by S. L. Stacy
After a moment’s hesitation, he joins me, extending a careful hand like he’s about to pet a cobra. Fingertips meet rough, wrinkled hide, and Dionysus visibly relaxes. “Good girl,” he murmurs, stroking her leathery skin. “You’re such a good girl. Thanks for not eating us.” His eyes flick to me. “Every time I see you, you have a new animal friend with you. It’s very Disney princess.”
I laugh. “Do you think they’d help me with house chores?”
Cracking a half-smile, he opens his mouth to reply, but at that moment every light in Playland comes on. I blink a few times, my eyes adjusting to the sudden flood of blazing light and color. There’s a shriek of feedback through the park’s speaker system, and then the tinny sound of a child’s voice saying, “Hey, Macklemore! Can we go thrift shopping?”
“Oh, hell, no,” I groan, dropping my hand from the gorgolus as “Thrift Shop” starts blasting.
“What?” Dionysus says defensively, crossing his arms. “I like this song. Also, did you just swear?”
I nod. “It’s all part of the new me. She tames monsters and curses like a sailor.” Although my tone is playful, Dionysus frowns, staring at something over my shoulder.
“I hope she kicks ass, too,” he adds seriously, patting himself for a weapon he doesn’t have. Whipping out my dagger, I turn around and hold it ready at my side. All around us, about twenty black clad figures are closing in, daggers and knives flashing under the park lights. Apate unwinds herself from the ground, hissing at the advancing mob, while the gorgolus lets out a howl of warning.
“We told you to walk away.” Rae strides up from the back of the swarm, scowling at me. The hair in her once sleek ponytail is limp and tangled, and there are smudges of dirt and blood on her face. “But you didn’t listen. Now, we’re just going to have to get rid of you ourselves.”
“Sorry to be such an inconvenience.” Luckily, the words sound more confident than I feel. My foot is itching to take a step back, but I stand my ground. Dionysus appears beside me, hands balled into fists.
“You should have gone home, Carly,” Brian says, a bitter edge to his tone. I guess being attacked by the gorgolus soured his feelings toward me. About half of our assailants are in Sigma Iota, including Alec, who is keeping to the back of the mob, avoiding my gaze. The rest I don’t recognize, except for Rae.
I shake my head. “You know I can’t do that.”
Rae’s smile is as cold as ice. “Just the words we were hoping to hear.”
They rush us.
Dionysus crouches, a lion prepared to pounce. “You ready?” he asks me.
I shrug. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Are you? You don’t even have a weapon.”
He flexes his hands. “Yeah, I do.” One of the Sigmas throws himself at Dionysus, brandishing his dagger in the air. Before he can even bring it down, Dion’s hands dart out, grabbing his attacker’s neck and giving it a quick twist. The guy falls limply to the ground, head bent at a sickening angle.
I nod, impressed. “Yes, you do,” I agree before turning back to the oncoming attack. Running at full speed, Rae and Brian reach me first, Rae throwing herself at me, knocking me to the ground. I shoot out a hand to catch myself, kicking up at the same time and planting my foot in Rae’s hard stomach. It doesn’t do a ton of damage, but she lets out a startled gasp, her grip loosening on me. I take advantage of her moment of surprise, rolling out from underneath her and getting to my feet.
Brian is waiting for me, swinging his dagger toward me. I bring mine up to block the blow, sparks flying as metal meets metal. For a moment, our blades are locked together, pushing against each other, and I feel my feet slipping as Brian starts to overpower me. Pouring all of my strength into keeping him at bay, I stomp on one of his soft, black sneakers with the heel of my boot. Wincing, he cries out in pain, and I push forward as hard as I can. He staggers backward, dropping his blade. I kick him in his most sensitive region, and, while he’s doubled over, slam the hilt of my dagger into the side of his head.
My feelings of relief and satisfaction over watching Brian drop to the ground, unconscious, are short-lived. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Rae coming toward me, and I spin around, my dagger connecting with her shoulder before she can take a swing at me. It’s a quick, clean slice, the blade dripping with Rae’s blood as I pull it out.
“Fuck!” she shouts, glancing at the wound. I bring my leg up for another signature kick, but Rae anticipates it this time, grabbing my ankle and throwing me off balance. My grip on the dagger slackens, and it flies from my hand as I hit the pavement, pain vibrating through my tailbone. Rae straddles me, pinning me down with one strong arm as she brings her dagger down with the other. I grab her sword arm with my free hand, stopping it just as the tip of the blade presses into my sweater.
For a few seconds that feel like an eternity, we are frozen likes this, Rae grimacing as she pushes down on the dagger, trying to break through my resistance. Just as the blade punctures the thick material, its cool tip grazing my skin, a long, black figure leaps onto Rae’s head. A pair of green eyes flash angrily, and then Apate sinks her claws into Rae’s eyes.
My opponent screams, letting go of me and the dagger, which falls limply onto my chest before sliding off and clattering to the ground. Reaching up, she makes to pull the cat off of her, but Apate dives out of reach, leaving Rae clutching her hair and sobbing, her tears running red with blood. I feel nauseous at the sight of the deep, scarlet gashes crisscrossing her eyes and forehead.
Far too soon, Rae starts to recover, dropping her hands as the tiny wounds begin scabbing over. “Damn cat,” she says with disgust, glowering at me through long, matted strands of brown hair. “I hate cats.”
“They don’t seem to like you, either,” I quip, backing away from her. I collide with something solid and stop short, jumping as an arm snakes around my waist and the sharp edge of a blade appears at my throat.
“I’m done being nice,” Brian hisses in my ear.
“When were you being nice?” I rasp just as his dagger breaks skin. The cut stings, warm blood trickling down my neck.
“You and your friends”—he sneers the word, easing up on the dagger a little bit, but keeping it poised at my throat—“are no match for us. Surrender now. Or—”
I never get to find out what fresh hell they have in store for us if we don’t surrender because, at that moment, something slams into Brian, the aftershock of its impact rippling through me. He lets me go, and I stumble forward, quickly snatching my own dagger off the ground.
“Ow.” Brian winces, reaching around blindly to where the slender, wooden shaft of an arrow protrudes out of the back of his dark jeans. “What the hell was that?”
“You have…” Rae hesitates, seeming reluctant to describe the situation to him. “There’s an arrow sticking out of your ass,” she finishes in one breath.
“There’s a what…” Eyes locking on Rae, Brian once again loses what he was about to say. Several uncomfortable minutes tick by while he continues to stare at her, almost in fascination. I keep my dagger raised, just in case, but they seem to have forgotten I’m there.
Rae takes a step back. “What?” she finally asks him.
“Nothing,” Brian insists, shaking his head to clear away the fog of his sudden confusion. “It’s just…I never realized how beautiful you are.”
Her eyebrows go up. “You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I am.” Brian takes one step forward, Rae another step back. “You’re tough, and strong, and fierce. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Rae. I love you.” He smiles at the realization, reaching out as though preparing to embrace her. “I love you so much.”
“No, you don’t.” She shakes her head. “We’re friends. Really good friends. And, even if you did, you’re…well, you know.” Brian’s smile falters as he waits for her to continue, clearly not as in the loop as she thinks he is. “Not my type,” she adds quietly.
“I know, but please, Rae. Give
me a chance.” He’s sputtering now, tears streaming down his dirt-stained cheeks. “I love you more than anything else in this world. I can prove it to you, if you’ll let me. Just give me a chance. Please. I’ll do anything. Anything.” Brian breaks out into a run, arms extended. Hazel eyes wide with panic, Rae turns, sprinting away from him.
“We’re friends, Brian!” she calls back to him. “I just want to be friends!”
“But I love you,” he sobs, racing after her, the pain from the arrow still lodged in his buttocks long forgotten. “Just let me love you!”
“Ah, young love.” A pale figure drops out of the sky, landing in a crouch. Jasper straightens up, the black feathers of his wings rustling. “Warms the heart, doesn’t it?”
“What are you doing here?” I blurt, shaking my head in bewilderment.
Jasper’s dark blue eyes meet mine. “A thank you will suffice.” He has a satchel of arrows slung over one shoulder, hand clutching a large, golden bow. He’s shirtless, his skin marble white and pulled taut over well-defined muscle. A pair of snug black jeans sits low on his narrow hips.
“You’re right,” I apologize quickly, forcing my eyes back to his face again. “Thanks. And you look…” My cheeks heat. I really shouldn’t go there.
“I know,” he says, his smile smug.
I consider Brian’s sudden confession of feelings for Rae, thinking back to the section on the starflower I read in Victoria’s book. “Arrows tipped with starflower nectar,” I realize, eying Jasper’s satchel. “Is that really necessary?”
His grin widens. “No. But it is more fun. And I only tipped a few of them.”
“Which ones?”
He shrugs. “Duck.”
“What?”
He pulls out another arrow and preps his bow. “I said, duck.”
I squat down just as he lets the arrow fly. Looking over my shoulder, I watch it puncture our assailant’s shoulder, a second one piercing his stomach a second later. Coming up from behind, Dionysus hits him over the head with an empty glass bottle—for good measure, I guess. He collapses, shards of amber colored glass ringing as they hit the pavement.
“Who invited you?” Dionysus asks, noticing Jasper for the first time. He glances at me questioningly.
“Don’t look at me,” I tell him. “He literally came out of nowhere.”
“I’ve been tracking the army,” Jasper explains, relaxing his bow for the moment. “It looked like you two could use some help.”
“We don’t need your help.” To prove his point, Dionysus steps to the side, gesturing to the litter of unconscious bodies he and the gorgolus apparently left on the pavement while I was preoccupied with Brian and Rae. I feel an unexpected pang of jealousy. “And anyway, aren’t you supposed to be one of them?”
“Didn’t Carly tell you? I’m like you two now. You know…good and stuff.”
I grimace. “That might be pushing it.”
“Yeah,” my partner agrees. “You were evil up until, what, yesterday? You’re going to have to work your way up to good.” Jasper sneers in reply, although there’s a shadow of amusement behind it.
“But we could use the help,” I admit with a glance at Dionysus. Already, the bodies of Eric’s fallen soldiers are stirring as they start coming to. Although impressive, Dion’s hand-to-hand combat skills aren’t keeping them down for good.
“You don’t need him,” he says defensively. “I’m the goofy-yet-loveable sidekick.”
“Why would she want a goofy sidekick when she could have me?” If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think Jasper was taking another stab at being playful. Or maybe he really is just that arrogant. “Listen, moron, I’m not interested in being anybody’s sidekick. But I’m willing to be a part of the team, if you’ll have me.” He directs this last part to me.
“Of course we—”
“Will not,” Dionysus talks over me. I shoot him a warning look. “He just called me a moron! I can’t work with someone who doesn’t respect me.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He respects you.”
“No, I don’t,” Jasper says, shaking his head. “I think he’s an idiot.”
Dion stalks up to him, fists flexing. “Well, I don’t trust you. I think you’re a lying piece of shit.”
“At least I’m not a fat one. Enjoying all those keggers at the frat house?” He pokes a slender, pale finger into Dionysus’ stomach.
“Please. I don’t have an inch of fat on my entire body.”
“Guys,” I interject. The injured are now climbing slowly to their hands and knees, rolling the stiffness from their joints. “Whatever this is, we don’t have time for it.”
“You’re fat,” Jasper insists, ignoring me, “and you’ve been going a little heavy with the self-tanner.”
“It’s called the sun,” the Delta Iota Kappa president snaps. “Maybe you’d know that if you ever went out in it, Edward Cullen.” He doesn’t notice the young man he and Jasper knocked out is reaching up a hand to pull the arrows from his shoulder and stomach. The others are getting to their feet, weapons of choice in hand.
“Guys,” I try again.
Jasper looks at Dionysus with narrowed eyes. “I don’t even know who that is.”
“The vampire dude from Twilight. Have you been living under a rock for the last six years?”
“No, I just don’t watch movies made for middle school girls.”
“I didn’t watch the movie.” Dionysus says it as though this is the most ridiculous thing he’s ever been accused of. “I read the book. Everybody knows the book is always better.”
“GUYS!”
Both of their heads snap up. “What?” Dionysus wonders, looking annoyed. “We’re having a conversation.”
“We have trouble,” I tell them, pointing. Jasper follows my gaze, raising his bow again. Dionysus sighs.
“They just don’t know when to quit,” he says, cracking his knuckles.
“If you’re tired, you can always sit this one out,” Jasper assures him. “Carly and I can take care of it.”
“Well, you can take one of those arrows and shove it up your—”
The next several minutes go by in a blur of swinging fists, flashing blades and whizzing arrows. I’m still a little clumsy at times but manage to fall into an effective routine, kicking, elbowing and stabbing my way through the small mob of Eric’s followers. I plunge the dagger into the abdomen of one, giving it a twist before pulling it back out, then plant a foot in his shin. Thrown off balance, he falls to the ground, the impact knocking him out cold. Another jumps in to replace him, and I repeat the sequence: stab, twist, kick. He reels, a dark stain blossoming on his black shirt, and collapses.
Breathing hard, I straighten up, taking a moment to collect myself. A glance at Jasper and Dionysus shows me they’re holding their own, black-clad bodies strewn at their feet. I turn back, adjusting my grip on the dagger, just in time to block a blow from a long, curved blade, wielded by a young woman with blue-streaked hair.
As I take her down, I think I glimpse a head of blonde hair disappearing behind the carousel.
Dolos, I realize, letting the girl drop to the ground. Sheathing the dagger, I take off in pursuit.
“Carly!” Hearing Dion’s voice, I pause, looking back over my shoulder. He’s currently got some guy in a headlock. “Where are you going?”
“I think I saw Dolos,” I tell him. “I need to get my stuff back. You got this?” He gives me a thumbs up with his free hand before breaking the man’s neck.
When I get to the carousel, there’s no sign of Dolos. I walk a slow circle around it, eyes peeled for another flash of platinum hair or glimmer of leather. At some point, the music blasting through the speakers was turned off. I can hear grunts and the scrape of metal against metal from the battle raging behind me, but the world gets quieter the farther away from it I go.
I come to a stop, looking up and down the park, starting to think I must have imagined it. Either that, or Dolos i
s playing tricks on me again.
A set of sturdy arms wrap around me from behind.
“Got you,” an unfamiliar voice says, his breath on my cheek. It smells like he had fish for dinner. He tugs me against a rock hard body, locking my arms behind my back. I struggle against him, kicking him in the shin, stepping on his foot, but he only laughs, tightening his grip on me. “You’d better get on with it, Wong,” he calls out. “She’s a feisty one. Then again, you probably know that.”
Alec steps out from behind one of the game booths, and for a moment, I stop fighting, feeling suddenly drained of energy. Knowing that this moment would come—that Alec and I would have to confront each other sooner or later, from opposite sides of the battlefield—doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Wiping a few loose strands of silky black hair from his eyes, Alec raises a mean-looking combat knife, rage combusting in his dark eyes. “Let her go.”
The man holding me hesitates. “What?”
“I said, let her go!” Alec shouts. “Asshole.”
“She’s the enemy, remember?” He gives a disbelieving laugh. “Who’s side are you on, anyway?”
“Carly’s. I’m trying to be nice. Give you a chance to let her go so I don’t have to make you.”
This time, Fish Breath gives a loud whoop of laughter. “Make me? I’m a lot bigger and a lot stronger than you, kid. I’d like to see you—” Snapping my neck back, I hit his face with the back of my head, cutting off the rest of whatever he was about to say. I hear the crunch of cartilage, and he sputters in surprise and pain. As his hold on me slackens, I wrestle out of it, feeling lightheaded as I stumble over to stand next to Alec.
“You dumb bitch,” he sputters, blood pouring from his now crooked nose. “You broke my nose!” Alec strides forward, fist connecting with the man’s square jaw, kicking him in the stomach at the same time. He teeters before collapsing, passing out as his head hits the ground.
Alec looks back at me, smiling. “Now that’s what I like to call team work.”
“Alec,” I gasp, shaking my head in disbelief. “What are you doing?”
