Sons of Zeus (The Warrior Trilogy #1)

As for Olympias herself, she was as glamorous and beautiful as her palace.

Black hair hung to her waist, with ribbons and chains of silver and gold interwoven in intricate designs throughout. Her gown seemed to glow, white and shiny, which brought out her flawless olive skin and blazing green eyes. The amethyst mentioned earlier hung in the hollow of her neck. She even had perfect teeth, and Sera had the thought that it should be against some universal law for people to look so good.

“I did not invite you here,” she said to Aristotle after Alexander introduced them all to her. They were sitting in some kind of fancy parlor, with cushion-laden wooden furniture and colorful tapestries hanging on the walls. One huge window let in a burst of golden sunlight. Olympias was the only one standing, towering like the statue of Plato outside.

“No, you did not,” Aristotle said, surprisingly firm after the diss. “But I assure you we have vital reasons for being here. We only need a few moments of your time to explain.”

Not so much as a muscle twitched on the face of Olympias. “Time that I do not have.”

The philosopher finally stood to put himself on the same level as their hostess. “I would expect better treatment after all I’ve done for your son, my lady. I’ve come to learn of a threat that poses great danger to that very boy.” He glanced at Alexander, who sat quietly in a chair located in the corner of the room — he seemed to be analyzing every word, every movement, content to wait for more information. “I highly recommend you take a seat and hear us out.”

Olympias eyed the man, not moving for what seemed to Sera like a full hour. But then she finally smiled, acting as if she’d been doing so since the moment they met. After a brief nod of her head, she took a seat in the biggest chair in the room, one that was draped in silk and appeared to be made out of solid gold. She looked for all the world like a queen on her throne.

“Very well,” she said in a stately manner. Then her eyes found a spot on a couch, right next to Sera. “Please, sit.” Somehow she’d turned things around to make Aristotle seem like the obstinate one.

But the philosopher was unfazed. He plopped down ungracefully and started talking. “We’ve uncovered an assassination plot.”

For the first time, the lady’s demeanor broke a little — eyes widened in shock, a little tremor in her mouth. And Sera knew why. She probably thought Aristotle was talking about her plan to have King Philip murdered. But she recovered and waited to hear more.

“Someone wants your son dead, Olympias,” Aristotle continued. “And I can’t tell you why or how we know, but we do, and we know that she is coming here to do it. We must work together to prevent it from happening.”

“And why should I believe you?” Olympias responded. Sera wanted to growl like the dogs earlier — she really didn’t like this woman.

“Because you trusted me for years to tutor your son and raise him in the ways of wisdom and light. If you doubt me, or refuse to protect him, then I’d have to conclude that you have your own ill tidings planned for the very near future.”

The tension in the room was strung as tightly as a piano wire. Sera held her breath.

Olympias waited. And waited. And waited. She had the patience of a crocodile. Finally, she answered, and Sera didn’t know if she would ever breathe again when she heard the words.

“You must be talking about my new friend. The woman named Tilda.”





DAK WANTED to stand up, scream and yell, demand answers. But he was so stunned by what Olympias had said that he just sat there, staring at her. The others reacted the same. Alexander’s mother knew she’d gotten them good.

“She told me this might happen,” Olympias continued when no one questioned her statement. “We’ve been meeting at the market, and she’s become a very good friend. She’s so . . . different, with that red hair that shines in the sun like fired iron. I can hardly wait for our meetings. In fact, I’ve invited her to come and meet Alexander soon. It’s not often I allow guests into my home.”

Dak closed his eyes for a second and shook his head. What in the world was going on here?

Alexander spoke next from his chair in the corner. “Would someone please explain this nonsense? My teacher says that someone plans to kill me, and then my mother says her new market friend told her this would happen. Explain.”