I took the pieces of the hangers—black leather pants, black leather waist harness, dark purple shirt made with that same armored material as my training outfit, black cowl and hooded cape. And heavy duty ankle length black boots, that had dark purple stitching. I put everything on and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a post-apocalyptic Robin Hood. I grinned—I was completely bad-ass.
After I finished dressing, I went into the dining room for breakfast. Hades wasn’t there, just the little serving robot to keep me company, but he left me a note next to my plate of eggs and sausage.
I will meet you in the library to show you how to get back to the academy. Hades
P.S. Don’t choke on your eggs from eating too fast.
I chuckled as I ate. Not only was he starting to know me pretty well but I was starting to appreciate his sense of humor. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Too bad you can’t talk little dude,” I said to the robot. “Then we could gossip about Hades.”
The robot just blinked at me, but I imagined if it had a mouth it would be smiling right now.
Despite Hades’ warning, I did eat quickly but didn’t choke on anything. I walked briskly across the corridor to the library eager to get to the academy. I saw Hades near one of the bookcases, reading from one of the old books. When I stepped into the room he turned and his face lit up.
The way he looked at me made me uncomfortable. Partly because he was my teacher and partly because it made my insides tingle and my belly do a little flip flop. Which could become problematic.
He shut the book, slid it back onto the shelf, and then turned to put his attention on me. “I see I chose well. You look totally worthy of my clan.”
“I thought I was worthy because of my skills.”
He waved a hand at me. “Yes of course, but it doesn’t hurt to look fierce and capable of breaking a person in two, now does it?”
I couldn’t stop the smile. “I suppose.”
The surprised looks on my friends faces was going to be so worth it. Especially Lucian. Oh, and I couldn’t wait to see Revana’s reaction. She was going to gag with jealousy.
“Right.” He stepped closed to me. “So, what I’m going to show you is secret. It’s something only I know, and I’m going to trust you enough to share it.”
I nodded. I was surprised by his comment, as I didn’t think he trusted me at all. At least he hadn’t acted like it over the past week, or couple of weeks? I wasn’t even sure what day it was.
“Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t.”
“Disappearing into the shadows is the first step. I know you know how to walk through the shadows, short distances anyway, like from here to the river.” He gave me a sidelong look, obviously knowing I had tried to escape the hall the other night.
“What I’m going to show you is a way to transport yourself from one place to another through the darkness. Like from here to the academy.”
“Like a portal?”
He nodded. “It’s a powerful ability, and one you will only possess. None of your fellow cadets will ever learn to do this.”
“Can the other Gods do it?”
“Of course, but not through darkness. They use other methods. Which is why they can’t just pop into my hall.”
“You mean Zeus can’t just come here?”
“That’s right. He has to cross the river and knock on the door just like everyone else.”
I smiled at that.
He caught my smile and returned it.
Then he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a black disc on a chain. He held it up toward me. It was a silver necklace with a black wooden amulet on it. “You must wear this at all times.” He slipped it over my head. The amulet felt warm as it fell between my breasts.
My hand came up to touch it.
“It’s made of ebony, from the giant tree in the hall. It makes a connection to this place. It will help you move around easily.”
“It’s beautiful.”
He glanced at the amulet, then up at my face. “Yes, it is.”
I frowned, confused if he was talking about the necklace or me.
“Now, stand here.” He pointed to a spot right next to him. I did. “Together we will gather the darkness.”
I felt uncomfortable doing this with Hades. I mean he was the God of darkness essentially. He could do all of this in his sleep, and probably did. But I figured I could just suck it up and do it, or stay in this hall forever.
Concentrating on the shadows around us, I reached out and pulled them closer. A prickling sensation rippled over my skin as the gloom shrouded us. I shivered at how quickly I could do it now. Maybe it was because I stood beside the master of the dark, or because I was starting to become like him. Either way, I smiled.
“Good,” Hades said from beside me. I could see him there, but it was like looking at someone through a filter. A really hazy dark filter. “Now, the next thing you need to do is to picture where you want to go.”
“The dining hall,” I blurted. “That’s where I imagine everyone will be.”
“Okay, so imagine it in your mind. Picture it clearly.”
I shut my eyes and thought about the academy, and the dining hall. I could see the dark wooden tables, polished to a shine. The immaculate white tiled floors. The huge open doors that had intricate carvings in the wooden frames. I imagined Lucian and Jasmine and Georgina sitting at one of those tables together, eating pancakes with fruit and whipped cream, and the huge cup of coffee Lucian always had.
“I can see it.”
“Good. Now keep it in your mind and start walking. It’ll feel weird at first, like you’re marching through liquid honey. There will be some resistance, but push through it.”
I felt the viscosity almost immediately. The air surrounding us was thick and cloying, almost sticky on my skin. It proved difficult to lift my leg and put it down to step forward. But I pushed through. Hades walked beside me with almost no effort at all.
He must’ve sensed my thoughts, because he commented, “It’ll stop being hard after you’ve done it a million times like I have.”
Eventually I was able to garner a decent walking pace then the air didn’t feel so heavy.
“How will I know that I’m going in the right direction and that I’ve arrived at my destination?”
“Practice.”
I smirked. “That’s not really helpful. What if I end up in some random closet in some random room I don’t recognize or outside, a hundred miles away from where I want to be?”
“You can only go to places you’ve been before. There has to be some kind of connection.” He pointed ahead of him. “Concentrate and you’ll soon start to hear and see where you want to be.”
I raised my head and looked forward. He was right. There was distant light up ahead, and I could hear the faint sounds of voices and laughter. That spurred me on, and I moved faster, determined to get out of the shadows and into the dining hall.
After a few more steps, the shadows started to wane, and it wasn’t so difficult to move. I glanced at Hades, a smile creeping across my face.
“Remember you have to return to the hall this evening. Hold the amulet in your hand and it will take you there quickly.” He stopped walking, as I continued on.
Finally I could see the light blossoming, and I aimed right for that growing circle. Then I stepped out onto the tiled floor of the dining hall. To those in the room it would’ve looked like I just appeared out of nowhere.
The reactions I got didn’t disappoint. And my ego just got stroked really hard.
“Holy shit!” I heard someone gasp.
I looked toward one of the voices and saw Diego’s eyes bugging out. “Damn girl, you look like an assassin.”
That made me grin.
“Blue!”
“Mel!”
Lucian, Jasmine and Georgina rushed toward me. They all tried to hug me at once, so it became an awkward group pile on
, that made me laugh.
Jasmine eyed me up and down. “What the hell are you wearing?” She poked her finger against my leather corset.
“Armor.”
She frowned. “Really?”
I nodded. “Everything I’m wearing can deflect a blade.”
“Wow.” Jasmine touched my cape.
“I think you look amazing.” Georgina smiled.
“You do look amazing.” Lucian smiled.
“Gods, it’s been so long since we’ve seen you.” Georgina shook her head.
Lucian hugged me again. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I giggled. “You are all acting like I’ve been gone for months. It’s only been a week or two.”
I caught the look between Jasmine and Georgina, and when Lucian pulled back his brow furrowed.
I looked to each of them.
Lucian swallowed. “Mel, you’ve been in Hades Hall for two months.”
“What?” I flinched back. “You’re messing with me.”
“We’re not.” Jasmine shook her head. “It’s been two months since the celebration when you disappeared. Two weeks since we saw you at the river.”
My head started to swim, and my knees buckled. Lucian caught me before I could collapse onto the floor. He helped me to the table nearby and sat me down, settling in beside me. His knee touched mine and it helped me feel more grounded.
I shook my head trying to rectify my experience to what they were telling me. “I swear it’s been maybe two weeks for me. Time did feel different down there, as I didn’t have a watch and had no access to the outside, but two months? I can’t believe it.” Then it hit me what Jasmine had said. Frowning, looked up at her. “And what do you mean at the river? I haven’t’ seen any of you since the big celebration.”
They all shared a concerned look again. I hated that it made me feel like an outsider. They’d had two months together without me, making new memories that I’d never be privy to.
Lucian grabbed my hand. “I knew it wasn’t you.”
“Explain what’s going on.”
Jasmine sighed. “About two weeks ago, we found a way down to the underworld. We planned on breaking you out of Hades Hall…”
Georgina picked up the story, “But when we got to the river Styx we couldn’t get across. None of our powers would work.”
“Then across the river we saw Cerebus. And you were riding it, and you told us to go back and to forget about you. That you were happy where you were.” Lucian squeezed my hand. “But I knew it wasn’t you.”
My stomach churned. I gripped the table, my fingers digging in until my knuckles turned white. Anger surged through me. I couldn’t believe Hades would do that to me. And here I was starting to like my training; starting to like him even. Why would he do that? Why was it so important to keep me away from my friends, away from the academy?
Chapter Twelve
MELANY
“Was it Hades?” Lucian asked. The look in his eyes was a mixture of anger and sorrow. And it pained me to see it there. I know I hadn’t betrayed him, but I still felt responsible.
I nodded. “He really doesn’t want me to be here. I had to jump through hoops just to get a day pass.”
“That sonofabitch.” Lucian clenched his hand into a fist. I saw a few white sparks flying off his fingers. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” But I sort of did, didn’t I? It was becoming evident that maybe Hades looked at me as more than a student. I could feel his gaze on me sometimes. It was a searching look, curiosity most definitely, something more maybe. The distressing thing was, I liked it. But I’d never say it out loud, not to anyone, especially not Lucian.
Jasmine gave me a side-eye look, as if she knew the answer and didn’t approve.
Before we could discuss it further, a loud horn blast echoed through the halls of the academy, making everyone jump. Lucian stood.
“What was that?” I watched as cadets started to stream out of the dining hall.
“The call to battle.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “It’s part of our training today. It’s a mock battle, executed as if it was really happening.” Together, we moved toward the exit.
“What’s the goal?”
“To not get killed.” Jasmine snorted.
“We’re supposed to band together as a group and keep the enemy from reaching the academy.”
“Who’s the enemy?” As we walked, my gaze caught Revana glaring at me, her eye daggers were lethal.
Lucian shook his head. “Don’t know. Could be anyone. Gods, demigods. We have to be prepared for anything.”
All forty or so of us gathered just outside the main door to the academy. A makeshift armory had been setup on the grounds. Rows of weapons including swords, spears, axes, hammers, and bow and arrow leaned up against one wooden stand. All of them were blunted so we didn’t actually kill anyone. I imagined it would be similar to the mock battle we had for the twelfth trial, like a really big brutal game of paint ball. Another stand held our shields that we’d forged with Hephaistos. There was also a stable of a few animals. I spied the wings of a Pegasus as it stamped impatiently around the grounds.
There was a lot of buzzing of voices and a bit of confusion, then the group split in two, half settling around Lucian, and the other around Revana. It didn’t seem planned, but just a natural separation.
Then Lucian just took charge. And I watched as everyone in our group turn their attention to him. I was pleased to see it, as he was a born leader. Deep down, there was a little dagger of envy stabbing me in the gut. I tried to bury it deep, angry at myself for its existence.
“We need to organize into two squads. One on the ground and the other in the air. We need those with good elemental skills on the ground. The best flyers should be in the air.”
Georgina and Ren moved off to the side along with Marek.
“Jasmine, can you lead our ground troops?”
“Yes.” Jasmine gave my hand a quick squeeze then moved over with them.
“Blue,” Lucian nodded to me. “You’re the best flyer here. You’ll be with me, Quinn and Hella.”
I saluted him. “Aye, aye, Captain.” Then chuckled, but no one else was laughing. I guess they didn’t think I was funny. Lucian didn’t crack a smile either. Oops.
“Suit up then into formation.”
While everyone went over to the armory to get their preferred weapon, I watched as Lucian went over to talk to Revana. She’d arranged her group into similar squads. I hated that my gut churned at seeing them together. When Revana smiled at something Lucian said, my hands clenched into tight fists. Jealously was a bitch.
“You okay?” Jasmine asked as she fastened a scabbard and sword to her back.
“Yup.” I reached for a long bow and quiver of arrows.
Her brow furrowed. “You seem different.”
“In what way?”
“You seem harder. Closed off.” My eyebrow went up at that and I must’ve scowled because she added, “Defensive.”
“I’ve been locked away for two months, Jas. My only companions have been the dark God of the underworld and three bat-like women who take training to a whole other level of difficult.”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve been training with the Furies?”
“Yup. They’re as harsh as you’ve read about.” I lifted my head to show her another scar on my neck to go with my lightning ones that I’d picked up along the way. I ran my fingers over it. “Courtesy of Allec, during weapons training. She likes to play with knives.”
“I’m sorry, Mel.” She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight. It was a bit awkward, as the hilt of her sword nearly smacked me in the forehead.
“It’s okay.”
We broke apart when Lucian returned to grab a sword and back scabbard. He looked from me to her. “Everything all right?”
I nodded.
Another horn sounded, this one was louder and longer, and I suspected signaled the beginning of the melee.
A wave of excitement and nerves rippled through the group. I found I was eager to get into the air and fight.
Lucian lifted his sword into the air. “Follow me!” His wings unfurled and he flapped them a couple of times to stretch them out.
Thankful for the way my outfit was designed, my wings came out quickly and unhindered. I shot up into the air almost immediately. I hovered over the group, knowing full well I made a savage picture. Like a giant black crow, a human-sized bird of prey. Lucian joined me in the air, as did Quinn and Hella.
I had to resist the urge to shoot forward and lead the charge allowing Lucian to go first. I flew on his right side, Hella on his left and Quinn brought up the rear. Down below, I saw Jasmine, mounted on one of the giant black fire horses, gallop across the field, the others, weapons drawn running behind her. The scene nearly brought me to tears, it was so powerful. She was glorious.
As we flew toward the rise before the woods, Revana and her squad of four flyers came alongside our formation. From below, I imagined we looked like two stealth jet fighters going in for the kill. Or at least I hoped that’s what we looked like.
I didn’t know what to expect, but as we came over the rise I gasped at what we encountered.
Helen of Troy flew up from the cover of the woods on the back of Pegasus. She had on gold armor, and held a long bow much like mine. Beside her flew a giant in black armor, and bull-like helmet. His gold wings extended the breadth of two of us. His sword glinted in the sunlight nearly blinding me.
“Veer right!” Lucian shouted.
As one, we swerved to the right. I nocked an arrow and turned to fire while the others kept flying. I fired, aiming at Helen. I hit Pegasus with the blunted tip. The beast let out an angry snort as red blossomed across its chest.
The rules of the game dictated that Helen had to drop to the ground as her mount was injured. I could see the fury on her face and heard the string of curses coming out of her mouth. I couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter as I flew closer to her, nocking another arrow.
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