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“Patroclus Fotos.”
My attention drags back to the entrance as Patroclus walks through. The others have all dressed to impress, but he’s wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. He looks like he wants to be anywhere but here, which is somehow endearing. I can’t help comparing him to the boy I knew once upon a time, sweet and quiet and positively nerdy. He doesn’t look the same, but he’s familiar despite that. Not to mention the man is hot now. No one is going to look at him and decide he’s an easy mark, not with those broad shoulders and big hands. And he’s so damn smart, too. I could practically see his impressive brain whirling and spinning out from being so close to me. My personal taste these days leans more toward pretty and vapid, but I can’t deny that I loved ruffling his feathers.
I want to do it again.
I want to ruffle them a whole lot.
“Achilles Kallis.”
Despite myself, my breath catches at the sight of Achilles in a deep-blue suit. He’s so damn attractive and he knows it, stalking across the sand with an intent that feels almost violent. Why is that so sexy? He’s exactly the kind of person I would have gone for in the past, the exact kind of person who would have seen my proximity to Zeus as a tool to be used to their benefit. Paris certainly did. I can practically feel Achilles’s intent and ambition. The others are dangerous, but he wants this more than anyone.
Except me.
Once the cheers die down, a small smile pulls at Athena’s mouth. “And our final champion. Helen Kasios.”
Chaos breaks loose as I smooth my hand over my short golden dress and stride down the walkway to the arena floor. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what the greater Olympus population thinks of any of the individual champions, because the victor is the one who becomes Ares. With all that said, only a fool wouldn’t start to curry favor from the very beginning. Achilles obviously has considered this, but he doesn’t have the kind of practice I do with manipulating public opinion.
I wink and blow a kiss at the camera pointed in my direction that’s feeding video to the large screens overhead. The chaos morphs into cheers. Perfect. I wave and head across the sand to my podium. Walking gracefully across sand in heels is harder than it looks, but I practically live in six-inch stilettos; I make it look easy.
Achilles moves before I reach the podium, jumping down and closing the distance between us. I tense but manage to keep my smile in place. Is he really going to try to stop me?
The asshole grins and offers his hand. “Fancy seeing you here, princess.”
I speak through gritted teeth. “You really don’t think I need help stepping up twelve inches, do you?”
His charming smile doesn’t slip. “Everyone loves a gentleman.”
Oh yeah, Achilles knows exactly how to play the game. I’d find it impressive that an orphan soldier had a better public persona than some children of the Thirteen I know, but I’m too irritated to give him any credit. With one move, he’s put me right back into damsel territory. I can’t ignore his hand or I’ll look like an asshole, which is something I can’t afford this early in the game.
I set my hand in his, a secret part of me thrilled by how he seems to dwarf me, even when I step up onto the podium and am technically taller than he is. He holds my hand a beat too long, his gaze coasting over me in a way that feels appreciative without being gross. “You know, last night I thought having you as a wife was just a side effect of getting the title I want.”
“You won’t have me as your wife,” I hiss.
“Oh yeah, I really will.” His grin widens, his dark eyes lighting up with something I could almost believe is desire. “You won’t win this, princess. Better to get some egg on your face now and keep those pretty features intact. Being married to me won’t be so bad. Trust me.”
I glare. “Take your hand off me.”
He releases me easily, turning that winning smile on the crowd as he jumps back onto his podium. I swear I can hear people actually swooning in the stands, which only makes my blood pressure rise. Maybe that’s the reason I forget myself and look up to the box seat where my brother stands. I can feel his glare from here, even if he’s not on any of the screens. I have to fight back a shiver.
It’s too late to go back. Not even Zeus himself can remove a champion once they’ve been announced. After this point, we’ll all be housed in a secondary location and cut off from everyone else in the city. It’s intended to avoid any meddling or attempts to cheat, but for me, it means that my siblings won’t be able to show up unannounced and try to convince me to back out. The only member of the Thirteen who can come and go freely from the champions’ quarters is Athena.
