming him. Then Evadne was gripping his arm, forcing liquid from a vial into his mouth. His body was desperate for air, swallowing water against his will, and then he tasted something so bitter he retched hard. To his surprise, his mouth filled with dry air. He gulped it down gratefully, chest heaving. What had she given him?

  She watched him a second, then began swimming again, heading up towards the light. He kicked his legs, swimming after her. The image of Antaeus slumping forward as his neck snapped played over and over in his head as they swam, seeming to take an eternity to cover the distance. Had he done the right thing, following Evadne? She had tried to save Antaeus. He’d seen her, ready to take the shot before Hercules killed him. Busiris may have been right about her time on the Hybris being up, but he’d been wrong about her.