We Will Rend

by Nicole Thorn

  “Anyway,” Heracles said. “I’m going to go congratulate Verin before I get distracted again.”

  “Okay,” I said, watching Heracles disappear into my sister’s room. He hadn’t even knocked, so I hoped that nothing weird was going on behind the door. Somehow, talking to Heracles helped me face the feelings that I didn’t want to express.

  Part of me had been relieved when Verin had lost because then I hadn’t held the burden alone.

  I went back to our room. Zander laid on the bed with his arm behind his head. He had some movie playing on the TV, which might’ve been the first time that we had touched the thing. I jumped onto the bed, still covered in petals, and scooted in close to Zander’s side. He felt warm and safe and he smelled like the soap from the bathroom.

  He rubbed my back. “Something wrong?”

  I frowned, trying to figure out if something was wrong, or if my mind had started playing tricks on me again. Finally, I explained about how I felt when Verin lost. How I’d had this crushing defeat and the weight of that defeat on my shoulders, but how it had also been a relief that I didn’t have to carry it alone.

  When I finished explaining, I looked up at Zander. “Does that make me a bitch?”

  He rubbed my back. “I don’t think so. And we don’t blame you, either.”

  “Really?” I asked, resting my chin on his chest. “Because it certainly sounded like Verin blamed me.”

  Zander grimaced. “Okay, yeah, he doesn’t make us sound very good, but I don’t blame you.”

  “You don’t?”

  Zander rolled so that the two of us could lay together, facing one another. “No, I don’t. You made a mistake, and yes, the mistake puts a little more pressure on us, but I know the way your thoughts can twist around with things like alcoholism. If you had been thinking clearly, then you wouldn’t have fallen off the wagon now.”

  “But you do think I would have fallen off the wagon eventually.”

  He paused. “Don’t you?”

  “I didn’t think I would before, but it feels like it was inevitable now.”

  Zander nodded, brushing my hair out of my face. “But you’re okay. You don’t have to feel guilty for that.”

  I smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

  He kissed my forehead again.

  Zander

  I could hardly chew, what with all the food shoved into my mouth. It worked out as a great distraction while we sat in the green room and waited to be called out for another round of hell. I stood with Jasmine while Kizzy daintily picked at the meat platter. Jasper stood at her side, taking what she gently handed to him. If a bunny rabbit’s soul found its way into a person, it would’ve been Kizzy.

  “Oh, this one is good,” she said, handing Jasper a lovingly assembled cracker sandwich.

  “I am dying of cuteness,” Callie said from the seat she and Aster shared. “Look at them, honey. Look at how she makes him little sandwiches. We should make each other more food.”

  The boy smiled at her. “I’ll make you cookies the second we get home.”

  “Yay! Then we can make out and maybe buy a kitten.”

  “What?”

  “This is good, by the way,” Jasper said to his wife after he finished his food. “You’d like it, Jasmine.”

  I held a little cracker up to my shoulder, letting my girlfriend take a nibble. Since she had wrapped herself around me, she couldn’t get the food herself. She was like a parrot of sorts, and I would get rewards for feeding her. This time, I got a kiss on my temple and a thank you.

  “Bet I could catch a cheese cube in my mouth,” Jasmine said with a determined growl. “Zander… ready the cheese.”

  I was one hundred percent sure this wouldn’t work out, but Micha egged me on, so I had to go for it. I took a little cube of Muenster and prepared myself. I tossed it in the air, trying to aim for Jasmine so she could catch it. It bounced off my forehead, I got laughed at, and she demanded we tried again.

  On the fifth try, we went stumbling across the room. I ended up pretty much crushing her body against the wall, and our game ended.

  Jasmine landed on her feet, brushing her dress off and then putting her hands on her hips. “I’m fine.”

  “Are not. I cleaned your clock.”

  “No clock was cleaned. I merely got a butt smooshed. I’m fine now and ready for more cheese.”

  I glanced at the now dented wall, silently telling myself that Jasmine wasn’t hurt. The thought stopped dead when the lights flashed to summon Callie. I tried not to stare at her as she rose up, then nervously made her way to the door. Micha and Aster followed behind, Aster taking her hand and whispering something kind to her as she left.

  All the joy drained from the room. I couldn’t help but look to my sister and Jasper, knowing that it would be one of us. It all came down to the three of us passing the final trials. My heart kept racing and I would internally freak out, convinced I would ruin this for us all, thus, killing the world.

  When Verin thought he’d lost, the determination never left his eyes. This trial wasn’t the end all be all for him. If we lost, he wouldn’t let that keep him from trying to salvage the situation. I would be the same and I knew it, but the worry and doubt would eat at me the whole time. I would spend the war beating myself up for not being better. Verin could get past it. I wanted to be like that. I wanted to trust that no matter how this ended, I would be able to get past it and save the lives of those who couldn’t protect themselves.

  The room remained silent as we waited, but I noticed the couples starting to migrate to each other. Juniper ended up on Verin’s lap, Kizzy tucked herself against Jasper, and Jasmine held my arm, watching me. I felt like they all thought the same thing; just let us win this one.

  Finally, the lights flashed again. The waiting was always the worst of it.

  As usual, the fucking crowd cheered us on as we approached the stage. Callie stood all by herself in the middle of it, looking so small in a world too big. She held her chin high, not letting it touch her. But it would. This kind of stress left scars and brought nightmares.

  “Nine trials down and three to go!” Callie announced. “We’re so close to the finish line that I bet our lovely warriors can taste it now. If I could please get Jasper, Kezia, and Zander up to the stage with me.”

  I kissed Jasmine goodbye and took a breath before I made myself leave her. She wished me luck, squeezing my hand before I had to go. Kizzy had Jasper’s, and I felt the worst sting of jealousy that they got to be together for this. Though it might have been worse if Jasmine had another trial.

  I stood to Callie’s right as the others huddled to her left by the spinner. The girl pasted on her fake smile. “Are you guys ready to see who’s up next?”

  I made myself smile too. “Bring it on.”

  Callie walked over to the spinner, then pulled the lever that got it going. I wanted to close my eyes and pretend that would protect me even knowing it wouldn’t. I lost no matter whose name got called.

  The spinner started to slow, three names repeating over and over again. I watched the pointer hit me, Jasper, Kizzy, over and over again. When it came to a full stop and the pointer told us who would be next, my heart thudded.

  “Kezia Dovetree-Nelson!” Callie shouted, the crowd cheering on in response.

  My sister closed her eyes as Jasper put his arm around her shoulders. He whispered something in her ear that I couldn’t hear over the noise, but it changed Kizzy’s aura. The tension was still there, but a sharp pierce of hope and affection cut through the pain. Jasper believed in her and she knew it, and it did more for her than anything else could.

  I gave my sister a hug. “You’re gonna kick ass, honey. They will all tremble before the mighty Kezia.”

  She smiled crookedly up at me. “Insane man.”

  “Maybe so, but my words are no less true.”

  Her eyes scanned the crowd. “I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to tremble before the likes of me.”

&
nbsp; “Just you wait and see, kid.”

  I patted my brother on the back before we started walking to the rest of our family again. We both kept looking over at Kizzy as the applause started finally dying down. Callie said something quietly to her, giving Kizzy comfort without a hug or any kind of physical contact.

  “Last trial for you,” Callie said into her mic. “How are you feeling about that?”

  “Tired,” Kizzy said. “Just tired.”

  “I promise you can sleep once this is over. Your trial is very simple. You have to figure out where we’ve hidden a token for you. I can tell you it’s somewhere in the building.”

  Kizzy made a face, clearly dubious. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. There are hints and tips to where the token might be.”

  “Okay… Where are those then?”

  Callie swallowed, her lips pressing tightly together as she looked out to the crowd. “You’ll have to ask them.”

  The other shoe came tumbling down before slamming so hard into the earth that it made my insides shake. I could feel the fear wafting from Kizzy, even from twenty feet away. Her eyes went to the crowd who looked eager to have one of the stars among them.

  “You have thirty minutes,” Callie said, and then the screen changed behind them. A massive clock appeared, literal ticking sounds going along with it. My teeth ground together as I wished I could break the screen into a million pieces.

  Kizzy took a breath before darting over to the seats that held I didn’t know how many dozens of Zeus’ kids. They all sat up a little straighter, all of them watching Kizzy. I knew she could feel it, but she didn’t have time to hesitate.

  Her head whipped around at the eager people, maybe trying to decide who might have had one of the hints she needed. A cameraman followed behind her, keeping a shot over her shoulder at all times. Kizzy almost bumped into him, and I saw her look of horror at the near contact.

  Everyone looked too eager to talk to her. Some raised their hands, some called her name like it would get her to come to them. I understood the challenge of course. The gods went for Kizzy’s most obvious weakness. She knew it was an issue of hers, but it hasn't posed a problem before. None of us minded doing the talking.

  “Kezia!” a girl shouted from the corner. Then another, and a boy from the front row. When Kizzy tried moving down the seats, people started reaching for her. I might have growled when I saw fingers wrap tightly around her delicate arm, holding her still.

  I lurched forward, only stopping when someone stronger than me put a hand on my chest. Jasper held it there, giving me a look that told me I had to calm down. He appeared as pained as I was, but me running up there to play hero would only make Kizzy lose.

  “Fuck,” I hissed, rubbing the sweat from my forehead.

  “She’ll be okay,” Jasper promised me. “She’ll be okay.”

  I watched my sister as she pulled her arm back, taking a step backward. She almost fell, catching herself on a guy in the crowd. She landed on his lap, and he was way too cool with it.

  “Watch your step, sweetheart,” he said with a grin.

  “S-sorry,” she said, trying to stand. To his credit, he didn’t pull any shit like trying to keep her there. He helped her up, then let her go. I still wanted to stab him, but maybe that was just something wrong in me.

  Kizzy looked around again, peering at the people. She saw a single person sitting straight up, her eyes forward.

  “You,” Kizzy called out. “The one in the green. Do you have something for me?” Her voice shook, but she was loud and clear.

  The girl turned to her, then rose up. “I am close and tall.”

  Jasmine sighed. “Is that seriously it?”

  Juniper tapped her foot, also sighing. “There’s more than one hint. They wouldn’t be so kind as to let her get away with only talking to one person.”

  I cursed again, and then again. I cursed until Jasmine held my arm, attempting to calm me.

  Kizzy had to go back through the crowd. It must have been hard to think over all the people shouting at her, including requests for autographs. That sounded fucking insane to me, that anyone could look at us like celebrities.

  “Are you guys planning on having kids soon?” someone asked.

  “Aw, that would be so cute.”

  “Do you know what the prize is?”

  “Is Zander your actual brother? How does that work?”

  “What size are you?”

  “Where do you live?”

  I wanted to punch all of them as Kizzy’s anxiety flared and her cheeks turning pink. She turned to a man in the crowd. “Do you have something?”

  He grinned at her. “Actually, I just want to say that I think you guys are doing really awesome. I hope none of you die.”

  Kizzy cleared her throat. “You don’t have a hint?”

  “Nope!”

  She had to move on, the clock still ticking down behind her. Kizzy glanced at it, seeing that eight minutes had already passed and she’d only gotten one hint. She took a breath before moving on.

  Hands kept coming at her, trying to keep her still or just touch her, I didn’t know. After Kizzy brushed past one person, they yelled, “Hey, bitch! I’m just trying to compliment you.”

  Kizzy blinked at the girl, opening her mouth but unable to get any words out. She let it go, moving past her again. Kizzy stopped in front of a boy that looked too young to be in the studio. Maybe fourteen or so. His hands patted his thighs, his blue eyes darting around like he stole something and worried he would get caught.

  “You!” Kizzy yelled, pointing at him. When he looked at her with wide eyes, she said it again. “What do you have for me?”

  He stood up, shaking. “I am expensive, worth more than my weight in the gold that touches my edges.”

  That did nothing, since everything in this stupid place was made of some sort of gold and cost more than our house times ten. Kizzy clearly realized that, huffing before she went to stand where she could see most of the crowd. Her back was to the railing of the seated area, that stupid camera in her face.

  “Are you nervous, Kizzy?” a guy yelled.

  “You’re gonna do great!” someone else said. “Don’t freak out!”

  “You look hot!”

  “Goddammit,” I hissed.

  Kizzy shut her eyes, the camera zooming in. I would have given anything to help her, or at least tell her that she would do fine. One more hint and she had about fourteen minutes left to find the object. I took a deep breath, needing to calm myself.

  When she opened her eyes again, they examined everyone around her. They all looked the same, eager for her attention and too excited. I started getting really sick of them all seeing this as a party.

  The camera guy got even closer, Kizzy turning to glare at him. Then her eyes widened, her head cocking. “What do you know?” she asked.

  He smirked smugly, turning the camera toward himself. Clearing his throat, he loudly said, “When you look at me, you can see yourself. Touch me, and you’ll waver.”

  What… the hell did that mean? I kept bouncing on my feet, trying to figure it out. The crowd yelled their guesses that all sounded insane, but Kizzy shrieked, jumping up once before she turned and almost vaulted over the railing. She landed hard on her feet but didn’t pause as she ran through the doors. The camera guy had to hurry to catch up.

  She had three cameras on her as she broke into the lobby. I saw it at the same time Kizzy did, though I didn’t understand until she made a beeline for the fountain. She dove in, water splashing, making the concierge flail.

  Three seconds later, my sister came shooting out of the fountain, soaking wet with her fist in the air. The cameras all crowned her as she screamed at her victory, opening her hand.

  My family and I all screamed so loud that it almost busted my eardrums.

  When I saw the thing in Kizzy’s hand, I paused my screaming. I knew that token, and so did most everyone around me. Kizzy realized what it was t
oo, staring at the coin in her hand. She didn’t look worried, but I could sense the concern as she turned the token over a few times in her hand. I held out some strange hope that I was wrong because the thought of needed that token scared me. It was an old fear but fear nonetheless.

  “Is that…” I asked.

  Verin nodded.

  Callie turned to him, waiting for his answer. When he looked back at her, he said, “That’s the coin me, Zander and Kizzy used to summon our favor from Hermes. That’s the coin that got us into the underworld.”

  Jasmine

  W e all hugged in the green room. It felt necessary, considering everything that we had all been through in the last few days. Kizzy had nailed her trial and it hadn’t even been that hard for her, and yet it felt like a small miracle that we only had two trials left. Two small trials that we would be able to get through, because I knew Jasper and Zander wouldn’t let us down. Not like I had.

  “I’m so proud of you,” Jasper said, kissing Kizzy on her temple. She smiled at him, her nose wrinkled slightly.

  Zander and I had taken up one of the seats, while Juniper and Verin took the couch. Callie, Aster, and Micha had all huddled around the concessions tray, while Jasper and Kizzy hadn’t yet sat down. Kizzy seemed jittery and too full of energy to relax. She kept hugging Jasper as if worried that he’d disappear if she stopped.

  “You did do great,” I said, nodding.

  “Thanks,” Kizzy muttered. “I’m glad that my part is over. No offense to you two.” She looked up at Jasper.

  He shrugged. “We can do this from here. I’m sure that we can.”

  “I believe that too,” Kizzy assured him. “I’m just so happy that we’re almost through with this torture. It feels like the gods don’t want us to win.”

  The words reminded me of what Heracles had said the night before, and so many other times now that I thought about it. The gods didn’t want us to win, the gods were like selfish children.

  I didn’t know how I felt about it. On one hand, I was extremely bitter that they would do this to me. On the other hand, I had been the one to screw up, so maybe they had been right to test us—and me—the way that they had.