Forge of the Gods 3

by Simon Archer

  I cringed at the thought of all the stories they were probably sharing about me if they were to meet up in the Elysian Fields. But I liked to dream about the pair of them and Marsella there, finally free of their past burdens and happy. Both Sarah and Katlynn finally accomplished what they set out to do, and they should be rewarded for that, celebrated even because some mortals weren’t that lucky.

  That was why I suggested that we all meet here. But that had been before Hades decided to make a surprise visit to my dorm and sent my thoughts into overdrive. I acknowledged everyone, but my movements were stiff and constrained. Luckily, everyone let me get away with the weird behavior, thinking it was a result of the sad proceedings.

  Ann was the last one to lay down her bouquet of flowers, a group of violets. She looked around to the rest of us. Beth stood with Bella at her back, the Eda soldier wrapping her arms around our girlfriend. Jade stood next to Daniella, her arm looped in hers as she swiped away a tear. Hailey was beside me, close enough to let me know she was there, supporting me, but she didn’t reach out and touch me, knowing that I didn’t need that kind of comfort just then. Arges loomed over the rest of us. Despite his size, he still seemed like a natural addition to the group.

  Kari joined us but stood a little outside of the group, her hands clasped together and head bowed slightly. The way her shoulders hunched forward revealed her discomfort.

  Ann tipped her head towards me, indicating that it was my turn to lay down the gifts I had for Sarah. I was the only one who didn’t bring flowers for the blacksmith. I figured there was something else I could offer my late mentor.

  I reached down and began to hammer into the stone. It wasn’t the easiest task, that much was certain. However, I used my upper body strength and managed to chip away at enough of the stone in order to hang what I needed to.

  When I stepped away, everyone could see the horseshoe I hung on the grave. It was turned the correct direction so it could collect all of the luck. Sure, it wasn’t a home or a doorway, but given Sarah’s profession and what the upturned horseshoe meant to the both of us, I figured it was the best gift I could offer.

  Additionally, it offered a personal touch. It would make her grave stand out from all the rest. While I couldn’t list her accomplishments and talents on the stone itself, I could offer this representation of her in the best way I knew how.

  Ann’s face broke into a wide smile, all teeth when she saw that I had done. “Nice touch, Cameron,” she complimented.

  “I thought so,” I said, returning her smile but with less enthusiasm.

  “Do you want to say a few words?” the farmer offered me, holding out her hat in a wide gesture.

  I blinked at Ann as I was caught completely off guard. “I didn’t… I didn’t prepare anything.”

  “Just speak from here,” Ann said as she pounded a fist on her chest, just above her heart. “You didn’t get the chance to at the official funeral, but I think now would be the perfect time to do so.”

  Jade nodded her agreement, and Beth clapped her hands, encouraging me onward.

  “I think Katlynn would appreciate it too,” Hailey said gently from behind me.

  I gulped audibly, not knowing where to begin. I stared at the grass as though it would spell out a speech for me suddenly. When nothing happened, I realized that I needed to talk, say something, anything, before it got awkward.

  That was when Hailey reached out and touched my shoulder. I looked up into her perfectly chiseled face and smiled. She knew the right moment to remind me that I could do this. That I could do anything, even be vulnerable in front of the people I trusted most in this world.

  So I took a deep breath in and spoke my truth.

  “I didn’t know Katlynn very long,” I began. “I didn’t even know I had a half-sister. But she was silly and sassy and everything I wanted out of a sibling. Except for maybe not being able to hug her cause, you know, she was made of fire, but it was still good.”

  That last part got a chuckle from some. I felt like I was seriously messing this up, but I took a deep breath and continued. “Katlynn was trapped for nearly a hundred years as punishment for something that she did. She never told me what it was, but I figure it had to be pretty bad to be punished like that for so long. The only way she was going to be let out of that punishment was by helping a child of Hephaestus.”

  I bit the corner of my lip as my inner eyes flashed with memories of Katlynn. I smiled and ventured forward. “And while, yes, she helped me in the way our father intended, she helped me in so many other ways. She made me laugh, gave me the verbal slap I need on occasion, and believed in me. She helped me so much more than she will ever know.”

  My memories traveled back to our moment in the forge at Agres’s villa when she helped me pull my head out of my ass and remind me that I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t destined to go on this adventure alone, build the Ultimate Weapon alone. It was a reminder I needed desperately, and I don’t know if I ever thanked her for it. So I took the opportunity to do so now.

  “Thank you, Katlynn,” I said to her grave, hoping she could hear me. “Thank you for helping me in every way possible.”

  I paused, letting my words hang in the air and giving myself a moment to breathe before I moved on.

  “Sarah,” I said, her name alone stirring up painful feelings in my chest. “That woman saw me before I even saw myself. She had this knack for saying just what I needed to hear, even if I didn’t want to.”

  Ann chuckled knowingly, lost in her own memory.

  “She taught me a lot about blacksmithing, but she taught me a lot about life, too,” I went on. “And love. Lots about love.” My eyes darted up to Hailey, and then around to each of my girls, unable to help myself. “She was crass and spoke her mind, but if there was one thing that woman knew, it was love. She loved deeply and was fiercely loyal.”

  Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I wasn’t sure I could continue for a moment. But I took a pause and found my strength again. “I was so lucky to be on her good side, to be one of those people that she was loyal to. One of those people that she loved.”

  I took that moment to look up at the people surrounding me, and as I met each of their gazes, I let the tears fall freely. “I want to be loyal the same way that she was. I want to love the way that she loved. And I know that with all of you by my side, I can do that. I am growing to be that person. And while I’m going to miss her so much, I know that it’s going to be okay. I’m going to be okay because I do have you.”

  I made sure to look at Kari as I said this. She looked up and met my eye. I wanted to make sure she knew she was included in this, no matter what had happened in the past. I watched her features soften as she witnessed the seriousness of my statement and that it meant her too.

  Then I thought about Sarah’s last words to me. How she said I was special and how I was going to save the world. I knew I wasn’t meant to do it alone, but something swirled inside my mind, a mix of Sarah’s words and Hades’s suggestion.

  I realized then that I couldn’t live up to the potential they saw in me if I just stayed here. I needed to go out there and finally start finding this destiny that everyone kept talking about. Maybe that started with finding someone else.

  Jade sniffled loudly, and Daniella patted her arm gingerly. Beth swiped dramatically under her eye. Arges nodded for me to continue. It was as though the cyclops knew what I had to say next. As though he’d been reading my mind throughout my whole contemplation process.

  “I need to tell you all something,” I said, my tone changing as I changed the subject. The air seemed to shift around us, too, complimenting my words by cooling the temperature. “Next semester is going to be my last at the Academy.”

  “What?” Jade balked.

  “You can’t be serious?” Bethany gasped as she stepped forward and dropped out of Bella’s embrace.

  “Cameron?” Daniella questioned, not able to say more than my name.

  Kari staye
d silent, but the shock was also written all over her face. Arges and Ann were the only two who didn’t react with surprise. They shared their own glance as if they knew this was coming.

  Hailey squeezed my shoulder. I felt the tension in her grip, but I put my hand over hers and tapped it reassuringly. I knew that this would be like me going to Italy. Hailey might not approve right away, but she would support my decision because she loved me. I had that to rely on if nothing else.

  “What are you thinking?” Arges asked calmly. The cyclops put his hands behind his back and cocked his head, patiently waiting for my answer.

  “Yeah,” Beth jumped in loudly. “What are you thinking?”

  “I need to help Kari get back into the Military,” I began. “I refuse to leave her during that process, or I wouldn’t be coming back next semester.”

  Kari nodded in gratitude but still wouldn’t look me in the eye.

  “And we told you all about Eris and the threat she poses,” I continued, moving on to the bigger picture. “And no matter what we do, demigods are just not as powerful as the gods.”

  “Yeah, we know,” Jade said. “That’s why we need their help.”

  “But do you really think they are going to listen?” I countered. I held out my hands, growing more intense as I went on. “We can’t even get a hold of them most of the time.”

  “What about the Ultimate Weapon?” Bella stepped in, confusion written all over his face. “Won’t that defeat them?”

  “Eris has been trying to stop me and distract me at every turn. Creating chaos like she does.” I said with an eye roll. Then I changed my tone, growing more serious. “I need help in order to finish it. A god’s help.”

  “Because the only thing that can truly defeat a god is another god,” Daniella said, the idea piecing together in her mind as she spoke. “You need someone to bless or enchant the weapon or whatever, like Hades did with the helm to make it invisible.”

  “Yes,” I said, drawing out the word.

  “Well, that’s just great,” Beth said as she threw up her hands. “Which one of the gods do you really think is going to help us? I know we’ve got Phaethusa on our side, but the Officials don’t exactly respect her.”

  It warmed my heart to know that Beth said “we,” and was not placing all of the blame on me, although that’s one hundred percent where it laid. I cleared my thoughts and got back on track.

  “It’s because she’s a minor god,” I said slowly, “but I know of one of the Olympians that will help us.”

  “Who is that?” Kari asked, finally jumping into the conversation.

  “Hephaestus,” I said, playing my final card.

  Jade’s eyes shot up to her hairline. “You mean… you’re going to… no! Really Cameron?”

  “Yeah, really,” I confirmed with a sharp nod. “I’m going to find my father and get him to help us finish off the Ultimate Weapon.”

  Author’s Note

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