Tentatively, I grabbed another fruit, then another.
Three hours later I’d consumed enough fruit, cheeses, and meats to sustain me for months.
When I finished gorging myself, Patro and Achilles were still sitting across the table, and they wore annoyed expressions. Well, I assumed Achilles was annoyed—it was hard to tell with the muzzle.
I still wanted to borrow it.
Sighing, I slumped low in the chair (almost fell out of it, but the corner of the table kept me upright).
“What?” I asked as they glared at me.
Patro snorted. “You have the weakest stomach of anyone I’ve ever met and even worse table manners. You need to stop being so dramatic and gluttonous.”
I stared at him numbly.
The audacity of man persists.
Patro clapped his hands and nodded like he’d come to a conclusion. “We’re fucked—how in all of Kronos’s creation did we get stuck withyouas our mentee? It must be a sick joke. You’re the most pathetic Spartan I’ve ever seen.”
A sharp sensation pierced through my heart.
I was tired of everyone labeling me inadequate.
Something snapped inside of me.
Clasping my shaking hands together, I rested them on the table. “Must be so tragic,” I whispered, “that your fate as generals rests in my pathetic hands.”
Both men narrowed their eyes dangerously.
Smoke billowed out from the grates of Achilles’s muzzle. His vermilion eyes were on fire. “We’ll kill them later,” he’d signed so casually.
I wasn’t dealing with men.
I was dealing with monsters.
“Are you threatening us?” Patro asked softly.
“What’s my strategy?” I countered.
Patro’s nostrils flared, and he gripped the table like he was about to throw it at my head. “Seduce the other initiates,” he finally said. “Distract them so they fail.”
What?
“No—I’d rather die,” I said honestly.
“That can be arranged.” Patro lunged toward me threateningly, but this time, I didn’t flinch.
Hit me.
I dare you.
You’re not the first.
“Then d-do it.” My voice was unnaturally cold, and everything went numb. “Kill me right now.”
Please.
Patro inhaled through gritted teeth and flexed his hands like he was trying not to throttle me.
