He stopped in the middle of the arena, pulled a silver arrow from his back holster, and cocked his bow.
“House of Artemis … Hunter … House of Artemis …” The chant increased in decibel as all of Sparta joined in.
The gate slowly opened.
Squakkkkkkkk.
Leathery black and green scales slithered through the sand.
Someone shrieked.
Cracks echoed around the arena, people disappearing in clouds of smoke, as cowardly Olympians leapt away to safety.
Not again.
Hades fisted his hands with rage and shouted, “What in Kronos is this?” All the leaders stood up. Aphrodite pointed down at Zeus—“EXPLAIN YOURSELF.”
Zeus didn’t take his eyes off Kharon.
Three Typhons slithered across the sand.
The twenty-foot-long, thick-bellied serpentine beasts had monstrous beaks on their wide humanesque faces.Clap. Clap. Clap.Short leathery black wings flapped uselessly as they moved.
Class seven beasts.
Designation: kill on sight.
They lived on abandoned islands in the Adriatic Sea. At night, they infamously slithered into the water, hunting sharks that lived in underwater caves. Highly territorial and dangerous—their salivaboiledflesh.
The ultimate monsters of Sparta.
Zeus smiled, electricity zapping across his teeth as he watched them advance on Kharon.
Yes, this was war.
Squakkkkkkkk.
Kharon loosed an arrow—with perfect accuracy, it burrowed deep into one of the Typhon’s open beaks.
Green blood sprayed.
The creature gagged as it choked, tail thrashing wildly beneath it. An arrow slammed into one eye, then the other. The beast crashed down onto the sand, twitching as it choked on the weapon.
But the other two Typhons were heading directly for Kharon.
One of the Typhons spit—Kharon and both hellhounds rolled at the same time. They dodged the sizzling pile of goop melting the sand where he’d just stood.
They ran, circling around the remaining two Typhons.
Squakkkkkkkk.
Kharon unleashed another arrow straight into an open beak—a second beast choked, flailing about. Hell and Hound jumped from behind—teeth sinking deep into the creature’s serpentine neck as they mauled it.
The last standing Typhon whirled in a circle, its eye remaining on Kharon, who was stalking around it with his bow cocked, waiting.
It didn’t squawk.
Time stretched, but the beast never opened its beak wide.
