Kyros' Secret (Greek Myth Series Book 1) Read Free

everything before it’s too late.”
    “All I know is that Rodas is supposed to meet with Ares and his daughter outside the temple of Aphrodite. When Rodas was heading out I heard him mumbling something about the girl bearing his child.”
    “Damn him to Tartarus!” Chiron grabbed an arrow and his bow from his back and turned to go.
    “Wait, Chiron.” Kyros ran to catch up to him, sword at the ready. “What do you think is going on?”
    The old man stopped and lowered his bow. “It’s happened, Kyros. Ares has found a way to bring war between the centaurs and the people of Trozen. And when he’s finished, not a single centaur will live to tell about it.”
     
    * * *
     
    “Father, where are we going?” Thera glanced over her shoulder at her father’s three henchmen who followed them. Oddly enough, they were on horses while she and Ares were on foot. Her bow and arrow were mounted on her back, though she had no intention of using them to hunt a poor defenseless animal again.
    Ares didn’t answer, just dragged her along behind him. In the distance, Thera could see the temple of her mother, Aphrodite. No one would be there this late in the day. Usually by sunset, all who’d come to worship had gone on to the safety of their homes.
    “You’re still angry because Hades refused to bring your raven back from the dead, aren’t you?” she asked her father.
    That got his attention. He stopped so suddenly that Thera went crashing into him. The smell of leather surrounded her and she felt her father’s anger though he tried to hide it.
    “I thrive on war, and my brother, Hades, thrives on the dead I send him. He’s upset I haven’t sent more his way lately. For this, he’s decided to keep my raven. But don’t worry, Daughter, for it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m sure Hades will return my pet all in good time.”
    “You mean after you’ve started another war?”
    Ares chuckled and ran his hand over his beard. “No, Thera. I mean after you’ve started a war.”
    Thera took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she digested her father’s words.
    “I would never start a war between anyone and you know it.”
    “No, Thera, you wouldn’t. That’s why I’ve decided to help you out. You see, you’ve got the war-like abilities in your blood. And now that you’ve killed my raven, you’ll find yourself wanting to kill even more. First you’ll feel pity, then disgust. Next you’ll feel anger, and then hatred. Soon that hatred will blind you and you’ll want nothing more than to kill. And you’ll kill all right, even those you may have once thought you loved.”
    “What are you saying?” Thera was shocked at the thought. Never could she kill the animals of the forest she loved so well. The henchmen caught up to them, and Ares nodded for them to wait in the distance. As Thera watched them leave, she realized one of them brought along an extra horse.
    She backed away from Ares and eyed him suspiciously. “You plan on sending me away, don’t you?”
    “You’re to marry the king of Trozen.”
    “What? You’re sending me to marry a mortal?”
    “You’ll no longer be immortal, Thera. I’ve talked to the other gods and we’ve decided to take back your immortality along with your gift of eternal youth.”
    “Zeus gave me those gifts, not you.”
    “He’s agreed to it. But because of him, you’ll maintain your power of the senses.”
    “And my other powers as well?”
    “No, Thera. You’ll live like a human, but you’ll only have your power of the senses. Nothing else.”
    Thera almost welcomed the change but decided not to show it. “Sounds more like a curse than a gift. Are you telling me the truth about Zeus?”
    The sound of hoofbeats grasped her attention. She turned her head to see a rugged-looking centaur standing just beyond the temple. His gamy aroma filled her nostrils and her blood stirred restlessly in her veins.
    “Who’s he?” she asked.
    “He’s going to be the father of