Goddess Trials

by A Lonergan

  “Artemis needs to be there to protect her.” I rubbed the beard on my chin.

  “No! No, she doesn’t. Jessa is more than capable of taking care of herself.” My mother then grabbed both sides of my face and forced me to look into her eyes. “If anyone is going to survive this, it will be Jessa.”

  She walked away shaking her head, muttering under her breath, like a crazy person. Her red hair flying around her face as she went. Shaskia came at me then, I could smell her rage from a mile away. I groaned, more angry women to deal with.

  Chapter 30

  Jessa

  I awoke to no pain. I hadn’t left my room, and I hadn’t eaten anything in days. I didn’t know how I was still alive, except for the fact that Artemis kept bringing me bottles of water. At least, I imagined it was her because I didn’t know anyone else that cared that much. I hadn’t even heard from Perseus or Zeus. Aphrodite had disappeared as well. Just when I had needed them the most, they had deserted me.

  I lifted my weak head off of the plush pillow and blinked my dry eyes open. Sitting on the navy blue nightstand was a steaming mug and biscuits. I was surprised I had slept through the glorious smell. I wasn’t sure if I had dreamt them up or if they were real until I heard Aphrodite’s voice.

  “Silly girl looks like someone else brought you makeup first. I don’t know why you didn’t wait for me!” She was sitting on the floor painting her toenails. It struck me odd. What was a goddess doing painting her own nails? It seemed so mundane. My face must have shown what was thinking because she let out a musical laugh. “Sometimes it's nice to do things for yourself.”

  I didn’t disagree with her. Then I remembered what she said about the makeup. I sat up straight, wobbling slightly and gave her a confused look.

  “What do you mean makeup?” I didn’t dare touch my injured face.

  She frowned at me. “Your face is flawless. I wish I had those skills. Alas, I am not that talented.”

  I flew off the bed, much to my body’s disapproval and shoved the bathroom door open. Sure enough, my face was radiant. It had never looked so good. I touched my fingertips to my eye, and when it didn’t hurt, I picked up a washcloth and started to scrub. But nope, it was just my face, no makeup. I practically floated out of the small bathroom and gave Aphrodite a dazed look.

  When she saw the redness from the scrubbing, it was her turn for the confusion. “Well, you healed up quickly, and for someone that apparently hasn’t eaten anything in days, your skin is practically glowing.”

  Speaking of eating. I shrugged my shoulders and ran to the plate at my bedside. I wasted no time devouring the breakfast. I didn’t bother with the butter or jelly and stuffed the entire biscuit in my mouth.

  Aphrodite yawned. “Be careful, we don’t want you to choke.”

  I swallowed the fluffy carbs and took a big chug of the coffee. It was disgusting, but my body eagerly accepted it. It left behind a grotesque aftertaste, but I kept eating and drinking.

  The door swung open just as I was mid-bite and Apollo swaggered in. He didn’t resemble the remorseful man that I had been with just days before. He wore a cocky grin and a black suit. A dead dried up rose took up residence next to the lapel.

  “Goodmorning ladies!” He took one look at me and his smile turned dangerous. “Look at you feeling one hundred percent! How glorious!”

  Aphrodite gave him a tight smile. “What do we owe the pleasure?”

  “I just wanted to check on my bride to be.” I rolled my eyes as I continued to shovel food into my mouth. He gave me a disgusted look, and I just continued on, seeing how much I could fit in it. I gave him a large smile, showing him all the food I was collecting. “My darling, you are absolutely revolting. You are going to have to learn some manners before the ceremony.”

  I swallowed half of the mush in my mouth and decided he needed to know just how revolting I was. “I’m sorry, this is just how I was raised. When you are hungry, you are hungry!” I used my biscuit to toast him, crumbs flew across the room and landed at his feet.

  His frown deepened. “How lovely.” He looked away from me and spoke again, “At least your face has healed up nicely. If anything, you are beautiful. We will just have to work through the rest.”

  With that, he was gone, and I certainly wasn’t going to miss him. By the look on Aphrodite’s face, she wasn’t going to either.

  As I got dressed for the day, finally pulling myself out of the slump I had fallen into, Aphrodite chattered on about living in Paris and Brazil, how they were her two favorite places in the world. I smiled and spoke when I needed to, but it seemed like it was just fluff. It was only filler conversation.

  I might have been able to do it before. I might have been able to successfully have small talk before Crawley fell into my life, but after everything that had happened to us? Small talk just didn’t cut it anymore. There wasn’t enough depth or feeling in it, and I had every intention of feeling more rooted since I was about to sign my life away.

  I interrupted her mindless talk and said, “Where does Apollo live?”

  She snapped out of her thoughts in shock. “I’m not really sure. Probably a dark, dank castle in the middle of Germany.”

  I could picture it too. He seemed like a mad king from the middle ages. He would have fit right in. Or maybe he had ruled then also. It made sense.

  I nodded my head to show her I was somewhat listening to her rambling when the door swung open. I was pulling a brush through my long hair and stopped midway. Zeus peeked his head in, anger evident on his face until his eyes landed on me. His light eyes overlooked my body before I saw him relax.

  Aphrodite stood to attention and stopped talking.

  Zeus laughed. “There is no need for formalities, Té.” The nickname rolled off of his tongue easily.

  Aphrodite shook her blonde head. “No, Zeus never makes house calls. If Zeus wants something, he summons it.” She gave me a wide-eyed look before she fled the room.

  Zeus raised his eyebrows and shook his head with a chuckle. “Té was always one for the theatrics, but I’m glad that she has been keeping you company. Someone needs to, and as much as Perseus and I have wanted to, duty has called us elsewhere.”

  I set the brush down and went to sit on the corner of my frumpy bed. I couldn’t say the last time it had been made. My nose wrinkled at the thought of needing clean sheets. I needed to find a washer and dryer. I had been here far too long to not be able to take care of my things like this. Though I was always clean when I got in bed, the thought of clean sheets made me giddy.

  Zeus closed the door and leaned against it. His eyes following my every movement. “I’m also glad to see that you are well. Perseus mentioned an altercation, I’m almost disappointed to have missed the end result.” He cocked his eyebrow at me.

  “It was nothing.” I shrugged my shoulders and pulled at the hem of my shirt.

  “Perseus didn’t seem to think so.” Zeus crossed his bronze arms over his broad chest.

  “I’m not sure why I matter so much to him.” I looked him in the eyes and scowled.

  “Perseus has his own reasoning for things,” He scrubbed his hand down his face. “I didn’t come here to talk about him. I came here to talk about you.”

  “Oh?” I pulled at the split ends on my hair, trying to sound and look indifferent.

  “Are you ready for what is to come?”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “You know that you don’t have to do this, right?” His voice came out rougher, almost angry. “That you could challenge him.”

  “I would forfeit my life.”

  He laughed harshly. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. It looked like it had been freshly cut. It fit him nicely and accentuated his facial features and his sharp jawline.

  “This will not kill a god.” I touched my pendant softly.

  “I’m sure it can do enough damage.”r />
  “Speaking of damage…” I trailed off biting my lip, nervous about how I was supposed to go about this. All I could see was Prim in my mind and the pain her family had endured, along with the Cyclops, mermaids, and unicorns. If this was the last time I was to speak before I signed my life away, so be it, but it wasn’t going to be for my own hide. I would do something good for the people that had fought by my side. The creatures that had given their lives for a bigger purpose. If anything was going to come out of this, it was going to be something good, whether or not my life was gone. “I want the killing of monsters to stop.”

  Zeus’ light eyes went stormy. “Do you have any idea what you are proposing?”

  I nodded my head and stood from the bed, getting closer to him. “Yes, I know what I am asking. I also know that you have no idea about the creatures that they are. The Demigods kill senselessly, and you allow it.”

  “How do you know it is senseless killing? The monsters have always been uncivilized. If allowed, they will overrun the humans, and as much as humans annoy me, I can’t allow such a thing.” He shook his head, telling me that he would budge on the matter.

  I kept going anyway. “How do you that they are all uncivilized? How do you know when you put up protection for them and they can’t leave it? How do you know when you can’t even see them?”

  “I don’t know, but I remember the dark ages when the centaurs tried to take on kingdoms and tried to overrun the humans. There were too many of them, and they knew they could do anything because of that fact.”

  “I can tell you that because of Apollo’s sons, it isn’t the case anymore. They fear for their lives and their children, they have such a beautiful culture, and it’s threatened each and every day!” I poked him in the chest, forgetting who I was speaking to.

  He narrowed his eyes at me and pushed my hand away. “You are the goddess of no fear, they were right to say that about you, The Fates.”

  “I don’t care about what the infamous Fates have to say, this isn’t about them. This is about the innocent. This is about the children that know no better and deserve a better life than one in fear!” I pleaded with him, trying to put reason into his dark soul.

  “I would have to move mountains to make this happen.” He looked to the ground and shook his head, in disbelief.

  “Then let me do it.”

  He laughed again, this time so hard that tears started to roll down his rosy cheeks. “How do you plan to do that? You didn’t even finish the trials because you are to marry the man that threatens your existence. You are no goddess yet because of that, and no one will take you seriously married to him.”

  Anger filled my body and rage was all I could see and taste. In the back of my mind, I knew that my hair was starting to float around my head and my body felt like electricity, but nothing stopped me. When I spoke, I no longer sounded human, something else entirely fueling me.

  “I don’t know what will happen when I walk down that aisle, but I no longer fear it. I will finish your trials, and I will be accepted as I truly am. Send the entire calvary after me, do what you must, but I will not stop until my people know justice.” I slammed my hand out, and the door crashed open.

  Zeus’ eyes were full, but I couldn’t read his emotions. Hades, I couldn’t do much. Justice was the only thing that mattered to me, not his precious feelings. He bowed his head and retreated, though I saw I spark of amusement in his eyes before he went.

  Chapter 31

  Artemis

  Terror.

  I could taste it. I couldn’t believe what I had overheard, and I thanked my lucky stars that I had been the only one to hear it.

  Jessa had lost her damned mind. I didn’t know what had happened in that room to make her go so bonkers.

  I flew into the room as soon as I saw Zeus leave. Jessa’s eyes were bright, molten gold and her hair floated around her head like a halo.

  “Do you want to explain that to me?” I shrieked at her. I tried to tone it down a notch, realizing that I sounded far too similar to Shaskia.

  She took a deep breath, and her hair started to lose its life. “I don’t know how I should explain it since you probably heard everything.”

  “You just went head to head with Zeus! He could have taken you out of your misery immediately!” I threw my arms into the air, in utter defeat.

  “He knows there is a problem with the Demigods, I knew that he would listen to my reasoning.” She shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal.

  “There isn’t just a problem with the Demigods, there is a problem with the gods. The monsters are their playthings, Jessa. They are their entertainment so that the humans don’t get all of their attention.” She picked up a brush like she hadn’t heard what I was saying. “Do you understand what I am saying?”

  She looked to me with her dull grey eyes, the fire in them going down steadily. “Yes, I understand what you said. This means that you think that the humans will get their attention more.”

  “Yes! You can’t stop them!”

  “And if I could, I would but I can’t, so that’s why I went to Zeus.” She brushed her hair before she threw it into a long slung ponytail. “I don’t know why you have your panties in a twist.”

  “I love the humans, I don’t want to see this negatively affect them.” I didn’t know what else to tell her, at this point I was just afraid for her life.

  “Well, I don’t. I love the monsters. I love the creatures that marched with me into battle, the ones that bowed down to me and gave support when I went after Apollo.” She set the brush down, and when she turned to me, she was mad. “Where were you? You could have been there since you are here now and you just keep popping in to hang out.”

  I had no fight left in me. She was right. Where had I been when she was putting her life in danger going after another one of Apollo’s prisons.

  “There was only so much I could do. You don’t understand, the wards and spells on the hallowed ground didn’t even allow me to know where you were until bam you were at his prison.” I made an explosion demonstration with my hands. “I care about you and your life, I was more afraid of who else could have heard that conversation.” I felt tears prickling my eyes. “Once you are Apollo’s nothing will you be yours again. Not your feelings, not your actions and certainly not your thoughts.”

  Chapter 32

  Jessa

  Zeus didn’t barge in this time. He knocked softly, and I knew it was time. He peeked his head in and smiled shyly at me. “Perseus would like the honor to walk you down the aisle.” When he stood up straight, I could see his tux in full view. He looked so handsome it took my breath away.

  I nodded my head and stared at the garment bag on my bed. My hands were clammy, and my breathing was quick. I had never really been a nervous person, but the thought of marrying a narcissistic murderer would turn you into something else entirely. Aphrodite paced on the other side of the room and laughed nervously at Zeus. She was wearing a beautiful forest green wrap dress with her hair falling around her shoulders in soft waves.

  Her makeup was done up to the nines, and she had tried to convince me that I needed the same but I couldn’t stomach it. This wasn’t my dream wedding. This wasn’t my dream, this was Apollo’s.

  I slapped on the bare minimum of makeup, as much as I didn’t want to be doing it at all, I would at least look good. I didn’t want his wrath to fall upon me.

  Artemis was the next one to file into the room. One look at me and her face paled. “You aren’t even dressed! Your hair!”

  I rolled my eyes and planted my fists on my hips and gave them all a death glare. They looked like vultures advancing on me. I ducked farther away and put my hands up, trying to keep them as far away from me as possible. They just kept on advancing.

  “I don’t want to be rushed, please.” My voice sounded defeated. “I want to have as much free will as I can before I give it all away. If I’m late for my own wedding, then so be it.”

  Artemis
seemed to falter at that. She frowned at me, and I watched as tears welled up in her soft gold eyes. She blinked hard and nodded her head. Her hair was piled up high, and her face was bare. “I’m so sorry, you’re right. We shouldn’t be pushing or prying.”

  Artemis and Aphrodite shoed Zeus out and unzipped the bag. The silks and tulle couldn’t be contained in the small bag and burst free. They both burst into uncontrollable tears when they got a look at the wedding dress. Artemis gently pulled the garment out and choked up again.

  She smiled through her tears and gave me a sympathetic glance. “I wish this would have been different. I fought so hard for you. I fought so hard for your story to be different.” She hung her head and passed the dress to Aphrodite.

  Tears pricked my eyes at her words. I watched as she retreated to the bathroom. Sadness coated the room, and I wished everything could have been different but there was no point in wishing, nothing was going to change. All I could do was take it day by day.

  Artemis took her time in the bathroom, sniffling as loud as she possibly could as if it was going to delay the inevitable. Aphrodite held the dress up and motioned for me to strip.

  Once I was down to my undies, I covered my chest and gave her an evil grin. She gave me a confused look until she saw my panties. She chocked out a laugh. If I was going to spend the night with a monster, I was going to make it as nasty and unattractive as possible. The off-white silk went over my belly button, and the back was even worse, it had the most unflattering seams.

  Her face went red as she continued to giggle harder. For the first time since I had woken up, a smile stretched across my face.

  “I wish I had known, I have the worst bralette. It actually makes your boobs appear to be saggy!” She said between breaths and giggles.

  I joined in with her and said, “Why would you have something like that?”