Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1)

“I arched my eyebrow. ‘Are you questioning my abilities—young boy?’”

Fate speaks these words to Zeus, and the passage serves to establish the fact that even the mighty Spartans are not quite as permanent, immortal, or all-powerful as they would have others believe. Instead, they must acknowledge that certain entities, such as the Fates, are indeed their elders. Their habit of swearing by Kronos also supports this interpretation.

“No one knew where the human-esque immortal Titans with razor-sharp teeth, black veins, long claws, and superspeed came from, or why they tore humans apart for fun. Their existence was unfortunate if you wanted to live (I didn’t).”

In this passage, Alexis’s words take on a bleak, cynical tone as Mas uses the scene to demonstrate that humans—and likely Spartans—have learned to acclimatize to impossible circumstances in a way that normalizes the Titans’ presence. Alexis’s matter-of-fact and incurious attitude toward the origin of the Titans implies that she simply accepts them as part of her life, and her mindset is indicative of humans’ readiness to adapt to the presence of beings they cannot defeat and problems they cannot solve.

“Beasts didn’t scare me [Alexis]. People did. That was how a thirty-pound invisible poisonous snake became my closest companion.”

In this quote, Mas foreshadows the fact that Alexis will be perpetually “othered” by mainstream society—whether she walks in human or Spartan social circles. Because she will experience a significant amount of pain in both societies, it is clear that she finds the straightforward instincts and needs of beasts to be far easier to deal with.

“Wrists tweaking with phantom pain, I rubbed at the hair ties that covered the raised skin of old scars.”

This passage highlights the length and severity of the abuse that Alexis faces as a child. Because she is only 11 years old in this scene, her description of “old scars” indicates that her foster parents have been abusing her for most of her life.

“Mother grabbed a knife off the butcher block and swung it wildly, and she yelled something garbled about a red devil as she stared at me. Her expression was wild.”

Though the chaos of the scene is more clearly focused on the abusive environment that Alexis must endure, this passage also foreshadows her eventual discovery of her true identity and power as a Chthonic. The scene also alludes to the fact that although immortals and monsters may walk the earth, humans still believe in Christian ideology, as her foster mother still believes in the existence of “demons.”

“In those early hours, I befriended the second monster I’d ever met—myself.”

In this passage, Alexis provides a retrospective outlook on her past experiences, and Mas uses this narrative structure to reveal that Alexis has always thought of herself as a “monster” in one way or another. While the young Alexis believed herself monstrous for her ability to fend off her foster parents, she will eventually come to understand that her hidden core of steel comes from Chthonic powers, and she will be forced to face the grim reality that she is directly responsible for her foster mother’s death.

“Every Spartan to ever come out of [the House of Ares] was psychotic. Their powers were pure evil, even compared to the other Chthonic Houses. They tore people to shreds. For fun.”

This passage articulates the doctored narrative about Chthonics that the media outlets perpetuate, illustrating the strategic use of Mythology as Political Propaganda. The scene also foreshadows the fact that Augustus, the heir of the House of Ares, will prove this view of Chthonics to be partially true when he commands an unethical doctor to tear himself to shreds.

“There was an infamous image of a lone Titan emerging from the [nuclear] blast, disfigured but still moving, eyes locked on the injured humans caught in the blast zone. The mercenaries in the hall were five seconds of decoys at best, but apparently armed men glaring at students made everyone feel safe.”

This excerpt speaks to the vulnerability of humans in a world where Titans run wild. As Fate’s prophecy calls for Titans to inherit the earth should the “lost one” not be chained to death’s soldiers, this passage showcases what that future would mean for humans: Their deadliest weapons would prove futile to stop the Titans, and their lives would be lost.

“Guess what, you’re not even the first one to do this—last year we had eighteen fraudulent positives, all simpering girls…do you think we like to waste resources leaping across the globe, only for you to be fangirls who we have to […] murder? Kronos, it’s embarrassing the state humanity has fallen to.”

The presence of human “fangirls” for Spartans speaks to the toxic nature of the widely publicized misrepresentations of Sparta, its citizens, and their power. Spartans have been packaged as a product, and accurate representations of them are sorely lacking in media outlets across the globe. This dynamic suggests that humans have a disproportionate attachment to the very beings that they were previously trying to destroy, according to Spartan history. Additionally, the Spartan practice of murdering these girls for their relatively harmless transgressions implies that the Spartans have little regard for human life.

“As Kronos declared at the dawn of time—immortality is not a right, it is a privilege!”

This passage reveals the Spartan Federation’s rationale for submitting all 19-year-old Spartan sons to the initiation massacre and the crucible, proving that the Spartans hold a faulty concept of privilege. Although Kronos may have said that immortality should not be taken for granted, using this comment as justification for killing 40 boys (and more) each year is highly problematic at best, especially in the context of the Spartans’ infertility issues.

“I lost count. Boys fought everywhere. There was no tact, no dodging and expert maneuvers like the fiction books described in the library. There was no honor. We were animals.”

In this quote, Mas uses Alexis’s words to highlight a contradiction in Spartan social practices and so-called Spartan social values. While the initiation massacre is seen as a rite of passage for Spartan men, the act of senseless killing technically violates the honor code that Spartans allegedly espouse.

“Probably because [Kharon is] insane and like torturing Olympians. […] That’s what happens when Artemis procreates with Erebus—they say Kharon is more monster than man. Rumor is Artemis birthed him to punish Olympians for killing her daughters in the war—he’s her vengeance.”

In this passage, Mas showcases a cruel angle of Mythology as Propaganda, as the myth surrounding Kharon’s birth has become twisted, and this version is designed to portray him as something heartless and monstrous. Even the language used, such as “Artemis procreates,” is clinical and detached, and this stylistic choice emphasizes the assertion that no love or warmth was involved in his conception. As a tool of “vengeance,” he is portrayed as being incapable of love himself.

“My leg was a reminder. Even as a child, the federation had tried to destroy me. I hadn’t been old for the crucible, but according to the federation, I’d been old enough to be hunted in the Dolomites Coliseum and maimed like a feral creature.”

Here, Mas uses Kharon’s perspective to demonstrate the physical and psychological consequences of Spartan society’s collective choice to portray him as a monster rather than regarding him as an individual. When he was a child, fear of his power and reputation served as justification to subject him to unimaginable pain and terror in order to mitigate the threat that he represents to the Spartan Federation.

“There was a reason I hunted all day and night; if I stopped moving, I felt the agony. I remembered the trauma.”

In this excerpt revealing Kharon’s contemplations, Mas emphasizes the duality that haunts his thoughts and actions. When he was young and had not yet gained immortality, Kharon was the hunted subject, and his fixation on hunting during his adult years is ironically the only balm that he can find to shield himself from the residual effects of his trauma.

“The last person I’d felt this drawn to was Augustus. But with him, it made sense, since he was scarred and tormented, just like me. The hardness in his eyes, the blackness in his soul, was what had enticed me in the first place. Like recognized like.”

Despite being subject to prejudice and misleading information, Kharon isn’t able to recognize that his perception of Alexis is skewed. Instinctually, however, he recognizes the traces of psychological abuse in her, just as he recognizes these signs in himself and in Augustus.

“Blankly I stared back. I had no honor. I’d stolen everything I owned. Lived in a cardboard box for years. Showered in sinks all winter when the well water was too cold. His words meant nothing to me.”

Alexis’s comment about her lack of honor specifically positions her in opposition to Augustus. While he may have undergone just as violent a past as she did, the two characters are diametrically opposed—not only in their worldview but also in their upbringing and privileges.

“‘Chthonics are extremely rare and important. Act like it.’

Oh, it’s because my mentors are Chthonic and [Augustus is] worried about them becoming generals.”

Alexi’s inner monologue in this passage reflects the faulty reasoning that keeps her ignorant of herself, her powers, and the vested interest that Kharon and Augustus hardly bother to conceal from her. That this notion of Chthonic importance is repeated to her throughout the narrative without any recognition on her part suggests an implied denial, given her intellect.

“The scar on my sternum twinged, and an icy, numb sensation spread through my limbs. I wanted to hurt him. Badly. No. You’re not like your foster parents.”

In this passage, Mas outlines the underlying trauma that manifests in Alexis’s power and intentions. While the last thing she wants to do is mimic her foster parents’ behavior, this is the only instance in which she controls her power with the force of her own will and does not allow herself to unintentionally harm or kill another person.

“Being Spartan meant we’d survive when humans would go into shock, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. It just meant we could suffer more.”

This passage indicates that despite the Spartans’ public grandeur, their real experiences involve considerably darker aspects. While most of them are extremely wealthy and powerful, more often than not, their immortality dooms them to an existence of pain, grief, and torment.

“You know you’ve inspired me. […] I want to participate in the massacre and crucible, just like you. All the bullshit in the Houses about preserving heiress honor is so stupid. The men get so mad whenever I bring it up, especially Augustus. But you understand.”

In this passage, Helen expresses her regard for Alexis’s recent feats. Although Augustus has suspected Alexis of having the political agenda to campaign to allow women to run the massacre and the crucible, it is ironically Helen who has such an agenda. However, while Alexis isn’t as forceful as Augustus in her beliefs, she does not want Helen to risk the dangers involved in the trials that she herself barely survived. Thus, it is implied that those who have suffered are often the most prone to wishing to shield others from experiencing the same fate.

“I was ten years old, banging my wrists against rocks to get out of robes; I was almost twenty years old, slamming my hands down against the ground to dislocate my thumbs.”

In this scene, Mas draws parallels between the violence and desperation of Alexis’s childhood and the challenges that she faces a decade later. Although she is now more experienced and exists in a completely different world, Alexis must still do harm to herself in order to escape the monsters that would see her dead—whether they are in human or Titan form.

“I reared back and slammed my head into his nose. He whimpered as blood exploded. I bared my teeth. ‘What I’ve endured for years—would kill you in a day.’”

In this passage, Alexis’s defiance highlights the fact that most Olympians are insulated from the true harshness of the world. Both humans and Chthonics face off against Titans—and, in Alexis’s case, against poverty and neglect—while Olympians enjoy cherished and privileged positions of ease after they survive the crucible.

“[Cleandro] grimaced and looked away—like he couldn’t stomach the darkness in my eyes. I scoffed and staggered back into the line. I was what they made me into. And they hated it.”

Here, Alexis exposes the irony of how Olympians treat Chthonics. The Olympians regard the Chthonics with fear and exploit them, using them as a defense against the Titans and as entertainment in the Spartan Gladiator Competition. However, this constant abuse strengthens the Chthonics and fosters an animosity that will eventually compel them to retaliate against the Olympian oppressors.