Max felt it in that instant, just a flick of the wrist from Hercules, and he was airborne. The giant had let go.
Max could feel the wind whipping past his back, tugging at his hair as the image of Hercules grew smaller and smaller by the second.
He threw me… he actually threw me? The thought echoed in his mind, panic rising. This is it. This is the second time... I'm going to die, aren't I?
Then, gravity seized him. Max plummeted, crashing straight through a thick branch. The wood cracked against his back, knocking the air from his lungs.
The next moment, he slammed into the hard earth below. His body bounced, skidding across the uneven ground. Pain lanced through his ribs, a sharp, splintering sensation that told him something was broken.
But the fall wasn't over. His battered body continued to tumble downward, spinning uncontrollably. The world blurred around him, sky, earth, trees blending into a dizzying swirl, until suddenly, his back slammed into something else.
