The Forest Gods' Reign

by Alexandria Hook

  “Don’t leave me,” he whispered in Greek, tightening his white-knuckle grip with one hand on the cot’s metal support bar and the other on my own hand.

  “I wasn’t planning on it,” I told Alec truthfully, my voice almost catching in my throat. I frowned as he pressed his face into the fluffy white pillow on the cot and clutched my hand even tighter to distract himself from the pain. The nurse continued to clean his wounds in stiff silence.

  Realizing I would probably be there a while, I sat down in front of the green cot, facing Alec and still keeping a firm hold of his one hand. Alec was gripping it so tightly that I was kind of surprised that the bones in my hand hadn’t been crushed yet, but I didn’t complain. Alec was enduring both physical and mental pain far greater than any of the gods had ever experienced thus far, and he deserved someone to be there with him.

  I sighed when I took a closer look at poor Alec, who was now groaning in pain, for I noticed that his wrists were red and that the skin was peeling from rope burns. Frowning, I reached up with my free hand to push the dark, sweaty hair out of his eyes and touch his forehead, only slightly surprised to find that he was burning up. “He’s running a fever,” I told the nurse in a shaky, worried voice that was quite uncharacteristic of me, and she quickly handed me a cold wet blue rag, which I then gently placed on his forehead. Not trusting my voice any longer, I chose to stay silent after that.

  A few minutes later, I had cleaned the raw skin on his wrists and was about to start bandaging them when Alec suddenly tensed up and cringed. I pulled the bandages away from his wrist instantly, thinking I had hurt him, but he only motioned for me to continue. “You probably think I’m weak after seeing me like … that,” he mumbled glumly.

  I just raised my eyebrows and told him seriously, “Someone who survives and stays conscious through more than thirty lashes is not weak. Plus, with your amount of training, I bet you could beat any Knowing Warrior in a fight.”

  Defeated and distressed, Alec only looked down and pressed his face back into the pillow, crushing my hand again as the nurse spread stinging antibiotic cream over the deep red gashes in his back. Just watching him, I had to bite down on my lower lip to stop it from quivering with guilt. I shouldn’t have listened to him. I should have known he couldn’t handle all of the Knowing on his own. Not yet anyway.

  By then it was around noon, but I didn’t leave to get lunch. I wasn’t hungry, and I didn’t really want to share a meal with the cruel Knowing people, who would have killed Alec if I hadn’t intervened. So for hours on end, I sat in the medical tent gripping Alec’s hand and solemnly watching him writhe in pain as the nurse treated his back. Even when the nurse was done, I stayed with the feverish Alec as he slept, knowing that he wouldn’t trust anyone else there (and neither would I), although I too drifted in and out of sleep once or twice.

  Outside, it was edging toward dusk, and eventually the nurse came over and tapped me on the shoulder. “Lady Athena,” she said, bowing her head, “it is dinnertime now, if you want to eat.”

  I clutched my stomach, just then realizing how hungry I was, and nodded. Trying not to wake him, I carefully let go of Alec’s hand and stood up to brush myself off. “What was your name again?” I asked the nurse. “I’m not sure you told me.”

  “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, my lady,” the nurse quickly apologized. “I’m Jan.”

  I smiled and shook her frail hand. Becoming serious once again, I ordered dryly, “Stay with him and don’t let anyone else in here. Please don’t take it personally, but Alec does not really trust his people at the moment.” She nodded in understanding, and then I walked out of the tent into the cool open air.

  I followed the long line of people into the largest tent in the camp, a white, rectangular, circus-sized structure that I assumed to be the mess hall. When I finally reached the entrance, I walked inside to see that the entire mess hall was lit up by hundreds of small candles. Along the south side of the canopy was a long buffet table that held all the food. The rest of the tent was dotted with round tables that could each seat six people and were covered in simple white tablecloths.

  At the far end of the tent, however, there was a lone rectangular table on a small, raised platform with five seats that were facing the rest of the people. Anyone could have guessed that this was where the leaders of the camp ate, and I couldn’t help but notice that the seat in the middle of the table was still empty. The tall Knowing leader with light brown hair, who had been whipping Alec earlier in the day, saw me looking over and waved eagerly. I realized I would probably have to sit there whether I liked it or not.

  Sighing to myself, I lazily dumped some chicken and pasta on my plate and made my way up to the leaders’ table. The cruel Knowing leader from earlier quickly stood up and politely pulled out my seat for me, even though I didn’t want him to. “It’s good to see you, Lady Athena. We missed you at lunch,” he said brightly, and I frowned. Did he really think I would just forget everything that happened that very morning? Frankly, I had thought he was smarter than that.

  “I wanted to introduce you to my council,” he continued. Pointing in turn to a short man dressed all in purple, a very hairy man in orange, and a blonde woman in white, he said in Greek, “That’s Martin, Perseus, and Elizabeth. My name is Jason, by the way. I’m not sure we officially met earlier.” I just nodded, not feeling the need or the desire to respond.

  Suddenly, Jason stood up from his chair and cleared his throat before tapping his metal spoon against his wine glass to get the attention of his people. “Welcome, everyone, to our very special meal tonight. Before we eat, let us give thanks to our gods, and let us give applause for our guest, the wonderful and always wise Lady Athena.” The crowds obediently erupted in applause and cheers but quieted down again when Jason continued, “Now, let us eat!” In a quick response, the members of the crowd gave a few whoops and then dug into their food.

  Throughout the incredibly long meal, I couldn’t help but notice that they all kept looking up at me, as if to see whether I liked the food or not. I found their stealthy glances kind of creepy, but even I had to admit that although the Knowing might have appeared cruel so far, they certainly made delicious food.

  However, my whirling thoughts were interrupted by Jason when he asked, “So, my lady, how do you like our little camp?”

  “It’s very well organized,” I said simply, not sure what else to say since I hated everything else about it at the moment. Jason only nodded eagerly, and then continued to eat his food and chat with his council. I tried to be polite and pay attention, but my mind was elsewhere. I found myself thinking of Alec, and my eyes kept drifting toward his mother, who was trying to eat, watch me, and talk to the other mothers with whom she was sitting, all at the same time.

  Out of nowhere, a sharp pain stabbed my stomach, but this time it was out of guilt, not hunger. Why am I here? I thought. I should be with Alec. I gripped the table to stop my head from spinning, but then I silently cursed myself, because Alec really was fine on his own with Jan. I knew already that my heart was getting out of control, succeeding at overriding my brain with the emotions I tried so hard to ignore. I don’t love Alec, I don’t like Alec, I don’t trust Alec, I tried telling myself, shaking my head back and forth, over and over again.

  Eager to get out of the mess hall as quickly as possible, I finished my dinner before everyone else, not realizing I would be forced to politely wait in my seat until dinner was over. I tried to make my way back to the infirmary, but I was trapped in a sea of people, all begging for my attention. “How long are you staying? Why are you here? Can you bless my baby?” they exclaimed, and I frowned again; my head was starting to pound from all their shouting. Strangely enough, Alec’s mother and Jason, who were smiling and talking in low voices just outside the mess hall, were the only people not joining in the excitement. They were far too involved with each other.

  “Please, let me through. I will answer all of your questions tomorrow!” I yelled back a
t them.

  Immediately they parted for me, not wanting to offend their beloved goddess in any way. I guessed they didn’t want to risk losing an arm or something. I was beginning to realize that the Knowing were now on their best behavior because they knew how powerful I was, and although it was partly a good thing, it meant that I would probably not be able to see the full extent of the camp’s corruption for myself. At least not during this visit.

  Finally, I managed to make my way to the infirmary, where the distressed-looking nurse was standing over Alec, holding a bowl of tomato soup. I rubbed my forehead, trying to get rid of the headache, and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the crowd outside slowly disperse. Jan just looked up at me, gratitude flooding her brown eyes, color returning to her pale face.

  “He was freaking out when he woke, shouting crazy, crazy things. But now he won’t eat anything, and he’s still running a slight fever,” she informed me hurriedly, and I reluctantly glanced over at Alec, who still had pain written across his handsome face. I couldn’t help but notice that his dark jeans had fresh bloodstains on them.

  I sighed as his sad blue eyes met my gray ones. “I’ll handle him,” I told Jan softly, taking the tomato soup from her hands and striding over to meet Alec. I carefully pulled my little hero off the cot and let him lean against me when he almost fell back down from the strain, and whispered to him, “Come on.” Then I walked him outside to a spot in the grass with a clear view of the twinkling sky. I was especially careful not to touch his back because it was entirely covered with white bandages, some of which he had already bled through.

  Even though we had only walked a couple of feet from the tent, Alec was tired and sweating by time we sat down. Clutching a stitch in his six-pack abs, he gasped shakily, “What made you think this was a good idea?”

  I shrugged. “You needed some air.” Then I glanced up at the sky, thinking of how we always sat on my roof at home after our late-night battle practices, and added, “And some stars.”

  When he didn’t respond, I tried to feed him a spoonful of soup, but he immediately turned his head away. “Alec,” I pleaded with him, “you need to eat.” He looked me in the eye and frowned, but ultimately decided I was right and took the soup bowl from my hands. Or maybe he just wanted to make me feel better. It didn’t really matter to me, just as long as he ate a little bit.

  Very slowly, Alec worked his way through the tomato soup and stopped about halfway through, but I didn’t press him to finish it. I was just glad he had eaten something to give him the energy needed to recover. Now, he just looked up at the stars and cleared his throat. “So,” he started, his voice hoarse and falsely positive, “I’m sure you’ve already been asked this hundreds of times, but how do you like the camp?”

  I sighed and thought for a moment, hugging my knees and glancing around at all the tents. “There aren’t any roofs,” I said bluntly, wishfully thinking of my own house, even though it was usually filled with angry shouts. It sounded like such a simple, spur-of-the-moment statement, but it meant so much more. Here at the Knowing base camp, the people thought they were so strong and safe, but really, they were just like the tents that they lived in—temporary and unstable. All of us were that way, actually, though some were obviously more stable than others. The Knowing had no idea yet that a huge war was brewing right outside their gates.

  “Yeah,” Alec whispered solemnly, hopefully getting what I was trying to say, “I never thought I would miss roofs so much.” He ran his fingers through his hair in deep thought, and then we sat together in silence for a minute, staring at Artemis’s beloved stars. Thinking of Artemis, I wondered if my good friend was preparing to hunt back at home. Home.

  “You knew this would happen, didn’t you? That you would be whipped,” I accused Alec after coming to the realization quite suddenly, looking at him with sad eyes and wondering why he hadn’t told me. Maybe I could have prevented it before anyone got hurt. He should have had faith in me.

  Sighing, he nodded and admitted softly, “Yes, but I assumed they would give me a chance to explain first. That’s what they used to do anyway … I guess things have changed since I left.”

  We returned to a state of silence, serene but sorrowful. I glanced around and realized that a couple of people kept peeking their heads out from behind tents to look at the two of us, but I tried not to let it bother me. Even though the Monster Watch had been mentioned in the newspaper several times when we were children and all of us gods were known for being exceptionally good-looking, I had never been treated like a true celebrity before, and I found it quite unnerving.

  Alec was about to say something else, but I’ll never know exactly what it was because just then, a little girl with a cute blonde ponytail who looked about five ran out from behind a nearby tent and jumped onto Alec’s lap for a hug. I noticed Alec wince in pain as he just barely managed to give her a coherent greeting in between gasps. “Hi, Anna.”

  The little girl grinned and whined, “You didn’t come see me earlier!”

  “I was busy,” Alec said with a grimace.

  Yeah, busy dying, I thought to myself sadistically. Then an annoyed Alec looked to me to explain. “This is my little cousin.” Unsure of what to say next, I simply raised my eyebrows and nodded, hoping the child would run away again.

  Anna, who was still sitting on Alec’s lap, squinted her big brown eyes and studied me cautiously. When she had had enough of silently scrutinizing me, she leaned over and tried to whisper in Alec’s ear, but like almost all children, she actually spoke loud enough for me to hear her complete thought: “Your girlfriend is pretty.” Slightly embarrassed, even though I had been complimented like this thousands of times before, I turned to hide my blush and pretend as if I hadn’t heard her, but of course, Alec saw straight through my act.

  “I know,” Alec agreed with her, and I blushed again. “But she’s not my girlfriend.”

  Confused, Alec’s little cousin raised her eyebrows and asked him, “Well, do you want her to be your girlfriend?”

  I had to put my head in my hands to try to stop myself from snorting in laughter, while Alec just blushed and looked shocked, like he didn’t really know how to answer her. Anna was obviously too young to understand who I was. Alec probably didn’t want to admit the truth, either.

  But then I heard a gasp come from behind us, and Alec and I turned to look at what was going on. Alec’s mother and another blonde woman had appeared in front of a nearby tent, and by the looks on their faces, they had obviously heard Anna ask the awkward question. The blonde woman rushed over and picked Anna up off of Alec as fast as she could. “I’m so sorry about that, Lady Athena,” the woman apologized in Greek, bowing multiple times. “She’s too young to understand what has happened today.”

  I nodded in understanding and replied with a wary smile, “I could tell; it’s perfectly fine. Alec was just introducing me to Anna.” Grunting, I pushed myself up off the grass and then helped Alec stand up slowly, keeping a watchful eye on his little cousin.

  Anna’s mother just frowned and reprimanded her child. “Don’t bother Alec, honey. He’s in a lot of pain. There are plenty of other people around who will play with you.”

  It became silent for a moment, and then meeting his gaze, Alec’s mother gave a small cough to get his attention. “Oh, right,” Alec said bitterly, suddenly becoming more serious. There was an edge to his voice that told me he knew exactly what his mother had been doing during his punishment.

  “Lady Athena, this is my mother, Clara.” Both Clara and I nodded and shook hands politely, although the image of her cheering for Alec to be whipped was still imprinted on my brain. I didn’t think either Alec or I could ever forgive her for that, but of course, I didn’t mention it.

  “It’s lovely to meet you, my lady. By the way, Jason wanted me to let you know that we have a small tent set up just for you,” she said too positively for me to take her seriously. I only gave her a fake smile in return and nodded, and Clara t
urned back to face her son. “Are you sleeping in your usual tent?”

  Alec frowned and shook his head, still leaning heavily on me for support. “I’m staying in the infirmary for a couple of days,” he replied. Alec’s mother just nodded solemnly, and then she patted his back softly, as if to comfort him somehow, though he still gasped in pain. My concerned eyes met his, but Alec only shook his head again, trying to tell me he was fine. Like I believed that.

  Then Clara smoothed down her long dark hair and finished, “Well, good night, you two. Alec, it’s good to have you back.” I could feel the anger and disappointment simmering under her mask of happiness as she added pleasantly, “Oh, and welcome home.”

  She waved goodbye, taking Anna and Anna’s mother along with her as she disappeared into the darkness, giggling something about visiting Jason again. It took me a moment to realize that Clara hadn’t even asked Alec about what had happened to her husband, his father. This was the second sign of an affair I had seen, and still I said nothing to her or her son.

  “This is not my home anymore” was all Alec had to say, under his breath and in response to his oblivious mother, to bring my attention back to him.

  By the time I carefully laid him down on the cot, Alec was sweating like a pig again, so I grabbed the wet rag and silently brushed the hair out of his eyes before placing the rag on his forehead. “Sleep well,” I told him. “Tomorrow, we tell them about the war.”

  “Athena, wait,” he moaned softly, grabbing my hand before I could leave the tent. I couldn’t help but tense up when my heartbeat started to race ahead of my brain, but it slowed down again to comprehend Alec’s request. He continued, “If I make it out of this war alive, can I come with you back to the Woods? I can’t stay in this hellhole any longer.”

  My heart broke, surprised that he even had to ask. After the whipping, I had automatically assumed that was what he wanted. “Of course,” I said with a small smile. Then I gave his hand one last squeeze before I left for my own tent to get some rest. The next day was going to be a very long one.