Page 154 of Blood of Olympus

The Titan made a repulsed sound, allowing me the slightest reprieve so as not to vomit on him.

When there was nothing of substance left in my stomach, his grip tightened and his free hand snatched my chin, jerking my face back up to his.

“Now, where was I? Ah, yes.”

Even behind my closed lids, I could see his power intensifying. Multicoloured orbs danced behind them, twinkling as my eyes flitted about.

His thumb pressed down on the fragile skin beneath my left eye — gently at first, then sharper. A finger grazed my eyelid as he spoke again, barely more than a whisper.

“It’s foolish to fight against me. To throw your lot in with them, just as your father did. We are inevitable. You will see.”

And then he forced my eye open — and see, I did.

Hyperion was a vague person-like shape behind a screen of pure, merciless white. Light tore through my sight like flames engulf straw — quickly and without kindness. Pain split me open, or so it felt, as Hyperion’s power consumed me right down to the deepest, darkest recesses of my mind.

I screamed, tearing my vocal cords to shreds until all that was left was a guttural keen.

Eventually the pain tapered, but the light — the light never fled. The only thing left for me to witness was white. Stark, empty, white.

“A shame, really, to ruin such a beautiful iris. I’ve never seen that shade of green before,” he said as if to himself. “Oh well. The only thing worse than one ruined eye is a mismatched set.” His chuckle was all broken glass and sharp daggers as he pressed his fingers down around my right eye.

“No,” I whimpered. “Please, don’t.”

“She begs!” He roared a laugh. “Oh, my brother will love to hear it. Worry not, my child, it will only feel like a pinch.” And then he forced it open, too.

Agony overpowered every other sensation. Gone was the knowledge that a Titan was perched on my chest. Gone was the battle and the war. Gone was every shred of who I was, am, or ever would be.

I was pain. I was torment. I was suffering.

And I was nothing else.

CHAPTER 38

Caelus

The second a large globule of crimson hit my shoulder, I lost my shit. Lightning smote the hideous lizard-hybrid Ceraunos had just torn through, and I whirled on my wolf, inspecting every inch of his hide for damage in the span of a breath.

He was splattered in scarlet droplets and I cursed.

Where are you injured? Let me see? I demanded of the snarling beast.

This doesn’t belong to me.

An ear-splitting screech rent the air, a sound so cut-throat and tortured the battle around us seemed to pause to look skyward. Velira cut across the sky above us like she was a clay puppet and someone above was haphazardly pulling her strings, jarring her this way and that, every beat of her wings rough and out of time.

Blood streamed from the underside of her belly, striking the ground in waves that fell in sheets between each beat of her lilac wings. She dipped too low, and climbed too slowly, battling gravity as much as air. The next time she plunged, my heart sank.

The only reason Vel would be bleeding and carting an empty saddle was if things had gone very, very wrong.

Nightshade?

No answer. Her emotions were but a fleeting, wisp inside me.

“Did anyone see where the dragon came from?!” I bellowed.

Evie shook her head, Aros’ whipped around so fast he ought to have whiplash. He took one look at my features and blanched.

“Where is she?”