by James Hunter
“What is a murder hole?” Myrina asked, eyes squinted in suspicion. “And I am only slightly familiar with arrow slits. Ares didn’t appreciate projectile weapons, and he thought we should defeat our enemies on the field of battle in close combat rather than skulk behind walls.”
“Figures,” I said with an eyeroll. More and more, I saw why Ares had lost the fight. It was like an NFL team who had one superstar quarterback but didn’t have a real close-knit group. Or in gamer terms, Ares had been a giant, douchey Leeroy Jenkins.
Patiently, I explained the basics of medieval siege warfare to Myrina. “We create a passageway in the tower that limits the number of people who can pass. Above them, we have a hole where we can dump boiling oil on them. Or rocks. Or fire. Napalm even. I have some napalm on my Harrier if we can get to it.”
“Such a devious contraption is not honorable,” Myrina mused, but the gleam in her eye told me she liked the idea. “Ares would not approve,” she finished, the ghost of a smile on her lovely face.
“Well, good thing he found a war god who is going to win this fight no matter what.” I had to smile at the wonder in Myrina’s eyes while we strategized. She was seeing me in a new light.
“So, you satisfied with our plan?” I asked as we finished discussing the finer points of ballistae.
She nodded her reply.
“Awesome,” I said. “Then let’s go and see how my ability to build is. After standing around eating bacon, I’m feeling pretty good, and I have some Divine Essence Points burning a hole in my pocket. What do you say, Myrina?”
“I understood about a quarter of what you said, but I can guess the meaning. So, we repair the walls first?”
“Yes. At least then, though our gates are fucked, we can stop their ground forces from storming through our defenses.”
Outside, the sun was a ball of hot hurt in the sky, glaring down at me. The brightness made my exhaustion feel like actual iron chains hanging off my eyelids, and my brain felt greasy. I had to sleep. Sleep, must sleep.
Yes, once I built a wall. Ha.
The south wall near the now empty clay pits had been the most damaged, which made sense since Hades had marched his troops up from his temple. I’d already sent Loxo down through the jungle to see what was going on there. Checking her HP in my display, I saw my new Huntress was at full, so that was good. Either she had avoided combat, which was the point of a Rogue class, or she had put the beatdown on any monsters she encountered. She had taken a stout recurve bow, plus a Battle-Forged short sword and a blackened dagger.
Myrina carried her new shield, and as long as she kept it in check, I could look at it without being turned to stone. On the bright metal surface of the magical shield, an image of the familiar fanged Medusa peered out. The Battle Warden also carried one of the new short swords as well as a normal everyday spear.
At the wall, I took a Thymos Crystal out of my rucksack, and held the chunk of azure crystal in my outstretched hand. “Here goes nothing.”
“A poor choice of words,” Myrina muttered. Then she corrected herself. “I apologize. It must be another idiom of your time.”
“And a great quote from Lando Calrissian.” I grinned, knowing she couldn’t get the reference. Then I checked the MANAGE ISLAND option and found I could build walls and towers, and of course, I had the OTHER option, which meant I could fabricate things Ares hadn’t known about, like murder holes and arrow slits—though that also seemed to be tied to the Innovate Skill I’d unlocked earlier.
I quickly found a repair option, which I clicked without a second thought. Instantly, the godstone in my chest burned like a bonfire as Divine Essence flowed up my arms and into my hands. The Thymos Crystal in my hand began to glow with unnatural blue light, disintegrating before my eyes as the stones and rubble around the massive wall rose into the air.
The stony debris hung there for a moment, suspended by some unseen force before it began to spin and swirl in the air like a twister. Divine Essence continued to run out of me like a leaky faucet as the twirling rubble sealed up the gaping hole where the armies of Hades had broken through thousands of years earlier. Here I was, an average guy, and I was sending tons of rock and stone flying through the air, miraculously fixing the ruined wall until it was once again smooth, flawless stone.
I had to blink at my own power. Holy crap, I really was becoming a god. I turned on Myrina. “Did you see that?” I asked with a manic grin. “That was fucking awesome!”
“I saw it,” Myrina said, begrudgingly admiring my handiwork. “I would not say I am in awe, though I suppose I do feel some awe. So yes, awe-some.”
I laughed. It was good enough, though that little stunt had cost around half of my Essence, and I was feeling it all the way to my bones. Despite feeling pumped about my display of power, I felt like a wrung-out dish towel. Slowly, we walked the perimeter, and I fixed the major breaks as we went. The process was even more grueling than building Amazons and just as time-consuming, but after a solid six hours, we managed to fix up just about everything—though the gates were still only petrifying wood in the dirt.
There was only one tiny section of wall to go, but unfortunately, I was down to my last Thymos Crystal and my Essence was in single digits. At this point, it felt like a platoon of MPs had used me for target practice. Everything hurt, my limbs each seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and I only kept my eyes open through sheer force of will. I needed to quit, but we were so damn close—and things had been going surprisingly well with Myrina. Just a bit more, I decided. Finish the mission, fix the walls, then hit the hay.
I cleared my throat, shook my head to clear my thoughts, then focused on the rubble scattered along the base of the wall. Once again, the stone responded to my will, rising into the air and sealing the breach while I stood there. And then I felt my power leaving me.
Oh shit. Completely dizzy, I knew I was blacking out. Too much. I’d pushed myself too far.
Myrina saw it, too. “Jacob Merely, stop. Hold.”
“Got any Dr. Pepper on you?” I mumbled incoherently as I spun and fell into her arms.
The last thing I heard Myrina say was, “I am not a doctor.”
Then I was out.
Sometime later, well after the sun had set to the world, I woke in my bed.
And I wasn’t alone.
NINETEEN
It’s Complicated …
I edged myself up onto my elbows, glancing around. No light filtered through the curtains, but I could smell the ocean and hear the waves crashing against the cliffs and rolling up onto the beach. I wondered if I’d ever get to go swimming. Probably not for a long time.
A single candle flickered on a low table, giving me a little light.
Comfortable in my bed, I wondered what time it was. Then I realized an arm was draped across my chest and a slim leg rested on me.
I was clothed, at least, but a quick move of my hand, and it was clear that the woman sleeping on me wasn’t. She let out a contented sigh and snuggled in deeper, pressing her warm body more firmly against mine.
“What the … oh my God!” I yelped, freaking out more than I cared to admit. I mean waking up with a strange, naked girl in my bed was undoubtedly in my top ten fantasy list, but the reality was way creepier than I ever could’ve imagined.
Asteria lifted a sleepy head—mussed hair in her face—and squinted at me. Black hair, blue skin, she was so gorgeous. “Good morning, Jacob Merely. I hope you slept well.”
It took all my willpower to keep my eyes on her face and not … lower. “Slept great,” I said, trying not to panic as I carefully lifted her arms and scooted over a few feet. “But, um, what are you doing?”
“I volunteered to be your guard,” she said, flipping onto her belly then propping up on her forearms, blue back exposed to the open air. “After all, if anything happens to you in your present weakened state, we will not be able to craft our armies to keep the sigil safe.” She grinned and tapped my nose playfully. “Besides, you a
I blinked several times, mouth gaping, my instincts telling me that the only correct answer to that question was, oh fuck yes. But then the logical part of me took hold. “Asteria, no, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asked. Naked. She was naked, asking why I didn’t want to have sex with her. Was this really my life?
“Because… uh …” My logical mind was failing me. “Well, I mean we just met like yesterday. Plus, you’re like a shape-shifting Amazon, and I just became a mythical deity—it’s a lot to process, I guess.”
“But you do like sex, do you not?” Asteria asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.
“Yep. Yes”—I cleared my throat—“definitely. I love sex.”
“Oh, so you do not think I am attractive?” she asked, a sly little smile on her face. She knew the answer to that question. Because. Reasons.
“You are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen,” I replied, reaching up and running a hand through my short-cropped hair. “I think Ares did that on purpose. He told me something about his army being powerful as well as pretty.”
In the soft light of the candle, Asteria knit her brows, mind working to put it all together. “So, you do find me attractive. You said yourself you love sex. Yes, I am an Amazon, and yes you are the war god, but I do not see why that is an issue. Unless you are afraid Myrina will yell at you for wasting time with lovemaking.” She tapped the side of her nose and nodded. “Yes, that I could see. Myrina can be a demanding taskmaster.”
“Uh, nope. Not afraid of Myrina,” I replied. “And with how long it’s been, and with how you look, and the level of stress I’m under, it wouldn’t take very long.”
Her smile widened, and her eyes brightened in mischief. “Then let us commence with the lovemaking!” She straddled me in an instant, moving with a predator’s grace, and before I could do a damned thing, she was kissing me.
A storm of emotions broke through me, and my logical mind was packing its bag for a quick flight to Bonerville, population yowza—at least until I managed to take hold of my senses. Gently, I pulled her from my lips. She tasted sweet, her smells were musky but with a subtle perfume like wildflowers, and her skin felt so good where it touched me. Silky, smooth, firm, warm. She was a dream come true. But like a dream, she seemed too good to be true.
I liked her and wanted her more than just about anything, but our relationship was complicated by the fact that she was compelled to love me. Until I could get my mind around that, I didn’t want anything to happen because it could ruin things going forward.
“Asteria,” I said, trying to get my heart under control and my breathing back to normal. “I dig you like crazy, but we can’t do this—not yet anyway. I’m not sure you like me for me or if Ares just programmed all of his Amazons to adore the current god of war, whoever that may be.”
“Oh yes, he did,” Asteria replied quickly. “But we do not give that much thought to such things. We enjoy life, battle, and lovemaking, Jacob Merely. It is who we are. What we are. I do not see why you tarry. I am more than willing, you want me, and we have a moment.”
She was a freaking genius. What was my problem? The whole scene was so romantic, the bed as soft as the candlelight, the scent of the ocean blowing in through the window. But no. Aside from my own personal uncertainty, there were other factors to consider. Namely, I needed to save the world, and I had no idea if this would cause trouble with Myrina, Phoebe, and the rest of the Amazons. There was a reason why fraternization was prohibited in the Corps—especially while on deployment, and that’s what this was. A wartime deployment.
She searched my face, and I knew she saw the conflict in my eyes as well as the determination to be a good guy. I’d met my fair share of horny dirtbags in the military, guys who didn’t give two shits about the women they slept with, from prostitutes to the girl next door. I wasn’t going to be that kind of man.
“You are not ready.” Disappointment darkened her voice. “I will not pressure you, Jacob Merely.” She eased away from me but ran gentle fingers over my chest. “When you are ready, find me, and we will love each other. Until then, I can wait.”
“Thanks for understanding.” I felt like a girl on her prom night. At least the “boyfriend” was taking it well.
In an instant, she bounced up and off the bed. For a second, her naked body made me regret every decision I’d ever made in my entire life. What the hell was I thinking? But no, I was going to stay strong. I found my watch on the table and slipped it on. It was nearly dawn. I’d been asleep for hours and hours. Myrina would be pissed, no doubt.
Asteria threw on a tunic. “Myrina has been very busy!” she said excitedly, her disappointment already forgotten. “Just wait until you have seen everything she has been doing! You will be impressed, Jacob Merely. I am certain of it.”
I slung my legs over the side of the bed, ready to get up, but felt a new wave of exhaustion smash into me like a baseball bat to the face. Crap, I was still so tired. “Caffeine,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. “That’s what I need. It’s been like three days since caffeine—I think I’m going through withdrawals.” I held out a hand and noticed it trembled just a tad. “Did you Greeks have like coffee or tea or Coca-Cola?”
Asteria just laughed at me, the sound bubbly, infectious, and oddly perfect. Then, without answering, she took off her tunic, transformed into a dark blue panther, and dashed out of the room on silent paws. No wonder that girl never wore clothes. Changing shape, she was constantly naked anyway. I was just going to have to get used to it. Yeah, like that was ever going to happen.
Instead of following her, I padded through the gauzy curtains and out onto the terrace, cool stone greeting my bare feet. The sky was dark over the water, but the stars shined down, lighting the white waves rolling in. It wouldn’t be long until sunrise, though. The clouds were already starting to turn a faint pink as the sun eased up on the horizon.
I wanted to check my stats—after doing all those repairs I was sure I’d leveled up—but I wasn’t wearing my helmet. I concentrated on the gem in my chest, and for a long beat, I felt like I could almost get my gaming display going. But after a few minutes of trying, all I managed to do was briefly conjure a hazy, semitransparent screen, which quickly blinked out of existence. Finally, I gave up and went back inside to retrieve the helm, currently perched on a wooden nightstand near the bed.
Once it was on my head, I pulled up my interface and toggled over to my character screen. I grinned at my status as a seventh-level war god. Hells yeah—level up.
I quickly dropped three points into Wisdom, bringing me up to thirty, and the other seven into Intelligence, pushing me up to fifty—further increasing my Divine Essence to 135. And speaking of Essence, the long hours of sleep had also fully restored mine, which left me feeling like a million bucks, despite being tired. My stomach grumbled loudly in protest. Fine, half a million bucks, on account of how famished I was.
I swore I was going to use my points to create food and some kind of caffeinated drink. I was dying to run a Google search on ancient Greece and caffeine, but no internet connection. Phoebe was right; I needed to get online. Though assuming I could get a Wi-Fi network set up, would I want to return to the information age? I’d have to deal with email, Facebook, and all of that other bullshit. I did, however, chuckle at the idea of the posts I could write: Hey everyone, I’m the god of war, and I have Amazons lusting after me. Life is good!
Another, more concerning, thought reared its ugly head. Would the Marine Corps come and collect me? That could turn ugly, assuming they managed to find me. Something told me that even if the world knew where I was, no one would be able to find me. Not sure if I was in a pocket universe, but deep down, I knew that the war in front of me was mine and mine alone. Still, I did need to find a way to contact my family and friends and tell them I was okay.
But first food—that was definitely at the top of my hierarchy of needs.
Breaking out of my reverie, I grabbed the candle and charged down the side staircase and into the kitchen, which amounted to an old fire pit and some dusty wooden shelves. Once we got the defenses wrapped up, I’d need to upgrade some of these buildings, too. If I was going to be stuck here on this island, a caveman firepit wasn’t going to cut it. I needed a woodfire stove for pizza, dammit.
Instead of delicious pizza, however, the only food to be seen was the tray of the pork Myrina had cooked up the day before, which was starting to draw flies. Pretty gross, but it still looked edible and I was starving.
Reluctantly, I snagged a piece.
While I chewed stiff, cold spider bacon, I messaged Phoebe. She responded in an instant.
Good morning, sleepyhead. Kinda pathetic you need so much sleep.
What? Wait. Don’t Amazons need to sleep? I asked.
Obviously, but not very much. And we have too much work to do for sleep. As Ares used to say, you can sleep when you’re dead. But hey, you do you—you’re the war god, after all, so you’re not really accountable to us. Anyway, now that you are finally up, what are your plans for the day?
I wanna get some defensive towers built, but we need food. This old bacon ain’t gonna cut it forever. Can I plant fields or maybe just miracle crops into existence like I did with the walls?
Totally. Checking your stats, I see you leveled up—if you want food, I’d suggest dropping another Ability Point into the Innovate skill. That’ll help us with the defenses, but it will also give you access to a greater number of crops to work with. After that, you can use Essence Points and Thymos Crystals to ‘miracle’ crops into existence. We’ll need wheat for sure. And while you’re at it, Myrina wants grapes for wine.
Hmm, I could get behind grapes, and wheat was the first step toward pizza—so that was a big yes—but, god or not, I needed caffeine. What about Mountain Dew bushes? I asked. I mean I have miracle god powers, surely a Mountain Dew bush shouldn’t be out of the question.
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