by Gideon Mills
All that mattered to Hera was that the humans paid for all they had done over the years. Tempting her love. Luring her children. They needed to be dealt with, and she was in the process of doing just that.
Sure, Ares winning was a minor setback to her plans, but they were still going forward. The human Reign was easy to trick into hating the Paragons. Once he succeeded in that, Hera could unleash her minions on Earth to kill the humans. Only the Paragons stood between her and her victory.
“Mother,” a voice said from behind her.
Hera turned to see the Goddess Athena. Doing her best to hide her thoughts, Hera pasted on a smile. “Athena,” she said. “How are you?”
“I’m worried about Ares,” Athena said. “He’s down there alone, and the Paragons are causing problems. So are the humans. We need to get him back.”
Hera nodded. “We do, but you know I will not physically travel to Earth.”
Her daughter nodded. “I know. But we can’t let Ares die, and he nearly did. Eris was stronger than I thought. Father isn’t pleased with Ares or Eris. He will make both pay.”
“As he should,” Hera said. “My son is being reckless and should be punished. Even if he was tricked.”
Athena tilted her head. “Tricked?”
Hera groaned. That had been a slip of the tongue. Not many of the Gods realized that Eris had used Ares to sneak off to Earth.
“Mother?” Athena asked.
Before Athena could say another word, Hera gripped her and led her to the edge of Mount Olympus. “You will not ruin my plans, daughter,” Hera said.
She shoved her child off the edge, down to Earth. There was no way for her to come back unless Hera willed it. Athena was gone until her plan was done.
Author Notes
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. It would mean the world to me and help others find something they might also enjoy.
Book One of Paragons was an adventure to write. As I did, I had a six-book series arc in my head along with many little one-off stories.
I’m not sure if all of those will come to light, but I’m hard at work writing more of Ares, Fleur, Lola, and the rest of the team.
If you want to see more in this world, please reach out and let me know. I would love to hear from you. You can contact me at my email [email protected].
Acknowledgments
I wanted to take the time to thank a few people who helped make this book possible. My great friends, especially those in my writing group. Thank you.
My editor, Merwie, did an amazing job with the book. Going above and beyond. Thank you.
Michael crafted a cover that really brought Fleur to life. I couldn’t be happier about it. Dark Matter Book Covers took the cover to the next level with the typeface. Thank you so much.
My family has been here for the ride and super supportive of me on this writing journey. This book wouldn’t be out here for everyone to read without their support and guidance.
I want to thank you, the reader, for taking time to read my book. That means the world to me. I appreciate it. There are no words to truly show how grateful I am. Thank you.
About the Author
Gideon Mills grew up in the Midwest in the 90’s. The X-Men animated show was his first introduction to superheroes, and the love continued on after.
One of Gideon’s greatest achievements was serving in the US Army.
Gideon loves watching MCU movies, DC TV shows, reading, running, and riding his mountain bike.
Also by Gideon Mills
Paragons: Gods and Superheroes
Paragons 2: Gods and Superheroes
Paragons 3: Gods and Superheroes