Woman of Destiny: Rebels of Olympus, #1

By Michele Amitrani

Not all gifts are meant to be opened.

 

In the workshop of the blacksmith god Hephaestus, the first woman comes to life. The Olympians name her Pandora, 'All-Gifted,' since each of them has endowed her with a gift: beauty, poise, self-possession and cunning, among others.

 

Zeus gives her two gifts: a burning desire to learn—and a jar she is ordered never to open.

 

Pandora is fostered by gods but raised to live among men. When she marries the Titan Epimetheus—brother of the gods' worst enemy, Prometheus—her fate appears to be sealed.

 

Although her life with Epimetheus is full of happiness, Pandora is besieged by nightmares carrying omens of dark things to come: destruction, famine, death and the end of the young race of mankind.

 

With the fate of humanity at stake, will Pandora surrender to the destiny that haunts her, or challenge her nature and become what no god ever imagined she could be?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michele Amitrani
• Release date: Oct 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781988770369

Book preview

Woman of Destiny

WOMAN OF DESTINY

REBELS OF OLYMPUS (BOOK I)

MICHELE AMITRANI

Copyright © 2021 by Michele Amitrani

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

First Edition 2021 (v.2)

ISBN (ePub) 978-1-988770-36-9

Published by Michele Amitrani.

Cover Design by 100 Covers.

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BOOKS BY MICHELE AMITRANI

Rebels of Olympus Series

Woman of Destiny

Soul of Stone

Bringer of Fire

Muse of Avalon

Scion of Gaia

King of Defiance

Song of Forever

Game of Gods

Lady of Marble

Daughter of Prophecy

CONTENTS

1. A Blessing from the Gods

2. The Golden Gate

3. The House of the Gods

4. The Promise of a Jar

5. Unspoken Truths

6. Blood Omen

7. A Promise of Darkness

8. A Promise of Tomorrow

9. Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Soul of Stone Excerpt

About the Author

1

A BLESSING FROM THE GODS

The first thing I remember is the heat of the forge.

I opened my eyes just in time to see the red light of the flame subsiding as the blacksmith god Hephaestus set the chisel on the table, took a step back, and studied me.

Stand, he ordered, his voice a booming sound that made me shiver.

I stood, naked in the light of the forge’s fire. The god’s eyes were black and unblinking as he scrutinized me. After a long time, he reached for a cup and handed it to me.

Drink.

I drank. The liquid was cool and pleasing in my mouth. It quenched my thirst and filled me with strength. The workshop had been hot before the drink. Now I barely noticed the heat of the fire.

Hephaestus’ eyes flicked up and down, tracing the length of my body. For a time he probed my shoulders, breasts, arms, and finally my face. His gentle fingers pushed near my temples. I blinked. Suddenly the workshop filled with colors and shapes I did not see before. What had been little more than a gathering of lights and shadows became a room filled with objects rich with textures.

Hephaestus looked thoughtful while he scratched his thick beard. The smoke that came out of the furnace was as black as his eyes.

What is the matter? The voice, not far behind me, was as sharp as winter’s wind. I tried to turn to see the speaker but discovered I could not.

Hephaestus snorted. She is not perfect.

A long stretch of silence; then the voice replied, She is good enough.

Good enough will not do. Hephaestus sighed, suddenly looking tired. She needs to be the best she can be; otherwise, it won’t work.

I’ve lost count of the times you said that. I heard footsteps moving away from us, becoming so faint I could barely hear their echo. Then they stopped. This is not a contest, old friend. The voice again. She is as good as she can be. It’s time to move on. Zeus is growing impatient.

A door closed. Silence followed.

Hephaestus grunted as he picked up the chisel. His eyes narrowed as he studied me. The fire behind him grew stronger.

He put his calloused hands over my eyes. Sleep, he whispered.

I slept.

I woke up among bodies.

I pushed myself up, the smell of death thick in the air. I was on a hilltop marked by burned trees and piles of ashes. All around me were corpses, so many they were impossible to count.

Far on the horizon, smoke trailed up into countless columns of gray that got lost among the clouds. I coughed, the acrid smell of smoke choking me.

To the west, buildings were swallowed by flames; entire cities were burning on the horizon. A metallic sound at the base of the hill caught my attention: the clash of metal against metal, interspersed with cries of battle.

The wind brought the iron scent of blood, and the very air seemed an extension of war.

I swirled, breathless. I tried to run away from the hill, tears swelling in my eyes and falling to the dead ground heavy with ashes.

The darkness pressed around me. I became dizzy, powerless. I stumbled; a corpse, perhaps? Lifeless eyes stared at me everywhere I looked. I screamed until my voice was broken.

A clap of thunder boomed high in the night sky. Lightning tore apart the dome of the world, and the sky seemed to fracture into a million pieces.

I closed my