Goddess Trials

by A Lonergan

  “Why is he here?” Anger laced my words.

  Her shoulders fell, and I regretted the question. “There are things he had to do before he could come back.”

  “Isn’t that the god's way? Abandonment? Greed? Selfishness?” Fur prickled at my spine. I punched through the wall to keep my beast at bay. My mother flinched, but just gave me a warning look as Prometheus burst through my front door. It ripped from the hinges and crashed against the opposite wall.

  “What I did wasn’t selfish. What you are doing right now is. Get it together.” Prometheus took my mother’s hand in his and pulled her from my home.

  A snarl ripped from my throat. “My mother must have not filled you in on who I am!” I stalked out of my house with so much hatred, I knew beast would be summoned quickly. “I am the Beast of Zeus! I am the God Slayer! I will haunt your nightmares and put you to rest!” I roared to the heavens and let my beast free! He tore through my skin. It was the quickest I had ever transformed. Beast huffed and puffed as he stalked his prey.

  “Crawley, what have you done?” My mother shrieked at me.

  All I could do was grunt back as Prometheus came into view. His eyes were wide in shock as he looked between my mother and me. But as I looked at him longer, all I saw was Keenan, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do what needed to be done. I couldn’t be the God Slayer to the man that resembled my fallen brother. I shrunk back to my human form and rested my face in my hands. The tears that had been kept at bay spilled over.

  I didn’t want to cry, but I had no control over it. The rage was gone and replaced with something worse; sadness and grief. Someone wrapped a cloth around my shoulders and hugged me. The scent was my mother, and I wanted nothing more than to bask in her comfort like I once had as a child before I had been ripped from her arms.

  Her warm embrace was removed, and despair gripped my heart. My breathing was labored when she returned. I couldn’t scent Prometheus anymore, but I knew he was nearby. I doubted he would leave his beloved with such a monster.

  “Come on, love. We need to get you dressed. You don’t want to be late.” My mother helped me stand while trying to brush grass and pine off of me.

  I nodded my head and begrudgingly made it back to my cottage. Laying on my bed was another suit and tie, but it was navy instead of black. I didn’t question it and pulled the clothes on. Once again my mother helped me with my tie but unlike last time; she made sure to get my hair in order as well.

  “You’re going to fall out when you see Jessa.” My mother smirked at my surprised expression. “She’s a beautiful girl, and she’s a war hero.” She winked at me. “Don’t screw this up.” She slapped my arm for emphasis.

  I needed to get all my crap together. I couldn’t keep getting so wound up and exploding like I was. I didn’t provide much for Jessa at the moment, and it was making my beast restless. Everyone was right, Jessa was the best damn catch of my life, and I needed to get it all together before I tried to keep her.

  We made our way to the gathering next to the mountains. In the center of everyone was a funeral pier. Sticks and logs were piled high under a glass box or what appeared to be glass. The way it shimmered and moved, I had no doubt it was magic. Inside the box of magic was Keenan, wearing a suit, with his cropped hair cleanly cut and fixed.

  Prometheus had disappeared, and my mother was just as confused as I was. She searched around before she shrugged her shoulders. She refused to look anywhere but to Keenan. I didn’t blame her, it was hard to see him up there. The people around me were all dressed similar in their formal attire, and I wondered what it had looked like at my celebration.

  After a few moments, a couple people came to greet me, tell me how great it was for me to be back and how much they missed me but pretty soon, their words blurred together and I couldn’t hear anything. At that moment Jessa came into the clearing. I wasn’t sure it was her at first and had to do a double take.

  She hadn’t noticed me yet. I took my time watching her. The dress she wore dipped low in the front, and it was probably the most skin she had ever shown off besides in the gym, but that didn’t count. The dress was navy but when she moved there was an iridescent green that appeared. From her knees and up looked like she had scales covering her. Below the knee was some frilly stuff I didn’t care for but it fit her. The front of her hair was pulled back on either side of her face and straightened down her back. Her makeup was dramatic and dark but alluring. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Every detail. Every single thing about her had me entranced.

  When she finally noticed me, she raised her eyebrows and waved her fingers, nervously. I thought of waving back but figured it wouldn’t be good enough then considered it again but opted for a smile instead. My mother pulled my hand into hers and gave me a look of approval before smoothing my suit down.

  “She looks even better than I was told.”

  All I could do was nod my head.

  As Jessa approached me, I noticed her hands shaking. She pushed them down the front of her dress then she shook them out like she had no idea what she was going to do with herself.

  “You look really nice.” She touched the lapel on my suit. Then it clicked on why my mother had picked out a navy suit. We matched.

  “You look even better.” My mouth seemed to dry up. “This wasn’t planned.” I motioned between us.

  “Oh?” She gave me a broad eyed look like she had no idea what I was talking about.

  “The colors. Us matching.” I laughed, anxious.

  “Right.” She nodded her head awkwardly.

  “My mom picked my suit out.” She giggled at how ridiculous I sounded. “I mean, she had to. I went all beast mode on Prometheus.”

  “So that’s where he disappeared to.” She peeked around my body to see if she could spot him. “Trying to scare off mom’s boyfriend? Aren’t you a little too old for that?”

  I knew she was joking, but it lit me up. I was too sensitive to be around other people. “No, more like I don’t trust him and my pent-up emotions got the best of me.”

  She rested her hand on my arm and looked into my eyes. “I know, I’m just teasing you.” She rubbed her hands up and down my arms, to comfort me and it was starting to work. Just not as quickly as I would have preferred.

  “I’ve been a little tense lately, haven’t I?” I pulled her hands into mine. They were cold as ice. “Are you cold?”

  She shook her head no, but I had a feeling she was just trying to be tough about the night’s chill. I unbuttoned the front of my suit jacket and slipped it from my arms then handed it to her. She shrugged it on then peeked up at me through her thick, black lashes. It was such a shy, vulnerable look that I was taken back.

  Someone tapped my shoulder and the moment was ruined. She blushed brightly and looked away. I turned to find Prometheus. The bastard. He was already on my hate list. He smelled nervous, and all I wanted to do was rip his throat out.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I would like to know if we could have a few words.” He asked.

  I looked back to Jessa as she handed me my coat back and told him, “Make it very few words.”

  Chapter 6

  Jessa

  I watched Crawley and Prometheus leave the clearing and wondered if I should have let someone know but then, I guessed if Prometheus had survived this long... he would be okay, right?

  Shaskia soon found me and escorted me to our table. I had never been to a formal dinner before, but I was sure I could fake it till I made it. Shaskia pulled my chair out for me then scooted me in like I was still her little grandbaby.

  Mira found her way to the seat across from mine just as someone clanked on a glass at the table next to ours.

  “It has been easily a hundred years since we have had to do this.” The mans' voice sounded like honey. It was warm and smooth. “Usually we would have let the families begin the feast and the mingling, but there are so many littles here; we must talk about what all this is.”

 
The balding man with the voice of honey sat down, and then the next stood up, he was a round man with a completely bald head. He held up his wine glass, and it was filled to the brim. He took a slurping sip before speaking. His voice was not like honey but more like a whining child’s. “We celebrate the lives and legacies of the ones that have fallen. Keenan was no exception. He held an extraordinary place in all of our hearts.”

  The fat, bald man sat down as a muscular man with beautiful, dark chocolate skin stood up. His hair was cropped short, and his amber eyes practically glowed in the dark. “May Keenan have a blessed eternity in the underworld, may he remember the good times we speak of tonight and may he be reunited with his family.”

  It was time for the last man to stand and when he did, I could see the tears on his cheeks. He had white hair down his back and a clean-shaven face. He wore a white tunic that almost blended in with his pale skin. “May the gods forever shine their favor on us all.”

  “Amen.” Everyone chorused together.

  I didn’t smell food or see food being prepared anywhere. I wondered how the feast was going to begin and just as I was about to ask Shaskia, a full plate appeared in front of me.

  Shaskia laughed at my shock and explained. “Levios likes his food and always makes sure our feasts are grand.” She pointed to the bald, fat man. Then she pointed the man that had a voice of warm honey. “He is in charge of seduction and making sure the Valley stays fruitful.” Then she pointed to the man with deep ebony skin. “He is over battalion. He takes it very seriously.” Something resentful slithered throughout my body at her words. I felt my blood burning hotter, and my vision sharpened.

  Shaskia went to take a bite of her food before her eyes met mine. She dropped her fork. “Goddess,” her voice was reverent, and I didn’t understand why she called me that, till I could feel it. I felt different. Angier than I had been in a long time.

  I cocked my head at her and chose my words carefully. “Battalion? We just went after a god, and you offered no help from your battalion!” I took a calculated breath before looking to those seated around me.

  Crawley was staring at me, and so was his mother, their eyes wide with fear. I pointed to the funeral pier then pushed myself from the table, my chair clattering loudly on the ground. “If we had had a battalion! If we had had a Battalion to lead us against a GOD, perhaps Keenan wouldn’t be dead right now! Perhaps we wouldn’t have lost so many precious lives!” I pointed to the Elders at their high and mighty table before Shaskia tried to pull me down.

  “Jessa, you’re scaring people, your eyes, everything about you is changing. It’s turning dark.” Shaskia looked at me in fear. Her words shifting something inside of me.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry. That’s not what tonight is about.” I went to pick my chair off the grass, but Crawley beat me to it. He grabbed my hand in his, gave it a gentle squeeze then returned to his seat. Everyone was staring at me now, and I knew I wasn’t going to eat with all the eyes pointed at me. I looked over my shoulder at the table that sat the Elders and gave them a long glare before turning back around to my food.

  It no longer looked appetizing, and I was no longer hungry. I pushed my plate away from me and watched everyone else. It was more comfortable to do that than to pretend. I had thought I had been doing well, handling his death well, but it just festered more. Crawley kept giving me looks out the corner of his eye while his mom talked and laughed at the memories shared.

  People went on and on, one by one, about how Keenan had changed their lives and how he would be fruitful in the underworld. I didn’t understand, I looked to Shaskia with my questions. The topic of death had always been something I had avoided. I had never known loss like this before. My mother had been an entirely different entity in my life, and her absence wasn’t much to me.

  “This isn’t the end. Keenan can have a job and live happily with his family in the underworld. He will continue on and if he chooses to; he can remember everything that transpired in his life here.”

  “If he doesn’t want to?” I knew what she was going to say, but I asked anyway.

  “He can drink from The Lethe and forget everything.” Shaskia popped a cherry into her mouth before continuing. “There is a chance that he will be in Elysium and he will wish to be reborn.”

  I didn’t have any other questions, and I didn’t want to hear any more. I took a sip from my water goblet and leaned back in my chair as people started to get up and get friendly. Soft music played in the background, though I wasn’t sure if it was from technology or magic. These days it was getting harder and harder to distinguish. A few people were dancing while a few others were wiping stray tears from their faces. He was loved and celebrated by so many.

  I had been so selfish with my outburst. I buried my face in my hands. Someone tapped on my shoulder, and I begrudgingly turned around. One of the most gorgeous men I had ever seen, stood before me. His white-blond hair was slicked back on his head, and his sharp jawline was dusted with just the right amount of facial hair. His baby blue eyes sparkled at me, and when he smiled, I thought I was going to fall out. He had dimples.

  “I hope you don’t find me too forward but I heard what you said about your war, and I would love to hear more about it. I’m new around here, and your power called to me.” He cupped the back of his neck, almost nervously then gazed up at me from under his eyelashes. “The passion in your voice... I don’t know... something about it would have had me following you into battle.”

  My jaw went a little slack. “Wow, that’s a great compliment. I wish I knew what to say, but I’m not good at this at all.”

  His pupils got big before he spoke again, “You really shouldn’t waste that dress sitting over here. Come dance with me, and you can tell me all about it.”

  I followed him to the center of the square, and he pulled me close. I secretly wondered if Crawley was watching and almost wanted to see his face. He deserved the torture sometimes. It was then that I realized Shaskia was up dancing too and when I realized who she was with, I could have died.

  Cristoff had his snake arms wrapped around her waist. If I hadn’t been tangled up with Mr. Dreamy, I would have marched right over there and given him a piece of my mind.

  “I didn’t catch your name,” he whispered into my neck as he pulled me even closer.

  “I didn’t catch yours either.” I pulled back a fraction, not okay with the direction this was going.

  He must have noticed a change in my voice because he put some more distance between us and gave me a shy smile. “I’m Perseus.”

  I gave him a curious look. “Perseus? As in Zeus’ son?”

  He gave me a kind of annoyed look before shaking his head, no. “What about your name? The mysterious battle woman?”

  I laughed. “Jessa.”

  He thought for a minute. “Jessa, daughter of Aphrodite? Maybe not, hmmm, daughter of Athena, maybe?”

  I just shook my head and smiled. “Nope, none of the above.”

  He chuckled. “Alright, I guess I’ll have to earn that information.”

  I winked at him. “Good luck.”

  Chapter 7

  Crawley

  Chummy.

  That’s what they were. That’s what he was, the mysterious man that just popped in. Red flags were signaling off in my brain, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was jealous or not. I was sure it had to do with the fact that I was jealous and just looking for any excuse for him to be the bad guy. The only thing wrong with the situation was the fact that he had his arms where mine should have been and freakin' Cristoff had called it.

  I frowned and took a sweet sip of my wine. It wasn’t as good as what the Centaurs had provided for us, but as I watched Jessa and douche laugh and talk, it did the trick just fine. I tried to not burn holes into them with my eyes, but I couldn’t turn away. That was when I noticed Cristoff dipping Shaskia, and I spewed my wine everywhere.

  What in Hades name is going on here?

  I
would give it to her, she looked younger and carefree in Cristoff’s arms, but Cristoff? Why did it have to be him? My mother’s bright hair caught my eye next, and I wished it hadn’t. She was in the arms of Prometheus and looked wholly smitten, and at the same time, he looked just as smitten.

  Party of one? How depressing.

  I kicked back the rest of my glass and went in search of more food. I couldn’t handle the lovey-dovey crap much longer. It was killing me.

  When the earth started to shake, I thought it was all the wine I drank, so I tried to play it off and laugh at myself until I realized others were falling over.

  Oops.

  I ran to Jessa's side as fast as I could, I didn’t care about the pretty boy. She was trying to steady herself while crouched down. Pretty boy was glaring at the sky.

  “PERSEUS, RETURN HOME AT ONCE.” Lightning struck the sky as the voice boomed around us. “TO THE ONE THEY CALL QUEEN, MOUNT OLYMPUS HAS REQUESTED YOUR PRESENCE.”

  All eyes turned to Jessa as she struggled to stand. Pretty boy, Perseus, winked at Jessa before he disappeared. He was there one-second then gone the next. Jessa rolled her eyes and gave up trying to steady herself. She fell back into the grass and stared up at the stars. I couldn’t image what was going on in her mind.

  Zeus had just invited Jessa to Mount Olympus.

  An hour had gone by since all the mass chaos with Zeus and Shaskia was still freaking out. She had thrown up behind a tree then started barking orders at people. The Elders sat stoically at their table and discussed things amongst themselves. Their faces were grim, and I knew they were going to try to keep Jessa from going to the plane of the gods.