Page 71 of Blood of Olympus

Finally, they had come.

“Do we have a plan, Majesty?” Aros asked quietly.

“Aside from jumping right into the chaos? No,” I replied with a grimace.

“May I?”

I waved a hand. “By all means.”

He stormed over to address all who had answered my call. Every shiny Olympian was dressed ready for battle, and several dozen mortals had come, prepared to fight — and die — too. And they all listened, captivated, as Aros addressed them.

“We know not what we face but that it comes from evil. It bears malice in its heart and seeks to cause us all harm. Kronos has deemed it necessary to attack mortal cities with no regard for innocent blood spilled — knowing only that it pains us gods by doing so.

Make no mistake — today, we go to war. Today, we fight for those unable to defend themselves; for those who have been deemed insignificant by the Titan lord; those who have been overlooked as mere pawns.

We fight for our families, ourselves, and our futures.

We fight against the tyranny Kronos would sorely love to impart.

Some of us may take our last breath minutes from now, and to those I say: eis to epanidein.”

“Eis to epanidein,” they repeated as one.

‘Til we meet again.

“If you find yourselves free of pain and the clamour of battle,” Aros continued. “Fear not for you are already dead.”

Murmured laughter was shared between them.

“But if you live? If you live, then glory will find you this day.”

That familiar and unmissed sensation of ice in my veins and glass in my lungs returned. I was desperate to reach Caelus — to take my place by his side.

“We will defeat our foes this day!” Aros shouted.

The thump of fists on breastplates answered him.

“We will defeat the evil sent to harm us!”

Thump.

“We will cause Kronos to think twice before coming for us again!”

Thump.

“Wrap it up, time to go,” I whispered.

“Dýnami kai timí!” he roared.

“Dýnami kai timí!” they echoed, frantically pounding on their chests.

“Strength and honour,” I breathed, summoning the might of my shadows and forming an enormous arch in the centre of the field.

Lykos wasted no time, bounding to the gate in one gigantic leap.

“To war!” I cried.

“To war!” they answered, running towards my darkness without a sliver of hesitation.