by Lucy Roy
“What’s the problem? Is this relationship a secret?” Athena glanced between us, her brow furrowed. “No one told me.”
“This is mortifying,” I muttered, covering my face with my hands and thanking the gods that we hadn’t done more than kiss the previous night.
“Gods, I hate you both,” Nate groaned.
“Come, Athena,” Apollo said, his lips twitching as though he was trying not to smile. “I think we’ve embarrassed the poor girl enough for one morning.”
“Of course,” Athena said. “Oh, here, Tessa. I brought you some coffee. Nathaniel had mentioned you liked it, and Apollo explained what happened last night so I thought it might help this morning.” She walked over and set the to-go cup on the nightstand next to me. Her lips wobbled, as though she was trying not to smile. “Although it, um, seems as though you’re feeling better.”
“Out!” Nate threw a pillow at his sister. “Now!”
“Thank you for the coffee,” I said. She flashed me a quick smile, then grabbed Apollo’s arm and dragged him into the living room.
As soon as the door clicked shut, I sat bolt upright.
I looked at Nate, my mind reeling from the Elders’ sudden presence.
“What just happened? Is that normal? For your siblings to just show up in your room?”
Nate got up and started digging through his drawers, emerging a few seconds later with a dark red t-shirt. He started to change, and it took all my willpower not to openly appreciate what I saw.
He grinned, and I realized he’d likely heard my thoughts.
“So…is that normal?” I asked, steering my thoughts back to my original questions.
“For Athena, yes. Hermes and Dionysus also have no boundaries, as I’m sure you’ve gathered. Apollo hasn’t been here in ages, though.”
“They totally think we slept together, don’t they?”
“That would be my guess.” He sat down next to me and took my hand. “I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “I probably would’ve thought the same.”
I picked up the coffee cup and took a sip, letting out a small groan as the flavor hit my tongue.
“Really?”
I opened my eyes and saw Nate staring at me in disbelief. “Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.”
I held out the steaming cup. “Here.”
He gave me a crooked smile as he pulled on clean socks. “No.”
“Come on. You’ll love it.”
“I can promise I won’t.”
“One sip.”
He stared down at me and I could see that he was considering it. Finally, he reached down and took the cup. He took a small sip, then wrinkled his nose and handed the cup back to me.
“Like I said, burnt bean water.”
“Will you two please come on!” Apollo’s irritated voice drifted through the door.
“We should go before he comes back in,” Nate said, depositing my black suitcase on the bed before walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
I sighed. “Definitely wouldn’t want that.”
“So considering recent events, we’ve decided that we’re going to take a break from practicing your powers today,” Athena said when we arrived at the zipline field. “Ares and Apollo thought it might be best for you to work with weapons since we haven’t done that much yet.”
“Oh. Okay.” I tried to hide my disappointment. I wanted to get back into the work I’d done with Genevieve and her whips.
Ares, who’d been waiting for us when we arrived, arched a brow. “Disappointed?”
“Maybe a little. I like what we were doing yesterday with those whips, and I was hoping to get in some more practice with Mentalist powers.”
“I understand, but unfortunately, Menoetius did have a point when he threatened you last night,” Ares explained. “We haven’t trained you to defend yourself against an attacker who can disable powers. To our knowledge, he’s the only one capable of such a feat, but you still need to be prepared for all manner of attack. You need to understand the gravity of this situation, Tessa. He very well could have killed you.”
I pressed my lips together and nodded, not wanting him to see how much that possibility terrified me.
He cast a glance at Apollo who folded his arms across his chest.
A stony look overtook Apollo’s face as he addressed me. “Are you able to shore up your mental walls thoroughly? We’ll be having some guests today who should probably not be apprised of last night’s attack, and I’d rather not let that cat out of the bag just yet.”
“Yes, I think so.” I’d been working on it quite a bit over the last couple of weeks, but my control was still spotty at times.
I frowned and looked up at Nate.
“She has a tendency to shout at times, though,” he said. “What’s going on?”
Before Ares could answer, the air shifted around us.
“Lock up tight, Tessa,” Ares warned, just as Prometheus and Epimetheus emerged out of thin air.
Nate choked back a laugh. “You’re going to have her fight with a Titan? Are you insane?”
“You have too little faith in her skills, Nathaniel,” Prometheus said, smiling as he handed me a staff. “Haven’t you seen her with one of these?”
“Of course I have. It doesn’t change the fact that you’ve got several thousand years of experience on her.”
“It’s fine, Nate, really,” I murmured.
“Don’t worry, Nathaniel,” Prometheus said, handing Epimetheus the other staff. “My brother won’t hurt her, and I told Tessa I was going to set them up to spar one of these days.”
I looked at Epimetheus and saw that he was eyeing me warily.
“Is that so?” Nate looked down at me and raised a brow.
“Yes, he did tell me that,” I replied, ignoring Nate’s look of annoyance. “It was about two seconds before I met your parents, though, so back off. It’s just sparring, Nate. Even if I do get hurt, I’ll heal in two seconds, anyway.”
Nate sighed, then gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head. “Alright. Good luck, then.” He moved aside and took a place next to Ares, arms folded across his chest.
Prometheus gave his brother a light shove in my direction.
Epimetheus stopped a few feet away, then gave me a tight smile. “If it’s any consolation, I told him that this was a bad idea,” he said quietly.
I stared at him, stunned to hear actual words come out of his mouth. His voice had the same baritone as Prometheus, but it was quieter, not as assertive. Calming, even.
Before I could respond, he took advantage of my shock and shot one end of his staff at me.
“Shit!” I jumped back, narrowly avoiding a stinging hit to my collarbone.
As he moved to take another swing, I whipped my staff up and let it crack against his, then gave a heavy shove and sent him stumbling back a step. He twirled his own weapon gracefully as he slowly made his way forward, and the next time he lunged, I was ready for him. I shot the staff forward, hitting him full-force in the sternum.
He’d barely had a chance to hiss out a breath when I swung low, cracking the staff against his knee. He let out a growl and charged, barely giving me time to react before taking me to the ground, sending my weapon skittering off to the side.
Before he could let go, I grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, using his own momentum to flip him to his back. I scrambled backward and jumped to my feet, dancing back a few steps to grab my staff. I’d barely gotten a grip on it when he lunged toward me again.
As we fought, I began to see signs of life on his face. A determined look or the flash of a dimple as a smile spread across his face. He looked like he was having fun, and I could easily say the same for myself.
Yet no matter how long we fought, neither of us gained the higher ground.
His movements seemed unique but felt predictable. Too often, I found myself blocking a move that he’d barely begun. He
moved with the speed you’d expect of a Titan, but he didn’t land any blows.
“Are you going…" I brought the end of my staff up to block a swing toward my shoulder. “—easy on me?”
“Not at all,” he said. He flipped his weapon so that he was holding it like a baseball bat and swung toward my torso. I dodged out of the way and was about to launch a counter attack when Ares cut us off.
“Okay, let’s stop there,” he said.
Epimetheus and I both stepped back, and let our weapons fall to the ground. Grabbing a small towel off a nearby bench, I wiped the sweat from my hands and arms, then took a few large swallows of water.
Ares came to stand beside me.
“Epimetheus, why aren’t you challenging her?”
Epimetheus raised his eyebrows, which were glistening with sweat. “I am. As my brother said, she’s a very good fighter.”
I glanced over at Nate, but he just shrugged.
“Okay then,” Ares said. “Tessa, you can spar with me next.”
I gaped at him, then laughed. “Are you—seriously?”
He cocked his head to the side and gave me a confused look. “You’re more concerned with fighting me than a Titan?”
“I, uh—” I looked to Epimetheus, who had an impassive expression, not wanting to offend him. “No offense, but he is a war god.”
“None taken.”
“You need to fight someone who will challenge you,” Ares said. “After me, you’ll fight Athena.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“You totally went easy on me,” I said breathlessly, glowering at Epimetheus. “There’s no other explanation.”
I’d just finished my fifth sparring session, this time with Athena, who’d wielded a pair of her silver arrows that were most certainly not for sparring, and now I was sitting, bruised, bloody and aching, on the ground. Nathaniel sat down beside me and handed me my bottle of water. Thankful, I gulped down half of it in one shot.
Epimetheus sat down on one of the long wooden benches along the side of the field. “I promise, I did not. I’m just out of practice.”
“You two have very similar fighting styles, that’s all,” Prometheus said.
I used my sleeve to brush dried blood off my neck from where Athena had pricked me with one of her arrows.
“It’s alright, Tessa.” Athena sat down on the other side of me and set her arrows down in the grass.
She bumped me with her shoulder.
“You did wonderfully, considering you haven’t fought against any gods before.”
“I guess,” I said, wincing as I laid back on the cool grass. “Can we go back to practicing powers tomorrow? They’re a lot less painful.”
“I’d like her to get one more day with weapons and some hand-to-hand,” Apollo said from his spot next to Prometheus. “She’s demonstrated adequate skill with her powers, but this can’t be how she fights in front of Zeus, and it certainly can’t be how she faces Menoetius.”
I sat up and glared at him.
“Hey! I think I did pretty well, considering you just pitted me against two war gods and a Titan!”
He raised his eyebrows, an amused look on his pale face. “Oh? Tell me, how does your back feel after that final blow my sister just dealt? What would your reaction have been if that happened while in combat? Do you think Menoetius would have reached out a hand and helped you up like Athena did? He would’ve gutted you in a heartbeat,” he said, his tone dripping with disdain.
“Enough, Apollo,” Nate said sternly. “She’s been fighting for hours.”
“This is not the time to defend her, Nathaniel,” Apollo snapped. “She needs to focus, not be coddled. There are no fatigue breaks in war.”
“No one is coddling her,” Nate snapped. “You’re expecting too much.”
“Expecting too much?” Apollo laughed. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think—”
“Enough!” Ares barked. “If you two cannot be civil, then leave. Bicker all you want but do it elsewhere.”
“Imagine putting up with this for three millennia,” Athena whispered, leaning close. “Stick around long enough and you’ll want to throw them both to the crows.”
I bit back a smile as Nate and Apollo sent identical glares at their sister. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at how similar their facial expressions were.
“Fortunately for us, it’s not up to either of you,” Athena said. “Tessa is done for the day. Nathaniel, take her home and let her get some rest. The next few days are going to be difficult.”
“Worse than today?” I asked.
Ares reached out a hand and pulled me to my feet. “You’ve only got three more days, Tessa. I think you’ll survive.”
44
Tessa
Three days later, on the morning of my demonstration, I woke up exhausted. We’d spent the last few days working with various weapons. Some, like the bow and arrow, I knew from my training with John and Analise and my brief stint on the archery team with Mary in freshman year. Others, like the throwing stars, were new to me. Athena brought out several used weapons so I could practice using psychometry, which gave me a bit of a leg up. I was able to learn how the weapons were supposed to be used, see the skill required for them, but full mastery would take some time.
I’d gone to bed the night before my demonstration anxious as to how this day would play out, and it had kept me awake most of the night.
“Would you like me to get you some coffee?” Nate asked as I pulled my black uniform top on.
“Yes, please. That would be amazing.”
“Of course.” He leaned over and kissed me. “I’ll be right back.”
While he was gone, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and attempted to French braid my long hair. Repeatedly, I tried to mimic the way Yana had shown me how to twist the strands, but the pieces kept slipping through my fingers.
“Ugh!” I let the long strands drop after my third attempt. “Stupid hair.”
“You still have not figured that out?”
I looked in the mirror and nearly cried in relief when I saw Yana and Mary standing behind me. I spun and leapt at them, forcing them into a three-person hug.
I pulled away and grinned. “What are you guys doing here? Please tell me you’re here to do my hair.”
Yana laughed. “Of course. Turn around.”
“Nate came and got us,” Mary said, leaning against the door frame. “He thought you could use some moral support since you’re about to go show off for Zeus and all.” She arched a brow. “Anything you’d like to tell us?”
“Like what?”
Mary pulled a hand towel off the rack and tossed it in my direction.
“Tessa Avery, you know exactly what!” She pointed a finger at me. “You’ve been sleeping here for the last three nights, and then Nate came to get us after he went and got you coffee. Coffee! Guys don’t get coffee this early unless they’re getting something in return.”
“That’s a horrible gender stereotype,” Nate called from the bedroom. “And incredibly untrue.”
“Shut it, I’m still pissed at you, even if she’s not!”
“Nothing happened,” I said, blushing.
She sighed. “But you’re together now?”
“Yes.”
She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Alright, well, if you’re happy, I’m happy. But he’s still not off my shit list, just so you know.”
I grinned. “So are you guys coming with me?”
“Yes,” Nate said, coming to stand beside Mary. He handed me my coffee. “I’ve already cleared it with Zeus. It’s Saturday, so they don’t have training.”
“Not that it would matter, even if we didn’t,” Mary said, elbowing him.
He rolled his eyes, then brushed a hand over my neatly braided hair. “Finish your coffee, we have to leave in fifteen minutes.”
“Huh,” Mary said when we reached the arena floor. “I thought there’d be more of them.”
When Hestia saw me, she gave me a small smile.
“Don’t let them intimidate you,” Nate said, slipping his arm around my shoulders. “You’ll be—”
I held up a hand to cut him off. “Nate, if you say ‘you’ll be fine,’ I will punch you in the face. I don’t care how pretty you are.”
Mary snorted.
“Fine,” he murmured, pressing his lips to my hair. I felt them curve into a smile. “You’re going to do terribly.”
“I don’t think that is helpful, either,” Yana said dryly.
“No, it’s really not,” I agreed.
I took a deep breath as we approached Zeus who was standing with Hera, Ares, Apollo, Chiron, and Athena at the base of the stairs leading up into the stands. Butterflies took up residence in my stomach as a thousand doubts and questions started running through my mind. I tried to push them aside and give myself a quick pep talk, but it was a struggle.
“Never doubt yourself, Tessa.”
I came up short and latched onto Nate’s arm.
He looked down at me curiously. “Tessa?”
I flicked a glance toward the gods standing nearby, then gave my mental walls a poke.
‘Can they hear us?’ I asked him.
‘No. What is it?’
‘My dream, Nate. The one I had a few weeks ago. Atlas called me by name.’
I pushed the memory of that specific moment into his mind and watched as his eyes widened. I mentally kicked myself for not letting him see the whole dream when I’d had it.
‘How is that possible?’ I asked.
He shook his head, his forehead furrowed in confusion.
‘I don’t know, Tessa, but I think it’s time we bring this to Prometheus and Epimetheus.’
“Ah, Tessa! There you are.”
I jumped at the sound of Zeus’ voice as he approached. His eyes crinkled as he smiled down at me.