Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1)

Content Warning: This section includes descriptions of child abuse and forced marriage.

Tattoos are recurring symbols in the narrative and loosely support the theme of Mythology as Political Propaganda. Specifically, Patro and Achilles’s matching neck tattoos serve as a defiant symbol by challenging Spartan society’s prejudices against their romantic relationship. These tattoos are thus a defiant expression of their love in a world that refuses to acknowledge their sexuality. Likewise, Alexis’s tattoo, “C+A,” mirrors Charlie’s and represents their commitment to supporting one another. These tattoos also indicate that their bond is just as strong as the one that exists between siblings related by blood.

By contrast, Kharon’s Furia tattoo is the embodiment of his undescribed trauma. While Alexis’s, Charlie’s, Patro’s, and Achilles’s tattoos reflect their bonds to their loved ones, Kharon’s tattoo commemorates the hurt and rage of his childhood, as the word furia is Latin for “fury” and “rage”—emotions that also describe Kharon’s behavior toward Sparta and most people, save the Chthonics and Alexis. While Alexis alludes to a possible second meaning to the word, her musings remain unclarified. However, it is worth noting that the Spanish definition of the word is connected to the concept of passion.