Heart of Stone by Kelly Keaton

Author:Kelly Keaton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult Paranormal Fiction, myths & legends, greek
Publisher: Kelly Keaton
Published: 2015-02-07T05:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

THE AIR WENT FROM hot and humid to cool and slightly musty. Dim light illuminated a wide archway and spilled weakly into the room, illuminating smooth marble walls covered in shadowy figures. As my eyes adjusted, I realized the shadows were part of a long mural that wrapped around the entire room, depicting a glorious battle of gods and men.

There was a large table in the middle of the room, a giant chuck of agate. Every visible inch except for the smooth surface was carved in the most amazing scenes of triumph and war. It was easy to imagine Ares bent over the table, maps spread across its surface as he planned his next invasion.

A fine layer of dust covered the table and made me think of Hestia. Obviously she’d seen no reason to care for the temple of a god who had died a thousand years ago.

It made me a little sad to think this amazing place was now a mirror of its forgotten patron god.

The sound of my footsteps and the rub of my clothes invaded the hollow space as I left the war room and went down the corridor into the main hall.

Thick columns disappeared into a ceiling so high it was lost in somber darkness. Unlike the bright, colossal awe of Zeus’ temple, Ares’ temple was a slumbering brute, an altar to warfare, strength, prowess, precision, violence, bloodshed...

The glory of the great war god had passed. Strength and power no longer stalked the massive halls. I let my fingers trail along a smooth column as I approached the light filtering in from a long, open colonnade across the main hall. There was an aura of belonging, of communion here, one that spoke to the part of me that loved a good fight, loved a challenge, that understood the art of battle and understood the intrinsic nature of shedding blood, of killing...

As I drew closer to the open colonnade, a neglected garden came into view. The air held the slightest chill, the muted light suggesting dawn had settled over the mountain.

Grass grew through cracks in the stone path that led to the garden. To my left was a large round space with a low bench that went along its circumference. No grass grew in the circle. On the wall of the temple by the circle were pegs that once held weapons.

I was pretty sure I was looking at Ares’ training area and could almost hear the sound of blade against blade, of grunts and taunts and jeers, and deep, male laughter.

Bran would love this place, I thought as I headed right and through the long garden, surveying the area and listening for any signs of life within and beyond the high wall surrounding it. Soon the sun would wash away the thin membrane of mist remaining in the air and all of Olympus would wake.

I needed to find Mel’s temple before that happened.

My gaze snagged on a derelict fountain nestled in a far corner surrounded by statues and flowering trees.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.