As Eros crept away, Hektor blasted the god with his fire. He knew he couldn’t kill Eros, but he relished watching the god writhe and scream in agony as his dragon fire consumed his hair and the once snowy-white feathers of his wings turned to ash. The force of his flames pushed the god off the edge of a cliff, sending him plummeting toward the ground.
It had been over a year since the incident, yet Hektor could still feel the sting from Eleanora’s rejection. But lately, he thought he had been doing well, as he kept himself busy with amassing his hoard and growing his treasure trove to a point that he had to renovate the eastern wing of his den. Truly, he thought he was making progress. Sometimes days passed and he didn’t even think of Eleanora.
But then he heard she was expecting her first child.
The news made him spiral deep into depression. So when he found out Eros was in this realm, he wanted to burn the god again, to make him feel the same anguish that Hektor had been living with, if only for a little while.
Yet here he was, about to have a sit down with that very blackguard, his mortal enemy. Perhaps it was because Eros’s words had turned him inside out.
She never loved you.
“I know we did not leave on good terms the last time we met, Hektor,” Eros said as he led him out toward the main reception area.
“An understatement,” Hektor replied with a grunt.
“Indeed.” Eros’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “You tried to kill me. I was already bleeding from your friends’ fists when you blasted me with your Drakkon fire, you know.”
“And you deserved it,” he retorted.
“I did.”
Now that took Hektor aback. The god sounded almost…repentant?
A vast difference from their encounter over a year ago.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to one of the black leather chairs in the room.
Despite the storm brewing inside him, he sat down. He could not deny that he was intrigued by the god’s proposition about joining his team of…whatever they were.
“Tell me about what you do here.”
Eros draped himself over the armchair opposite him. “As I said, this is a special place. Normally I wouldn’t just give out the details of what we do, but since you’re interested in working with us, I’ll just tell you. We are looking for some very specific people.”
“What kind of people?”
“The progeny of Zeus.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me.” Eros leaned forward. “Specifically, the children of Zeus and creatures. Demigods who are part monster.”
“Why?”
“We believe they are in danger.”
Hektor grunted. “From whom?”
“That’s also something we need to find out. Someone else is looking for the children of Zeus as well, but they have more nefarious intentions. They’ve already attempted to kill my brother-in-law, Perseus, who is one of Zeus’s sons by a wolf shifter from the Upperworld.”
“Why?
Eros paused. “The reason is confidential, but I suppose if I’m asking you to come work for us, you should know. There was a prophecy that said one of Zeus’s children by a non-human wouldsomeday either free him from his current prison or unseat him and take Olympus’s throne.”
“You’re not sure?”
“The prophecy was worded vaguely. Really, I don’t even know why they’re called prophecies when they’re more like indefinite predictions,” the god said with a chuckle. “Anyway, someone kidnapped Perseus because they thought he might fulfill this prophecy.”
“And did he?”
