As the candidates filed out the door, Venus whispered, “You’re good,” to Jonas and continued to walk. He chuckled.
In the dining room, Bacchus, Sif, and Venus waved at Jonas to join them.
“I hope you weren’t planning to eat alone,” Bacchus said.
“Maybe,” Jonas said, trying to ignore his slight disappointment of not locating Medusa. A nearby servant served them the foods of their choice.
“So did any of you hear the rumors?” Sif said.
“You mean of Class Neptune’s new candidate?” Venus said.
“Do you know who it is?” Jonas asked, curious.
“No, but supposedly this person is incredibly powerful,” Sif said.
“More annoyances for us,” Bacchus said after eating his last slice of mutton. “I’m surprised they even allowed him in. Most instructors would feel insulted by someone showing up three days late.”
“It sounds a bit suspicious, though,” Venus said.
“What do you mean?” Sif asked.
“Well, we were just attacked by Abaddon’s servants, right?”
“The thing is, I heard the new person had a legitimate invitation,” Sif told Venus.
“Whoever it is must really care not about this competition,” Jonas said. “It sounds like he entered later for the hell of it.” Venus and Bacchus laughed.
“I can relate to that,” Bacchus said.
“As can I,” Venus said. “Queen Hera once invited everyone to some crazy scavenger hunt. Bored, I showed up late and hid all the food while everyone was away.”
“Oh, I remember that,” Bacchus laughed. “Highness was livid. She never did find out it was you.”
Jonas and Sif joined in on the laugh.
At sunset, all classes gathered at the arena, each candidate determined to grab a victory. Jonas saw Zeus and Athena behind a podium afar. The classes occupied each corner of the large room. The instructors walked in, single file, stopped in the center of the arena, and faced them.
Jonas sat by Bacchus. “Are you ready for this?”
Bacchus nodded. “More than you know.”
“Don’t hold us back,” Thor said to Jonas as he sat by Sif.
“Same to you,” Jonas said. He noticed Cupid afar flirting with two girls from another class. If they were ordinary girls, Jonas would’ve shrugged, but they were titans. He couldn’t let himself follow Cupid’s dangerous example.
“Attention, all brave challengers,” Larius said. “Welcome to the first crossroad toward the land of victory. Which way will you take, success or elimination? Class Dragon and Class Ark will face off. Class Neptune and Class Fire, you both will follow instructor Archus for your duel. Two people will face elimination tonight. Keep in mind, Pila’s making this decision, not the king. Do your best to impress her. Now, Class Fire and Neptune, head out. Dragon and Ark, stay put. I will provide your instructions in a moment.”
Jonas sighed.
“Are you nervous?” Jonas turned to see Athena smiling at him. “Teleport,” she said before he could ask how she crossed to his side in mere seconds without anyone noticing.
“Oh.”
“So how are you feeling about this?” Athena said.
“I’m a little nervous,” Jonas replied. “Never in my life did I imagine I’d be facing off against titans.” He chuckled and turned away.
“Don’t look at it that way,” Athena said, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Everyone here is equal. Stay focused on the task and pull out the light that sleeps deep within you.”
“You’re right.” Jonas turned to see that Athena was no longer there. Lare appeared on his shoulder. He shook his head as he sat, his glowing red eyes piercing right through Jonas.
“You’re treading a thin line, nitwit,” Lare said.
“What are you talking about?” Jonas asked, confused.
“To court both Athena and Medusa, you are quite the brave suicidal gentleman.”
“I–I’m not courting anyone,” Jonas said, blushing.
“You do know those two don’t exactly get along, right? What are you thinking?” Lare shook his head again.
“I don’t know, I just kind of ended up being friends with them,” Jonas defended as he stood. “Is there anything wrong with that?”
Lare hopped a foot into the air and hovered in place. “Nitwit, you’re going to have to learn the hard way, that is, if you survive tonight. I’ve given you a warning.” He flew off toward Zeus.
“Class Dragon, Class Ark, it is time!” Larius yelled. “Do the honors, instructor Anna.”
Anna, Class Ark instructor, was a blonde-haired woman dressed in sky-blue robes and silks. She raised a large, wooden staff high into the air. It began to glow brighter and brighter until it shined like the sun. “Staff of Worlds, take us to Mocnor.”
The familiar falling sensation overtook Jonas as the arena vanished. It replaced itself with a forest. Candidates that were sitting fell to the ground. Jonas laughed, as he saw that Thor was one of the fallen. Thor shot him a dark glare. Jonas turned away, a smirk on his face.
“Alright, Class Dragon on my left, Ark on my right,” Larius said. The candidates gathered to their respective groups.
“Here are the details,” Anna began. “See this disc.” She revealed a black Frisbee. “The team that can get it to the flag at the end of the forest will be victorious.”
“That’s it?” a Class Ark candidate said.
“Not in the least,” Anna laughed. “You must do everything you can to get the disc to the flag. The use of magic is allowed. And you must pass that disc within five seconds, or you will die.” The competitors grew silent. “Work as a team to get to the end, or die. That’s all. We will start in a few minutes.” Anna walked to Larius and whispered something to him. Lare reappeared on Jonas’s shoulder.
“Are you here to be a pain in the ass again?” Jonas said.
“Took offense to my warning, I see,” Lare said with a chuckle.
“Not really,” Jonas said.
“Good, because my job is to help you out, not care about your human emotions. So here is a little advice. See that guy.” Lare pointed at a tall boy with short, white hair. He engaged in a conversation with a few of his teammates, arms folded, and confidence beaming from his eyes.
“What about him?” Jonas asked.
“Class Ark houses powerful candidates, from Mercury to Diana and Lux, but he is your biggest and perhaps your only threat.”
“What’s his name?”
“Saturn,” Lare replied. “You need to know that that sword of yours can do more than just produce lightning. You better find a miracle quickly because Saturn can distort time.”
“Distort time? How do you beat someone like that?” Jonas said.
“You’ll have to figure that one out. I’ll be watching from afar. At least try to impress Pila, because whether you win or lose, the elimination process is still up to her. I’ve met her once. She’s damned picky.”
“Classes, take your sides!” Larius shouted.
“Good luck and try not to die,” Lare said as he flew away.
Chapter 25
The classes stood on both sides of Larius, anxious. “We’ll let fate decide who gets the death—I mean, Frisbee first.” Larius tossed the disc into the air. The classes took stances, waiting to catch it. A Class Ark candidate jumped for it, but a gust sent the disc on a path into Jonas’s view. He caught it and sprinted toward the goal while counting in his head. At four, he passed it to Sif, who ran five feet ahead of him. He was sure she’d catch it, but a boy from Class Ark intercepted the pass.
“Don’t think so,” Thor said as he pointed at the boy. He fired a burst of lightning that knocked the Ark boy over. To Jonas’s surprise, the boy did not let go of the disc.
“Quick, get rid of it!” Jonas snarled, but it was too late. The classes watched in horror as the boy clenched his heart, breathed hard, screaming. He collapsed, eyes wide open, dead. Anna appeared beside the disc and pi
cked it up. Five seconds passed, but nothing happened to her.
“Poor Aunicas let the disc eat his soul, but you’ve been warned, and the objective must continue, though I advise you to be a bit more cautious.” She tossed the disc to Sif. She yelped and dropped it. “All of you know what you’ve gotten yourselves into. The road to Zeus’s power will not be easy. If you’re not up for it, then leave and not waste our time.” Anna picked up the disc and passed it to Cupid. Cupid shrugged as he sprinted, and then passed the disc to Sif. All of the candidates joined the fray as she threw it to Jonas. The smiles and smirks from earlier no long existed in the test, each replaced by faces of determination. Faces that were determined to not die. Jonas made a pass to a teammate he recognized as Able. Before Able could make a pass, a wave of water knocked him to the ground. Able quickly let go of the Frisbee in fear of his own safety.
“Nice going, Aqua,” Saturn said as he snatched the disc and passed it to a teammate. Aqua chuckled. “I’m surprised he couldn’t predict that,” he said, running to catch up with the fray. Jonas watched the disc carefully, but then he noticed something. Every time one of his own teammates attempted to intercept a pass, they moved slower and missed by a margin. Jonas knew this had to be the work of Saturn.
“Bacchus,” Jonas called.
“Yes?” he said as he ran to the side of Jonas.
“Saturn’s slowing time for anyone of us who gets close to the disc.”
“He is? Oh, that’s right—he can mess with time. Which
means . . .”
“We can’t win unless we deal with him,” Jonas finished.
“What do you mean? You’re not looking down on our team, are you?” Bacchus challenged.
“No,” Jonas said. “If he wanted, he could slow down time while the disc is in our hands and kill all of us.”
“I see,” Bacchus said as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
“It appears that he can only target one person at a time with his powers,” Jonas continued, slowing to a jog. “The others on his team are throwing all kinds of magic to defend the disc holder. I want you to send Saturn back to where we were earlier.”
“That’s . . . clever,” Bacchus said with a laugh. “Damned clever for a human, but I must warn you this is going to take a little time to cast. You’ll need to distract him.”
“I’ll do it,” Sif said as she caught up to the duo.
“I don’t know about that,” Bacchus said. “Do you think you can handle Saturn? He’s—”
“Just who do you think I am?” Sif interrupted and sprinted toward Saturn. Jonas’s eyes widened as she teleported in front of him, aimed her hands at his face, and cast lightning-like pink light. The attack looked flawless to Jonas; however, something strange happened. The magic traveled in reverse, funneling back into Sif’s hands, and then vanished. She needed help! Jonas imagined lightning, and as he felt the power rush through him, he slashed toward Saturn’s direction. Lightning raced at him, and Jonas swore it hit its target. Instead, it stopped. Jonas’s mouth went agape as he watched it remain in place, trapped in time. He began to wonder if they were actually distracting Saturn, or was it the other way around?
“You’ve got some guts to challenge me, you lowly human,” Saturn said. Just then, Jonas couldn’t breathe, move, or even speak. Everything around him vanished, replaced by a blurry void of green, as if the trees moved unbelievably fast. Jonas tried to inhale, but his lungs didn’t work. He couldn’t do something as simple as collapse to the ground. He regretted the idea of challenging Saturn directly. To think he’d be frozen in a twisted form of time, suffocating. Lare was right, Saturn is the main threat. Distorting time is an understatement. Saturn seemed to own time, even if his prey must be targeted.
As Jonas felt himself losing consciousness, he thought of Lare’s advice. His sword could do more than produce lightning. Jonas knew that already. He felt its power firsthand ever since it trapped him in zero space. He needed to ask it for a miracle again. Jonas didn’t want to admit it, but he needed the sword. It was like another part of him, an extension of his mind and body. He thought to it.
You are known as the Holy Sword, but I don’t like that, he began. It makes you as an object, a tool. I’m ending that now. Your name is Fragment. I’m Jonas Ariel, your partner, your chosen. I ask for your help once again . . . I ask . . . Blackness began to overrun Jonas’s vision. That stopped when he suddenly felt warmth cover his body and that warmness somehow enabled him to breathe again. His vision fully returned. The scenery too. Jonas realized he was engulfed by the sword’s power again, just like in his fight with Aaron. He silently named it “Fragment Possession.”
Jonas looked ahead. Sif and Bacchus were down. Everyone else ran at least a hundred yards ahead. Jonas didn’t care. He dashed to Sif’s and Bacchus’s aid, his speed nearly a teleport. They were okay, but he did not feel right leaving them in the middle of nowhere. “Sif! Bacchus!”
Bacchus quickly sat up. Sif was slow.
“You both okay?”
“Yes,” Bacchus answered. “Don’t worry about the fallen;
get . . . Whoa . . . How the hell are you . . . ? How did you
escape . . . ? Who are you?”
“What’s with the power?” Sif said, over-voicing Bacchus. “You look like you just came out of the sun.”
“Now is not the time,” Jonas said. “I’m glad the both of you are fine. Let’s catch up with the others. Our class is outnumbered, and Saturn is probably knocking them out.”
“You’re right; come on,” Bacchus said.
The trio raced forward, as fast as possible, in hopes of catching up with their classmates. Jonas moved extremely fast. He nearly left Bacchus and Sif multiple times. Eventually, the three saw the fray yards ahead. Magic burst in all directions from everyone.
“Bacchus, I need you to try the teleport again. In the meantime, I’ll confront Saturn. Sif, could you help Thor? I know he’s still up.”
They both nodded. All three of them could see that half of the magic ahead was lightning flashes.
Jonas bolted, full speed, ahead of Sif and Bacchus. He caught up to Saturn just as quickly as he left, and unsheathed Fragment. With one wave of it, he unleashed a concentrated ball of lightning. That smacked the off-guard Saturn to the ground.
Enraged, surprised, perhaps aghast, Saturn stood up and faced Jonas.
“Even this lowly human can knock down a big-shot titan,” Jonas said.
“I really don’t have time to babysit nor ask about what’s with
your . . . body,” Saturn said. “I’m really curious to know how you escaped the impossible, but I guess we’ll save it for another day.”
Jonas noticed slight hand movement from Saturn. He quickly slashed another ball of lightning toward him. Saturn froze it. The ball fizzled away in midair.
“You really are in over your little human head.”
Jonas fired more blasts. Saturn didn’t freeze them this time. Jonas noticed he simply moved faster, sidestepping, and getting closer to Jonas. Saturn raised a hand. A white sphere appeared to his side. He stuck his hand inside and pulled out an object Jonas recognized as a trident.
“The others are getting far ahead of us,” Saturn said, “so I’m going to do something interesting with Poseidon’s trident.”
“You stole Poseidon’s trident? He’s going to kill you!” Jonas bellowed.
“As if he could. I’ll give it back to him in a moment, after this.” Saturn stabbed the bottom of the trident at the ground just as Jonas dashed toward him. The forest shook violently, halting Jonas. The yells of the competitors made Saturn grin. He put the trident back into the sphere. It vanished.
“Now that’s hilarious, put me in a good mood,” Saturn said. “I’ll give you a break. Go home or I’ll—”
“Bacchus now!” Jonas yelled. He took a gamble at the timing, afraid to hear a threat from a titan who could steal objects from time. Before Saturn could ask anything, because he did open his mouth
, he was gone. Jonas saw, to his relief, his plan succeeded. “Alright!” he cheered and then raced to catch up with the others. His excitement vanished when he saw that everyone was either moaning in the pain of their injuries or slowly standing. Jonas’s eyes darted frantically for the disc. He sighed in relief when he found it on the ground, inches from Aqua’s reach. He walked over to the disc, unsheathed Fragment, and stabbed it. The disc burst into flames as Jonas sent a surge of electricity to greet it. Everyone stared at him. Jonas let the brush of a cool breeze soothe his sweaty skin as he returned the stares with a half-glare.
“I don’t care if we are all competitors, enemies, foes, whatever. This is not something worth losing our lives over. This may be a race to get ahold of Zeus’s power, but all of the chaos just makes us seem like madmen. Not to mention that someone died! Died! Even if you are titans, foes—all of you must have hearts. I don’t care what the instructors say, this road can be won without killing others or trampling their bodies for a chance of power. I may be human, but even I know that Pila will not accept a madman.”
Venus stood up. “You’re right. This is savagery.”
“Savagery or not, it’s still a competition for something greater than you could ever realize,” Cupid said. “I don’t think your human narrowness belong here.” Whispers and conversations began. Jonas could feel disagreement, but he did not care. Venus was right. This competition was for savages.
Just then, Anna appeared at Jonas’s side, a smile perched on her face.
“I told Zeus this particular test was too difficult, but, wow, was I wrong,” she said. Anna turned to Jonas and handed him a coin-shaped diamond. It glistened from the full over-brightness of the two moons. “Jonas, you are a prodigy among humans. To figure out that the actual way to win is to destroy the disc that symbolizes the dark heart—it makes me want to marry you.”
“Wha–what!” Every candidate awed.
“That’s right, Jonas saved all of you. The second you reached the flag, all of you would’ve gone mad in an attempt to claim victory and killed each other. So I hereby, on behalf of Jonas Ariel, declare Class Dragon as the victors. The Candidate who lost his life will serve as the one eliminated.”
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