by River Ramsey
Dionysus ignored her, reaching out to brush his fingers against her forehead, then Ingrid’s. I watched as the sleepy, stupefied looks came over their faces, rendering their powers useless, but only momentarily.
“Come on,” Daphne called, already running toward the clearing. “Before someone else shows up!”
I followed her, feeling Dionysus behind me. There was an archway created by trees and vines with only intense white light on the other side. I was somewhat reluctant to step through it, but once we reached the other side, we were back in the arena.
Everyone in the stands rose to their feet and the cheers were like a roar, almost deafening.
Odin stood from his throne of honor and raised a goblet in our direction. “We have our victors.”
I was still panting and overcome with disbelief as Artemis placed the gilded floral wreaths atop our heads. It all seemed surreal, but the look in the Headmaster’s eyes told me nothing had really changed. If anything, winning just made me more of a nuisance.
Chapter 22
Hades
The afterparty the first night of the Games was always more amusing than the first-year trials themselves. Or at least, that was how it had been the last couple of years.
I had stepped out to handle some business during the final trials, but word of Kore’s performance had found its way to me. Loki had texted me a video of part of it, and I couldn’t deny that her little stunt with the roots was fast thinking. Most first years fell into the trap of relying on their own powers to bulldoze through any challenge, but it was a rare person who could analyze her teammates’ gifts and use them to such great effect.
Even so, if she thought she had a chance at winning against the upperclassmen, she had another thing coming. The Valkyries were my first line of defense, but they were far from being the only foot soldiers on the field.
And if she really got far, she would have the pleasure of going against the Triad.
I almost hoped she would.
“Hey, man,” Atlas said, coming up to give my shoulder a friendly push. “Your girlfriend’s pretty tough.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I muttered, taking a sip of meade. “She’s my fiancee, and until next year, she’s the Rabbit.”
“Right,” he said uncomfortably, walking off.
I spotted Fenrir across the room and I was more than content to continue ignoring his existence until he came over.
“Your father is back at the guest house,” he remarked.
“So he is.”
Fenrir sighed, glancing over his shoulder. “You should at least pay the old man a visit, or he might get suspicious.”
“Of what? He pays no mind to what goes on here, except to gawk at these festivities once a year,” I scoffed.
“Still,” Fenrir muttered.
“Mind your own business and leave the family affairs to me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m stuck with your miserable ass and as far as your father knows, I’m keeping an eye on you for him.”
He had a point, but I wasn’t going to admit as much.
“Where’s Kore?” he finally asked, scanning the crowd.
“How should I know? Probably out celebrating her victory by boffing some second year.”
He gave me a filthy look, and I knew that sooner or later, we were going to have to address the elephant in the room, but I wasn’t in the mood tonight. Before he had the chance to say anything further, Daphne approached us.
“Hades? Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Anything you have to say in front of me, you can say in front of him,” I said, taking another sip. Just because the parents were fighting didn’t mean we had to show the kids anything but a united front. I wouldn’t make the same mistake I’d made in the cafeteria again. Dissent showed weakness.
She hesitated, but finally spoke, “Kore is planning something if we win.”
I raised an eyebrow. I knew having her spy for me would pay off, if only because she actually seemed to like my betrothed. “And what might that be?”
She lowered her voice and stepped closer. “She’s going to use the victor’s speech to call out the Academy, and the Hunt.”
Fenrir looked at me, his anger momentarily replaced with disbelief.
I chuckled. “Of course she is. She’s a firebrand. She has to turn everything into something political.”
“What should I do?” Daphne asked nervously.
“Nothing,” I answered. “Just keep competing, and let her think you’re going along with it.”
She seemed unsure, but finally nodded. “Is that all?”
“Enjoy the evening,” I said, raising a glass to her.
Once she was out of earshot, Fenrir asked, “What are you planning?”
“Absolutely nothing,” I said with a shrug.
He frowned. “You do realize if she gets up on that stage and humiliates the school, your father and Odin are going to kill you, right?”
I smirked. “That requires her actually winning, and there’s no chance of that.”
Fenrir snorted. “I wouldn’t be too sure.”
Chapter 23
Kore
The second day of the games, most of the first years were off sleeping or partying, depending on which pastime they found more restful and replenishing. I was in the stands, watching every event the second years competed in.
For the most part, their challenges weren’t much different from ours. I expected things would be ramped up tomorrow when the third years competed, and even more the next day with the seniors, but I was still intent on taking notes. We were the only three first-year competitors who’d made it through, and that alone would put a target on our heads. I was keeping track of every competitor’s powers, and making mental notes of how they played out in each scenario.
I must have gotten a little too into it, because I didn’t even notice Dionysus coming up to me until he was right there. “Still here?” he asked, sitting next to me.
I gave him a tired smile. “Just studying the competition.”
“I can see that,” he said, looking down at the notebook in my hands. “You’ve filled that thing out quite thoroughly.”
“Can’t ever have too much info on the enemy.”
He chuckled, offering me a drink. “Your diligence is impressive.”
“I just really want to win this thing,” I admitted.
He watched me for a moment and I could see the wheels turning. Whenever he looked at me like that, it felt like he could see absolutely everything--including the secrets I’d rather keep tucked away.
“What?” I asked warily.
“I’m just wondering if the speech is the only reason you’re so set on winning.”
“It’s not the only reason,” I admitted. “I’d like the opportunity to shove a win in Hades’ face, for sure.” I scowled. “What’s that smile for?”
“Nothing,” he laughed. “Nothing at all.”
“Bullshit,” I muttered, lightly elbowing him. “I wanna know.”
“Alright,” he sighed. “It’s obvious you like him.”
I blinked. “What? Are you crazy? I fucking hate the guy.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Dionysus mused. “But extreme emotions have a way of coming back to the same point. Love and hate aren’t really opposed.”
I looked away since my face was flushing traitorously. “Yeah, well, in this case, they are.”
“Whatever you say,” he said, standing. “Promise me you’ll get some rest soon. I know you’re going to want to watch the Triad tomorrow, but you’ll be useless come the semi-finals if you don’t get some rest.”
He had a point. There was a fine line between studying the competition and taking myself out of it due to exhaustion. “I will,” I promised.
Dionysus touched my shoulder before he left and I found myself hopelessly distracted from what was going on in the arena, so I decided to leave not long after.
H
is words stayed with me long after I’d gone back to the room and attempted to take a nap. Was he right? He didn’t even know I’d fooled around with Hades, and he was already picking up on something.
I closed my eyes and pushed it out of my mind. Even if he was right, I didn’t want him to be. I might have been bound to Hades, but that didn’t mean my heart had to be. It was the one thing he and his father couldn’t buy and I intended to keep it as my own.
Chapter 24
Loki
The third day of the Games came out of nowhere. To be fair, I’d spent most of the previous days partying, so everything was a bit of a blur. Nonetheless, I wasn’t worried. The first two trials were a cinch and we barely broke a sweat. Even though Hades and Fenrir were still indulging their petulant feud, the competition wasn’t stiff and we didn’t need to be a united front.
Yet.
When the fourth years came into the mix, that would change, but I could only hope having to work together all day would soothe the tensions somewhat.
So far, we’d taken everything in a clean sweep. Discus, hand-to-hand combat, maze running. The final event of the day was a wild card, but I wasn’t worried. The only team left was Arius, Caius and Baldr. All brawn and no brains. If the final challenge was a head-to-head battle, it wouldn’t last long and if it was a puzzle, well… that would be a massacre.
Thor came to the edge of the arena, looking out over the remaining contestants with impartiality. “You’ve all done well so far,” he said, finally glancing my way. “As it stands, Loki, Fenrir and Hades would take the day regardless of their performance in this challenge, but the judges have decided to change things up this year.”
Hades and Fenrir both looked at me, as if I had any idea what was up my brother’s sleeve. He never gave me any preferential treatment. Quite the opposite, and he made sure everyone knew it. Whatever he was planning, I could be sure of one thing: it was designed to fuck me over.
“This will be a weighted challenge, meaning that whomever wins will be the victor for the day,” Thor continued once he’d built up enough tension.
“What?” Hades snapped. “That’s absurd. We’ve never done it this way before.”
“If you’re so confident in your abilities, you shouldn’t be concerned,” Thor answered smugly.
The other team was preening with excitement now that they thought they finally had a chance.
No matter. We’d shut them down before and now was no exception. There was absolutely no way we were missing the finals. Not with Chronus watching.
“This challenge will be a simulation designed to test your abilities in the real world,” said Thor. “As such, the objective is a bit different. You’ll be loaded into a disaster scenario and tasked with rescuing as many victims as possible. The team who’s saved the most people and prevented the most damage in the span of ten minutes wins.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath.
“He’s doing this just to fuck with us,” Hades accused.
“No shit,” I shot back. “Then again, you’re used to playing rescue hero, so it shouldn’t matter.”
He shot me a filthy look as we took our places in the arena and the grid came up overhead. The audience disappeared along with my brother, but not before he issued a smirking, “Good luck.”
The simulation appeared around us along with the chilled air biting at my skin. We were in the middle of a city that looked like a knockoff of Atlantis, crystal buildings fallen in decay all around us. The panicked screams and moans of agony made it clear plenty were trapped in the rubble.
The other team set off toward the north, using their powers to move the rubble. With a telekinetic on their side, they were definitely at an advantage. Our collective powers were far more suited to destruction than salvation.
“How the fuck are we supposed to do this?” Hades muttered.
“Maybe Fenrir can sniff the people out,” I suggested.
“I can’t shift,” he reminded me. “My senses are duller in this form.”
“Then we’ll have to do it the old fashioned way,” I said, charging in to the nearest mass of rubble and chaos. As I began pulling away rocks, the others finally joined in. It was slow going, and we’d only managed to rescue three people in the time it had taken the others to save six.
“Shit,” Hades growled, looking back. “We’re going to lose.”
“Focus,” I snapped. “If we don’t take this seriously and pretend it’s real, we will lose.”
As Fenrir hefted a massive rock across the road, an idea occurred to me. “I’m going to shift.”
“Into what?” Hades demanded.
I ignored his question and pushed off the ground, taking into the air in the form of a black hawk. As I soared overhead, I could see far more clearly. There was a leaning building in the distance that hadn’t quite collapsed. There were almost certainly people inside. Probably even enough to turn the tables of this challenge.
I let out a shriek to urge the others to follow and landed on a nearby ledge. The panicked screams coming from inside told me the gamble was about to pay off, assuming we could work together long enough to pull it off.
“Holy shit,” Hades muttered. “Good find.”
Praise from him was rare, but it had been an unusual day. I could tell from the look in his eyes he was already working out the logistics.
Fenrir walked toward the nearest door to force it open and Hades called, “Stop!”
He looked back, irritated. “We don’t have much time.”
“This building is barely standing. If we just bulldoze in, it’ll collapse on all those people.”
Fenrir hesitated. “What do you suggest we do?”
Hades turned to me. “Loki, can you shift into something large enough to support that wall?”
I eyed what he was pointing at and fluttered my wings, taking a dive off the ledge to shift into a massive bull. Lowering my head, I caught my horns under the ledge of the lopsided roof and lifted slightly to test it.
“That’s good,” Hades called, rolling up his sleeves. He raised his hands and blue flame began to lap at the building.
“What the hell?” Fenrir cried, echoing my dismay.
“It’s a controlled burn. I’m getting rid of the debris in our way,” he explained.
I eyed the flames that were dangerously close to my snout, but before long, the thin walls fell away, revealing a few of the terrified souls trapped within.
“Go,” Hades ordered. Fenrir rushed in and Hades followed. I could feel the tremors within the building and knew the weak structure wouldn’t hold up long, especially with them moving around. Fenrir came out holding a kid and guiding two adults, followed by Hades, who had an injured man in his arms. Several more trips and they’d pulled a couple dozen people from the building.
“Is that everyone?” Hades asked.
“I’ll do another sweep to make sure,” said Fenrir, going back into the building. I chuffed to alert Hades to the fact that I could feel the building crumbling.
“Fenrir, come on!” he bellowed.
Fenrir appeared a moment later and grunted, “That’s everyone.”
Not a moment too soon. I pulled back and the building collapsed with a plume of dust and smoke. A horn blared through the skies, announcing that our time was up.
The smoke cleared as the grid appeared once more in the sky and the simulation dissipated, leaving us standing in the center of the arena. I couldn’t hold such a large shifted form much longer and had no choice but to shift back, buck naked.
Thor walked toward us as the other group came into view. “Time’s up,” he called. I felt a glimmer of hope from the irritation in his voice, but he drew it out for as long as he could. “With twenty-seven rescues, the winning team is Loki, Fenrir and Hades.”
“Holy shit, we did it,” Fenrir muttered.
Even Hades laughed in relief, raking a hand through his hair. “Wasn’t sure for a second there.”
“Good to see you two talking again,” I said wryly.
“Shut up and put on some pants,” Fenrir said, shoving into me.
I smirked. They could deny it all they liked, but I knew they were both relieved to have put the tension behind us. We were stronger together. Someday, maybe the other two idiots would realize it.
Chapter 25
Kore
I spent the fourth day of the Games catching up on lost sleep, at Dionysus’ urging, and by the time finals came, I was relieved I’d made that choice. I had crept back to the arena to watch the third years’ performance, and even though I’d never admit it, I was impressed that the Triad had actually managed to work together on something other than tormenting people.
My mind drifted to other team activities they might excel at, but that kind of thought wasn’t going to win the Games. I had to be willing to come at them with everything I had, and I knew they’d do the same.
As the winners of the preliminary rounds gathered onstage and the music swelled to announce the beginning of the finals, I found myself searching the crowd. I’d managed to avoid my mother under the guise of being busy with all the festivities surrounding the Games, but she was going to kill me once she heard the winning speech I planned on making.
And I would be making that speech. There was absolutely no way I was going to let Hades best me, and as intimidating as the fourth years were, I hoped them underestimating us would give our team at least some advantage.
The finals were always a battle royale, which meant that power would come into play as much as prowess and experience. Dionysus, Daphne and I had learned to work together, complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully we could keep it up.
Odin stood from his throne and approached the contestants. There was always an air of sagacity about him, but I knew the truth. He was every bit as corrupt as any of the gods, wisdom aside.