by Jane, C. R.
After drying my hair, leaving it loose over my shoulders, I made a quinoa salad with raw salmon on the side. I trained hard, and I ate right. I never drank. Power like mine and losing control when I was drunk was a terrible combination. My brother Seth had proved that before he’d died.
I sat down on the couch with my meal and switched on the television.
Someone knocked on my door, and I groaned. I didn’t feel like getting up; plus, I was starving.
“Elyse,” Heracles called. I recognized his voice through the door. I frowned. Heracles never came to my apartment.
I pushed myself up from the couch and hurried to the front door. When I opened it, Heracles stood there larger than life, his brow furrowed with concern. He wore the leather armor he was depicted wearing in all the images in books and on the internet, complete with the rubber wristbands, the leather strip skirt, and the sandals. He held the golden shield as if it were made of paper. A black strip was tied around his forehead, and his light chestnut hair was pulled back in a ponytail of sorts. He looked divine, to say the least. I lost my breath and was pretty sure my neighbors might die of shock at seeing him dressed up this way.
“Did you go see your dad? Or are you heading to a costume party?” I teased, hoping it was the latter since that meant this wasn’t a serious talk. Or maybe for a change, he was inviting me out to have fun?
He stepped into the apartment, all shoulders and brooding. Worry knotted in my gut. I’d never seen him dressed like this. Supernatural energy radiated off him like steam, and I had to take a few deep breaths to steady myself.
“What’s wrong?”
He arched an eyebrow as if my comment didn’t warrant a response. “Yeah, I went to see Dad, and I’m here to warn you. Something big is coming.” His velvety voice was deeper than usual. The more time he spent on Earth between visits to his dad, the more the god-quality wore off and he seemed more like a human. A perfectly sculpted, crazy attractive human, but still. When he came back from Mount Olympus, he was riddled with power that skipped down his arms.
“Like what?” I asked, not sure I was ready to press the panic button yet. He had a habit of over-worrying, like last month when he’d insisted I shouldn’t visit the new café in town that had a peacock for its brand. I’d seen no issue with it, while he’d insisted the location was affiliated with Hera. Oh yeah, someone still held a grudge against the Queen of the Olympian gods, who believed peacocks were sacred. Then again, Hera had tricked Heracles into going mad and he killed his loved ones. Anyway, I’d visited the café and had the best coffee ever. Plus, I’d survived.
Heracles shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as if he struggled to stand in the afterglow of the gods, just like me. It buzzed in my veins, as if I’d eaten two big chocolate blocks in a row. And now, I hummed on a high.
“I don’t know.” Worry marred his brow. “My father warned me. Hades is causing trouble in the Underworld. Whatever is going to happen, it will probably come up from the Underworld. You have to be ready.” He spoke fast, the bridge of his nose pinching.
Suddenly, fear clutched at my throat, and my chest was tight. “What if I’m not ready? This is freaking Hades we’re talking about! I can’t even defeat you!”
He stiffened, squaring his shoulders. “You have to be ready, Elyse. You’re the only one left, and if something is coming and you don’t do anything, a lot of people are going to die.” He gripped his hips, staring down at me as if I were a child in the same way my dad used to do when I’d refused to train.
I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe. I could do this. Wasn’t this what I’d been training for? Besides, I couldn’t stand Hades, so whatever he sent our way deserved an ass-kicking.
But I hoped to God that Hades wasn’t personally going to visit Earth. And this was why I so wished Heracles had said we were going to a costume party instead. Because if I was taking on the god of the Underworld on my own, I might as well sign my own death warrant right now.
Keep Reading Apollo Is Mine Here.
Jump into the rest of the Gods and Monsters series:
Poseidon Is Mine
Ares Is Mine
Hades Is Mine
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Other Books by C.R. Jane
The Fated Wings Series
First Impressions
Forgotten Specters
The Fallen One (a Fated Wings Novella)
Forbidden Queens
Frightful Beginnings (a Fated Wings Short Story)
Faded Realms
Fearless Dreams (2019)
The Rock God (a Fated Wings Novella)
The Timeless Affection Series
Lamented Pasts
Lost Passions
The Pack Queen Series
Queen of the Thieves
Queen of the Alphas (2019)
Broken Souls Series
School of Broken Souls (2019)
The Rise Again Series
The Day After Nothing (2019)
The Sounds of Us Contemporary Series
Remember Us This Way
Remember You This Way
Remember Me This Way (2019)
Fallen World Series Co-write with Mila Young
Bound
Broken
Join Mila Young’s Wicked Readers
Mila Young tackles everything with the zeal and bravado of the fairytale heroes she grew up reading about. She slays monsters, real and imaginary, like there's no tomorrow. By day she rocks a keyboard as a marketing extraordinaire. At night she battles with her might pen-sword, creating fairytale retellings, and sexy ever after tales. In her spare time, she loves pretending she's a mighty warrior, walks on the beach with her dogs, cuddling up with her cats, and devouring every fantasy tale she can get her pinkies on.
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Books By Mila Young
Gods and Monsters
Apollo Is Mine
Poseidon Is Mine
Ares Is Mine
Hades Is Mine
Haven Realm Series
Hunted (Little Red Riding Hood Retelling)
Cursed (Beauty and the Beast Retelling)
Entangled (Rapunzel Retelling)
Wicked Heat Series
Wicked Heat #1
Wicked Heat #2
Wicked Heat #3
Elemental Series
Taking Breath #1
Taking Breath #2
Fallen World Series Co-write with Mila Young
Bound
Broken
