Blood of Troy by Claire Andrews

Author:Claire Andrews [Andrews, Claire M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2022-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

A feather-light touch along my arm pulls me from dreams of Eleusis. Theseus and the golden fields disappear, replaced by the soft furs and sheer curtains of my room.

“Did nobody tend to your wounds before you fell asleep?” Moonlight halos Apollo’s head. “Remind me to chew out Lykou the next time I see that dog. You would have woken too stiff to even climb from your furs.”

He brushes a tender thumb down my forearm.

“No.” I catch his hand before it can move to my side, despite a bruised rib there silently yelling at me to let him continue. “Save your strength. Help the others who have worse wounds than I.”

A tender smile pulls at Apollo’s beautiful face. He brushes a curl from my brow. “You are too selfless for these mortals, and I too selfish to be a god.” He presses a finger to my lips before I can protest. “The goddesses Akeso and Panakeia are already tending to the wounded.”

I don’t release his hand. “No.”

“I cannot heal you anyway,” he says gruffly. “Not with my powers bound. Let me take you to Panakeia.”

He pulls his hand away and hooks it under my legs before lifting me. His chest is firm, and I must be utterly exhausted, because no qualms echo through my mind at tucking my chin into his arm.

He’s wearing a red silk cloak, threaded with the silver moon and golden sun. I smile, the movement cracking my dry lips.

“Do you and Artemis pick out your clothes together? I bet she has the same cloak in green.” I shift to stare at the tiled ceiling. “Was it your need to find the perfect outfit that kept you from helping in a timely manner?”

“I assure you this cloak is no more ridiculous than the cap that Hermes used to wear.” Apollo matches my smile. “It had this stupid floppy brim and these fluffy white wings that would drop feathers everywhere. Zeus ordered him to throw it in the ocean after the messenger was caught spying on Hera for him because she found the feathers all over the floor.”

“Quit deflecting,” I say, poking him in the side. The steady rock of his feet makes my eyelids heavy. “Everyone between here and Mount Kazbek knows that you won’t leave your palace unless the color of your cloak flatters your complexion.”

Night, thick and impenetrable, blankets the hallway. Sleep tugs at me, Hypnos somewhere nearby drawing me into the lulling folds of dreams and a world where my bodily pains no longer exist.

“I’m sorry, Daphne,” Apollo whispers. I crack my eyes open. His face is unreadable in the long shadows of the hallway. “I wish I could have been there to fight alongside you.”

“Where were you really? Don’t tell me I’m right and that you skipped the battle to fluff up your wardrobe.”

“Zeus trapped me atop Olympus.” Fury flickers on his face. “He tricked me. I didn’t even know the battle began. Not until it was already over.”

“That bastard.” I sigh into his shoulder.

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