The Games Gods Play

The gods watch on as Hades and Lyra embrace. For once, Hades is not upset that Lyra came in last. As he tells her of the other champions’ status, the injury she sustained from the dragon fire overwhelms her. Hades calls for Asclepius to treat her. Before they leave, Apollo gives her the Tears of Eos, which allow her to see in the dark and past glamours, spells, and magic, as her prize for winning his Labor.

Lyra wakes in her room in Hades’s home, hooked to medical equipment as Hades watches over her. They discuss who else she might ally herself with for the next Labors, but her injury pains her again. Asclepius orders she rest another day. The scars on her arm will remain despite his treatment. When Asclepius leaves, Lyra asks to see Hades’s wound—a cut from the Dagger of Orion—by the Daemones as punishment for her use of the pomegranate seeds. Lyra feels guilt, which Hades feels is unwarranted given how he chose her as his champion. He shows concern for her, which Lyra wonders at given her curse. On the television, a reporter introduces Lyra’s parents.