Not swiftly enough.
Catching her around the waist, Ares hurled her to the ground and twisted her arms behind her back. There was a crack and Athena shrieked, her left arm bending at an unnatural angle, but Ares did not release her. The drumming rose in a crescendo, then fell silent as Zeus raised his goblet.
‘Ares is the victor.’ He looked at his wife. ‘You were right, my wise queen.’
Hera relaxed, warmth spreading through her body as Ares released his sister and clicked his fingers at one of the nymphs sitting in the front row. The girl paled, trembling as she rose and walked across the arena toward the gods. Ares grabbed her and pushed her down to her knees before his moaning sister.
The nymph closed her eyes, tears trickling beneath her lashes as Athena reached out with her good arm and clutched the nymph’s thigh. Then Ares took the nymph’s head in his hands and twisted. His sister gasped, her broken arm shuddering back into place through the power of consuming another’s life-threads. The nymph’s body slumped to the ground. As Ares and Athena took their seats, two more nymphs sprinted onto the arena floor, lifting the corpse and carrying it out of the way.
Hera gazed triumphantly at Poseidon. ‘You see, my boys are not so easily bested.’
The God of the Sea inclined his head and for a moment, all was right with the world.
Next, the twins, Apollo and Artemis, were stripped of their armour.
The two divine children launched themselves at one another. They were well matched, both tall and lean, yet theirsimilarity was also their greatest disadvantage. Where Apollo dived, Artemis dodged, and where she struck, he predicted her blow. They knew each other’s every move even before the thought had sparked.
The pair not being her blood, Hera’s attention drifted. But she was soon drawn back to the arena when one of the nymphs screamed, the cry echoing around the stadium. Hera’s brow creased. No blow appeared to have been landed by either Artemis or Apollo; they were still locked together, arms wrapped around one another as they struggled for dominance.
But the nymphs were not watching the match.
Something was falling from the sky, a dark tangle of wings and talons. Zeus rose to his feet as it crashed into the arena to lie twitching where it fell. Hera paced behind her husband as he ran down the stadium steps.
‘Get back!’ Zeus shouted as his children clustered around the creature.
A harpy.
Up close Hera could see that one of its wings was broken, its torso a bloody mess of lesions.
Her husband knelt beside the beast, tilting his ear to its leathery lips. A rasping sound issued from its mouth, but she could not catch the words. Zeus nodded once, then placed his hand over the harpy’s heart, and the creature stopped moving.
He stood, his palm stained with blood.
‘Leave us.’ The drum of feet echoed through the arena as Ganymede, the children and the nymphs fled from the stadium. ‘Poseidon, stay,’ Zeus added as his brother turned to follow.
Hera waited for the last nymph to vacate the stadium, then turned to her husband. ‘This isherdoing, isn’t it?’
Zeus’ eyes burned like the blue heart of a flame. ‘Leave.’
Hera blanched. ‘I fought her, I can help you –’
‘I said, leave.’
‘I am your wife. I deserve to be here as much as he does.’ She gestured towards Poseidon.
‘You are not my blood.’
The breath hitched in her throat. Cheeks burning, she turned on her heel and strode towards the archway that led out of the stadium and up into the palace. But once the sun no longer warmed her skin, she melted into the shadows, pressing her back to the stone wall of the passageway. Calming her breath, she strained to listen.
‘That was cruel, brother.’
Zeus ignored his comment. ‘The second harpy would have returned with her sister if she could. She must have perished.’
Poseidon hissed out a breath. ‘You must bid Hades craft more to send after the girl.’
‘No.’ There was a pause. ‘I knew the harpies would fail to destroy her. But with its dying breath, the one that returned revealed where she is. She will run, but her trail is fresh. I will have her soon.’
‘Will you kill her yourself?’
