by A Lonergan
A slender, soft hand found mine under the table and held onto it; Aphrodite looked just as torn as Artemis. I wondered how close they were. I stared at my food in front of me and couldn’t take a bite. Crawley had stopped eating as well; his appetite was gone just like mine.
“What now?” Crawley whispered.
“Pretend,” Aphrodite replied.
Oh, how easy that would be. I smiled to Crawley and took a large bite of mashed potatoes. I acted as I enjoyed it though, it tasted like cement now. Nothing would taste the same here.
Chapter 13
Crawley
I knew Zeus watched her. I could feel his eyes on me as well from time to time. I had never seen anyone pretend the way Jessa did. It almost reminded me of the night of our first kiss, but I shook it away. I didn’t know what the gods around us were capable of and I didn’t like how Jessa had started to trust Aphrodite so easily. It rubbed me the wrong way.
All of it.
We needed to stay alive and fraternizing with the gods would not keep us that way. I took a long sip of my sweet wine and wanted so desperately to get drunk, but with the way Jessa was trusting, I knew I had to have my wits about me.
The pressure from the room seemed to ease, and when I looked at the throne of Zeus, I knew why. He had left, and I felt sweet relief. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. That for a brief moment, we would be somewhat safe. I didn’t care if I was to stay in the room across from Jessa’s, I didn’t want her alone. I didn’t trust Perseus or any of the other gods. Artemis was questionable.
I finished off my dessert, much like the other items, in haste. It was delicious, but I didn’t have time to enjoy it, and I was a beast. I snickered to myself.
Chapter 14
Artemis
I opened my envelope and scoffed. How formal of Zeus. This was a first, that was for sure. He usually just called down from the heavens and ordered people around. I studied the card looking for anything that would give him away. Nothing but-
Zeus has requested your presence on mount Olympus 3 days from today.
He needed someone to run his PR because this was a terrible invitation. It was awful, but I didn’t dare ignore it. Zeus didn’t have much tenderness inside of him, and I didn’t want to fuel him to light me up. Gods had to be permitted into Mount Olympus, so I trudged up the same pathway everyone else would. I didn’t feel the cold like others did. All I wore was sandals and a white dress.
Zeus liked his dress code. I pushed my hair from my face and waited for the drop-off. It was the same every time; there was no shock factor anymore.
As the swine, Perseus, lead me to my room, I adjusted my skirt. The fall almost always twisted my clothing up. I was practically sure Zeus did it on purpose at this point.
My quarters were much more prominent this time, but I didn’t let myself have the luxury of enjoying it, Zeus didn’t need to know any weaknesses of mine. Though I had never been punished by him, I felt ominous over the invite and the voices echoing around Olympus. I made my way to the dining hall as quickly as possible, in need of this to all go by fast so, I didn’t have to worry about Jessa much longer.
She had disappeared from my radar the moment she had gone back to the valley, which I didn’t mind much, that was the way I had designed it. I wasn’t fond of the gods being able to spy on me whenever they wanted.
I took a seat as far away from the other gods as I could get. Many didn’t understand me and my need to live amongst the humans or the fact that I had fallen in love with one.
“Oh sister, you look delectable.” Apollo’s words came from behind me as he stroked the side of my neck, affectionately.
I shrugged his hands from my body. “Oh, who let the swine in?”
He tsked. “I’ve heard Zeus has quite a show up his sleeve.”
I didn’t care for the small talk, but as he walked away, he winked at me. His blonde hair had been cropped short once again, and his blue eyes twinkled mischievously.
I tried to ignore him and not look his way, but he had a new array of scars marking his shoulders. My brother was vain, and if he was sporting new scars, he wasn’t taking them lightly.
Aphrodite caught my eye and waggled her fingers at me. I smiled at my old friend. She arose from her chair and practically glided across the room.
“I smell something brewing in the air. This is certainly odd. Zeus doesn’t cordially invite anyone.” Aphrodite grabbed a dinner roll from the center of the table and tore it to shreds.
“Do you think he has something malicious in mind?” I bit my thumbnail before thinking better of it and grabbing my wine, but just as I was taking a sip, I watched my worst nightmare happen.
Perseus leading Jessa and Crawley through the dining room door. Jessa had a serene look on her face while Crawley glared daggers at Perseus’ back. I was so lost watching them that when Jessa’s eyes met mine, I dropped my glass I was too shocked. Her brown eyes had been replaced with gold. I couldn’t breathe.
Something was wrong, and there was nothing I could do to stop this madness. I pushed away from the table and fled the room.
I had never had a panic attack before, but I knew I was about to have one then. Zeus was up to more than I could imagine. Dread filled my bones, and I tried to stay upright as the oxygen left my brain.
Athena appeared before me in a second and helped me stand. “If he sees you like this, he will have won. He is trying to play a game too. Don’t let him win by knowing where your heart lies.”
She was wiser than I gave her credit and her white hair reminded me of Shaskia. For a moment I felt anger then I smoothed it over, feeling grateful that I had had her, her entire life and got to experience the joys of motherhood while I could.
“Chin up, brave face. You are almighty, don’t let a man take that from you.” She grasped my chin and pushed my face high. Her clear lavender eyes misted over, and she pulled me into a hug before she retreated to the dining hall.
I took a deep breath and followed suit.
Chapter 15
Jessa
Perseus insisted on showing me around the grounds when I had asserted how tired I was. Crawley growled something that I didn’t understand, and all Perseus did was laugh. He lead me to the gardens that had a large pool in the middle where many gods and goddesses were swimming.
A slight breeze lifted up the hem of my dress and made me shiver. “They aren’t cold?”
He raised his eyebrows as he turned to look where I was staring at the swimmers. He chuckled, again. “I keep forgetting that you are mortal. No, we don’t feel the chill.”
I reminded silent, unsure of what else I should say. I knew Crawley followed us and I wasn’t sure if Perseus was aware of it as well.
“Does your puppy always follow you everywhere?” He glanced over his shoulder and frowned.
“Are you always so condescending? It’s not attractive at all.” I turned on my heel and marched straight to Crawley, I grabbed his hand and towed him back to our sleeping quarters.
“With the way you’re walking, I’m surprised you haven’t put holes in the floors,” Crawley mumbled as he leaned against the wall, probably waiting for me to invite him in. I wasn’t feeling friendly and glared at him.
“You’re lucky I stood up for you!” I pointed at his chest.
“You didn’t have to!” He pointed right back at me.
He had a point, I could have had a beautiful night, met some other people and gone about my business but Crawley was more to me than that. He was unique and I wasn’t about to let some jerk take his place because his daddy was the big man.
I poked his finger with mine and smiled. “So, you going to invite me in?”
“Has that worked for you before?” I tried not to laugh.
“What if I said yes?” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I raised my eyebrows and pointed to his bedroom door. He faked hurt and pouted at me.
“Go on, it’s getting late and there's no tel
ling whats in store for us tomorrow!” I made a shooing motion with my hands.
“As much as I was joking about being invited in, I’m not really.” His face grew grim. “We can’t afford to be separated. Especially since we don’t know why we are here.”
I considered what he said for a minute. He had a point but at the same time, letting him into my room was approaching dangerous waters, and we didn’t need anymore danger added to our lives.
What if something happens to him? My mind screamed at me. I would never be able to forgive myself. We could protect each other, but if we let ourselves go our separate ways, it could be dangerous news.
“Fine, but don’t get any funny ideas.”
He mock crossed his heart and pushed past me. I still wasn’t sure if I had made a mistake or not.
We both jerked awake by the sound of someone trying to take down the door. Crawley was sprawled out on the floor wearing nothing but boxer shorts, and I was halfway off the bed. I lost my balance in the startle and fell to the floor beside him. Since he had taken up residence on the floor of the cabin beside my bed, I had taken up wearing pajamas to bed.
I didn’t know who it was, but I also didn’t care. “Come in!” I laid my head on the floor and squeezed my eyes shut. One thing was for sure, it was too early for me to be awake.
Perseus pushed the door open and barged in. He let out an exasperated huff at us both on the floor before he spoke. “Rough night? There is a reason there is assigned sleeping quarters, if you two had wanted to be in the same room, all you had to do was say something.” He cocked his head. “Unless this has never happened before.”
“After everything we have been through, we don’t like to be apart,” I said as I pushed my hair from my face.
“I guess that’s to be expected but your suiters won't like that very much,” Perseus smirked.
“Excuse me?” I asked just as Crawley had started to snore again. I had wondered why he hadn’t chimed in yet, especially with his resentment to the man leaning in the doorway.
“You are young, powerful and mostly god. Do you think Zeus is going to let you slip through his fingers? He is going to use you to his advantage. He is going to pair you with nothing but the best.” He lowered his voice. “He would make it so you would rule it all.”
“This must be a joke. I’m too young to even think of getting married plus I doubt a pretty boy like all the ones here could handle me.” I wasn’t sure where the boat of confidence came from, but I had desperately needed it. No man was going to tell me how I was going to live out the rest of my life, especially not a god.
“Zeus has big plans for you.” He winked. “Hurry and get dressed. Your clothes are hanging up in the closet. You might want to wear something nice.”
When the dummy was finally gone, I pushed myself from the floor and made it to the closet. Sure enough, it was stocked full of gowns and dresses. I scowled. I was not going to be a show pony for these creatures.
I pulled our duffle bag out from under the bed and grinned. Shaskia had some Mary Poppins voodoo going on. Down at the bottom of the bag, after much digging, I pulled out exactly what I needed.
When I was dressed and opened the bathroom door, Crawley was lacing up his boots and looked good in a light grey V-neck. When he looked up his jaw dropped open.
“What’s the matter, never seen a woman before?” I asked with sarcasm lacing my words. I knew I had stunned him and I knew I would amaze everyone else as well. I grasped my pendant and imagined a whip. It immediately elongated. I gripped it comfortably before flicking my wrist forward. To hell with finding a suitor.
Chapter 16
CRAWLEY
I had missed most of the conversation Jessa had with Perseus, but I had gotten the gist when she walked out of the bathroom. I would never be able to get rid of the image of her out of my head. Not that I wanted to either.
Leather.
Head to toe.
Hot as Hades.
Sexy as all get out.
She was wearing skin-tight leather pants. Leather cuffs were cross-crossing up to her shoulders and a black crop top that showed off her impressive scar. Her leather pants were tucked into worn leather combat boots. Her hair was plaited back tight against her skull and as hot as she looked, it was nothing compared to how dangerous she appeared.
When the whip had unwoven and snapped forward, I thought I was a goner. I was definitely in heaven, and all of my fantasies had come to life. I wondered if I had died because I didn’t understand how this could be real.
“So, uh huh, wow.” I blinked rapidly as she wrapped the whip up. It matched her scar, and then I realized something else. It matched her eyes. “Jessa, have you looked in the mirror lately?”
She rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hip. “Seriously?”
“Seriously, your eyes...” I couldn’t continue. It seemed as if the gold was alive in her irises. It twisted and turned inside of the grey, and I couldn’t stop watching it. It was fluid like water.
She turned and went back to the bathroom. A few seconds later I heard the whip hit the tile. “What the Fates?”
“You really shouldn’t say their name in vain. They kind of control the universe.” I mumbled under my breath.
She poked her head out of the doorway. “They don’t control it, they predict it.”
It was my turn to dramatically roll my eyes. “Whatever, you look hot.”
I shrugged my shoulders not really in the mood but more looking forward to checking her out. She looked like she was ready for battle.
“So, why didn’t you wear that when we went to take down Apollo’s prison?” I crossed my arms over my chest while I watched her practice with the whip.
She was about to answer when knocking sounded on the door again but this time it was much quieter. A boy between the age of 7 or 8 came into the room a few seconds later. He had a shaved head and scars on his arms. His eyes were white and made beast very antsy.
“Your presence is requested in the arena.” His voice was musical and haunting then he was gone.
“Well, that wasn’t creepy,” Jessa said as she eyed the door.
“Where do you think the arena is?” I asked.
“I’m sure we will figure it out.” She grabbed my arm and hauled me from the room.
Every single male stopped to admire Jessa as we made it to the arena though I wasn’t sure if that was even going to happen. Every look made me antsier and antsier. We followed the mass of people coming out of their rooms, and finally, we were there.
I took a sigh of relief until I realized it was going to get much worse. The arena wasn’t big by any means and sitting front, and center was Zeus. Men sprawled out around him, eating and drinking. Perseus was among them, so I imagined they were his sons. Most of them had blonde hair except for the female. She had raven black hair and wasn’t participating in their festivities. She watched Jessa with careful eyes.
The majority of the small coliseum was men.
Go figure. Matchmaker time.
I was having a hard time keeping beast on a leash, and if I wasn’t careful, I was going to lose it right in front of everyone. Beast was scratching to get free. I pulled the hem of my shirt, uncomfortable. My clothes were too restraining, and it was making everything worse.
“It’s going to be okay.” Jessa grabbed my hand as we ducked and weaved through the throng of people around us. “I’m not their lackey, and we will get out of here in one piece. You and I. Okay?”
I nodded my head, not trusting my voice anymore.
Then Zeus spotted us. I watched his eyebrows raise as he took in Jessa’s apparel. All the women around us were wearing dresses. They had a sportier touch than the ones that had been at dinner but all the same, no one was dressed anything like Jessa.
I watched out of the corner of my eye as Zeus rolled the sleeves up on his button-down shirt. He turned his head to say something to the ones surrounding him, and they immediately stopped what they were doing. Z
eus stood up.
“This is a special day.” He smiled as he looked out into the crowd of people taking up the arena. “It’s not every day that we have a legend among us. It isn’t every day that we have someone that has taken on a god.”
There were a few gasps, and people started to murmur and pretty soon there was an uproar of people talking all at once.
“Quiet!” Zeus held his hands up. “She took on a god but not really. She hasn’t seen what it is like to be a god. She thinks she knows.”
Perseus stood up beside his father. “We must show her what it means to be a god.”
The crowd erupted in chanting. “Trial! Trial! Trial!”
Jessa looked at me with horror-filled eyes. I couldn’t do anything to help her. We had known we were here for a reason and here it was. Jessa grabbed my hand and held onto it for dear life. I looked around for a familiar face.
Artemis.
Aphrodite.
Anyone.
“Well, come out, come out, where ever you are.” Zeus sang across the stadium. “It is time to see who this young one is, hmm?”
Jessa straightened her spine and gave me a small smile before she made her way down the steps and to the opening of the stadium. She was stoic and prepared, at least that was what she seemed. She marched out into the center of the field and held her head high. Her whip was hanging from her hip, glinting in the light.
“Bravo.” Zeus said as he looked her over with amusement that mirrored Perseus’. “How was it? Did it feel good to go after Apollo?”
Jessa didn’t speak, but I knew she was looking him dead in the eye. She wasn’t going to show him fear. Then she spoke. “Yes. It was incredible. It was invigorating. It was empowering.”